sailboat. // UK fashion, beauty & lifestyle blog.

Current Top Ten Favourite Lipsticks.

noreply@blogger.com (jennie) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:30:00 +0000

Over the past couple of months I've really been getting much more into lip products & sadly for my bank balance, I currently have a wishlist almost as long as my arm full of MAC lipsticks. I never used to really understand the hype surrounding MAC lipsticks but now I totally get it! Perhaps I'll just have to treat myself occasionally!

After seeing Louise from Sprinkle Of Glitter do a video about her favourite lipsticks I was super inspired to do the same! I popped a video up on my YouTube channel which I will embed at the end of this blog post incase you'd like to see it, but I also couldn't resist snapping a few pictures!

Beehive from 17 cosmetics is the perfect 'my lips but better' kind of shade. It's such a wearable colour that will quite literally go with any make up look and the formula is just beautiful, leaving behind a glossy finish to the lips - so no need to faff around with an extra lipgloss over the top! Perfect low maintenance make up!

Viva Glam Cyndi from MAC is one that I won't talk about too much because it was limited edition and no longer available, which I'm super sad about. This is probably one of my all time favourite lipstick shades and I'm currently kicking myself for not picking up approximately twelve million back ups. I really need to find a dupe for this shade although I have a feeling I'll never find anything quite as nice as Cyndi!

Illamasqua's Fable was, I think, my first ever high end make up purchase and I still love it just as much now as I did when I first got it. I don't reach for it all the time because it is very matte which is a finish that I find quite difficult to work with, but, the colour is just the most perfect warm pink. This shade will always hold a special place in my heart!

Another shade from Illamasqua making its way into my top ten is called Obey and this is the perfect peachy pink shade. Gosh, Illamasqua know how to make some amazing colours! As soon as summer rolls around I'll be wearing this non stop!

Again, I won't talk about this lipstick, which is Pillow Talk from Topshop Make Up, for long because it's limited edition but I will say that this is a super pretty classic baby pink shade with a truly lovely formulation. I wish this wasn't limited edition because I know how many people adore this lipstick!

This one is technically not a lipstick so I think I may be cheating slightly but I'm just going to go with it! I really do love the Collection 2000 Cream Puff Moisturising Lip Creams and my favourite shade is called Fairy Cake. A muted coral pink, this is one of those colours that goes with so many different make up looks, and with a good lip balm underneath I really love the finish of these. They smell like cake too - yummy!

Revlon Pink Pout is a beautiful mid toned pink shade with slight purpley undertones and I absolutely adore this lipstick. It is a matte formulation but I don't find these to be anywhere near as matte as Illamasqua's so this is much easier for me to wear on a daily basis. It's not really drying at all which I was pleasantly surprised about, and the colour is just gorgeous!

Baby Pink from Revlon's ColorBurst line is a beautiful sheer glossy pink that you don't even have to think about when you're applying it. The packaging is lovely, the formula is pretty bloody amazing and the finish is extremely flattering on the lips. You definitely don't need an extra gloss over the top of this and the warm pink colour really helps to brighten up my entire complexion! Love it!

Including Lovelorn from MAC may be cheating slightly as I haven't had it for very long but it has fast become an all time favourite shade! This is a perfect every day lipstick shade for me and the lustre finish is my favourite - it's glossy but not too glossy and it lasts for a good amount of time so I don't have to reapply every 5 minutes. The colour is perfect, a mid toned blue pink that makes my teeth look whiter and my complexion brighter. Perfect!

Finally, I couldn't not include this in my favourites and it is the infamous Cherries in the Snow from Revlon. I don't think there's anything else I can say about this other than it is just absolutely perfect!

What are your favourite lipsticks? Are there any shades that you think I absolutely have to go and check out?

xoxo

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Blog Sale!

noreply@blogger.com (jennie) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:00:00 +0000

A few rules / things to keep in mind!

* I am willing to post internationally however I cannot be held responsible if your items go missing in transit. Please keep that in mind before purchasing.

* Postage to the UK will be £2.50 plus 50p for each additional item. I will be sending most things recorded delivery so hopefully things won't go missing. If you purchase a lot of items I will calculate postage so it does not exceed £5.

* Postage to anywhere outside of the UK will be £3.50 plus 50p for each additional item.

* Items will be packaged carefully with plenty of bubble wrap.

* My blog comments are on approval so your comment will NOT show up straight away, please don't try to leave multiple comments.

* I will be using the blogger comment reply system to let you know if the items you would like are yours. Please keep checking back to see my replies.

* You have 24 hours to pay for your item(s) and after that they will go to the next person.

* Leave a comment stating the item(s) you would like, your paypal email so I can invoice you AND where you live so I know whether to add UK or International shipping to your order.

* NO returns.

1. Benefit double ended lipgloss with shades 'Kiss You' and 'Friends in High Places' - £3.

2. ~~Benefit double ended lipgloss with the shades 'Zone Out' and 'Almost Famous' - £3.~~ SOLD.

3. BYS Blush in the shade Fierce Fuchsia - £1.
4. ~~BYS Blush in the shade Pink Velvet - £1.~~ SOLD

5. ELF Studio Cream Liner in the shade Gunmetal - £1.
6. ELF Studio Cream Liner in the shade Black - £1.

7. ~~Dainty Doll Blush in the shade Hippy Shake - Used a few times - £9.~~ PENDING.

8. ELF Studio Contouring Blush & Bronzing Duo - £1.50

9. ELF Studio Corrective Concealer Palette - Swatched - £1.

10. ELF Cream Eyeshadow Duo in the shade 'Butter Pecan' - 50p

11. ELF Studio Eyebrow Kit in the shade 'Ash' - £1.50

12. ELF Studio Matte Lip Colour in the shade 'Natural' - £1.50
13. ELF Studio Matte Lip Colour in the shade 'Coral' - £1.50

14. ELF Studio Lip Stain in the shade 'Fashionista' - £1.50

15. ELF Mineral Eyeshadow Primer - £1.50
16. ~~ELF Eyelid Primer - 50p~~ SOLD.

17. ~~ELF Studio Stipple Brush - Will be freshly washed - £1.50~~ PENDING.

