LouLouLand

Is There Anybody There? - Life Lately And Moving Forward

2026-04-14T15:22:00.000+01:00

I've tried several times over the last few months to take some time out for myself, to sit down somewhere quiet and write this post but something has always stopped me, so much so that I actually felt like hitting the delete button and bringing this little chapter of my life to an end but something stopped me from doing that as well.

So where have I been? Well if you follow me elsewhere on the old socials then you'll know that yet again life kicked me right where it hurts, and over the last few months life in LouLouLand has been to put it mildly poop!

After losing my Godmother in September I really thought that 2025 couldn't get any worse, but then it did - my mam was taken into hospital in late November with yet another infection, cue lots of confusion, and delirium, a fall from her bed that left her very bruised and battered, and a 2 and half week stay in hospital. Thankfully the infection was treated, the confusion passed, the bruises started to fade, and two weeks before Christmas she was thankfully allowed home.

With her instructing my every move I decorated, cooked and cleaned, and although it was always going to be strange without my Godmother we had a nice but quiet Christmas and New Year. The gifts were meaningful, the food was plentiful, and sharing it with my mam was the only gift that I ever needed or wanted.

Unlike her previous hospital stays though, this time she didn't bounce back to normal, she's really struggling with her mobility, using frames around the house, and she's been unable to get out and about or get back in the car. It's been frustrating and a learning curve for both of us, and at times there's almost being a role reversal with me taking on the parental role doing the adult things that she hasn't been able to do, which has taken a bit of adjustment on both sides.

Thankfully as time has progressed she's been able to do more around the house (she's currently tidying her room!), and more physically and last week after a conversation with her GP she eventually had a therapist come out to the house to assess her, see what she can do, what they can help her with and what they provide for her. It may be 4 months too late but we're both feeling a bit more positive now, they are sending a physio out to work with her to improve her mobility and they may be able to provide her with some walking aids or maybe a chair so she can get out safely again especially with the weather hopefully improving.

It's been a lot to deal with, the stress of her being admitted, visiting her and not quite knowing at times what I was going to find, dealing with everything once she came home and all that entailed, all whilst trying to navigate grief, and chronic illness. I'm not ashamed to say that my mental health really took a nosedive, I've cried myself into a panic attack on more than one occasion, I've had more sleepless nights than you can imagine and I've completely neglected myself and my surroundings. You know those depression room Tik Tok's, yeah I get that, I've been so concerned about keeping the rest of the house tidy, my room looks like a messy storage unit. I've worn make up twice in 5 months, and I haven't had my hair cut since September / October time. I've probably only left the house 5 or 6 times since my mam was released from hospital, and we've probably met every Tesco delivery driver in the North East.

I've had the odd day where I've craved normality, I went to the Metro Centre for a couple of hours last month to buy Mothers Day goodies, and I had a lovely coffee date, and Home Bargains, and Farm Foods trip with one of my besties, which did me the world of good but other than that I've been trying to dig my way out of a large dark hole, some days are good, I'm productive, I can cross things off my to do list, and other days, I just want to pull a blanket over my head and shut everything else out just to try and protect myself.

I know it's been hard for her too and I know she feels some guilt, but my mam really has been my biggest supporter and reason for being - she keeps telling me I'm stronger than what I think, and whilst at times I still struggle to believe that, I know she's right - you learn from every knock and it really does make you stronger but having even a small support system is everything and I'm forever grateful for the people I have in my life that are there when I need to vent.

I know it will pass and eventually I'll start to have more good days, I just don't deal with change very well anymore, and over the last few months I've had to deal with a lot of it. There are some positive things on the horizon but again they are going to involve periods of change, acceptance and lots of adulting so I'm trying to put on my big girl shoes and make the best of it.

I guess that's really why I'm sitting in my cluttered, hoarder esq bedroom typing words onto a screen. As I say I wasn't sure how or even whether to come back here, times have moved on short form media is king, and any place I had in this world now seems long gone (especially when I look at all the spam comments!), but with the rise of substack and some people I know returning to the blogging sphere maybe there is hope for us who like to use our words. Blogging always used to be an outlet for me and whilst it used to be about numbers, blog awards and PR, maybe now I can go back to what it always was my place, my place to talk about things I love, things that troubled me, good things in my life and the bad, and maybe that's something that I need in my life again, a focus, an outlet.

So where do I go from here? Well I open up my Macbook and I tap those keys and see what comes out at the other end - Obviously I have to get up to date on those empties posts, I have some nail posts in draft, and some half edited ones that I will post in due course, I've also got a few Tik Tok bits to share but other than that I have no real plans on what to post. I'm not the same person I was when I started this blog and whilst I still love fashion, beauty, nails, and food, maybe my content needs to grow with me - in what direction? who knows but I hope beyond hope, that there are a least some of you out there who will stick with me, and whilst I'm no longer about stats and follower counts, I'm eternally grateful for any of you that are still out there, so Happy New Year, Happy Christmas, Happy Easter, and every other holiday that I've missed, thanks for being here and I'll see you soon with another post x

Nails Of The Day - Barry M Holochrome Holographic Effect Vegan Nail Paint - Pixie Pink*

2025-11-22T11:16:00.000+00:00

There is nothing that I love beauty wise than a holographic nail polish. The way they change colour and sparkle when the light changes just soothes my soul, and makes me happy.

It's fair to say that over the last 12 months I've been on a bit of a journey with my finger nails - from outright destruction and damage central in January and February, to health and length and then back to just a bit healthier - it's certainly been a case of two steps forward and 3 steps back at times, but I'm on the right track again, and I've found a few products that given regular use, time and patience can really make a difference.

Something that definitely helps is painting them and keeping polish on at all times - I'm yet to brave gels again so normal polish it is, Despite several half hearted attempts to weed my own personal polish mountain, I've still got way too many bottles of nail colour - I have been good though and I have pretty much stopped buying new polishes but earlier this year I saw that Barry M had a released a new nail polish range and it really was love at first sight.

Although Barry M has changed a lot since I first started buying from the brand (and the prices have gone up!) one of their mainstays is still their nail polish in those familiar square bottles. Colours and finishes have came and gone over the years but I can'r honestly remember them ever producing a holographic polish before, so I guess the release of their Holochrome Holographic Effect range was long overdue.

The range comprises of four polishes and yes you've guessed it, I bought every single one of them, the four shades are - a silver, a lilac, an aqua blue / green and of course a pink named Pixie Pink.

This polish comes with a nice wide brush which curves to the cuticle perfectly making it a really easy polish to paint.

The coverage is excellent - with careful application you could probably get away with one coat but for the full on sparkly, rich finish I went for two.

Now as you can see I've taken some photos with the flash and some without, and some even ever so slightly out of focus, so you can get a real idea of both the colour and finish, and just how this beautiful polish reacts to the light.

It's a lovely warm pink crammed full of holographic rainbow sparkle, that reacts to movement and the light and creates flashes of every shade you can think from gold to blue, to purple .

As I say application itself was a breeze and I didn't need to do any real touch ups, and if you're impatient or you can't sit still it also dried pretty quickly.

As much as I love a holographic polishes they do have a bit of a reputation for poor wear time - in fact if you remember the original holographic polish GOSH Holographic, they eventually used to label it 24 hour wear! Thankfully I didn't need to change this polish the next day, I applied it on top of two coats of a nail growth treatment and I added a coat on top and I easily managed a week with only minimal chipping and even then it was pretty easy to fix with another coat of polish ;)

I honestly don't think that any of these pictures do this polish justice, it so pretty I'm actually wearing it at the moment and watching the colour change and as I'm moving my fingers is actually really distracting lol.

If you're fan of sparkle this holiday season or even like me all year round, but you aren't a fan of the rough finish that you can often get from glitter polishes, then holographic polishes are the way to go. Barry M Holochrome Holographic Effect Vegan Nail Paint in Pixie Pink retails at £4.49 and is available from Superdrug, and direct from Barry M.

Are you a fan of holographic polishes? Let me know in the comments and I'll see you soon with another catch up empties post x

*This Post Contains An Added Affiliate Link

Operation Get Back On Track - A Very Late Trimming My Stash - April To December 2023 - Monthly Empties, And A 2023 Summary

2025-11-08T20:02:00.002+00:00

Hey everyone I'm back, and before we go any further I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone that commented or sent me a message anywhere on social media after my last post x To say that I'm still numb is an understatement I really don't think it's sunk in yet - life has been pretty full on since and to be honest I think I'm just in protection mode, where I'm just numb to anything good and bad - it's a strange feeling and I don't think things are going to get better anytime soon so I'm just trying to make the best of it and just get on with things, and find a few distractions here and there.

It goes without saying that the blog has been on the back burner for most of 2025 but in the last couple of months of the year I'm going to try and get back on track, starting with what will be the first of the three Trimming My Stash catch up posts

I last posted a proper Trimming My Stash post was back in 2024, and even that was a catch up covering the first 3 months of 2023, and whilst I haven't been publishing posts, I have been diligently updating my empties lists and collecting all of my empty packets, tubes, and bottles but enough is enough - I have two cardboard boxes and a bag or two that are full of empties that are now just taking up space.

I've thought and thought about what I can do, and the simplest way would be to just fill up my recycling bin, and call it quits on the whole empties thing but since I've been adding every finished product to my sidebar and saving them for over two years now I've came to the conclusion that would be a bit of a waste. So instead I'm going to share all of those empties, and monthly totals with you, all be it in most cases without individual pictures, and in all cases without any reviews. I'm angry at myself for not doing proper posts but I really need to put this to bed so to speak x

So lets take a trip back to 2023 - my last empties post covered January, February and March, so we're starting from April and taking a little trip, right through to the 31st December x

Sooo Cocoa! Cocoa Butter Salt Scrub - 270g
AVON Nutra Effects Matte Micellar Water - 400ml
Bean Body Coffee Scrub - Manuka Honey - 220g
Bath & Body Works Snowy Peach Berry Shower Gel - 295ml

Total - 4 Items

1. Sooo Cocoa! Cocoa Butter Salt Scrub - 270g

2. AVON Nutra Effects Matte Micellar Water - 400ml

3. Bean Body Coffee Scrub - Manuka Honey - 220g

4. Bath & Body Works Snowy Peach Berry Shower Gel - 295ml

O'Keeffes For Healthy Feet Foot Cream - 91g
Beauty Formulas Vitamin E Wax Strips - Legs & Body - 40 Strips
Nair Wax Strips Face - 12 Wax Strips
L'Oreal Elvive Dream Lengths 8 Second Wonder Water - 200ml
Boozi Cheeky Woo Woo Body Wash - 50ml
Bath & Body Works Snowy Peach Berry 24 Hr Moisture Ultra Rich Shea Body Cream - 226g

Total - 6 Items

1. O'Keeffes For Healthy Feet Foot Cream - 91g

2. Beauty Formulas Vitamin E Wax Strips - Legs & Body - 40 Strips

3. Nair Wax Strips Face - 12 Wax Strips

4. L'Oreal Elvive Dream Lengths 8 Second Wonder Water - 200ml

5. Boozi Cheeky Woo Woo Body Wash - 50ml

6. Bath & Body Works Snowy Peach Berry 24 Hr Moisture Ultra Rich Shea Body Cream - 226g

That's it for the pictures, now just words and numbers and a couple of pretty indents that I hope you'll appreciate ;)

June 2023

Jolen Face Wax Strips - 16 Wax Strips
Jolen Face Wax Strips - 16 Wax Strips
Friends X Revolution Pumpkin Spice Body Scrub - 260g
John Frieda Radiant Red Red Boosting Shampoo - 250ml
Sensationail Gel Cleanser 14.6ml
Bath & Body Works Peach Bellini Gentle Foaming Hand Soap - 259ml

July 2023

Nivea Q10 Multi Power 5 In 1 Firming + Cellulite Gel - 200ml
Tresemme Heat Defence Styling Spray - 300ml
Cuccio Naturale Professional Manicure Cuticle Revitalizing Oil With White Limetta & Aloe Vera - 75ml

August 2023

Jolen Face Wax Strips - 16 Wax Strips
Revolution Pro Hygiene Sanitising Solid Brush Cleaner - 100ml
Stericlens Sterile Saline Spray - 240ml
Vita Coco Coconut Shampoo Scalp Coconut & Guava - 400ml

September 2023

Moksha Advanced Salicylic Avid & Sulphur Scrub Soap Bar - 100g
Bath & Body Works Winter Candy Apple Aloe + Vitamin E Shower Gel - 295ml
Dead Sea Collection Himalayan Salt Scrub With Natural Dead Sea Minerals - 660g
Jolen Face Wax Strips - 16 Wax Strips
111 Skin Harley Street London Gold Brightening Facial Treatment Mask - 1 x 30ml Sheet Mask

October 2023

PIXI Glow Tonic Glow Tonic 5% Glycolic Acid Exfoliating Toner - 100ml
Derma V10 Deep Moisturising Hand Pack Argan Oil - 1 x Treatment
Jolen Face Wax Strips - 16 Wax Strips
Beauty Pie Renewed Density Anti Hair-Loss Ampules - 14 x 8ml
Bath & Body Works White Barn Cranberry Peach Gentle Foaming Hand Soap - 259ml
Vitamasques VO Charcoal Gommage Peeling Gel - 20ml
Garnier Ultimate Blends Glowing Lengths Pineapple Hair Drink - 200ml

November 2023

Veet Easy Gel Wax Strips - Sensitive Skin Bikini & Underarm - 30 x Wax Strips And 3 Perfect Finish Wipes
Sauvasine Tumeric Scrub For Face & Body - 150g
Jolen Face Wax Strips - 16 Wax Strips
Victoria's Secret PINK Mango Scrub Nourishing Body Scrub - 283g
Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gio Eau De Toilette - 50ml

December 2023

Jolen Face Wax Strips - 16 Wax Strips
Sence Pre Treated Facial Sheet Mask - Moisturise And Refresh - 1 x 23ml Sheet Mask
Bath & Body Works Champagne Toast Gentle Foaming Hand Soap - 259ml
T.J. Morris Ltd. Sleigh Bells Santa Printed Sheet Mask - Hydrating & Cooling - 1 x Sheet Mask
Skin Techniques Penguin Moisturising Foot Mask - Honey & Almond - 1 x 28ml Pair Of Booties

January - 5 Items
February - 4 Items
March - 5 Items
April - 4 Items
May - 6 Items
June - 6 Items
July - 3 Items
August - 4 Items
September - 5 Items
October - 7 Items
November - 5 Items
December - 5 Items

Total - 59 Items

After all of that wait and hype 2023 turned out to be a bit of a damp squib. I managed to finish just 59 items, which made this my worst year since I started this whole thing way back when, in fact I was managed to finish 8 less products than I did in 2022 which was my joint previous worse year. Never mind my recycling bin is a bit fuller and I probably created a few little spaces in the cupboards and drawers of my beauty stash, which to be honest I've probably filled back up again lol. I am definitely buying less than I used to but I seem to be using things up at a much slower pace, and my make up use at the moment is pretty much non existent - in fact I wore a full face of make up at my Godmothers funeral for the first time in ages, and the foundation that I used to be honest was probably off - not great, but I didn't finish it so I can't class it as an empty ho hum.

Anyways it goes without saying that I continued to trim my stash in 2024 and of course well into 2025, and in the next week or so I'll be sharing my 2024 totals in this same format and then at the beginning of January I'll be sharing my 2025 totals ahead of a new start in 2026 - Don't forget you can keep up to date with all my empties updates by checking out the lists in the sidebar x

If empties catch up's aren't your thing don't worry I've got some more varied beauty content coming soon including some budget friendly nail posts, all shot and ready to go, and a little Primark beauty haul that you won't want to miss x

Thanks again for sticking with me and if you haven't already, I'd love it if you'd subscribe or follow my blog, and my other social media channels all of which you can find in the sidebar, including my new Tik Tok page, and don't forget if you have any questions on any of the products that I've mentioned then please leave me a comment, send me an email or just say hey on social media x

Heartbroken 💔

2025-09-30T20:26:00.005+01:00

Exactly one week ago, my heart literally broke in two, when my beautiful Godmother passed peacefully away at home.