18. ~~Illamasqua Light Liquid Foundation in shade 133 - Needs to be shaken before each use - £8.~~ SOLD.

19. ~~Illamasqua Liar Lipstick - Used a few times - £8.~~ SOLD.
20. ~~Illamasqua Liv Lipstick - Used a few times, some damage to bullet but works fine just be careful with it - £7.~~ SOLD.

21. ELF Studio Eyeliner and Shadow Stick in the shade 'Pearl Glow' - £1.

22. ~~Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner in the shade 'Moray' - from GlossyBox - Just pay the postage/free when you purchase another product.~~ SOLD.
23. No 7 Metallic Eyes Pencil in the shade 'Camouflage' - Just pay the postage / free when you purchase another product.
24. ~~Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eyeliner in shades 'Zero' and 'Whiskey' - From the Naked Palette - £3.~~ SOLD.
25. Rimmel Soft Kohl Kajal Eye Liner Pencil in the shade 'Sable Brown' - 50p
26. Barry M Black Liquid Liner - Just pay the postage / free when you purchase another product.
27. ~~GOSH Velvet Touch Eyeliner in the shade 'Pretty Petrol' - 50p.~~ SOLD.

28. ~~Wet n Wild Lipstick in the shade 'Retro Pink'~~ - SOLD.
29. The Body Shop Lipstick in the shade '73' - £3.
30. Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in the shade 'Vintage Pink' - £3.
31. 17 Shine On Lipstick in the shade 'Watermelon Crush' - £1.50.

32. ELF Mineral Lipstick in the shade 'Natural Nymph' - £1.50
33. Natural Collection Moisture Shine Lipstick in the shade 'Pink Mallow' - 50p
34. Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in the shade 'Va Va Violet' - I have 2 of these, they're beautiful! - £4.
35. Barry M Lipstick in the shade '147 Peachy Pink' - £3.

36. ~~MAC Paint Pot in the shade 'Vintage Selection' - Limited Edition from the ChamPale Collection - £10.~~ SOLD.

37. Ciate Paint Pot Nail Polish in the shade 'Dangerous Affair' - £2.
38. Sleek Nail Polish in the shade 'Florida' - £1.
39. ~~Sleek Nail Polish in the shade 'Turquoise' - £1.~~ SOLD.
40. Barry M Nail Paint in the shade 'Navy' - £1.

41. ~~Rimmel Matte Finish Nail Polish - £1.~~ SOLD.
42. Missguided Nail Polish in the shade 'Miscellaneous' - £1.
43. Collection 2000 Nail Polish in the shade 'Minx' - 50p
44. Revlon Nail Polish in the shade 'Lilac Pastelle' - £3.

45. Eyeko Coral Polish - I have two of these - £2.
46. ~~Eyeko Indigo Polish - I have two of these - £2.~~ PENDING.
47. ~~Eyeko Cosmic Polish - I have two of these - £2.~~ PENDING.
48. Eyeko Military Polish - I have two of these - £2.

49. Avon Nail Polish in the shade 'Romance' - £1.50
50. Beauty UK Nail Polish in the shade 'Fuchsia' - 50p.
51. 17 Fast Finish Nail Polish in the shade 'Sulk' - just pay postage / free if you purchase another item.
52. 17 Lasting Fix Nail Polish in the shade 'Mint Choc Chip' - £1.

53. NYC Chroma Face Glow Blush in the shade 'Sunstone' - £2.
54. ~~NYC Chroma Face Glow Blush in the shade 'Moonstone' - Top layer needs scraping off to make it more pigmented again - £1.50~~ PENDING.

55. Revlon ColorStay Eyeshadow Quad in the shade 'Sunrise Sunset' - I have two of these - £3.

56. ~~The Body Shop Limited Edition Blush Trio in the shade 'Cool Dusk' - I have two of these - £4.~~ SOLD.

57. ~~Topshop Cream blush in the shade 'Neon Rose' - £3.~~ PENDING.

xoxo

Ralphie.

noreply@blogger.com (jennie) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:30:00 +0000

'Err excuse me lady, do you mind? I'm trying to eat here!'

xoxo

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February GlossyBox.

noreply@blogger.com (jennie) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 13:41:00 +0000

It's that time of the month again, no not that time, it's GlossyBox♦ time! I always get a little excited when it's GlossyBox time because having a little surprise showing up at your door each month is really quite lovely. When I first opened up this months box I was a little bit ehh about its contents, I thought it was going to be one of those months where everything was nice, but nothing really stood out. Happily my first impressions were totally wrong and I'm actually really excited about a couple of the products, one of which has totally surprised even me!

The first product is one that I'm not overly excited about, I mean I'll definitely use it because I get through lotion like there's no tomorrow, but it doesn't seem like a wow product. The Como Shambhala Invigorate Body Lotion has a blend of essential oils within it that will apparently put me in 'a perfectly uplifted mood'. We shall see on that one, but it smells nice, the peppermint scent in this one really comes through as you massage this into the skin and although I'm not a lover of lavender, I actually don't mind it too much in this. The scent reminds me a lot of Neal's Yard products, which I adore, and although this is a light lotion it feels like it gives a nice amount of moisture. The full size 300ml bottle retails for £20.

Another product I'm not wowed by is the Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Relaxing Balm. It says it's an intense hydrating treatment for your hair but I have no idea how to use it because there aren't any instructions on the packaging. There's one of those infuriating 'peel here' labels on the back that I can never bloody peel, I've been sat here for a good 10 minutes trying to peel it but I can't and honestly, I'm not fussed about the product enough to research it at this present moment in time. I have extremely oily hair so I will be steering clear of this treatment, my mum however has claimed this as her own already so I will be passing it on to her, once I've figured out what she's supposed to do with it! The full size 200ml bottle retails for £15.25.

Now we move on to the product I'm intrigued by and it's the Magic Liquid Soap from Dr Bronner. From what I can tell this comes in many different scents and the one I got is the almond one. This smells exactly like Battenberg cake, so so lovely and it seems to be one of those multipurpose products that you can use on your face, body and hair. You have to make sure to dilute the product in water before using but I tell you what, I'm pretty excited to give this product a go. It's supposed to be much more gentle than regular soap and it hasn't been tested on animals - always a winner for me! This size, 59ml bottle retails for £1.99. Super affordable!

As soon as I saw there was a lipgloss in this months box I said 'ooooh lipgloss, pretty colour' before smearing a thick layer all over my lips. Then I thought 'oooh really pretty, oooh tastes kind of like cinnamon cake, ooooh TINGLY!' The gloss is by DuWop and this is one of their venom glosses in the shade Buttercup. One of DuWop's most famous products is their Lip Venom which is a lip plumping product and this lipgloss has some of that Lip Venom contained within it. It sure does make your lips tingle! I've tried similar products before but I can't say that any of them gave the tingly feeling they said, this one definitely does. It doesn't hurt, but you can definitely feel it. Next time I probably won't be applying such a thick layer but I can see me using this up quite quickly! The full size 10.4ml glosses retail for £16.

Lastly I have saved the product I'm most surprised by for last and that is a Pure Mineral Eyeshadow from BM Beauty. The colour I received is called Her Majesty and when I first saw it I thought 'ooh no, I won't be using that colour on my eyes'. And then I opened it and swatched it on my hand. Hello beautiful rosey/golden sheen I'll be using a lot of you! I'm not a fan of pigments, honestly, I'm so clumsy and I probably will end up making a huge mess with this but I don't care because it's so pretty! This won't be limited to just my eyes, I already have plans to use this on my cheeks too. Oh it's so pretty! The full size 2g pots of these shadows retail for £7.

Overall I'm really quite happy with this months offerings despite being slightly disappointed upon first glance. Sure there are two products I'm not thrilled with, but my excitement over the other three more than makes up for that. I'm off to go and research more about the Dr Bronner Magic Liquid Soap and then proceed to play with the rosey-gold shadow and make my lips tingle with the lipgloss! I'm like a child at Christmas time!

Are you subscribed to GlossyBox? What did you get in your box this month?
Has anyone tried any of these products before? If so, I'd love to know what you thought about them!
xoxo

Would You Like To Advertise On Sailboat?

noreply@blogger.com (jennie) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Last year I opened up a little piece of my sidebar to anyone who would like to advertise their blog or small business and I think the time is right to do it again!

Sailboat is a constantly expanding lifestyle blog featuring fashion, beauty, photography and everything in between. It’s written by Jennie May, a twenty two year old girl living in Derbyshire who’s not entirely sure where her life is going but is happy to invite you all along on the journey to find out.

Advertising.

Whether you’re a boutique owner, fellow blogger, photographer or just a generally amazing lovely person, if you think my readers would love to know about you, email me for more information on my super reasonable rates! Spots are really limited each month so please please please don’t be shy to inquire!

Any money I do happen to generate from sponsorship will 100% be put into advertising Sailboat on other blogs so in turn this little piece of the internet will hopefully gain more traffic which will then benefit any sponsors! I’d really love for everyone to gain something from this.

I have 4 different advert sizes to choose from:

I will only have one extra large 175 x 215 spot available each month and will be placed at the top of my sponsor section for the whole month and one large 175 x 175 spot which will be placed directly under the extra large sponsor should there be one that month. Adverts will be placed in descending size order and each group will be rotated throughout the month in order to gain maximum exposure for everyone. The larger your ad size, the closer it will be to the top of the page. Don’t worry though; I will not be accepting lots and lots of sponsors each month so if you only want a small advert then you won’t be miles down the page, I promise!

Each ad will be up for 30 days and I will happily offer a discount if you would like to advertise for multiple months. If you contact me between now and the end of February your advert will be up at the beginning of March, if you contact me after then your advert will go up at the start of April!

***

Like I said, if anyone were to be interested in sponsoring sailboat then any pennies made will be put into sponsoring sailboat on other blogs! I'm not out to make money for myself, I don't accept other forms of advertising or sponsored posts (not that I hate on those that do!), but I would like to try and turn this little piece of the Internet into something extra special & in turn share the love with some of you guys!

Thank you to absolutely everyone that's supported sailboat thus far! I really appreciate and adore every single one of you that reads my little ramblings and it wouldn't be quite the same without you lovelies! Honestly, thank you so much, you mean more to me than you could ever possibly imagine.

If you'd like to email me about absolutely anything at all then you can do so here:

Email me: sailorjennie@googlemail.com

I hope you're all having a wonderful Sunday morning! I'm about to head out to work but I'm thoroughly looking forward to 5pm when I shall be back at home all snuggled up in my pyjamas and drinking a huge mug of hot chocolate!

xoxo

P.S. Static adverts only please, I'm not a huge fan of blinkies!

Follow Your Heart & You'll End Up Exactly Where You're Supposed To Be.

noreply@blogger.com (jennie) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:04:00 +0000

Sometimes I need reminding, more than anyone else, that it's one hundred percent okay to do your own thing and to be yourself. As the months have gone by I have felt more and more out of the blogging loop & that sinking feeling of realising things have moved on without you is always a tough one to deal with. Last night I was halfway through writing a goodbye post when I realised that this doesn't have to be goodbye. Why would I give up on something that makes me happy? I truly don't want it to end. So it's not going to. It's just going to change a little bit. Maybe you'll want to stick around, I truly hope you will, but if not then I understand.

Two years ago I was a very different person. I was incredibly lonely, not at all comfortable with who I was and desperately looking for somewhere to fit in, somewhere where I felt like I really belonged. Finding that in my 'real life' didn't happen so I took solace in this little piece of the internet and it changed me, completely for the better. Everyone and everything changes, if you're anything like me, change can be hard to take sometimes, but it's in learning to adapt that makes you appreciate things that little bit more than you used to.