For some people Godparents are a title only, but mine really were a part of my family. Families are complicated but my Auntie Gladys was in its simplest terms my dads cousin. Although 14 years older than my dad they were brought up together, and she became my aunt and other than my mam the person that I was closest to.

How can I describe her to a stranger? She was a small woman, but she was probably one of the strongest people that I've ever met. She survived several bouts of cancer, undergoing numerous surgeries, as well as several broken bones, and other health issues over that last few years, as well as coping with the loss of her husband for over 60 years, 9 years ago.

She loved teddy bears, baking in her kitchen (her cheese scones, and Welsh cakes, or griddle scones as we call them up north, were chefs kiss!), knitting, crocheting, and embroidering tapestries, holidays (she went to Disney Florida for the first time in her 70's), and shopping!

My Godmother was the stereotypical shopaholic nothing made her happy then going round a shop - be it a shopping centre, a garden centre or a gift shop she was never happier than when she was in a shop. She loved her Boundary Mills visits, and our trips there together with her friend, will now be some of my most cherished memories.

She was a very feminine woman who very, very rarely wore trousers, I think she would have preferred it if I was more of a frilly dress fan, but she was always excited to see what I'd been buying, even if she wasn't a fan of all my ear piercings.

She would have been 95 next month and whilst her passing came as no great surprise, it doesn't make it any easier. Her biggest wish was to die at home and thankfully the NHS, along with Marie Curie, and some amazing family member allowed that happen.

Due to circumstances beyond out control we were unable to see her straight away when she came out of hospital but we managed to see her last Tuesday. There was no recognition or communication from her, she was sleeping and peaceful but I really do hope that she could hear us or at least feel our presence. There were other people there so I didn't get to spend anytime alone with her but I kissed my fingers and placed them gently on her cheek and whispered sweet dreams to her, and then we left.

A few hours later we got the call to say she'd gone, peacefully at home exactly as she'd wanted. I think we were the last of the northern based family members to see her, so I really think she'd waited for us to say goodbye.

I'll miss her more than I think even she'd realise, she had such a warm, giving generous personality, someone that I knew I could rely on for anything, she might not have always understood me but she was always there no matter what.

She's now reunited with her beloved husband, as well as my dad and my grandmas, and I hope wherever she is they have a few clothes shops for her to enjoy x

Losing 3 family members, and 2 much loved pets in 3 years has been so tough on my mental and physical health, my mam has also been unwell so everything really has been a bit of a struggle bus. Thank you to everyone who has commented on.my update on any of my other social media posts, I really do appreciate every single one of them - it's friends and family that have really kept me sane lately.

I have stuff to do and obviously stuff going on, but I really need a distraction so I'm hopefully going to be posting a few bits here and then mainly catch up's and updates but if you can be patient with me I would really appreciate it at the moment. I know 2025 has been rubbish blogging wise but I'm not giving up just yet xx Thanks again for your support x

Life Lately - A Birthday, A Piercing, Some Outfits, A Couple Of Shopping Trips And Silly Buys, And A Whole Load Of Meh*

2025-08-18T20:47:00.004+01:00

It's been a while guys but I'm back with another post x It's safe to say things have been pretty crappy over the last few months and alas at the moment it doesn't look as though things are going to get better any time soon. Not great I know but sometimes you have to put on your big girl shoes and make the best of it. So trying to focus on the positives, today I thought I'd share a little, all be it an un-edited photo heavy update post, focusing on some of the good things that have happened over the last few months x

May was the month when things started to go down hill but on the 15th I completed another trip around the sun and celebrated a birthday, it was a super quite one and I got some money and some lovely presents including this little beauty!

I got the Medium Longchamp Le Pliage in Navy for Christmas and it really was a game changer for me. As much as I love a nice leather handbag, they do have a tendency to be heavy before you've even put anything in them, and since my arm, and shoulder pain has been on the increase, I wanted a lighter alternative, and the Le Pliage is just that. The Le Pliage looks good, and even with the leather handles, and stuffed to the brim it still doesn't feel anywhere near as heavy as some of my leather bags.

You should know by now with me though, if I like something I want it in every colour, and so I asked for the black version for my birthday. I went for the large this time and whilst it isn't a lot bigger, it is a bit roomier and I could easily fit my Macbook or even a pair of shoes into it! The Large Le Pliage especially would make a great college or uni bag, or if you're like me and you carry a lot of stuff around, it makes a great everyday bag. I use a bag insert in both of mine to keep it more organised and to help them keep their shape. Love, love these bags and I really can't believe that I didn't get one sooner. They come in loads of different colours and sizes, and the British Green is next on my list.

Since I mainly got money for my birthday and I still had Christmas money left over, my aim was to go shopping in some real shops either in my birthday week or in the week after but yeah life got in the way and I didn't actually make it the Metro Centre till nearly the end of June! Never mind I got there in the end and celebrated with an outfit pic!

What I Wore

Short Sleeve Silky Paisley Top - TEMU

Navy Blue Tie Waist Trousers - Saloos Via eBay

Adidas Court 2.0 Trainers - Navy / White

Medium Longchamp Le Pliage - Navy

Whilst the ultimate aim was to scour the shops and buy whatever I fancied, there was an itch that needed to be scratched and there was only one shop that could could fulfil that need and that was Doc Black Ink

Yes, I decided to get myself another piercing and i decided to match my conches up and I decided to get my left conch pierced.

Before

After

I honestly can't say enough good things about this place, everyone is always super friendly, and my piercer Bear made me feel so relaxed and comfortable. It’s been nearly 2 months now since I had it done an bar the first week when it was swollen and a bit tender, it's been great, I'm still getting crusties but the swelling has gone right down, and I haven't experienced any pain or bleeding since day 1 so fingers crossed it stays that way.

After that I headed into Primark and to be honest it was a bit mehhhh again, the size range was pretty much non existent in a lot of items, and just not that much appealed so I bought myself some burgundy boyfriend pjs, a candle and a couple of pairs of sandals, and that was about it. and what's with having to pay for the paper bags now?

Next up Sephora, I'd already claimed my birthday gift online (I bought the Color Wow Dream Cocktail Kale Infusion after a recommendation from my hairdresser and the REM Beauty Sweet Dreams Eyeshadow) , but nothing can beat looking at make up and skincare in the flesh.

I only bought of a couple of all be it quite spendy things - first something I'd had on my wishlist for a while the Glow Recipe Dewy Babies Kit, which contains 5 travel sized mini products including the Plum Plump Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Serum, the Watermelon Pink Juice Oil-Free Moisturiser. the Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Hue Drops Sun Glow Serum, the Watermelon Glow Dewy Flush and the Watermelon Glow Ultra-Fine Mist. A little spendy for minis but it's definitely a good way to try out a some products from the range without having to shell out for the full sizes.

The other item that I got was much more of an impulse buy but I'm so pleased I picked it up - it's the Sol De Janiero 87 Rio Radiance Perfume Mist. OMG this scent just screams summer, you get a bit of warmth, and sweetness, and almost coconut notes, alongside some tropical heady white flower notes - I think the sun creams have a similar scent but alas nothing else in the Sol De Janeiro range seems to share this scent :(

That was pretty much for my in store shopping- a few bits, and a new piecring and I went home exhausted with some money still burning a hole in my pocket, and we all know what that means - yes online shopping!

After trying a sample I did intend to treat myself to a Charlotte Tilbury foundation when I was in Sephora but then I realised that Metro Centre Sephora doesn't have a Charlotte Tilbury counter duhhh I could have gone to Harrods Beauty but I wanted my Sephora points so as soon as I got home I placed a little order online.

I picked up a tube of the Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Foundation, I liked it because it didn't feel too heavy , again it was pricey but I'm not wearing a lot of make up at the moment so hopefully it should last me a while. I also impulsively bought the Morphe Chroma Plus 6-Pan Eyeshadow Palette in Rich Glitch, and for an impulse buy I'm so so happy with it, the shadows are soft and buttery and the metallic shades especially are incredible!

Now I don't go to the Metro Centre or Newcastle that often now but exactly one week after my Metro Centre trip I was getting ready and getting on a bus to head into Newcaslte, again outfit recorded for posterity..

What I Wore

Blue Denim Jacket - NEXT

Black T-Shirt - SHEIN Curve

Animal Print Side Split Skirt - SHEIN Curve

Adidas Breaknet Sleek Suede Trainers - Black / White

Large Longchamp Le Pliage - Black

I was headed into town to meet up with my bestie Helen, she was staying up north for a few days, and I was super happy to see her and spend time with one of oldest and bestest friends. We pottered around the shops for a bit before heading to St James' Stack Powered By Sela for some drinks and some lunch.

I know some people have some issues with it but I love it. with loads of food and drink options and live entertainment on most days , it's the perfect place to meet friends, just be careful sitting on the benches if you're wearing a skirt IYKYK ;)

This time round we went to Acropolis a real north east institution, with restaurants in both the Grainger Market, and in the Metro Centre, as well as regular pop ups at markets, attractions, and even in random car parks across the region and beyond, if you like Greek street food then a trip to Acropolis is a must.

I went for the Halloumi and Roasted Vegetable wrap which was so good, slices of halloumi, roasted vegetables, salad, chips, and Acropolis' signature sauce, all stuffed into a giant wrap - incredibly difficult to eat, but it was so worth it and we had such a laugh as bits of wrap contents flew everywhere. Maybe not a first date food but arm yourself with a bestie and plenty of napkins, and you'll experience the true taste of Greece in the heart of Newcastle.

I washed my wrap down with a lemon Fanta and a pint of coke whilst we enjoyed the sun and the live music as we put the world to rights. As I say I love the whole atmosphere of the stack yes it's pricey but go during the day and obviously not on a match day and it has a really chilled, family and dog friendly vibe.

After an hour or so we headed back to the city centre and I resumed my mission of the day which was to find the Jellycat Amuseables Mozzarealla. It was love at first sight with this one - a cute ball of fresh cheese, with a tomato beret, and a basil leaf in his hand, he was just too cute, I only have a few Jellycats (I love them but they are way too expensive!!) but I knew i needed to add this one to my collection, the only trouble was I couldn't find him.

There are now no Jellycat stockists in the Metro Centre, and both Fenwick's and one of the independent stockists in Newcastle were sold out. John Lewis was my last hope and to be honest it didn't look promising I couldn't even find their Jellycat stand and then all of a sudden Helen spotted a tiny little display in the gift department with less than a dozen Jellycat's and guess who was front and centre - he was the last one, and now he's mine. Totally overpriced for what he is but I love him, he's so cute and so well made. A nice keepsake for a lovely day with a lovely friend x

I'm almost embarrassed as to where this post is now headed but believe me over the last few months I've needed something to make me smile and spending money on stupid stuff seems to be the way forward.

Like most people these days I often find myself mindlessly scrolling Tik Tok late at night, some of the content pees me off beyond belief but about a month or so ago I found myself being drawn into Labubu tok. Initially I was not impressed they were quite frankly a bit scary and evil looking, and my bigest question was why? Gradually though the worm turned and after watching some hilarious lafufu (fake labubus) unboxings I wanted to join in so I bought a few from SHEIN and TEMU two of which you can see on the left and right below, not great but at least they weren't bald lol eventually though good luck looked down on me and I managed to get a real Labubu x Pronounce Wings Of Fortune from Pop Mart online which you can see in the middle. She's lovely and much better quality than my fake ones but they are a lot more fun, so much so in fact that I've ordered another two from SHEIN...

I'm addicted but I think what I'm more addicted to is the blind / mystery box aspect and the surprise element. I've bought a few other Sanrio collectable blind boxes, and a few Sanrio stationary mystery boxes from SHEIN (you can see some unboxings of those on my Tik Tok here and here ) and I also recently picked up of these blind box plushes from the Sanrio Latte Series, so cute and great if you like the idea of a plush bag charm but you aren't that keen on labubus. Yes I know I'm an adult but it's all about what makes you happy and whether that's a blind big, a white cat in a bear suit or a scary looking rabbit demon hybrid, you do you!

I have one more buy to share with you and again it was a spendy birthday money buy - As a Newcastle fan last season was the best one in my memory eventually breaking the trophy drought and seemingly with everything to look forward to but then this summer happened and whilst we've made some quality signings a Swedish inspired cloud now hangs over us grrrr why cant we ever have nice things? Anyways I debated whether or not to buy a new season shirt but I saw these instead and I thought I'd probably get more wear out of them than I would a shirt. These are the official Adidas Newcastle United Sambas and I love them the branding is actually pretty discreet with the crest on the tongue and the word Newcastle gold on the side of the left shoe, so it's not that in your face which should make them easier to wear. I didn't own any Samba's so it really was a no brainer.

So that's where I'm at, existing, stumbling on at times, and just trying to bring a little bit of joy into my life. I'm going to try and get back into blogging and social media again, and I've got a few drafts in progress so I'm going to be posting a little bit more regularly, next up will be the start of an epic empties catch up, I'm also working on some nail posts, and even more empties posts x I'm also hopefully meeting up with Helen's mam who is up north this week, so I may have another teeny tiny Metro Centre haul to share with you soon as well x Till then though thanks for sticking with me and if you have any questions on anything that I've mentioned in this post then please leave me a comment xx

*This Post Contains Automatic, Added Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links

A Very, Very Late Festive Nails Of The Day Featuring Sensational Disco Fever, And A Lesson Learnt!!!*

2025-05-26T19:38:00.001+01:00

Sometimes I wonder why I bother? This post should have gone live at Christmas, but we all know what happened there, then I promised you it way back in March but again life got in the way again, and do you know what it just keeps getting in the way again, and again. I've got a little update post coming later this week but in the meantime here's a little nails of the day that I shot way back in December.

Over the last couple of years my nails have pretty much gone to hell, accurate reflections of my health I guess, but after scouring social media for nail growth tips I decided to give the whole BIAB, builder gel in a bottle thing a try. Basically builder gel is a thicker form of gel polish that can help support the growth of natural nails. I bought the stuff and started using it as both a sort of second base layer, and as a polish in it's own right, and gradually my nails started to grow.

Not super long by any stretch of the imagination but long enough to showcase a bit of colour and a tiny bit of easy nail art. My plan was to wear two different gel shades in December, a fabulous emerald green glitter for the big day itself, and this fabulous Sensationail Color Gel Polish in the shade of Disco Fever for the start of the month.

Disco Fever is a fabulous metallic silver with an almost holographic sparkle. These pictures really don't do it justice.

I must admit the coverage wasn't the best. It took 3 coats on top of a layer of base coat and a layer of builder gel, and it still looks slightly sheer in some of these pictures.

It's such a pretty shade though it's much of a neutral silver, rather than a bright, metallic silver if you know what I mean and of course I love anything with sparkle and holographic nail polishes really are my thing!

I think this final picture probably shows it off at it's best (excuse the dry cuticles!) the smoothness, and gloss of the polish, and of course the fabulous sparkle.

This polish certainly did it's thing for the for the first week or so of December, but for my festive cinema trip with one of my besties I thought they need a little bit of extra sparkle.

I do love me a nail sticker, and these silver snowflakes, added a festive twist to a my super sparkly mani and they also helped to detract from a weeks visible nail growth! Being silver on silver the effect was quite subtle (less so in real life though) but I still think it looked super pretty.

Being a gel polish the wear time was pretty good, I did add an extra coat of top coat when I added the nail stickers but after two weeks there were only a few tiny tiny chips, and a tiny bit of tip wear. The plan as I said earlier was to remove them on Christmas Eve and to do a new set in a gorgeous emerald sparkly green ahead of the big day but like so many plans I've made over the years it went quickly down the drain.