When I popped up that little survey around Christmas time asking what you would like to see more of on my blog, an overwhelming amount of people responded with more make up posts. And that's understandable, that's probably why 80% of people chose to subscribe in the first place. I did start off as solely a beauty blog. That was where I was in my life at that point. I wanted to learn more about these magical products that could transform me, a very plain and slightly chubby girl with acne, into someone who felt pretty and confident. I was heavily reliant on make up at that point in my life. I would not leave the house without a full face and backcombed hair. It wasn't an option for me because without it, I didn't feel confident. I was putting so much emphasis on improving my physical appearance because I didn't know how to improve other aspects of my life. I had just dropped out of University, which was one of the most difficult decisions I've ever had to make, I had a job I absolutely detested and the love of my life was three hundred miles away. I felt stuck. I had absolutely nothing going for me and I didn't know how to change that.

Fast forward two years and I still love make up, I will never not love make up, but there's so much more I have to say, there's so much more happening in my life that I want to share. I just don't know if anybody is interested. Of course I write these posts for me, but I also write them for you. There was something about Sailboat that made you click the subscribe button and for that I am eternally grateful because it just means so much to me. The last thing I want is to lose you all. My life would be a more lonely place if I didn't have you. As ridiculous as that may sound, I don't care, because it's true. I don't have a million friends I can call and go out for coffee with, and I'm okay with that, I'm someone that's completely content with my own company, but without you guys I would have no one really to share good news with or to have a little rant to and talk things over with. What would I do without you? It's never been about having a million subscribers, I hope I haven't ever come across like that, I was just as over the moon when the first person clicked subscribe as I was when the thousandth person did. I love your sweet emails and I love your comments, which is why I have been trying to do more make up posts. Sometimes my heart is in them and sometimes I'd much rather be telling you all about what I did last Thursday afternoon.

I guess what I'm trying to ask is, is it okay to share those things with you as well? Would you like to see the silly videos I make with Ralphie, the ridiculous photographs I still take on Photobooth and what I did last week? Ninety percent of you hated my instagram posts but I loved writing them, I also loved compiling little wishlists to show what I was loving and not loving at that time. Writing about make up and beauty products will never get old to me, I will always love taking outfit photographs, but I would love to share so much more as well!

I really hope you'll stick around. I may not fit in completely with the 'beauty community' anymore, beauty blogging has changed more that I could ever say in the past two years, I don't think it's changed for the worse, it's just very different and I don't feel like I have anything new to offer it anymore. There are so many other girls doing it so much better than I ever did or ever could. And that's okay, I think they're amazing and talented and incredibly beautiful and they deserve all the success in the world, they truly do, because they work so hard!

I hope that in between outfit photographs and my ramblings about make up and other such pretty things, you'll still like the everyday life posts just as much. Sometimes you just have to follow your heart. I have learned that it's impossible for anyone to please everyone all of the time, and ultimately you have to do what will make you the happiest. Life is just too short for 'what if's?' and regrets. Follow your heart and you'll end up exactly where you're supposed to be.

With Love,
Jennie May.
xoxo

Happy Valentine's Day, Whale You Be My Valentine?

noreply@blogger.com (jennie) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:43:00 +0000

I wanted to pop up a little post wishing you all a super Happy Valentine's Day! Valentine's is a funny little 'holiday' it's cute but silly at the same time. I hope that wherever you are, you get the opportunity to spend some quality time with someone you love, not neccessarily your other half, but a best friend, a parent, a sibling, just someone you really care for. Have a wonderful day!

With Love,

Jennie May & Ralphie.

xoxo

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Fresh Valentine's Day Make Up!

noreply@blogger.com (jennie) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 15:09:00 +0000

When it comes to make up I'm someone that favours neutral shades to achieve a really fresh and awake look. I've never been one for smokey eyes so instead I like to focus on cheeks, lips and a flawless complexion. I don't think the boy and I are doing anything for Valentine's Day this year but if we were this is the make up look I would choose to wear! I thought this would make quite a nice YouTube video so I popped that up on my channel yesterday, I'll embed the video at the end of this post in case you'd like to watch it!

There are four products I know I can rely on to last all day long and keep my skin looking flawless! The Satin Primer from Illamasqua is a miracle product if you have dry skin, popping a little of this on before foundation ensures that your base will last all day and not look cakey at all. The Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum foundation is a brilliant product, it glides on and blends so perfectly into the skin that it's hard to see that you're even wearing foundation. The Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer does an amazing job at covering redness and dark circles and Benefit Boi-ing really helps perfect my skin that little bit more.

For eyes, although I don't like to use a lot of products, there are some I reach for to give me a really bright eyed and awake look. For oily eyelids like mine the Benefit Creaseless Cream shadows are incredible and keeping shadows on all day! Benefit's Eyebright pencil looks lovely in the lower waterline to completely brighten up any eye look. Shadow wise the lightest shade in this trio from The Body Shop is beautifully shimmery and looks super pretty all over the eyelid but I mainly focus this colour on the inner corners of my eyes where I get the darkest. NARS Etrusque eyeshadow is a beautiful gold that I like to wear to really make my blue eyes stand out. Mascara wise Peep Show from 17 cosmetics is my current favourite! It's super affordable and really makes my lashes look a million times better!

For the cheeks I decided to use pink shades and MAC Subtle Breeze mineralize blush is just perfect. It is quite matte so for a little bit of added shimmer I used a little bit of Blonde Mineralize Skinfinish from MAC because I'm a total sucker for shimmer! To me, my make up seems brighter and my complexion lifted when I have a bit of shimmer or sparkle on my cheeks!

Lastly on my lips I opted for Lovelorn lipstick from MAC. It's a pretty and super wearable mid tone pink shade with a lustre finish so it's not drying and leaves a beautiful sheen on the lips without the need for an extra gloss over the top! I was torn between this and Creme Cup from MAC but in the end Lovelorn won because it's that little bit brighter and makes a bit more of a statement without looking too much!

This kind of make up makes me feel girly and pretty without making me feel overdone or like I've tried too hard. Most importantly it's super quick to do so you get to spend less time in front of the mirror and more time out with your loved ones having a wonderful day!

Which products will you be using this Valentine's Day to achieve your perfect make up look?

xoxo

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Five Things I Love Friday & Five Blogs I Love Friday 028.

noreply@blogger.com (jennie) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:00:00 +0000

One. Wildfox Baggy Beach Jumpers.

Whilst on the hunt for cute loungewear, because I've realised I own no cute comfortable clothes other than pyjamas, I have fallen completely in love with the Wildfox Baggy Beach Jumpers. Now at a whopping £95 each there is no way I can justify purchasing one, even at 50% off my eyes would still water a bit at the checkout so I'm on the hunt for a more affordable alternative. So far I haven't found anything quite as lovely as these, so if anyone knows of anywhere that sells something similar, please please please point me in that direction!

Two. This bunny jumper!

This little guy totally reminds me of Ralphie, even down to the big expressive eyes! Bunny prints on items of clothing are mostly white, so I was pretty excited to see this black bunny face peeking back at me when I was browsing ASOS. I think I may have to purchase this the next time I find a good ASOS discount code floating around!

Three. YouTube.

I am just loving YouTube right now, not only making videos but watching other people's! I think we're so lucky to have YouTube, anyone with a camera can upload something and get involved with a whole online community. Technology amazes me sometimes, it really does!

Four. Bunny herds Sheep!

I can totally imagine Ralphie doing this! He would have the time of his life chasing other animals around a field, he's constantly running around my feet trying to trip me over!

Five. This amazing bunny teapot!

I may have gone a bit overboard with the amazing bunny things this week but bunnies are cute, so I'm hoping you forgive me! This bunny teapot is SO adorable, I would love to drink lots of cup of tea from this cutie, although I'd probably be too protective over it and never let anyone touch it in case it got broken. I totally have what I like to call 'only child syndrome' over my stuff, I've always been very conscious of who I let borrow or even touch anything that I own. Need to work on that one, still, at almost twenty three years old!

One. Little Glitter. Two. Sugarpatch. Three. Charli...

Four. Meadow Daisy. Five. Natalie's Love.

What have you been loving lately? Any absolute favourite blogs? - I always love discovering new ones!

xoxo

Bloglovin'. // Facebook. // Twitter. // YouTube.

MAC Naturally Collection Purchases & Two Lipsticks!

noreply@blogger.com (jennie) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:17:00 +0000

If you follow me on twitter then you'll know that I was constantly asking when the Naturally Collection from MAC would finally hurry up and make it to the UK, so it's pretty safe to say I was just a little bit excited! Now I'm not a huge MAC collection person, I like MAC but the amount of collections they release can be a bit overwhelming and if I got excited about each one, I would have no money left at all! I like make up, but I'm not into crazy colours and I'm certainly not a make up artist so when a collection packed full of natural and neutral shades comes around, it grabs my attention! Usually when I do let myself get excited about a collection I seem to talk myself out of purchasing anything, but this time I went a tad crazy! Oops...

(L) MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Redhead. (R) MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Blonde.

Blonde Mineralize Skinfinish.

The product that first got me excited about the Naturally Collection is one of the Mineralize Skinfinishes in the shade Blonde. Described as a soft pink to rose degrade, when swirled together this gives the most beautiful shimmery pink colour to the cheeks and on my skintone, this works as a gorgeous blush. If you don't like shimmery cheek products it's safe to say you won't like this, but if you do I think this is something you would just adore!

Redhead Mineralize Skinfinish.

The second Mineralize Skinfinish in the collection, which is called Redhead is one that I initially wasn't going to purchase at all but I'm so happy that I did because it's beautiful. I accidentally smashed mine yesterday which I'm so sad about, but I immediately went online to purchase another one so I guess that shows how much I love this shade!

(L) Fresh Honey Mineralize Blush. (R) Subtle Breeze Mineralize Blush.

The next items I fell in love with were two of the Mineralize Blushes. I had never tried this particular kind of blush from MAC but after reading reviews I was intrigued that a lot of people were saying that these are quite matte and with the amount of shimmer in the two Mineralize Skinfinishes, I thought some matte shades would make a nice contrast!

Fresh Honey.

The first shade I was drawn towards is called Fresh Honey and it's the most beautiful peach shade that I'm so happy to have in my collection. A perfect peach powder blusher is something I've found difficult to find and I think this would look lovely over MAC Something Special Cremeblend Blush, and you all know how much I love mixing and matching blush shades! I'm obsessed!

Subtle Breeze.

The other shade I just had to have is called Subtle Breeze and this is a fairly simple blue toned pink which I absolutely adore. This is one of those super easy to wear shades and although I have a fair amount of make up, I do have a lot that I just don't use for various reasons. I'm trying to streamline my collection and only purchase new products that I know I'm going to get a lot of use out of, because ultimately I do buy make up to use it, not just to have it sit there. A classic pink will always get a lot of love from me!

MAC Fresh Air Tinted Lipglass.

The last item I got from the Naturally Collection is one of the tinted lipglasses and it's called Fresh Air. I know that tinted lipglasses seem to be a love or hate item and I'm happy to say I'm on the love side of that fence. Sure it's a bit sticky but I actually don't mind that and this shade is a pretty light pink shade that looks really natural on the lips. I really like it, but do bear in mind I'm not a huge lipgloss person and don't have many others to compare this one too! I do think £13 is a bit pricey though!

(L) MAC Creme Cup. (R) MAC Lovelorn.