Instead I ended up with a horrible flu bug, and a hacking cough, being upright was hard enough let alone inhaling a load of chemicals so I left then be, with vague plan to remove them when I felt well enough. December ended and January began and still the lurgy continued, my nails just weren't a priority. They were grown out, chipped, a few had already peeled off and I bet you can guess what happened next? I did the worst thing I could possibly do and I picked and peeled the rest off.

Predictably my nails were shot- lifting, splinter hemmorhages, breaking and ultimately peeling off - the photos below show my nails on the 15th February this year, and even though I took these pictures when the bleeding and worst of the redness had subsided they weren't a pretty sight!

My immediate priority was to baby them, and give them some love so I bought some tea tree nail oil, and started to take care of them, with love, oil, and moisture. It's been a long journey, I'm talking one step forward, two steps back territory.

I've tried lots of different products, and whilst I still have a long to go to achieve the length that you can see in this Tik Tok (follow me on Tik Tok if you haven't already) they are much healthier, and I'm starting to see some growth in fact I even painted them for my birthday, with my old favourite Milani 3D Holographic Nail Lacquer in 512 Cyberspace.

As I say still a long way to go length wise but at least I have something to work with - I've been taking pictures for months now monitoring my progress so when they've reached a level I'm happy with I'll be sharing an update post, showing time lapses and giving more info on some of the products that I've used and that I would recommend x In the meantime though I have definitely learned my lesson don't pick off your gel polish, take it off properly and respect those nails. Honestly this is nothing against the polish just my 'method' of removal, Disco Fever like a lot of Sensationail polish is quite hard to find now but there are a few available on eBay if you fancy giving it a try. If you have any questions or any nail growth tips please leave me a comment below x Thanks as per usual for sticking with me and I'll see you soon with an update and life lately post x

*This Post Contains Added Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links

70 Years Of Hurt Gone In An Instant, And A Lifetime Of Memories Brought To The Surface

2025-03-18T16:44:00.001+00:00

Picture Courtesy Of Newcastle United

It's safe to say that if you're of the black and white persuasion, the last 48 hours have been pretty crazy. Although I don't post about football anywhere near as much as I did in the early days of this blog, my love for Newcastle United has never really waned. I was initially going to post this as a tweet or a thread but it soon became apparent that there were too many words and feels for short form media.

On Sunday night, Newcastle United broke their 70 year domestic trophy drought, when they beat Liverpool 2-1 to win the Carabao EFL Cup. Like so many of my fellow fans I watched the majority of the game on tv through my hands, unlike my mam whose faith never waivered, I wasn't confident in the slightest and even when Big Dan Burn headed us in front I still didn't dare to dream, when Isak scored a second finally there was hope but then came VAR and the Liverpool goal, and goodness knows how many minutes of added time which was almost torturous, I was really starting to think that it's the hope that kills you, but we held on and when the final whistle blew I'll admit that like so many other fan that I cried, tears of joy, relief, and to be honest what could have been.

I know what some of you are thinking, it's just a game it's not that deep but for so many Newcastle fans or anyone that truly supports a football club it really is. Eddie Howe mentioned his late mum in his press conference, Alan Shearer talked about his late dad in a podcast and I've seen so many tweets and posts about people talking about family members that never got to experience what we have over the last few days.

Growing up where I did you supported Newcastle or Sunderland, whilst my dad had memories of watching games at both clubs, by the time I came along you had to choose, and my dad went with the boys in black and white, and my fate was sealed. Being a girl in the 80's first real football memory was Italia 90, I vaguely remember the penalty misses and Gazza's tears, even if I didn't quite understand what was going on - 2 years later though everything changed, and that was thanks to Kevin Keegan.

I remember the hope and the excitement when the hero returned, he miraculously kept us up that season, and the 92/93 season was when my obsession really started, I listened to games avidly on the radio, and watched them on tv when I could, and the season culminated in promotion to the Premier League, and a 7-1 home win against Leicester City. Me and some of my friends attended the promotion parade, which ended in the pouring rain outside Newcastle Civic Centre, there were people climbing trees, and up lamp posts to see the players and KK himself on the balcony, and the bus ride home was a cacophony of noise including 'if you're proud to be a Geordie be a tree.'

God This Photo Is Old Little Louise In Her Umbro Blue Star Top And Check Out The Black And White Scrunchies!

Then like now tickets were hard to come by, the ground looked nothing like it does now, so I didn't actually attend my first proper Premier League game until the 3rd May 1995 when I was lucky enough to witness a 3-3 draw against Spurs, which included a goal by the legendary Jurgen Klinsmann. I attended the odd game here and there, and experienced everything from Keegan leaving, to the Andy Cole signing and then leaving and then the arrival of Alan Shearer, can you imagine what twitter would have been like in those days? given some of the meltdowns Newcastle fans have seen lately it doesn't bare thinking about.

We went through a few more managers and a couple of more comings and goings and then Sir Bobby returned and that coincided with me meeting a fellow fan, who would become one of my bestest and dearest friends, and I started going to games more regularly especially cup games thanks to her brothers season ticket, and after a long hiatus my dad and even my mam ended up going to a few games, sitting in the Platinum club as was!

'Big Les" AKA My Dad💔

At home me and my dad used to watch football on the television driving my mam mad at time, but the funny thing is we never actually went to a game together but for those of you who aren't aware of my story that should have changed on the 4th November 2002. My friend wasn't well so my dad took her ticket for the Middlesbrough game, but unfortunately he collapsed on the way to the ground, we never made it to the match that night, and my dad never made it home, passing away in the early hours of November 5th in the Freeman Hospital.

I guess things could have gone either way after that night, I could have continued to have been haunted by the memories of that fateful night, and rejected the noise, and the black and white shirts or I could carry on and continue doing something that I know he would love and I that I had grown to love - it comes as no surprise that I chose the latter - I think it took a month or so before I went back to a game , and I'm not going to lie my stomach was churning, someone in front was wearing my dads aftershave Hugo Boss Dark Blue which I guess could have been a sign and the memories came flooding back soon though I was concentrating on the game, shouting at the referee, and moaning like I know my dad would have done.

Soon after that I got my first season ticket and several more followed it, I went on to witness the end of Sir Bobbys reign, Souness, Bowyer v Dyer, the Intertoto Cup win, a memorable for many reasons away win at West Ham, and of course Shearer breaking Jackie Milburn's record. My mam to her credit really tried to be enthusiastic and she still tries even if I do have to re explain the rules every now and then, and tell her again who Schar is, but I miss sharing things with my dad and doing an after match de brief before and after his Sunday lunch time pub trips.

The fun couldn't last though, Mike Ashley the billionaire that would hopefully take us to the next level arrived, and his arrival seemed to coincide with my own body giving up on me - after several low lows, relegation was the final straw, I was attending less and less games, my health was failing and I couldn't justify keeping my season ticket.

Supporting Newcastle through that was hard, although there were glimpses here and there of what could be, supporting a team that was happy with just existing especially when being so unwell was hard, I'd used football as a crutch at times, not only was it a link to my dad but it was a link to normality, how things used to be and it was fading away, especially when covid came on the scene.

Then like that everything changed again, there was talk of a takeover, I started engaging again with NUFC social media accounts, even arguing with the odd journalist here and there, but then hopes were dashed again but the fanbase mobilised we wanted change, we wanted to believe again, and finally on 7th October 2021 we had new owners and the hope and the pride was back. That was another emotional day I can imagine how excited my dad would have been and how he would have loved all the pub talk about signings and managers, and the whole morals and ethics of been owned by the Saudis and some more southern billionaires, and that was a feeling that was amplified when we qualified for the Champions League in 2023 for the first time in the 20 or so years since my dad had passed - that game was so emotional I went on twitter and whilst it can be a cesspit pretty much most of the time now, some of the comments and messages I got that night after sharing my story really soothed my soul.

So here I am we've won a trophy, and whilst my dad was lucky enough to see us win a couple, it was a experience that we never shared, we were together for 2 FA Cup finals, and we were both stunned as we threw away that 12 point lead, but this time when it mattered, it was just me and my Mam watching through our hands. I'm sure wherever he is though he was raising a glass along with so many other members of the toon army that we've lost along the way, and next time I go to visit his grave I'll tell him again about Bruno's tears, Burn's header, pump it up, Yasir, and Jamie with their winners shirts over their suits, the brilliance of Edward John Frank Howe, and why we as Newcastle fans have so many reasons to be excited for the future.

It's not just a game or a football team it's about the shared memories and experiences that it brings. Our lives change, we lose people, we meet new people, and we may even lose and find ourselves again along the way but if you support a team, that club is one of the few constants that we have and that's why it means to so much to so many, and why its so important that even in this world of billionaires, match day tourists, PSR, media rights, and You Tubers, that the true fans aren't left behind x

And Just Like That She Was Back - Life Lately Featuring Christmas, The Dreaded Lurgy And A New Arrival*

2025-03-08T15:49:00.002+00:00

I think this is probably one of the longest blogging breaks that I've ever had since I started this blog way back in 2007, and I'd be lying if I hadn't thought about making my break permanent. The longer I left it the harder it felt to come back and even attempt to pick up where I left off.

I have been posting on my other social media channels here and there but even then I've had to take a break every now and then for my own sanity, social media can be so toxic and it really made me wonder if I wanted to be part of it even in the smallest way.

My blog though has always been my safe place and somewhere to share my life and loves, and the good and bad things in my life, and whilst some would argue that in the world of Tik Tok and Reels, the blog has lost it's way, I don't really care, I love writing even if it's only for myself, and that's why I'm sitting here listening to the radio, enjoying the warm spring day, and typing words onto a screen.

So where have I been? Well December started off well, I started the Christmas prep, did lots of shopping, and spent a lovely evening at a local cinema with one of my besties watching It's A Wonderful Life, I was so busy that I didn't even manage to introduce you all to this little guy!

Losing both Charlie and Tallulah last year really knocked me and my mum for six, and to be honest we weren't even thinking about getting another cat but Max just seemed so sad, he became very clingy, he would run round the house at night crying, and he just seemed so sad. So we talked about it and decided to look into getting him a friend. Again we went through Consett Cat Rescue, and when I saw this little one's face, I knew we had to go and meet him.

He was born feral, but he and his siblings have been in foster care, socialising them and getting them used to people and houses, and whilst he was a little standoffish till the food and laser pointer came out, we fell in love on sight.

Since we had no huge family plans over Christmas on the Thursday before the big day, Jamie came to live with us, he was a little skittish for a few days but then he really came out of his shell.

He loves food more than anything, if you're eating he had to be there as you can see from the picture above where he decided that my mams lap tray was the perfect place to sit.

He really has turned into a cuddlebug, he loves a cuddle, doesn't mind been picked up and he loves nuzzles and head butts, he's not a fan of strangers, and his carrier but bring out some treats and he's yours for life.

Whilst his relationship with Max hasn't always been plain sailing the progress they've made has been amazing, there were never any growls or hisses just lots of chasing. I'm still not sure whether Max is entirely convinced and I definitely think that Jamie loves him more than he love him, but they'll happily lie near each other - I just hope that one day Jamie gets his wish and Max lets him snuggle up properly.

So that was the Thursday before Christmas, and to put it simply that was probably the last normal day till well into the new year. I spent a bit of the night on the sofa keeping an eye on Jamie, I felt a bit congested but I didn't think much more about it, but then as the days progressed I felt worse and worse.

My face and head ached, I couldn't breathe, and I started coughing - I managed a quick trip to Aldi on the Sunday which on reflection was a terrible idea, on Monday we made the hard decision to let my Godmother know that I wasn't well enough for us to host Christmas. I was utterly heart broken but she's 94 and I couldn't risk infecting her with whatever evil virus I had.

Christmas was therefore very scaled back, a lot of things didn't get done or made, Mummy Lou was an absolute angel, and made a yummy Christmas dinner for the two of us, which we ate on lap trays in front of the TV with the soundtrack of me hacking my lungs up in between bites of Quorn roast

As per usual I was super spoilt, I got some money, (which i still haven't spent), some bits and pieces, and this medium Longchamp Le Pliage in navy blue. I'd wanted one these for ages and I'm so so pleased with it I love all of the leather bags that I have but I just don't have the arm strength at the moment to carry a bag that's heavy before you even put anything else in it. The sizes is perfect for my everyday stuff but I'm really fancying one in the larger size maybe in black for when I travel or I need to carry a bit more stuff hmmm.

So that was my Christmas and my New Year, Happy New Year by the way ;) full of some cold, flu, non covid virus which seemed to stick around well into January, and it's still left me feeling mehhh, I've been out of the house less than half a dozen times since Christmas and after every outing I've ended up feeling as though the life has been sucked out of my me - bleurgh!

I'm not going to lie the start of 2025 has been a proper struggle health wise for me, and my mam as well, but I'm sick of feeling sorry for myself and thinking I'm useless, so instead of looking at the things that I can't do I've been trying to focus on small wins, like on Tuesday I made pancakes, on Thursday I changed a lightbulb and yesterday I went to Home Bargains. It sounds daft but keeping focused on every positive is helping me keep at least some of those negative thoughts at bay.

So I'm back, will I be posting every day, no I won't but hopefully I will be posting a little bit more regularly, I've got a nail post prepped and ready to write and I'm also going to be posting an empties update posts in a desperate attempt to start afresh and start as I mean to go on.

*This Post Contains Added Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links

Simply Ravishing - Nails Of The Day - Sensationail Colour Gel Polish - Ravishing Raisin*

2024-11-27T14:57:00.000+00:00

Whilst organising my photos for my upcoming empties catch ups, I found some nail pictures that I hadn't shared with you, so before I start playing catch up again for the zillionth time I thought I'd share a nice, easy to wear gel polish with you.

Like so many of my nail polishes now, I ordered this one online, and despite being able to see a tiny picture of it, given the name Ravishing Raisin, I assumed that the polish would probably be darker and more purple toned, but as you can see I couldn't have been more wrong.

Sensationail Colour Gel Polish in Ravishing Raisin, is in fact a gorgeous, almost peachy, pinky, nude, with a bit of rose gold, and some almost holographic sparkle thrown in for good measure.

Whilst I was initially a bit disappointed that it wasn't quite the shade I thought it was, my disappointment quickly faded when I applied it. It's such a pretty shade that's really easy to wear, and will work for any occasion on pretty much any length of nails.

Despite my less than perfect manicure like most Sensationail polishes it was pretty easy to apply, I used their dehydrator, primer, base coat, top coat and lamp, and it took me less than 20 minutes. If you want quite a sheer, paler finish you could just apply one coat, but I've gone for two coats here. The colour does change slightly with every application, so if you want more coverage and a darker finish, or if you have really white tips that can show through some polishes just apply another coat.

The wear time on me was decent compared to about 3 or 4 days with normal polish, I can get a giid 10 days on most nails with polishes like these, and on some nails I can even achieve the full 14 that Sensationail claim. I just tend to redo or touch up the nails that chip or come away and keep it one for the full two weeks before removing it which saves me a lot of time and effort compared to normal polish. I did notice that the finish on the polish dulled down as time went on but you could always add another coat of top coat to keep that shine.

Although this colour wasn't really what I expected it to be I do love it, it's so easy to wear, and it has in fact become one of my most worn shades. Ravishing Raisin is one of Sensationail's original shades so it can be quite hard to find now but it is currently available for less than £6 on Amazon , and for a similar price on eBay.

Alas my nails aren't anywhere near as nice as this at the moment, so I've brought out the big guns, aka the builder gel, to try and get them nice for Christmas - so fingers crossed that a bit of BIAB, and a ton of cuticle oil does it thing, I'll keep you posted either way ;) Have you made the switch to gel polish yet? I'm pretty new to it and it's definitely a case of trial and error at the moment lol so if you're a fan please let me know what your favourite products and brands for home use are - I'd love to hear your recommendations x

Thank you as per usual for reading, and thank you so much again for all of your comments and messages on my last post, I really do appreciate it xx

*This Post Contains Added Affiliate Links

Charlie 2011 - 2024

2024-11-23T10:59:00.003+00:00

I can hardly believe that I'm writing this post, but just over a week ago now, our beloved Charlie bear passed away peacefully at home, curled up in his favourite cat bed.