Somehow two of the lipsticks from the permanent line found their way into my order... whoops! I have no idea how that happened *innocent face*. No, I hear people talk about different MAC lipsticks all the time and how much they love them and I really wanted to try a couple out. The only other MAC lipsticks I have are the Viva Glam Gaga & Cyndi and I don't let myself use them a lot because they were limited edition!

Lips: MAC Creme Cup Lipstick.

The first shade I went for is Creme Cup which I know is amazingly popular with so many people, so I figured I'd really love it too! So far, I've not used it a lot so I can't really make a totally fair judgement, the cremesheen formula isn't my favourite but that may have something to do with the fact it's blimmin' freezing here right now and I know that cremesheen's tend to melt in the hot weather! Creme cup is a beautiful light pink shade, definitely one of those lipsticks you don't need to think about because it'll go with anything!

Lips: MAC Lovelorn Lipstick.

The second shade I got is called Lovelorn which is a lustre finish and oh my gosh, I'm in love with this shade! It's a slightly deeper pink shade than Creme Cup but again, is so easy to wear and will go with so many looks! I think the lustre finish is my favourite, it's glossy but you can still build up the colour quickly which I love!

So those were all of my MAC purchases, I can't lie, there are some others I would have liked to have got from the Naturally Collection but I find with MAC that the money quickly adds up so I had to be sensible. Now, I'm just hoping that I don't love anything from future MAC collections for a little while!

I also made a little video about the things I picked up, I'm still recovering from the flu so I'm a bit crazy but I hope you like it anyway! I can't believe I'm almost at 1000 subscribers already, thank you so so much!

Did you get anything from the Naturally Collection? What's your must have make up item from MAC?

xoxo

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Vivo Cosmetics Baked Blush: Rosy & Peaches and Cream.

noreply@blogger.com (jennie) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:09:00 +0000

Vivo Cosmetics is a brand I have heard a lot about and wanted to try for such a long time but where I live, Vivo seems to be quite the illusive brand. My boyfriend just so happened to want to drive to a Tesco slightly further away than usual to look at something boring like microwaves or something, so I did what I always do and wandered off to find the beauty aisle - I'm so predictable! I wasn't expecting to find Vivo Cosmetics, but there they were, an array of pretty products that I struggled to choose from!

I opted for two of the baked blushes because, once again, I'm predictable. You know me and blushers, I just can't bloody resist! I couldn't choose between the shades Rosy and Peaches & Cream so I just got both - at only £4 each they weren't really breaking the bank either so that was a bit of a winner!

Peaches and Cream is a warm peach shade that can be worn as a subtle hint of colour or can be built up to give a really fresh healthy glow to your complexion. It's shimmery but not glittery and it is one of those blushers that blends so easily and looks very natural and pretty.

Rosy is my favourite of the two, not only because it looks so pretty in the pan, the colour is just beautiful. A mid tone rosy pink shade that looks quite warm on my yellow toned skin, this again can be worn as a subtle flush of colour or built up to achieve that lovely 'I've just come into a cosy house after bounding around in the freezing snow' look. I've been wearing this over my beloved Illamasqua Promise cream blush and the two look super pretty together.

(L) Vivo Baked Blush in Rosy. (R) Vivo Baked Blush in Peaches and Cream.

Have you ever tried anything from Vivo Cosmetics before?

xoxo

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Monthly Favourites: January 2012.

noreply@blogger.com (jennie) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:10:00 +0000

Ahh, it's time for a favourites post again! I still love writing these, and although I know I find myself repeating products each month, I hope you still like reading! I don't purchase enough products to have completely brand new favourites each month, and I'm sure not many of you do either, so I hope that these are still relatable!

After hearing so much about the Palmer's Cocoa Butter Dark Chocolate & Peppermint Lip Butter in the bloggersphere I had to try it. I'm a bit of a lip balm junkie & I find that lots that I have tried in the past just haven't lived up to expectations, I'm looking at you Carmex! This however is really lovely, I don't love it more than the Blistex Relief Cream but this really does an amazing job and it smells divine!

A little while ago Japonesque sent me some brushes because they had just launched their travel brush range ♦ in Boots in the UK and some of them have fast become staples in my everyday make up routine. I personally really like the shorter handles and the quality of all the brushes I have can't be faulted at all, they're really well made and super soft! If it's helpful I can always do a more detailed post about these, just letting you know the ones I would really recommend investing in from the range and the ones that you could find more affordable alternatives for.

Winter always brings super dry hands and one of the only hand creams that helps is Hand Food from Soap & Glory. It softens and soothes dry hands without leaving a greasy residue which I love! This is one of those products that is adored by so many different people and the fact it's pretty affordable is an added bonus. It also smells just like Miss Dior Cherie perfume which is lovely!

Good Things is a skincare brand I've loved for a very long time, they have such a fabulous range of products that not only really work, but they're also free from lots of nasty chemicals. The Good Things Deep Pore Anti Blemish Cleanser ♦ is one of the newest products to the range I believe and despite having dry skin, it is one that I have quickly incorporated into my daily skincare routine. Rather than using this as a cleanser I have been using this as more of a toner and it has really worked to soothe my skin and help to heal active breakouts quickly & also to prevent new breakouts from happening. It's completely non drying and smells beautiful, just like hubba bubba bubblegum if you ever had that when you were a child!

Tweak powder blusher from Illamasqua is a super bright red toned hot pink shade that looks absolutely beautiful in the winter time when used with a light hand. I literally lightly touch my brush on to the powder and that's more than enough for both cheeks! It's perfect for that adorable flushed look that I think looks super pretty on everyone!

For a long time I had just been leaving my hair completely natural and neglecting all my heat tools until I got the Enrapture Encode Totem Heat Styler♦ Immediately I was intrigued because I had never seen a curling wand quite like it. There are three different sections on the barrel that have individual temperature controls that you can experiment with, and obviously each combination will give a different curl to your hair. It's quite difficult to explain, so I'm thinking about using this in a video so you can really see what this beauty can do. I think this is a really great heat tool and although it's expensive, if you have the pennies to invest, this could be a really great option for you!