He hadn't been himself for a little while but he was still eating and drinking, using his litter tray, and running away from Max, so we just thought it was down to his age, but as the days and hours went on we realised that he was nearing the end, we had an appointment made at the vets, but he didn't make it and crossed rainbow bridge, at home, safe with me, my mam and Max close by.

Since we only lost Tallulah in February and with the sad loss of my Aunt earlier this year, this one has hit extra hard. He was stubborn, aloof at times, and a complete cuddlebug when he felt like it, I'll miss his one of a kind personality, his loud rattly purr and his fabulous floofy tail.

Out of all of the cats that we've had he was probably my biggest confidant, the amount of stuff I told this cat, I should be lucky that he couldn't talk or that we can't translate cat! When I was having having one of my regular spells of insomnia, he would lie on the bed, asleep and snoring usually but always there to provide some comfort and companionship.

So Max is now on his own - For the first few days he wandered around the house looking for him, running every time he heard a noise, now he seems more accepting, we let him see him when he'd gone which I think helped, but now he's in his clingy phase, always wanting to with us, and sleeping at night curled up next to me or my mam. He's never been an only cat in his life so we will more than likely end up getting him a friend, when everything feels less raw and painful.

Whilst I have been posting here and there on social media perhaps understandably I haven't really felt in the mood to blog and post about happier things but I'm going to try and regain some sort of normality starting next week and resume some sort of normal posting schedule, so thanks again for bearing with me and for all of your kind words elsewhere on social media x

Happy Halloween - A Fail And A Little Nails Of The Day Featuring Born Pretty Gel Color BP-MC02*

2024-10-31T17:54:00.000+00:00

I know I keep saying it but this year really has flown by, I find it so hard to believe that it's Halloween already. I'm not the biggest Halloween stan, but I am partial to a pumpkin or two. I can't show you this years carving attempt because it's so terrifying - it was a bit soft to carve so I ended up improvising with a sharp knife and some BBQ skewers, to create a weird plague doctor, bird, bat, mothman hybrid - I don't know about the trick or treaters, but it will definitely scare away the evil spirits - LOL. Anyway the innards of said pumpkin are now bubbling away to create a panful of Delia Smith's Pumpkin & Toasted Sweetcorn Soup (check out the recipe here if you have some spare pumpkin flesh), and the horror exterior is ready for all the little witches and ghosts with their pumpkin pails.

I got any cute Halloween outfit pics or recipes to share with you this year, so instead I'm sharing a little nails of the day post with you featuring my lovely pumpkin before I attacked it with a sharp knife!

This is the Born Pretty Gel Color in the catchily names shade BP-MC02. I bought this particular colour in a set of Autumn themed shades from Amazon in October of last year, when I was on the hunt for a pumpkin toned orange gel polish.

This isn't bright neon orange by any means it's definitely noticeable but it's a touch more muted, with maybe some yellow tones in it.

This is a gel polish so you do need either a UV or LED lamp to seal it. I used some nail dehydrator, primer, and then a base coat and applied two coats of polish, and then a coat of top coat sealing under the lamp between every polish layer. I used my Sensationail LED lamp, and I've got to say the instructions were a touch vague - it said to seal for 30-120 seconds, so I went for about 90 seconds for this polish and it seemed to set pretty well.

The finish as you can see is very shiny, but I think that it could also work with a matte top coat. My nails are super short here so it's never the easiest paint job but despite the less than perfect paint job. this was pretty easy to paint with, the brush was fine and the polish was a nice consistency.

As for wear time, it's actually quite hard to judge, having your hands deep in the guts of pumpkin, full of enzymes and fruit acids doesn't do a lot for a manicure, well it didn't do much for mine! By the time I'd finished my carving attempt I'd lost 1 nail on my left hand and 4 on my right! The leaflet that came with the set I got said it could last up to 3 weeks, so who knows. I still think I'll experiment a bit more with timings, and different top and base coats when I use it again to try and see what works the best, but all in all a decent polish, and a nice seasonal shade.

Alas this particular shade is now pretty hard to find, as I say I bought in a kit about this time last year and believe it or not the last one sold out on Amazon earlier this week! However there is currently a set of 6 polishes also available from Amazon for £9.99 that contains a very similar colour. There are loads of very reasonably priced Born Pretty polishes, again including some similar sets and colours available on eBay and obviously direct from Born Pretty.

So whatever you're doing this evening be it trick or treating, sitting with the lights off hiding from said trick or treaters and ignoring the whole thing , having a party or just having a nice night in, I hope you have a very Happy Halloween, and also if you're celebrating a very Happy Diwali x

*This Post Contains Added Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links

Life Lately - Illness, And Fatigue With A Couple Of Sparks Of Normality - St. James Stack, Sephora, Shopping And A Few Outfits*

2024-10-27T15:34:00.000+00:00

When I published my last post on the 26th August I was really hopeful that I'd turned the corner both illness and life wise and that I ready to get my blog on and return to regular posting but since this post is going live on 27th October, it's pretty obvious that things went belly up again, so to restart my blogging journey again, I thought I'd do a little life lately post to update you all on where I've been and what I've been up to.

I've got to say that the week following my last post was a good one, I'd been feeling drained and fatigued but I'd be a good girl and tried to conserve my spoons the best I could because I had something exciting to do that I just couldn't miss - a trip to Newcastle!

Now for the majority of people an hours bus journey to the nearest big city is probably a pretty regular occurrence and whilst it's something that I used to do at least every other week, my ailing body now says no, and my trips into town are a lot less frequent than I would like, so as I was doing something a bit more interesting than usual I decided to document my trip with some outfit pics.

What I Wore

Indigo Denim Jeggings - Pep & Co

Blue Blazer / Suit Jacket - SHEIN Curve

Short Sleeve Navy Blue Striped T-Shirt - SHEIN Curve

Chunky Labradorite Stone Necklace - SHEIN

Adidas Court 2.0 Trainers - Navy / White

Michael Kors Mercer Pebbled Leather Accordion Tote Bag - Admiral

Yes, it's the usual jeans and a top look that I'm so well known for but with the addition of some fabulous navy and white stripes, and a lightweight blazer - it definitely gave out some continental vibes, teamed up with some all be it new retro style trainers (note to self break your trainers in a bit before you wear them for a long period of time!) and a coordinating tote bag for all my junk - I created an easy, practical and comfortable outfit that was ideal for a warm early September day.

So I went to Newcastle for a mooch around the shops and for something to eat, but the real purpose of my visit was to meet up with one of my oldest friends Helen - she's lived in Stoke on Trent for a long time now and I don't see her anywhere nearly enough, but she came up north for a few days, and come hell or high water I was going to spend some time with her.

After a little look around the shops we headed up towards the cathedral on the hill, St. James' Park of course, home of Newcastle United as Helen wanted to get a few bits from the club shop and the we went for some lunch.

There are so many great places to eat in Newcastle but one if the newest venues opening in mid August is St. James' Stack Presented By Sela, that stands right opposite St. James' Park, next to the Metro station.

If your unfamiliar with the concept of the Stack it's basically a whole load of shipping containers combined to create a haven for bars and street food stall - there are a couple throughout the north east with another couple to come including one in the new Pilgrims Place development in Newcastle city centre.

What makes St' James' Stack special though is that it's Newcastle United themed from the toilets, to the signage to the planters, everything is black white and the lasses haven't been forgotten either. Whilst it's exclusively for Newcastle United fans on a home match day, everyone and their dog is welcome at any other times. There are big screens for the football, quiz nights, karaoke, and live music (there was a fabulous guitarist and singer performing when we were there), so whether you're a football fan or not it's a great asset to the city.

Whilst the entertainment is a nice touch the big selling point for The Stack is obviously the food and drink, there are loads of street food stalls selling everything from burgers and pizzas, to Greek food and Korean corn dogs, to Mexican food, BBQ, bao buns, Indian food, and even duck fries, and theres even a coffee shop if you want a pastry fix. There really is something for everyone, and what I really like is that everyone you're with can have something different so you don't need to worry about finding one restaurant to please everyone.

There is loads of shared seating both upstairs and downstairs but we went upstairs where it was a little bit quieter (it was pretty busy for a Tuesday afternoon) and after having a little look around we decided to try some Indian street food at Ok Please! which is owned by the same people who own Dabbawal in Jesmond and in city centre. We both went for the lunch menu which was a main, a side and drink, so I went for the Indian Vegan Burger, with the Masala Fries, and the Mango Lassi which was £14. There was some proper spice to the burger which came with spicy chutney, but the real star was the Masala Fries, crispy french fries topped with crispy onions, and the most amazing spicy garlic sauce, my tongue was definitely tingling and the mango lassi hit the spot perfectly - fruity and super creamy.

After we'd eaten we were in no hurry to leave, it was a lovely afternoon, we were enjoying the music, the vibes, and dog spotting so we decided to get a drink from one of the numerous bars that the stack has to offer. There are 6 different bars in the Stack complex offering everything from draught beers, and spririts to specially created cocktails, we went to Crowd Cantina a Brazilian themed bar and got this fabulous cocktail which I believe was a limited edition which contained lots of citrus and fruit flavours and Absolut Hunni vodka, think amped up Lockets throat sweets - it was pricy but it was pretty strong and it was a decent serving.

I don't think it's the cheapest place to eat or drink in Newcastle but the vibes are good, and if you want food, drink and entertainment all under one roof, then I think it's a great place to go with friends or family, and if you're a Newcastle fan especially on a match day it's a must with guests and former players all adding to the pre match build up. All in all a good day, good food, a good look around the shops, and most importantly time spent with a good friend that I really don't see enough of.

By the time I got home though that's when everything predictably started to go wrong, my feet wore sore thanks to my new trainers, and I just felt as though my body was seizing up. The saying no pain, no gain certainly applies in my case and it's so frustrating that doing something that I enjoy leads to so much pain and discomfort, it was 100% worth it but I literally suffered from exacerbated joint and muscle pain for about the next week, thankfully I rallied a bit for my mams birthday, before falling victim to a horrid, horrid flu like cold that literally lasted for about a fortnight. I even did a few covid tests to be sure but it was just a late summer cold / flu thing that again lead me to miss on things that I wanted to do.

September saw the opening of two brand spanking new Sephora stores in the north east, one in Newcastle and one in the Metro Centre - whilst I would have loved to have gone on opening weekend, there was no way that I could queue up overnight, or deal with huge crows, so I tried to go the week after and since the cold still wasn't budging I didn't end up going until the 7th October.

Again in celebration of me properly leaving the house I decided to take a couple of outfit pictures, again similar vibes to the previous look, but with some different jeans (I do love skinnys but I'm trying something new), a splash of animal print, a smaller more lightweight bag, and the same now broken in trainers

What I Wore

Navy Blue Blazer / Suit Jacket - SHEIN Curve

Navy Blue Animal Print Raglan Sleeve Top - SHEIN Curve

YOURS Curve Ruby Indigo Blue Straight Leg Jeans - YOURS Clothing

Labradorite Heart Necklace - SHEIN

Adidas Court 2.0 Trainers - Navy / White

Kate Spade New York Cameron Street Lucie Crossbody Bag - Blazer Blue

So after my earlier trip I decided to go to the Metro Centre store, partially for convenience (I could get a lift and my mam could wait in the car) but mainly because the new Metro Centre Sephora is apparently a bit bigger and stocks more brands than the Newcastle one.

There were a couple of things that I wanted but to be honest the shop had already been well ravaged some of tester eyeshadows etc. were wrecked and there were quite a few bits out of stock. So I ended up just getting a few lip bits. I've wanted to try the Laneige Lip Sleeping mask for a while now so I grabbed one of those and the matching lip balm, and I also got another one of the Glossier Balm Dotcom salves this time in Mango, which tastes incredible. I also had a little look at the well ravaged Sephora Collection eyeshadows and picked up Silverstorm which a gorgeous sparkly silver / grey perfect for the party season

What I Bought

Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask - Sweet Candy - 20g - £19

Laneige Lip Glowy Balm - Sweet Candy - 10g - £16

Glossier Mango Balm Dotcom Universal Salve- 15ml - £14

Sephora Collection Colorful Eyeshadow - Shimmer - 601 Silverstorm - 1g - £7.99

I really wanted one of the Rare Beauty Melting Blushers but shade I wanted was out of stock - so I may have ordered it online from the My Sephora Sale alongside my free reward product - every cloud as they say. There was a lot of stuff in store that I fancied trying but I'm finding it really hard to justify spending money on make up and skincare especially at the moment when I have so much. I'm going to have a bit of a clear out and get rid of a few bits that I don't use anymore then maybe a can justify another purchase or two. We really are spoilt for choice in the north east now when it comes to beauty what with two Sephoras, Flannels Beauty, H Beauty, and the new look Fenwick Beauty Haul, it's a great time to be a beauty junkie.

After my Sephora visit I popped into Primark for but again I didn't really get too much, a top for Mummy Lou and some winter boots, I just can't find my size in anything I like lately, it's so frustrating - I managed to get a Hello Kitty & Friends sweatshirt when I was in Newcastle, but the same jumper in the Metro Centre, wasn't available in anything above a medium, it so frustrating going in there at the moment as a curvier girl. Even though I was only in the Metro Centre for about an hour and a half my body rebelled again and I spent another few days in pain and hobbling around but again I'll still say it was worth it for allowing me to feel like a 'normal' person for even a small amount of time.

Although I didn't buy much in Primark I have been doing a little bit of online shopping lately, including some Christmas shopping - where on earth has this year gone? I have bought a few bits from SHEIN, in some peoples eyes not ideal I know but they have my size and its really affordable - yes some items can be hitty missy but I've certainly had more better quality items (including some bits in my OOTD's) than rubbish ones, the Yours jeans that you can see above, and I've bought a few beauty bits including this recent package from Lush.

I don't honestly buy that much from Lush now I just can't really justify the prices most of the time now but I couldn't resist ordering these two blast from the past items. I would say IYKYK but if not I'll explain anyway. First up the white tub, Lush Cocoa Butter Hand & Body, a nod to time the Lush founders, spent with The Body Shop founder, the late Anita Roddick, and a almost exact interpretation of The Body Shop's original Cocoa Butter Hand & Body Lotion - one sniff of this and I was taken back to the 80's, Kiwi Lip Balm, Japanese Washing Grains, Dewberry, Fuzzy Peach, Green Apple and Cocoa Butter. The smell is nothing like anything else cocoa butter scented that you've ever tried and that's why it's so nostalgic.

Talking of nostalgia if you remember the very early days of Lush and even as far back as the Cosmetics To Go days then you'll be familiar with Skinny Dip Shower Gel. Originally released in 1995 was originally marketed as a white chocolate shower gel but it's actually so much more than that. The scent is perfect for the colder months, with a slight white chocolate undertone, it contains spicy cloves, cedarwood and exotic ylang ylang, it creamy warming, and again it takes my back to a different place - At £16 for the shower gel and £20 for the body lotion, this wasn't a cheap haul but it was well worth it for the memories.

So I've done a bit of online shopping, I've picked up the odd thing, mainly beauty dupes in Home Bargains, B&M and Aldi, and I've spent a lot of time indoors again. My flu jab knocked me for 6 and it's fair to say that I'm not looking forward to my covid booster next month but when you're clinically vulnerable it has to be done. My mam has had flu too and thankfully it didn't bother her at all which is just as well as to be honest she's had enough going on. She had a slight fall, nothing major at the start of September, the odd bruise here and there but nothing to worry about, then earlier this month she started having some pain in back and hip, so she went to see her GP who sent her for an X-Ray, she ended up having to go the main hospital in Durham which was obviously a bit of a faff, but she's been told that she has a tiny fracture in her hip / femur, it's just where a ligament has pulled off a little bit of bone. So now we wait - she's going to have to see someone in orthopaedics at the fracture clinic when they decided what to do. Since she has a hip replacement if it's minor enough they may decide to just leave it as is, and maybe give her a brace, and painkillers, or worse case scenario they may need to go in and operate. So we are really playing the waiting game, it's awful seeing her in pain, but I know she doesn't want surgery so what will be, will be.