My favourite lip combination of the moment is one that I mentioned in yesterday's post here so I won't waffle on for too much here! I've been popping the Collection 2000 Cream Puff Moisturising Lip Cream in the shade Powder Puff on first to nude out my lips and then putting Topshop Pillow Talk lipstick on over the top to give a super pretty baby pink lip that I just adore!

Now I'm sure you all know that I'm not a big eyeshadow lover, most of the time I just don't have the patience to sit down and create an elaborate eye look but last month I found myself reaching for these to shades a lot. I think it's because they work so well together and you don't have to be an expert at blending shadows, I'm certainly not anyway, to make them look pretty! I start by putting NARS Etrusque, which is a beautiful gold shade, all over my lid and a little on my lower lash line. This is so pretty you can easily just wear this by itself! Then I take a little bit of Bronx eyeshadow by Illamasqua, which is a lovely bronze shade, and blend that just above the crease. Love them!

Finally my last favourite is Peep Show mascara from 17 cosmetics. I absolutely love this mascara so much and the fact it's pretty affordable is just wonderful! The formula is quite thick and I've had mine for around 6 weeks or so & I've found that it's thickened up quite a bit more so if that's not your thing then you possibly wouldn't like this. The thickness of the formula means it works wonders at volumising my lashes and the lengthening fibres help to make my lashes look much longer. The packaging is completely adorable and I think this is by far my favourite high street mascara.

What were your favourite products in the month of January? I'd love to know what you're currently loving!

xoxo

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Current Favourite Lip Combination: Collection 2000 Cream Puff & Topshop Pillow Talk.

noreply@blogger.com (jennie) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:00:00 +0000

You'll have to forgive me if this post doesn't make much sense at times, I'm currently tucked up in bed dosed up on flu medication and I've just woken up from a huge nap. My sleeping pattern is all over the place, I really hate feeling so poorly!

But anyway, enough of that, I'm here to talk about my favourite lip combination of the moment! The Collection 2000 Cream Puffs are something I've had in my collection for a little while and I just wasn't reaching for one particular shade very often. The shade in question is called Powder Puff and I believe this is the palest shade out of the four that Collection 2000 currently have in this range. When worn alone Powder Puff really washes me out, so I have taken to using it as a base for other lipsticks and I can't believe it took me so long to do this!

My favourite lipstick to wear over the Cream Puff is Pillow Talk from Topshop Make Up and I really love how the two work together to give the prettiest baby pink lip! The paleness of the Cream Puff is the perfect base colour to allow the true shade of Pillow Talk to be translated on to the lips.

Do you have a current favourite lip combination or lip product that you just can't stop reaching for at the moment?

xoxo

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January GlossyBox.

noreply@blogger.com (jennie) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:22:00 +0000

After such a wonderful box last month, I think it was always going to be hard for GlossyBox to improve on that for this months box ♦. I must say, I'm more impressed than I expected to be but I still think last months box was the best so far. I do really love the hot pink box they've used for this special Valentine's theme, I think I even prefer it to the usual soft pink shade of the boxes!

The first item I was drawn towards was the Eyeko Skinny Eyeliner and I received the shade Emerald Green. I can't lie and say I'm overly thrilled with this colour, in all honesty I will never use this and I was secretly hoping I would get the pale pink shade, but nevermind. The packaging of these seems to be a bit deceiving, the pencil looks really long but the pointed silver end doesn't appear to contain any product, making this liner quite a bit shorter than average.

The pencil itself is pigmented, it doesn't drag along the skin in an unpleasant way and it smudges quite easily. To me this feels ever so slightly waxy, but I'm not a huge expert on pencil liners, and it smells quite like crayons. Overall this isn't a product for me, but everyone is different - you may adore this product! The full size pencil retails at £9.50.

The second product that I picked out is the Murad Skin Perfecting Primer and it's promises of a dewy finish are pretty exciting to me because I'm sure everyone knows how much I love the Satin Primer from Illamasqua. This Murad primer is oil free and promises to ignite a radiant glow powered by light-enhancing minerals. This is a product I'm super excited to try out, my only reservation is that it seems to be slightly tinted but I'm hoping that it won't give too much colour to the skin because I am quite pale. The full size 30ml bottle retails for a fairly pricey, £29.

Clarins has always been a brand I've been drawn towards, their products get excellent reviews all the time so I'm not sure why I've never tried anything from the brand before. The Clarins Extra-Firming Day Cream promises to infuse the skin with firming benefits that are immediate and long lasting and I'm really excited to try this out. In my opinion it's never too early to start looking into product that promise to firm!

The Clarins Extra-Firming Night Cream contains an intensive night time skin renewal complex and again, I'm looking forward to giving this a whirl. The only reservations I have with these are that they are for all skin types, so I'm unsure if these will be moisturising enough for my dry skin. Like I mentioned before, I've never really delved into Clarins as a brand so I'm not entirely sure what to expect. A full size 50ml jar of the Day Cream is £46.50 and a full size 50ml jar of the Night Cream is £48. Not cheap, but if they do the job then I'd say it's well worth the investment!

Finally, I've saved my favourite product for last and that is the FAB Gentle Body Wash. This is the only product I've really tried out so far and on first impressions I think this is a wonderful product. It's creamy in texture and doesn't have much of a scent to it making it perfect for sensitive skin. My skin feels especially soft after using this and also very moisturised. I have already been perusing the rest of the range on the Boots website and I feel some purchases are going to be made very soon. This is a brand that appeals to me because they don't include harsh chemicals or known irritants in their products and I'm definitely intrigued by the Anti-Redness Serum and the Facial Radiance Pads! The full size 226g or 8oz Body Wash retails for £10.

Overall, I'm pretty impressed and think there are some really lovely products in this months box. Admittedly I would have liked this Valentine's box to have had a pretty pink lipstick, blush or even nail polish in it because I know those are the kinds of colours I'll be opting for this Valentine's Day and that would have got more love from me than the Eyeko eyeliner!