It always seem to be the way in this house if it's not one thing it's another, my mam is convinced we or the house is curserd! So that's where I am and that's where I've been I've probably left loads out but this post is already way too wordy as it is. I'm back and I'm online for now at least I've got a couple of posts planned over the next week including a little nails of the day and the next instalment of my empties catch up, so if you're still here thanks for sticking around and don't forget to follow me elsewhere on social media via the links in my sidebar x

*This Post Contains Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links

When I'm Feeling Blue - Nails Of The Day - Sensationail Colour Gel Polish - Steel A Kiss*

2024-08-26T11:41:00.001+01:00

Hey My Darlings - It's been a while again but I thought I'd ease myself back into the whole blogging thing this Bank Holiday Monday with a little nails of the day post.

I'm not going to lie I actually photographed this manicure a couple of months ago now and it's been sat in my drafts for goodness knows how long but it's too pretty not to share. My nails are currently super short again, but there are some signs of growth there, and when they are long enough to paint and stick under the lamp again, I will more than likely be applying this shade again.

Sensationail Colour Gel Polish in Steel A Kiss is by probably the most used gel polish in my collection, and I'm sure you can see just why I love it.

There are two things that I really love when it comes to nail polish, the colour blue, and sparkles, and this particular shade ticks both of these boxes. This gorgeous almost denim blue shade is crammed full of almost holographic sparkle - I'm probably not showing it in the best light here but wiggle your fingers in strong sunlight, or even a really bright indoor light and watch those sparkles flash!

Application was a breeze, I used all of the Sensationail prep products and their top and base coat, and a full manicure probably took me less than 20 minutes. The finish is smooth and super glossy and the wear time as you would expect from a gel polish is excellent - I got nearly 2 and a half weeks out of this particular mani with only minimal tip wear, and a couple of tiny chips.

Obviously the one drawback of gel polishes is the removal but despite the shimmer and sparkle this was pretty easy to remove without any chunky of glitter with both gel polish remover (acetone), and the gel polish remover liquid that looks like nail varnish. Both methods as you would expect are a bit drying on the nails and cuticles but I usually just load up on cuticle oil and hand cream for a few days to counteract any dryness.

As the Phil Collins song goes "when I'm feeling blue all I have to do is take a look at you, then I'm not so blue" and for me that certainly applies to this nail polish - It just makes me happy every time I wear it and I will definitely be picking up another bottle.

The original Sensationail polishes are quite hard to find now but in my opinion they're worth tracking down. This particular polish the Sensationail Colour Gel Polish in Steel A Kiss, is still available though on Amazon for the pretty bargaintastic price of just £5.96. Obviously you need an LED lamp etc. but if you have all that, for me it's a no brainer x Are you a sparkly polish fan ? Let me know in the comments x

*This Post Contains Affiliate Links

Collaborative / Partnered Post - Easy Ways To Reduce Stress And Improve Both Your Body And Your Mind *

2024-07-24T19:17:00.002+01:00

I don't think that there is a person out there that hasn't experienced at least some level of stress or anxiety, and with the world the way it is, it's no wonder that mental health issues are the rise. Take little old me - I had it all planned out, on Sunday afternoon, I was going to open up my laptop, and get my blog on, as I always say though the plans of mice and men, and my Macbook had other ideas, it restarted itself a couple of times, and when I eventually got it going, it was only going at a snails pace - argh!. So new Macbook ordered we then realised that the heating wasn't working, yes we've had the heating on July, please don't judge lol - a new wireless thermostat is now on its way to us and that should hopefully fix the problem and even though it's only Wednesday, it's already been a pretty stressful and expensive week!

It doesn't need to be anything major or tragic, just living and dealing with the day to day can cause us no end of stress and anxiety and too much of it as I've recently discovered can be pretty detrimental to not only our mental health, but also our physical health.

Whilst it pretty hard to stop stressful things happening to us, there are things that you can do, and small lifestyle changes that you can make, to help you alleviate and deal better with some of the symptoms of stress and anxiety, and to improve your over all wellbeing - nothing hard I promise, just little things that you can easily integrate into your everyday routine.

Unplug & Spend Time in Nature

Like most people of a certain age (Ahem;) one of the best memories of my childhood is the amount of times I spent playing outside, I rode my bike, went to the park, played games with my friends, I made rose petal perfume in the garden and went for walks with my parents. There are plenty of children where I live but they just don't seem to play outside as much as I did. I know times have changed and there is the whole safety issue, but tv, social media and gaming really has changed not only childhood but also society in general.

I know I'm guilty of this I spend way too much time on my iPad, my phone is always close by, and the TV is always on. There is no denying that technology is vital, brilliant and helpful, but for a lot of people it's also a bit of an addiction. If you're trying to cut down on stress, and anxiety then try and keep an eye on just how long your spending on social media, or on your phone, and even watching tv - even spending a few minutes on social media or watching the news lately seems to send my blood pressure soaring, so know when to switch off, and if something makes you anxious then don't do it - I very rarely watch the news now, and whilst I still keep track of what's going on in the world I feel better for avoiding those few minutes of doom and gloom.

If you're finding it hard to avoid the lure of 24 hour tv channels, or the latest drama on Tik Tok, then unplug yourself and go for a walk - Walking along a beach is my ultimate switch off but it doesn't even have to be far, just round the block if that's all you can manage, if you can't leave your phone behind listen to some music, or even a guided meditation, and instead of smoking a cigarette which so many people still do when they're stressed, take a tip from your favourite professional footballer and try nic pouches uk. If you need that slight ahhh moment that you get from smoking then these may do the trick without a lot of the chemicals. Whether it's bright and sunny, or more likely in the UK pouring with rain, a bit of fresh air wakes you up a bit and makes you feel a little bit more alive.

Exercise & Move More

I think it goes without saying that a lot of us now lead quite sedentary lifestyles, whether that's because of health or personal circumstance, or maybe because you're stuck behind a desk all day, the plain and simple fact is that as a society we just don't move enough anymore, and that ultimately plays a part in both our mental and physical health.

One effective way to reduce and manage your stress to improve wellness is to exercise and move more. Now I know that there are people out there that love the gym, and yes I did used to be one of those people, working out to some of my favourite tunes, was at one point, a part of my life, and if you can do that great, good for you, but if the idea of leggings, and sports bras fills you full of horror then that's fine too. Do something you enjoy, if that's riding a bike with the kids, doing yoga to a You Tube video, swimming lengths at the local pool, walking the dog in the park, or blasting out your favourite tunes, and counting your steps, and the calories your burning whilst pushing a vacuum around the house, and whatever you do you'll feel a huge sense of achievement, even if that's just ticking something off your to do list.

Keep A Gratitude Journal

For someone that loves stationary and buying stickers and notebooks as much as I do I'm pretty embarrassed to say that I've never ever tried journaling, scrapbooking yet but proper journalling? no!

One good way of dealing with life stresses and strains is to put something down on paper, in the olden days it would be just a diary or maybe if you're creatively inclined a poem but nowadays it's more likely to be a journal, filled with thoughts, dreams, colour and stickers. Journals can be a great way to maintain a positive mindset, and deal with stress. One idea is a gratitude journal , where you can keep your mind focused on everything that's good in your life, and everything that's going well for you - keeping on theme will give you less room to concentrate on the negative, and what's missing or going wrong in your life. Making a point at the end of every day to write a list of good things that have happened that day and things that your thankful for will end the day on a positive and happy note, and put you in good stead for the next day.

Get Enough Sleep & Rest

I've talked so many times on this blog about the importance of a good nights sleep and it really can't be overstated just how important it really is for both our physical and mental health. If you're well rested and you've had a good nights sleep, you feel so much brighter and ready to take on whatever the world throws at you. I know it can be a double edged sword and stress and anxiety can really affect your sleep but if you try and develop a good sleep routine, it really can make all of the difference. Investing in a good mattress and comfortable pillow can make all the difference, remember you spend or you should spend more time in bed than anywhere else so don't scrimp on comfort . Try and cut down on electronic use before you go to bed, try to avoid arguments and confrontation, and then either have a bath or shower, and then have a warm drink whilst you read or listen to something calming, or fill in your journal.

Different things work for different people, so it might take you a while to find that off switch, but whether it going to a fitness class, stroking a pet, having a long soak in the bath, building a lego set, or having a jog round the block, it's so important to switch off, and try and destress and if you can't then don't be frightened or embarrassed to get professional or medical help, life doesn't have to be that hard x

*Collaborative / Partnered Post

Collaborative / Partnered Post - Ways To Make Your Eyes Pop And Boost Your Self Confidence*

2024-07-04T14:37:00.000+01:00

Whenever people say that they don't like a body part it usually something like your stomach or your thighs, and whilst I definitely have a love / hate relationship with those parts of my body, for me thanks to my facial paralysis it's my face, and in my particular my mouth and eyes.

They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul and whether that's true or not, your eyes are definitely a prominent feature and learning to love them for me at least has been a real work in progress - they're not exactly something you can hide people look into them when they want to hold your attention, and avoid them when they don't. As well as performing an essential job, you're eyes play an important role in defining you, and showcasing the person who you are.

From everyday beauty to glamorous "going out" looks, emphasising your eyes really draws people in and can really increase your self confidence. A lot of people really do feel that their eyes are their best feature, and even if like me you don't then maybe you can learn to love them, or at look at them a different way with the right techniques.

Give Your Lashes More Oomph

Nowadays when you look at someone a lot of the times the first thing you notice about their eyes are their lashes! Bigger and bolder than ever before lashes are the focus point for anyone who want to highlight their eyes. Whether your a fan of the current super long and thick tarantula look or not, everyone wants longer, darker, thicker and more curled lashes. As well as protecting your eyes from dirt and debris, when your lashes are on point then will both emphasise and frame your eyes. If you're not lucky enough to have naturally fabulous lashes, there are some great mascaras on the market, but if you really want that wow factor and that extra oomph, then try some premium lash extensions. They'll lengthen your lashes even further to get that ultimate long-lashed look that even the best mascara on it's own just can't do. Temporary lash extensions are easy to put on and just as easy to remove too, so you can use them whenever you like.

Find the Right Makeup

If you want to draw attention to your eyes then a little bit of Makeup can really make them pop. You don't need a make up collection like mine but if you really want to make a highlight your eyes then a little bit of make up can make all the difference. Now as you know I'm not really a liner fan but if you're confident in using it, team it up with some mascara, or some lashes, and a bit of eyeshadow to make your eyes really stand out. Add a bit of light reflection concealer here and then to hide those dark circles and add a bit of light around your eyes, and a bit of highlight or shimmery shadow to make them instantly look brighter and more alive. Stick to neutrals for an easy everyday look, but add a bit of sparkle or create a smokey, glam look for evenings, or be brave and play with some colour. As I always say make up is supposed to fun, there are no rules, play and experiment till your heart is content, and if you don't like it you can always wipe it off and start again!

Play with Glasses/No Glasses

Now I've been a glasses wearer for over 20 years now, and whilst at first I hated them with a passion, and they can still be pretty annoying at times, I've really embraced them, they've become a part of what I look like and I feel naked without them.If you wear glasses, don't think you have to ditch them to make the most of your eyes, and don't hide behind them, let your glasses highlight your eyes, and use them to your advantage. The key to making glasses work for you is finding a style that suits your face. Although oversized frames are popular, they're not right for everyone and could draw attention away from your eyes, I must admit I've experimented with frames a lot of the years (have a look way back to the very early days of the blog to see some examples of my glasses wearing journey!), from wire frames, to thinner letterbox styles, to the slightly over sized ones I have now, and I've loved them all for different reasons, and for the different looks and impressions that I've created with each frame. Choosing frames can be a minefield, there is just so much choice, the key thing is to not only choose the right frames for your prescription, but it's also important to choose frames that work for your face shape and colouring. Whether you're picking glasses for the first time or whether you fancy a change, try a few pairs on to find something that you love and that fits your personality and lifestyle.

I personally love my glasses, and whilst I'm personally not a fan of them, contact lenses are great for a change, and going glasses free gives your look a new dimension and can really help make your eyes the centre of attention.

Pay Attention to Your Eyebrows

Probably one of the most important part of framing your face and making your eyes stand out, if of your eyebrows, your eyes are the picture and your brows are the frame. Since I'm a glasses wearer for years I ignored my eyebrows, and let them go their own way, they weren't really on show so I just forgot about them, and then when I did start paying attention to them, I jumped on board the skinny brow trend, and over plucked them and destroyed the shape.

Thankfully I have learnt from the error of my ways, and my brows and fuller, and occasionally a touch wayward, but by and large I keep them groomed and under control. Fill in your brows and define their shape to make them more attention-grabbing, and if you aren't sure what you're doing head to a professional for some advice, and once you've groomed them add a little bit of highlight on your brow bone, and a touch of concealer to make them really stand out. Whether you want dark magazine brows or something a bit more natural when your brows look good, they'll complement your eyes and make sure people know where to look.

Whether you love them or like me you're a bit more indifferent, making the most of your eyes can be a real confidence booster. If you look in the mirror and you see nice full lashes, a nice smokey eye, or a perfectly groomed brow, you're bound to feel better yourself, so whether you're going to job interview, on a date, or even to take something back to the shop, always try to make the best of yourself and even if you don't feel brave or confident, use the tools that you have to hold your head up high, make eye contact, and use those eyes to their full advantage!

*Collaborative / Partnered Post

Life Lately - Another Year Older, Outfits, Piercings And A Few New Purchases*

2024-07-04T12:12:00.000+01:00

Well hello there, it's been a while I know but since my last post life really has got in the way again, nothing major just the usual trials and tribulations of someone struggling with chronic illness, and life in general. Exhaustion is something I’ve gotten quite used but over the last couple of months I’ve genuinely felt as though I’ve had the life sucked out of me - on most days I’ve managed to do the bare minimum and that’s it - I’ve had weeks when I haven’t left the house and socialising, blogging and anything that’s involved using my body or brain has been put on the back burner. I was at the doctors yesterday for bloods so hopefully that will give me some answers even it’s just a flare of existing conditions at least I’ll know!

So apart from sleeping, and lots of rest what have I been doing with myself? Well I completed another trip around the sun and celebrated my birthday in the middle of May. I didn’t do anything or go anywhere, instead I spent it with my two favourite people in the world, my mam and my godmother eating my mams homemade carrot cake, and playing with my new iPhone 15. My mam contributed towards the cost and since I mainly got money the plan was to pay for it, and to have a nice little solo shopping trip and whilst the intention was to go as close to my birthday as possible surprise, surprise that didn’t happen so I ended up ordering a few things online and I eventually made it to the Metro Centre a fortnight ago

I haven’t really been buying a lot of beauty and make up so I decided to really treat myself to a few high end products including the new Clinique Pop Black Honey Lip & Cheek Oil, the Dior Rosy Glow Powder Blush in Pink, some Sol De Janiero Bum Bum Cream, a mini Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Dewy Liquid Blush in Happy and a Charlotte Tilbury Eyes To Memerise Cream Eyeshadow in Champagne.

I will definitely be talking about some of these products in due course but if there is anything you would particularly like to see then please let me know. I’ve also picked up a few more affordable bits including the Bum Bum Cream Dupe from Home Bargains, and some of the lip oils from Aldi so again if you’d like to hear my thoughts let me know in the comments section below x

The first place I actually went into when I went into the Metro Centre was Primark. The new extended store opened on my birthday and this was the first opportunity I’d have to have a look round, and to be honest I was a bit underwhelmed - yes it’s bigger, self checkouts, more items, but there just wasn’t much that I actually wanted or maybe I should say needed. There was barely anything above a size large, and some of the stuff was well, ugly! I only ended up buying a new duvet set, some slippers for my mam, some rubber Birkenstocks dupes, some chub rub shorts, a Hello Kitty t-shirt, and some beauty bits. I have to say the beauty section was decent and it wasn’t as wrecked as it usually is so I picked up a few summer themed bits, and some skincare.

After I’d been to Primark and spent way less than I’d anticipated I thought I’d treat myself to something a little more permanent and I headed straight across the mall to Doc Black Ink.

When I got my daith done nearly two years ago now I definitely reawakened the beast, and ever since then I been playing planning out what piercings to get next. Initially the plan was to add another two helix’s to my right side but instead I went for another helix and a flat. Taking me to 7 in each ear, and 14 in total! Head piercer Kelly was an absolute angel as per usual, and whilst they were a bit nippy at first and they’ve been a little bit uncomfortable, the irritation is easing off now and they don’t feel too bad.

I was only in the Metro Centre for a few hours and whilst I was only there for a short time I certainly paid the price and I was literally useless for about 4 days afterwards - it’s definitely one of the most frustrating parts of chronic illness, acting like a ‘normal’ person for a few hours, having fun, and then feeling worse then you ever did.

Although I’ve been quiet on here I have been flirting with my other more instant, easy access social media channels, which has mainly involved arguing with people, expressing my frustration with football, and despairing at the state of the world on twitter, (it will never be X to me !) and when I'm not living in shorts or leggings, posting the odd outfit pic on Instagram, some of which you can see here.

I’m not in a good place body confidence wise at the moment, but on the journey back to some form of self acceptance I’m putting my animal print clad self out there, and saying this is who I am. For some one who originally started out posting fashion content on online forums I’m enjoying even this small return to my fashionista roots, and I’m looking forward to hopefully creating lots more fashion content in the future.

So there you have it I’m still tired, my blood pressure is a little bit higher than it should be, and I’m still on the lookout for an NHS dentist, but I’m back feeling a bit more reenergised at least blogging wise, and I’ve got plenty of things to review and to talk about x Thank you as per usual for sticking with me and if you’re in the UK today don’t forget to VOTE!

*This Post Contains Affiliate Links

Iconic Beauty - A Review Of The Clinique Black Honey + More Gift Set And A Life Update*

2024-05-08T15:17:00.000+01:00

I can hardly believe it's been nearly a month since I last posted but predictably life got in the way again. My auntie passed away peacefully at home with her family around after a short battle with cancer. understandably it's hit us hard, my mam in particular especially coming so soon after my uncles passing last year so understandably I've been spending lots of time with her reminiscing, and focusing on other things. Throw in the fact that she hasn't been very well either, and I'm not only still struggling with my teeth and gums, but I've also been struggling with an scratch on my left eye and very uncomfortable dry eyes, it therefore will come as no surprise that yet again the blog has been pretty low on my list of priorities.

Despite that though I have been doing a bit of post prep and a bit of editing here and there, but seeing as I'm trying to rest my eyes a bit and limit my screen time, nothings happening very fast. That been said though I do actually have a little post for you today that I've been working on for a few months now and it's part of a new mini (or maybe not so mini - we'll see ;) series called 'Iconic Beauty'. In this series I'm going to be sharing my thoughts on some of the most iconic and talked about beauty products on the market, from products with a cult following, to products that everyone on social media seems to be talking about, and the first product I'm going to be talking about is Clinique's Almost Lipstick in the iconic shade Black Honey.

First released back in 1971, this deep, deep berry shade, must have really stood out amongst the bright colours of the hippy area, but it quickly became a best seller, and all of these years later according to Clinique, 1 tube of Black Honey is sold every 7 minutes worldwide! I've been reading about Black Honey and why it's so perfect for both in magazine and online for years now but I never got round to buying it, until that is I started using Tik Tok. Yes according to various journalists and retailers the old clock app has apparently introduced a whole new generation of people to this product, and for a while last year it was in pretty every haul video, or get ready with me that appeared on my for you page, so I gave up, I was indeed influenced and I decided to take the plunge and try it for myself.

Now, you should know by now that I love a bargain so I didn't by the lipstick on its own, instead around Christmas time I bought in a little kit called Clinique Black Honey + More. As well as containing a full size Almost Lipstick in Black Honey it also contained, a good sized mini mascara and an eyeliner for just £30, and considering the lipstick was £24 on it's own it would have been rude not to pick this up instead.

So Black Honey, why is it so iconic, well just look it, it looks beautiful, in this 1.9g full size Clinique's sleek, minimalist, matte and shiny silver packaging really makes, this dark burgundy black lipstick stand out. It looks almost black here but I can assure you it is a tiny bit more berry toned in real life.

If you don't know anything about this lipstick, I can pretty much guess what your thinking - 'why is a lipstick that looks like it belongs at a goth convention so popular?' Well in case you haven't realised it doesn't really go on that colour. According to Clinique the perfect blend of blue, red and yellow pigments, produces a sheer berry tone, that will miraculously work on any skin tone which is shown in their numerous ad campaigns - the simple reason why it's popular is that it suits so many people.

As you can probably guess from the difference in colour in the tube, to the colour payoff, Black Honey actually has quite a sheer glossy finish, sort of my lips but better. It's described as the perfect hybrid between a lipstick, a lip balm and a gloss.

So that's why it's popular, and why it's so iconic but what did I really think of it? I have to admit that even though I knew what to expect, this 100% fragrance free lipstick still looks intimidating in the tube, but I needn't have worried. The soft but not overtly creamy formula applies easily, and it definitely creates an almost just bitten sheer berry tint - Clinique claim that you can apply it without a mirror, I guess it depends on your skin tone as I could see little imperfections on my skin when I tried but you might be different or more skilled at applying it ;). Whilst sheer the colour is slightly buildable so the more you apply the more intense the colour will be - just don't expect a block, solid colour finish.

I definitely think it has a more balm like feel, and a lovely shiny almost gloss like finish. It isn't the creamiest lip colour, or even tinted lip balm that I've ever used but it was still comfortable to wear and it certainly didn't leave my lips any drier.

The wear time was decent, predictably the glossy finish was the first to fade, transferring onto cups and glasses quite quickly, but once that had gone, it left a slight berry stain which lasted for a few hours.

I have to say I actually do like the product a lot, and I can see why it has the reputation it does but if I'm being honey I think it maybe is a tiny bit overhyped, it's certainly nothing earth shattering, either colour wise or moisturising wise, but I guess the fact the just about anyone can wear it is it's real selling point, and it's certainly better than the few so called dupes that I've tried, but I can't help thinking for the price it might be cheaper just to buy a tinted lip balm if that's the effect you're going for - hmm. For the rare people that Black Honey apparently doesn't suit there is apparently a pinkier version called Pink Honey, which I might try next - If you've tried that one please let me know your thought- I think it might be too pale for me but you never know. The Black Honey + More Kit is really hard to find now but the lipstick, it is still widely available on its own for around £24 from retailers including Boots, ASOS, M&S, John Lewis, Beauty Bay, Look Fantastic and Sephora.

As I said earlier in this post I do love a bargain, and at the time it made more sense to buy the Black Honey + More set rather than the individual lipstick. As well as the beauty that is Black Honey herself, the kit also came with a couple of eye products, including a 3.5ml half size of the Clinique High Impact Mascara in Black, which retails at around £14

Although I don't remember buying it outright, I had actually used this mascara before, so I think it was either a GWP or a magazine freebie, and I remember being pretty impressed, so for just an extra £4 on top of the lipsticks retail price, I was pleased to have the opportunity to try it again.

As you would expect from Clinique this mascara, is ophthalmologist tested, free from fragrance and oil, and it's safe for both contact lens wearers and people with sensitive eyes. The packaging is clinical and to the point, if you want a fancier tube Clinique certainly sell mascaras in more expensive looking packaging but this particular one lets the product inside do the talking.

Even though this particular tube is only a half size, it came a full size, signature soft, full fibre spoolie brush, which when teamed up with rich black pigments, Clinique claim produces a mascara that adds buildable volume and length all without clumping.

Thanks to the full brush it was nice and easy to apply on the top lashes, but predictably there was a little bit of spotting and smudging on my shorter lower lashes, but nothing too extreme and it was fairly easy to remove with a cotton bud.

After just one coat you can already see the difference, the lashes are darker, longer, more separated and fuller. One coat is perfect for everyday use, but if you want to go bolder then this mascara will help you do exactly that.

Before

1 Coat

2 Coats

With 2 coats, the effect is intensified, the lashes are darker still, longer, fuller, and more separated. This picture is taken straight after application, no fiddling or combing so they do look a little bit clumpy and spidery, and there are a couple of smudges under the lower lashes, but it's nothing that a lash comb and a cotton bud couldn't fix, and most importantly even with an extra coat the lashes didn't feel, tight, dry, heavy or uncomfortable.

Before

1 Coat

2 Coats

Despite the fact that it's not promoted as a waterproof, or long wear mascara I was still pretty impressed with the wear time, only after about 6 hours do I start to notice a bit of panda eyes going but it wasn't too bad, and when even when I came to take it off at the end of the day, it removed easily with eye make up remover and there was still plenty of product still remaining on the lashes.

Whilst I don't agree with the non clumping claim, everything else Clinique claim about this mascara rings true, darker, longer and fuller lashes, a buildable formulation, and decent staying power. There are probably a lot more dramatic, false lash effect mascaras on the market but this particular is a real workhorse, perfect for everyday both wear and for when you want to add just a touch of drama.

Also available in Brown and Black-Brown, this half 3.5ml half size retails at around £14 and is available from various retailers including Boots, ASOS, Beauty Bay, and M&S. The full 7ml size retails at around £24 is also available from Boots, ASOS, Beauty Bay, and M&S, as well as John Lewis, Look Fantastic and Sephora.

Now as well as the two items that I was more than happy to have Clinique's Black Honey + More kit also contained another item from the High Impact range, only this time it was one that I wasn't quite so enthusiastic about!

Yes it was of course my nemesis, an eyeliner, and more specifically a felt tip liner - the Clinique High Impact Easy Liquid Liner in Black. I think this is the year when I've eventually admitted defeat with liners like this, no matter what the brand and the promises they make, my eyelids are just to oily and my hands are too shaky to make them work. Purely for you guys though I had a little play with this one and whilst I achieved nothing worth photographing, I do have a few thoughts.

First up the blurb from Clinique - again as you would expect, it's fragrance free, ophthalmologist tested, allergy tested and suitable for people with sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers. Advertised with the tag line ' All the drama of a liquid eyeliner without the drama of putting it on' - this pen is designed with a precision, ultrafine tip for both thin and thick lines, and they claim is has 24 hour smudge and budge resistant wear.

I'll start by saying that this is a believe around half the size of the regular, retail product, and do you know what? if pushed I would definitely go for the smaller size pen. The smaller size made it, even for me, quite easy to control. I also liked the tip on this pen, it was fairly easy to manipulate, it was also quite firm and as a result you didn't need a lot of pressure, so I'm pretty sure that the steady handed liner lovers amongst you should be able to achieve both an ultra fine, and thicker bolder line.

So far so good, but the old, oily, hooded lids quickly ruined any joy or love that I felt towards this liner! Whilst it did seem to dry fairly quickly the minute I blinked a smudgy, mirror image of a line appeared in the middle of my eyelid, and almost immediately the original line looked faded and patchy. That been said though once I'd cleaned it up, reapplied and made sure not to blink for a few minutes whilst it was completely dry it did actually stay put - it did fade and go patchy but there was still liner there when I removed it with my normal eye make up remover about 6 hours later!

As someone is rubbish with liner it this one wasn't actually that bad, the key i think is to give it enough time to dry - If you're a liner buff and you're looking for something to try then this one might be worth a look. I can't find this particular 0.3g size online but the full 0.6g size retails at around £23 and is available online in this shade from John Lewis, M&S and Look Fantastic.

I hope you've enjoyed this little foray into some of the Clinique's make up products, and taking a look at one of their cult products in the Almost Lipstick in Black Honey. If you've tried it I'd love to your thoughts, and whether you think it lives up the the hype, and I'd also love to know what other cult beauty products you'd like to see me cover in this series - so please leave me a comment and let me know and I will see you soon with a little nails of the day post x

*This Post Contains Affiliate Links

A Little Update And An Easter Themed Nails Of The Day From Sensationail*

2024-04-01T15:21:00.004+01:00

Hi Guys x I hope you’ve all had a lovely long weekend, and if you’ve been celebrating Easter I hope you haven’t eaten too much chocolate ;) I definitely have and it’s been much needed! The last month or so has being pretty rubbish in LouLouLand. Almost exactly a month ago I woke up and the left side of my face was completely swollen, I looked as though my face and lips had been pumped up with filler, leaving my eye just a slit! A call to 111 lead to an out of hours dental appointment and as it turned out two courses of antibiotics which were to put it mildly horrible. Thankfully the gum swelling went down and I’m currently like so many people in the UK trying to find a NHS dentist after without my knowledge my own dentist removed me from their list after I had (justifiably) to cancel two appointments in a row #fuming. Anyways my mum has been too well either and another one of my relatives is now seriously ill - it’s safe to say that 2024 has been a pretty horrid year so far and it’s showing no signs that it’s going to get any better :(

I’m still not feeling 100% but I thought I’d try and cheer myself up by sharing a little nails of the day with you. My nails have been pretty awful for a long while but I’ve recently been trying out a product that seems to be making a difference.

To celebrate the official start of summer time, and the little bit of spring sunshine that we’ve had over the weekend (although it seems to have disappeared today for some reason!) I decided to go for a lovely pastel, creamy lilac shade, the Sensationail Colour Gel Polish in Heirloom Lilac.

Since I actually started using my gel polishes and my Sensationail kit, I keep asking myself why I didn’t start using it sooner, I find it takes about the same time as normal manicure minus the dry time. It lasts longer and it’s much more hard wearing than normal nail polish. The only down side is the removal but I can live with that

The coverage is also superb, this is just two coats and whilst my application isn’t exactly of a professional standard, it’s so easy to apply and it looks decent.

As nice as it is on its own though I couldn’t resist giving this polish a bit of an Easter twist with some Shein nail stickers.

Nail stickers are great for livening up a tired or less than perfect manicure, and you can be as subtle or as over the top as you like.

With flowers, bunnies, carrots and sheep, it’s like Easter threw up on these nails and I love them, a touch childish maybe but so fun. I just cleanse the polished nail and the stick the sticker before applying a coat of top coat and sealing it under the lamp. You do need to apply another top coat layer every other day to keep it sealed in and to keep your mani looking fresh but it’s worth it.

As I say I got these particular stickers from Shein, who have an amazing selection of nail art bits but you can find nail stickers at various online retailers including eBay and Amazon. Sensationail polishes are getting harder to find now but there are a few bottles of Heirloom Lilac to be found on eBay.

Are you a fan of more subtle nail art or do you subscribe to my philosophy of more is more? Let me know in the comments and I’ll hopefully see you soon with another post xx

*This Post Contains Affiliate Links

LouLouLand Is 17! - Wishing My Little Place On The Internet A Belated Happy Birthday

2024-02-13T20:01:00.000+00:00

I know it's pretty obvious but over the last year or so but I've really struggled with blogging - As well as life and health getting in the way, I've struggled with engagement, and I've struggled with finding a place in this new era of quick and snappy content, but over the last month or so I've started to feel a little bit more positive about the whole thing.

Whilst I'm trying to engage more with short form platforms, I'm actually enjoying writing again, swatching products, and planning out posts, and that's what it should be about, not agonising over statistics, or constantly monitoring earnings and click throughs. That isn't to say that engagement and interaction doesn't matter, but it's not something that I'm going to stress about - you see so many influencers and content creators bragging about all the campaigns there getting but so many of us are just muddling along, keeping going not just for the 'freebies' and the £ but because we're doing something that we enjoy or even love!

17 Years ago yesterday I posted my first ever blog post, and to be honest I had no idea where it would lead me. I've worked with some amazing brands, gone to some fab events, and met some lovely people irl but above all it's given me and outlet and a purpose. Spending so much time cooped up indoors it's allowed me to escape from the everyday - it's given me something to focus on and to stop my brain turning to mush, and it's allowed me to feel part of something.

That's been even more apparent over the last couple of days by all of the lovely comments and messages I've received from people all over the world, lots of whom I've never met in person and would never have came into contact with without my blog or social media.

I guess what I'm trying to say as per usual is how grateful I am to every single person who has ever followed or subscribed to my blog or any of my social media channels, read a post, commented, or interacted in any way. I'm not saying that I wouldn't keep blogging without you but it certainly wouldn't be the same.

So thank you all for sticking with me and fingers crossed you all stick with me for another year, and if you're new welcome to my blog and I hope you'll like what you see and you'll subscribe for lots of beauty, fashion, lifestyle and 'real life' content x Thanks for being here and here's to another 17 years ;)

Tallulah 2009 - 2024

2024-02-11T18:04:00.002+00:00

I've had this post on the back burner for a little while, and I hoped and prayed that it would be an eternity before I had to post it, but it wasn't to be, my beautiful girl passed away at home this morning.

When she came to live with us she was about the size of old fashioned powder puff, but despite her diminutive size, she was fierce, she spent most of the first 24 hours hiding, and hissing at us and our other cats at the time, Jasper and Jake, who was petrified of her.

The next day she was a different cat, still a touch wary and prone to hiding but she became a cuddlebug, a tiny ball of fluff that demanded attention and her own way, and whilst she increased slightly in size her personality never changed - she was noisy, stubborn, and probably the most jealous cat that I've ever met but she was mine and I loved her, her quirky ways and her silky black fur. beyond words.

Tallulah

2009 - 2024

Trimming My Stash - January, February And March 2023 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews* **

2024-01-29T14:59:00.001+00:00

Nothing proves more that life gets in the way than this blog post - Already way later than I intended I originally started drafting it way back in December, which worked out fine for most of it, but not for the new year, new start introduction that I'd originally planned, so please forgive me for this probably garbled beginning. This post is the first of four that I'm hoping to get up before the end of February, sharing all of my beauty empties from 2023 with you. I've been debating for a while over which was the best and quickest way to do it, and I've decided to split all of 2023 empties into 4 blog posts, each post focusing on 3 months worth of empties, starting today with January, February and March.

January, a month supposedly of new beginnings and change, or in reality for most of us I guess, the start of more of the same! - I mean I always try to start the year on a positive note and make the odd change but that's not usually how it stays or what actually happens, but I guess that's life for you!

Beauty Pie Renewed Density Anti Hair-Loss Ampules - 14 x 8ml
Stericlens Sterile Saline Spray - 240ml
AVON Advance Techniques Reconstruction Shampoo - 400ml
Jolen Face Wax Strips - 16 Wax Strips
Bath & Body Works Merry Christmas Winter Candy Apple Gentle Foaming Hand Soap - 259ml

Total - 5 Items

My start to 2023, at least trimming my stash wise, wasn't too bad. It wasn't a spectacular start by any means, but it was a good steady month where I managed a pretty respectable 5 items, including 1 festive product, and a few staples.

1. Beauty Pie Renewed Density Anti Hair-Loss Ampules - 14 x 8ml

This first item first made an appearance on the blog in my August 2022 empties post, and whilst you will see it mentioned in a quite few upcoming empties posts, it does now appear to have been discontinued or at least altered.

As I've said on many occasions I don't know whether it's down to illness or medication, but despite taking all of the gummy vitamins in the world, and spending a fortune on hair products, I'm sure that I still lose way more hairs than the average person.

This particular product was just one of my many anti hair loss products that I've tried over the years, and I have to say that these little vials did seem to help. You can read a little bit more about them and my experience with them here, but you just massaged some of the colourless, water like serum into your hair and scalp, and let it do its thing. My hair had more volume and felt thicker, and it looked a bit fuller as well. The biggest compliment you can give a product though, is when you stop using it you really do notice the difference, hence it's something that I've repurchased again and again.

Alas I couldn't justify keeping my Beauty Pie subscription, but my bestie still has hers, and she's been kind enough to place the odd order for me so I can still make use of the member prices. As I say though this product does appear to have been discontinued, or at least replaced by the Renewed Density Anti-Hair-Loss Treatment, which comes in a 100ml bottle and has a recommended member price of £19. The ingredients and description are very similar to these ampoules so I'm hoping that it's just a packaging switch up - I've got one to try so I'll let you know my thoughts when I've used it up x

2. Stericlens Sterile Saline Spray - 240ml

Now in my previous empties post, I mentioned that 2022 was the year that I rediscovered my love of ear piercings, adding another 3 piercings to my admittedly quite small ears, and something that you need to do with especially new piercings is to clean them, preferably with saline solution.

While the NeilMed spray is by far my favourite. I did buy a couple of cans in a row that had problems with both the nozzles and the pressurisation , so I ended up trying a few other brands, while my anger subsided.

For the price and the size of the can, this particular one is probably the best value saline spray on the market, but unlike the NeilMed spray it dispenses an awful lot of product at once, the mist is nowhere near as fine, so it tends to go everywhere, and obviously you end up wasting quite a bit as it ends up in your hair and running down your neck, but as I say it is a bit cheaper than the NeilMed version, and again it's pure saline with nothing else added, so I guess it depends on how your going to use it, and what type of piercing it's for.

This 240ml can of Stericlens Sterile Saline Spray retails at around £7.44 on Amazon, and the smaller 100ml bizarrely retails at around £8.48 also from Amazon. Various sizes and multipacks are also available from eBay.

3. AVON Advance Techniques Reconstruction Shampoo - 400ml

If you're a regular reader of my empties posts then you'll know that there are some products that I buy over and over again, and this is definitely one of them. I'm not going to bore you by talking about it yet again, so I'll just say that I love this shampoo and so does my hair. If you're interested in finding out more about it them use the search function in the sidebar and have a little read.

This 400ml size retails at around £5 from both the AVON website, and via your local AVON representative, and if you love it as much as I do, then you can also get a 700ml super size, which retails at around £8.

4. Jolen Face Wax Strips - 16 Wax Strips

Next up something else that you're probably sick to death of seeing on here, so especially since this won't be there only appearance in this post, I'll keep it brief - Jolen Face Wax Strips = A literal holy grail product for me! You can read a full review here x Nuff said!

5. Bath & Body Works Merry Christmas Winter Candy Apple Gentle Foaming Hand Soap - 259ml

Now I'm a huge fan of Bath & Body Works as a brand, and whilst I love so many of their scents, this particular one was one of the first fragrances that I ever tried from the brand, and as a result it has a special place in my heart.

For me the quintessential festive scent, Winter Candy Apple, is fresh, fruity, and spicy. With notes of apple, rose petals, and candied orange, it will definitely appeal to anyone who loves fruity and foodie scents. Teamed up with Bath & Body Works, aloe, shea, and vitamin E, non drying foaming hand soap formulation, and you have a festive bathroom essential.

Alas this one has probably disappeared from shelves now till at least the Autumn but you might still be able to find it, in an in store sale section or on the secondary market.

So they were my January empties, as I say not a spectacular start trimming my stash wise, but a steady foundation and a place to build from.

Alpha-H Liquid Gold Rose Limited Edition - 50ml
Easy Piercing Saline Solution - 50ml
Elizavecca Milky Piggy Carbonated Bubble Clay Mask - 100ml
Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy Eucalyptus + Spearmint Stress Relief Sugar Body Scrub - 368g

Total - 4 Items

Unfortunately I couldn't quite live up to that start in February 2023, and I only managed to finish another 4 items, including a couple of things you've seen before, something new and a limited edition item.

1. Alpha-H Liquid Gold Rose Limited Edition - 50ml

A few years ago you couldn't read a blog or any other form of beauty editorial or content without seeing at least version of this product been talked about and hyped up.

One of the original glycolic acid preparations on the market, this water like toner of sorts which contains 5% glycolic acid, is perfect for brightening and improving the texture of the skin, and I swear by it for helping reduce the appearance of pores, and keeping spots and blackheads at bay.

This particular bottle isn't the original though, this was and I believe still is a limited edition, and contains plant and flower extracts, such as lotus flower and damask rose. It has more moisturising ingredients than the original and it's recommended for people with a drier skin.

Whilst the scent was still quite astringent, it has a slight rose, geranium aroma, and whilst the familiar liquid gold tingle was still there, I personally though found this rose gold version to be a bit more gentle on the skin.

Whilst his version is quite hard to find now Cult Beauty do currently have the 100ml bottle in stock which retails at around £37. If you're a purist though and love the original, the original Liquid Gold is still widely available with the 30ml bottle retailing at around £14.99 from various retailers including ASOS, Space NK, Cult Beauty and Amazon. You can also get a large 100ml bottle for around £43, for most of these other retailers as well as from Look Fantastic, and M&S and if you fancy saving some money it's currently on offer at Amazon for £34.39!

2. Easy Piercing Saline Solution - 50ml

Next up another saline spray, what can I say I was still mad at NeilMed! I think I picked this particular one up because it was cheap, and I knew it must be decent because it's stocked at the studio where I get my piercings done.

Agin it's just pure saline solution with nothing else added, this 50ml spray actually lasted longer than I thought it would, and it would be perfect for travel or for just throwing in your bag to keep your piercings clean on the go.

I bought this particular bottle from Amazon where it retails at around £6.94.

3. Elizavecca Milky Piggy Carbonated Bubble Clay Mask - 100ml

If you've been reading my blog for sometime now then you'll probably have already realised that I'm an advertiser or influencers dream. If something gets a cult reputation or if everyone seems to be talking about a product, then you can guarantee that I'll pretty much need it, and this was just one of those products.

I don't even think that it was that hyped up over its skincare benefits, it was more for the novelty value, with people turning their faces in fluffy, bubbly clouds that was the true selling point.

You can reads my review here, but I think that after finishing another pot my opinion has changed a little bit. This pot seemed to have a slightly different fresher scent, and I don't know if that was why, or if my skin has changed (probably more likely!) but I didn't seem to get on with this mask quite as well as I did. Whilst it still looked fun, I found the bubbling and tingly feeling a bit more uncomfortable this time round, so much so that I couldn't wait to wash it off, and it left my skin looking pretty pink.

Needless to say I probably won't be buying this again, and it's clear to see that the hype has now well and truly died down because this product is now really hard to find in the UK.You can find it on eBay, and whilst Amazon no longer stock the Elizavecca version there are several very similar looking products in their lists ranging from around £9.99 to £11.99.

4. Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy Eucalyptus + Spearmint Stress Relief Sugar Body Scrub - 368g

Now it wouldn't be an empties post without the appearance of at least one body scrub, and this one was a new one for me. Whilst I definitely have a list of my favourite scrubs, that I'll definitely repurchase, I can't resist trying new ones, and this one if I remember rightly was a sale purchase again from Bath & Body Works.

From their 'Aromatherapy' range, comes a sugar scrub, which contains jojoba oil, in this case essential oils of eucalyptus and spearmint, as well as clary sage extract and safflower oil.

With a chunky, oily brown sugar like appearance, it has the super scrubby texture that I love, but it isn't too harsh or scratchy thanks to the high oil content that leaves the skin both exfoliated, moisturised and silky soft.

On paper this scrub is perfect for me but I just wasn't a huge fan of the scent. If I buy a product with eucalyptus in it, that's what I want it to smell like but for what ever reason, no matter what the brand I always end being disappointed. This scent isn't horrible by any stretch of the imagination it just isn't my favourite. The eucalyptus scent is definitely there but it's covered up by a lot of other things so you just end up with a herbal, green scent, a bit minty, head clearing but not really what I expected. This is definitely a unisex scent and I do think that a lot of people will love it, it just wouldn't be top of my list. There are a couple of other different scents in this scrub including a few lavender based scents though that I definitely want to try.

This scrub now comes in slightly different packaging, and retails at around £18 from NEXT Beauty online, and from Bath & Body Works stand alone stores and concessions.

So not a vintage performance in February, but could I do better in March 2022?

Eclat Advanced Foot Exfoliation Peeling Mask - 2 Socks - 60ml
Ginvera Green Tea Hydrating White Mask - 1 Sheet Mask
NeilMed Neil Cleanse Piercing Aftercare Fine Mist Wound Wash - 177.6g
Jolen Face Wax Strips - 16 Wax Strips
AVON Advance Techniques Reconstruction Conditioner - 400ml

Total- 5 items

Well, it turns out that I could - I went one better in March and equalled January's total of 5 items, including 3 things you've seen before, something new and an item from deep, deep in my stash!

1. Eclat Advanced Foot Exfoliation Peeling Mask - 2 Socks - 60ml

Something that March usually signifies is that winter is coming to its close and that spring is well and truly on its way, barring the odd rogue snow shower in April obviously! and if you're anything like me that means taking a closer look at what those boots, and fluffy socks have been hiding over the winter months.

I suffer from horribly dry feet and every now and then I love to use one of these masks to get rid of some of the worst calluses. I actually bought this particular one after seeing it mentioned on a Buzzfeed list which surprise, surprise featured predominantly Amazon products!.

You should know the drill by now - the sachet contained a pair of fibre lined plastic socks, cut them open and the socks contained a clearish liquid, which contained lactic and salicylic acids, lots of different alcohols, and oat kernel extract, which had a warm apple like, but slightly astringent scent.

As per the instructions I put the booties on to clean dry feel, and like every other similar product that I've tried they felt pretty squishy. They did feel slightly warm and stingy but nothing too strong or uncomfortable.

The instructions advised to leave them on for anywhere between 60 and 90 minutes, so you've guessed it, I left them on for the full 90! When I removed them my feet were covered in a slightly oily bubbly like solution. After rinsing my feet in warm water they looked a touch pink but nowhere near as red as some similar peels that I'd used in the past.

I initially had really high hopes for this peel, my skin started to feel tighter within 24 hours, and within 3 days the peeling had started, which is by far the quickest time of any previous mask that I'd used! Alas that was pretty much as good as it got, the dry skin peeled off here and there for another 5 or 6 days, and then it stopped. My feet were definitely smoother and less callused but it had barely made inroads into the dry skin on my heels.

If you have the odd bit of dry or callused skin on your feet, then I would definitely give these a go, but unlike the original article suggested if your heels especially are thick and dry, then don't expect miracles.

That being said these aren't actually that expensive so they are probably worth a try. You can pick these up on Amazon for just £4.45 which is a pretty good price especially if you're a Prime customer (If you aren't though and you're in the UK don't forget you can use my link and sign up for a free 30 day trial!) You can also find them for various prices and multipacks on eBay.

2. Ginvera Green Tea Hydrating White Mask - 1 Sheet Mask

The next product on March's list came from the deep, deep depths on my skincare stash, and to be honest with you I have no idea where I got it from!

I'm a huge, huge fan of the Ginvera Green Tea Marvel Gel facial peel, and this mask comes from the same brand. Containing green tea, vitamin C, and aloe vera, like so many Asian created masks this one is designed to hydrate, brighten and whiten.

The mask was a nice quality fibre sheet mask, I'm not sure how old this was so it wasn't really surprising that it wasn't the wettest mask that I'd ever used, but at least that made it fairly easy to unfold!

It didn't really have a lot of scent and since it seemed to dry out quickly I had a little lie and chill session for the 15 or so minutes that I had it on.

Despite the lack of moisture in the mask there was a little bit of leftover serum on my skin. I massaged it in an although it felt sticky for a good five minutes or so afterwards, my skin actually looked less red and more even, and my eye area especially looked a lot brighter.

Unfortunately I can't find this mask anywhere online, or I would have definitely considered repurchasing it. Even when it was 'way past its best' I still saw some good results, so if you know where I can buy this or if you can even recommend a reliable stockist of the Ginvera Green Tea Marvel Gel, then please let me know in the comments x

3. NeilMed Neil Cleanse Piercing Aftercare Fine Mist Wound Wash - 177.6g

So after trying a few other saline sprays, I eventually retuned to my HG product - I talked about this is my previous empties post, so you can have a read and find out just way I rate this stuff so highly. If you have fresh or healing piercings then buy this!

4. Jolen Face Wax Strips - 16 Wax Strips

Blah, Blah - Love them, I don't want to bore you and talk about them again - repeat to fade...

5. AVON Advance Techniques Reconstruction Conditioner - 400ml

Question, are you one of those people who finishes their shampoo first or do you always end up using more conditioner? If you fall into the latter category then please tell me how that works - I just don't understand it! I've use way more shampoo than I do conditioner, and again so it's proven, I finished the corresponding shampoo in January and I didn't finish the matching conditioner until March!

I've spoken at length on many occasions about how much I love the products in this range (have a little search if you don't believe me!) so if you've made it almost to the end of this post I'm not going to start boring you even further - lovely conditioner, my hair likes, and even though I'm currently using and loving something else at the moment, I will definitely continue to use and repurchase this product.

This 400ml size retails at around £5 direct from the AVON website or from you local rep.

If you've made it to the end of this post then thank you for your dedication and perseverance in reading this somewhat epic, longwinded post. I know it was long but I think that this is going to be the best way to try and my empties posts back up to date again x

All in all a solid but not necessarily spectacular start to 2023 what with quarter of the year gone and 14 items down, surely if could only get better in the next quarter? Well, if you want to spoil the surprise then you can have a little look in my sidebar, otherwise you can hang on for my next empties post which should be live soon but in the meantime I'll have some fresh, probably beauty related content up soon x In the meantime though if you have any questions then please help save me from the spam and leave me a comment below, I hope that you all have a great start to the week and I'll see you all soon x

*This Post Contains Automatic Affiliate, Added Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links

**Prices And Information Correct At The Time Of Publication

Collaborative / Partnered Post - How To Feel More Beautiful And Improve Your Self Confidence In 2024*

2024-01-03T17:06:00.004+00:00

Hey Guys, Welcome to my first post of 2024, so I guess I should start off by wishing you all a very Happy New Year. I really hope that it's a good one for all of us, and that this is the year when all of our dreams start to come true.

Whilst I'm not a huge believer in new years resolutions and putting unnecessary pressure on myself to achieve the impossible, I do always try to set myself a few achievable goals, and tasks that I would like to achieve not just over the next 12 months, but over the course of my life in general, and some of the biggies for this year, are to try and love myself a bit more, to care for myself a bit more, and to get a bit of self confidence and self belief back.

For as long as I can remember I've suffered from low levels of confidence. You name it I've felt it, from shyness, and anxiety to extreme self loathing - self confidence has always been an issue for me. The sad thing is that I'm not alone in that a lot of people struggle with low levels of confidence, but whilst I don't think the feeling ever completely goes away, there are a few things that you can try to boost your self esteem and feel better about yourself in 2024.

Dress Well

This sounds like such a simple one but it really can make all the difference. When your feeling rubbish about yourself it's all too tempting just to just dress down and to not really try, but the way you dress can have a huge impact on how you feel about yourself and how others feel about you as well. I know it can be hard when your lacking confidence in your appearance to wear even your 'safest' outfit, but as I've said before spending time working out your own personal style, and finding clothes that fit you, and flatter you, can really make a difference, so grab the bull by the horns, own your look, and if you really want to give yourself a little self confidence boost take a little peek into your underwear drawer.

Whilst people generally won't see your underwear ;) it doesn't mean that you shouldn't use it as a tool, to make yourself more confident, more put together and even a little bit bit sexier. Try out different types of womens briefs to see which ones you would feel confident and comfortable wearing, and get a properly fitted bra, buy yourself some cute matching sets, for that put together feel, and buy yourself fun pieces, that make you smile - even if no one ever sees it, and your just wearing something cute or matching under a comfy t-shirt and some leggings around the house, as long as you feel comfortable, and cute that's all that matters.

Therapy

Okay, from something effective but frivolous, to something a bit more serious, therapy or counselling. It might not be the first thing you would consider when you're looking at issues with self confidence but issues with self esteem and self belief can often have quite deep rooted causes. In my case it's probably down to childhood bullying, and insecurities about my facial paralysis, but for you it could be down to past relationships, or different issues from childhood, What ever the reason talking to somebody can really help you deal with an issues that you may have, and help you move forward. A lot of people feel uncomfortable and ashamed for reaching out to a professional but this shouldn't be the case, and we really need to start breaking down that stigma, and getting the help that we need.

Posture

This next one sounds a little strange, but it's something that I definitely need to work and that is posture.

To be honest this could be a goal in itself, but when you think about it your posture has a huge impact on your self confidence and on how you appear to others around you. If you have poor posture, and you're hunched over, trying to make yourself look small, then you’re going to look unsure of yourself and uneasy, and you're going to disappear into the crowd. People around you, especially those in the workplace or in a professional setting, will immediately assume that you don’t have confidence in what you are saying or what you are doing. This could not only have a negative impact on your professional life, but also in personal relationships. Posture is actually one of the easiest things to improve, there are loads of videos, exercises, and instructions online for you to try. Just throw in a few yoga or pilates sessions for the new year, and you could see some results in a couple of weeks.

Skin Treatment

One of the key reasons people lack self confidence (holds my hands up!), is that they don't like what they see in the mirror, and to be honest that's a difficult one to remedy but even if you're not a fan of what you see, there are things that you can do and that you can control to help give your self confidence a boost. A big part of enhancing your natural beauty is looking after your skin. If your skin doesn’t look great and looks rough, or dull, or shiny, then it’s always going to impact how you feel about yourself. Fortunately in this day and age, a good skincare routine can make all the difference. For example, like so many of us if your skin in a bit drier at this time of year, then you might want to switch up your moisturising routine. As we get older, our skin finds it harder to retain moisture so our collagen depletes leaving our skin drier and slacker, adding in a serum or two, a facial oil or even a slightly heavier moisturiser could make all the difference, improving your skin tone and texture, and your self esteem at the same time.

So if you look in the mirror and your skin doesn't quite look how you want it too, visit a salon or a beauty counter, have a read of some blogs, or a look on social media, or in extreme cases see a dermatologist, and either switch up your current routine, or create a new skincare routine from scratch. I can't guarantee that you'll love your reflection but even as a worst case scenario, it will give you one less thing to dislike.

Improving your self confidence and self esteem won't happen overnight, but making the best of yourself, and tackling some of those underlying issues, can definitely play a part. I know it's hard but please remember you are a fabulous person, and you are as good as anyone else out there, you have as much right as anyone else to do what you like, wear what you, and to be heard and don't let anyone ever tell otherwise x Do you have any hints and tips for improving self confidence? If you do please let me know in the comments x

*Collaborative / Partnered Post

Promises, Piercings, And Pesto - Merry Christmas

2023-12-24T20:32:00.006+00:00

Well, here we are, there's only more sleep to Christmas - the presents are wrapped, the house is *mostly* tidy, I'm showered and the new PJ's are on, and we have just consumed our traditional Christmas Eve meal of Pesto, Tomato, and Mozzarella Ciabattas, with a little glass of mulled wine on the side - I'm currently watching the Alistair Sim version of Scrooge, with the Muppet Christmas Carol up next and I thought I'd quickly write my now traditional Christmas Eve post.

I honestly don't know where the last few weeks have gone, it's been a funny few weeks here in LouLouLand, lots of cleaning, yet more bad news, and a bit of pain and exhaustion thrown in for good measure. I promised a few posts before Christmas but surprise, surprise nothing panned out the way I wanted, I prepped a lot of posts but I never managed to actually post anything so I apologise, and I promise I will have some more content up next week and lots more going on into 2024

This year me and my mas decided to go for a joint present, and get something we both wanted, so we treat ourselves to a new smart TV, and an upgraded Sky box, so I'm not really expecting a lot tomorrow especially since my mam also paid for my daith piercing changeout (I went for a nice silver hoop), and a new conch piercing in my right ear - Again I went to the lovely Kelly, at Doc Black Ink, Metro Centre, last Monday and I honestly can't recommend her and the shop enough. It was way less painful than I anticipated but it has been a bit tender since especially behind my ear but I love it, and the slightly hidden aspect - I've definitely got the piercing bug again!

Although I love presents it really isn't about that this year, it's been another awful year, losing my uncle, and with numerous family illness and accidents, for me it's all about spending time with the people I love, I want it to be nice, and I want to have some nice memories from Christmas 2023.

You know the drill though by now, Christmas isn't always the happy time, that so many people especially on social media would have you believe, your everyday problems don't go away, and being around family, and friends, or on your own can often exacerbate and create new issues, so please, please remember you are not alone - Here is a list of useful numbers below, and I would personally also like to add Cruse Bereavement Support - 0808 808 1677

So if you're celebrating tomorrow I hope you have a very Merry Christmas, and if you're not, I hope you have a peaceful, and cheerful Monday, and I'll see you soon with a new post x

HUDA Beauty Winner And A Life Update*

2023-12-07T16:10:00.002+00:00

Hey Everyone x I know it's been a little while since I last posted so I thought I'd post a quick update for you x I've had a few rough weeks health wise culminating in an unexpected morning in A&E on Halloween of all days and a barrage of tests since. Thankfully there doesn't appear to be anything too sinister going on just a few new fibromyalgia symptoms, and the exacerbation of a few others - ho hum. Through in another family illness and things have been a bit rough so it goes without saying that my mind has been elsewhere.

This year really seems to have flown by I can hardly believe we're in December already - I'm so all over the place at the moment I didn't even manage to get my hands on a chocolate advent calendar this year, but thanks to Mummy Lou I did get manage to get my hands on this years Glossybox offering, which if you're interested I'm unboxing everyday on my Instagram Stories, so don't forget to follow me on there. Everything just seems to be upside down at the moment I've done some Christmas shopping online, and most of the decorations are up but my room needs serious deep clean, and I haven't even thought about wrapping or cards - argh!

Anyways deep breaths, no need to panic, things will work out they always do (fingers crossed anyways) and whilst I won't be posting any huge gift guides or anything like that but providing the creeks don't rise, etc. etc, I do have a few little gift ideas to share with you, as well as a few empties posts to share with you before Santa comes so don't forget to keep following my blog, or checking out my other social media channels for a heads up when new posts go live!

Now though is the moment you've all been waiting for - it's time to announce the winner of my HUDA Beauty giveaway!

I didn't have too many entries so everyone that did enter had a great chance to win, alas there can only be one winner and that winner picked randomly via Rafflecopter is...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

SOPHIE

Congratulations my love and thanks for following my on Tik Tok - I will be sending you an email asap x Thanks to everyone that entered and a big thank you to all of my new followers both on the blog and elsewhere x Thanks you all for following and reading and I will see you soon with another post x

*This Post Contains An Added Affiliate Link

Collaborative / Partnered Post - 5 Ways To Give The Man In Your Life’s Appearance And His Confidence A Boost*

2023-10-27T13:45:00.002+01:00

You know what? We really do love the men in our lives but as I said in one of my previous posts some men can be a bit blase about the whole fashion and beauty thing, and whilst we 100% love them just the way they are, there is nothing wrong with wanting someone you love to make the best of themselves. So if the guys in your life, be that your partner, your dad or your brother seem to be stuck in a bit of a rut, then here are a few fashion and beauty tips to give him a bit of an ego boost.

Help Him Opt For Quality

I talked a lot about men's fashion a couple of posts ago, and whilst cheaper fashion is great for trying out a new items or a new style, it's actually better and makes more sense to have a smaller selection of good quality items and outfits that look great and work for you rather than having a wardrobe full of one offs, mistakes and things that don't really work for you. This is definitely a piece of advice that I need to follow as well! Although it is technically a capsule wardrobe it doesn't have to be scary, and no you don't have to starting clearing out your partners entire wardrobe just yet! Christmas is on it's way so consider picking up some good quality t-shirts, tops and hoodies from somewhere like about:blank clothing, whole sell a wide range of casual, and smart casual basics and fashion pieces that will really help lift your partners personal style.

I know things are hard financially for a lot of people at the moment and the temptation to buy cheaper clothing is strong, but as I know personally it can be a false economy. Instead of buying things you need, you end up buying things you don't really want thus filling up your wardrobe, and making that whole what do I wear today thing much harder. Something I should really do more of is try and work out the cost per wear, buying a better quality item may cost a bit more initially but if it's a basic, and something you'll get a lot of wear out of it then in the long term you may actually end up saving money. It isn't true in all cases but spending more money on a better quality product should mean that it lasts longer than a fast fashion equivalent.

Teach Him About Body Shape

As well as choosing quality products, it's important to thing about sizing and fit. This isn't about losing weight or toning up it's all about Dressing for his body shape, and buying clothes that actually fit. I'm all for freedom of expression and breaking fashion rules but wearing clothes that don't fit properly is a bit no no - yes we can all throw on an oversized hoodie but it can look sloppy, and as though you just can't bothered (probably true in my case;), and the same applies about wearing something that is too small, not only does it not look great but it can also be really uncomfortable.

He might hate it but take him shopping, look at styles, and if you can stretch to it, get him professionally measured, or even take him to a personal shopper, a lot of larger stores and shopping centres have them and it's a great way of helping someone out of a style rut and helping boost their confidence. It doesn't matter whether it's something smart or casual, if something is the wrong size or just unflattering then you don't look or feel good.

Consider Grooming Tips

I know it's a bit of a stereotypical viewpoint but historically when it comes to beauty and grooming a lot of men are sadly lacking. Thankfully that is changing and it's become a lot more acceptable for men to care about their hair, skin and their overall appearance, and whilst making the right fashion choices will instantly upgrade his look, spending a little more time in the bathroom, will be both an immediate and a longterm confidence booster. You can start off simple with a hand wash, a new fragrance, or a new shower gel before gradually introducing him to a proper skincare regime. So many skincare brands now do regimes specifically for men so if he's a real mans man nothing will looks too girly, or feminine, so he really has no excuse not to give it ago.

It's kind of expected that everybody gets toiletries for Christmas so it's the perfect opportunity to buy the men in your life a beauty product or two, and if you really fancy giving him the pampering and love that he deserves then how about booking him an appointment at your nearest salon. So many salons now offer male packages that include facials, brown grooming and a manicure - all guaranteed to boost his look and his self confidence and gain you a few brownie points.

When we're it grooming though, it's important not to ignore our teeth. There really is no worse turn off than bad breath and yellow teeth. So make sure your guy, be it a partner or your dad keeps up with his dental hygiene and stock up that bathroom with toothpaste, floss, and mouthwash, and make sure he has regular dental appointment to maintain his stunning smile.

Find Him The Right Hairstyle

Most women appreciate the impact of a winning hairstyle and how it can influence their overall appearance. However, many men fall into the trap of keeping the same cut for virtually all of their adult life, unlike the majority of women that I know ;) If someone you love is stuck in a bit of an appearance rut then finding a modern style that suits his face shape, and personality can work wonders. Do a little bit of research online, or pop into a salon or barbers for advice, and don't forget to buy him a few hair products to maintain his new look.

Make Sure He Smells Great

I don't about you but I use perfume every single day, I love to smell nice, and I think that fragrance is a real confidence booster, and thankfully most of the men that I know feel the same way. Hopefully long gone are the days when the man in your life drowned himself in body spray, and so much cologne that you could smell him a mile away (why do teenage boys do this???). If your man doesn't wear fragrance, or he's on the look out for something, then The Versace Eros eau de toilette is often labelled a great scent for date nights. Find something you both love, and you'll be driven wild, and his confidence will be sky high!

I know some of these are a bit stereotypical but there is nothing wrong with wanting someone you love to make the best of themselves, and even if the man in your life is perfect as he is, I hope this post has given you a few little gift ideas to help him boost his self confidence.

*Collaborative / Partnered Post