What do you think of this months GlossyBox? Are you subscribed to any beauty boxes?

xoxo

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Everyday Foundation Routine.

noreply@blogger.com (jennie) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 11:30:00 +0000

Totally forgot to take a proper photograph of my make up, sorry for the video still! Note to self, must try harder!

For the last couple of months I simply haven't been able to start my make up routine without using the Vichy Aqualia Thermal Rich Moisturiser and the Illamasqua Satin Primer. These two products work amazingly well together and my foundation never goes on as smoothly if I skip one of these products!

Foundation wise, the star of the moment is of course, Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum. I'm sure you're all getting sick of me mentioning it all the time but honestly, I'm so in love with it! The coverage is wonderful, it blends so quickly and easily and the colour is pretty perfect for me which is always a good thing! Concealer wise, there are a few I really love. In the video I'm going to embed at the end of this post I use all three of these, Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection, Benefit Boi-ing and Benefit Erase Paste. On the day I filmed my foundation routine video my skin wasn't looking so great, as you will see, but hopefully it gives you a pretty good idea of how well they work!

Another Bourjois product I'm head over heels in love with is the Delice de Poudre bronzing powder and I use the shade 52 which I believe is the middle shade, but don't quote me on that! I use this with an ELF Complexion Brush and I love the way it helps to really sculpt my face without looking too fake and just a bit, well, odd. No one likes looking odd! For my blush that day I opted for MAC Something Special Cream blush which is the perfect peach shade & I popped a little bit of NARS Douceur over the top, because one blusher is never enough for me! I'm pretty obsessed, but obviously my blush shade changes from day to day!

Which products are featured in your current every day foundation routine? I'd love to know what you're reaching for at the moment!

xoxo

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Princess Shoes - A Fairytale Sarenza Competition Entry.

noreply@blogger.com (jennie) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:30:00 +0000

Once upon a time in a land not so far from where you're sitting, there was a little, okay not so little, girl named Jennie who dreamt of having her very own pair of Princess shoes. She had spent hours imagining what the perfect pair would look like right down to the very last detail and she was beginning to think she would never find them! They would be a beautiful soft pink shade, a perfect red heart would sit right on the toes and they would have a soft bubblegum scent to them!

Retiring to her bedroom to weep privately for the shoes that existed only in her dreams, Jennie popped on to twitter, her favourite social networking website, and learned that Sarenza were having a competition and she immediately clicked over to have a look at all the wonderful shoes they had to offer. This was too much of a coincidence. Surely her dream Princess shoes couldn't be on that website just waiting for her to stumble across them?

Much to Jennie's surprise, (but I'm sure you could all see this one coming a mile off) there were her dream Princess shoes (these Vivienne Westwood & Melissa Lady Dragon Vii shoes just in case you were wondering!) just sitting there patiently waiting for her to stumble across them. Upon reaching for her purse where her debit card was nestled safely she realised that she had left it in her boyfriend's car...I mean on her boyfriend's, err, horse? Because obviously dating anyone less than a Prince just wouldn't be suitable for a Princess, right? Sighing and flailing her arms in dispair she wondered if she would ever have her magical Princess shoes and promptly decided to enter Sarenza's competition & that is where we leave this story for now, where this particular fairytale ends is still unknown...

xoxo

*This post is my slightly unconventional (I'm not sure I've entirely followed the rules!) entry for the Sarenza ambassador competition. If you'd like to hear more about it you can do so here.

Favourite Products of 2011.

noreply@blogger.com (jennie) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:44:00 +0000

2011 was a year of exciting product launches and discovering some really fabulous beauty products that I now can't imagine my collection without! I had hoped to narrow down my top picks to just 11 so that I could do a top 11 of 2011, but in the end I just couldn't decide! I popped up a favourites of 2011 video on my YouTube channel which is a whopping 22 minutes long and I will embed that at the end of this post so that you can watch it if you would like to and in that video I mention all of my favourites from last year. If I were to mention everything individually in this blog post I think I would have been photographing products for hours upon hours so I've decided to just include a selection here!

Last year was the year I discovered some incredible base products, some are fairly high end but there are also some much more affordable options. I'm so happy that I discovered beauty blogs because without them I'd probably still be using some rubbishy foundation completely unaware that there are some lovely products out there. MAC Studio Sculpt foundation is an expensive product but my gosh is it brilliant! The gel based formula makes it lovely for all you dry skinned lovelies, the lightest shade is a perfect match for me and it gives a medium to full coverage depending on how much you build it up. A more inexpensive foundation option is Bourjois Healthy Mix serum. This is also gel based but much thinner in consistency and it gives a light medium coverage.

Concealer wise there is only really one star of the show for me and that's Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer. It has amazing coverage, the lightest shade is a perfect match for me & it costs under £5!

Eyebright from Benefit is a product I discovered quite late in 2011 but it's one that I wouldn't be without now. I absolutely hate the feeling of putting things in my waterline but this is worth it because it really brightens and opens up the eyes which is something I need because I only have tiny eyes! Another Benefit product I absolutely love is the Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in the shade Recess. This is the only thing that keeps my eyeshadow on for longer that 10 minutes which is nothing short of a minor miracle!

I'm not the biggest eyeshadow person, a lot of heavy eye make up really doesn't suit me so I tend to always go for subtle neutral colours. There are two palettes I discovered last year that I'm in love with and they are the MUA Heaven & Earth palette and the infamous Urban Decay Naked Palette.

Somehow I managed to narrow my favourite blushers down to just four, which for a blusher addict is pretty amazing, don't you think? Illamasqua cream blush in the shade Promise is the most perfect warm mid toned pink and it really does look beautiful with so many different make up looks. Another Illamasqua blush I adored last year is their powder blush in the shade Tweak and yes, it really is as bright as it looks! A red toned hot pink, this is quite a tricky shade for someone as pale as me to wear but with a light hand this gives the most beautiful flush of colour. NARS Douceur and NYX Natural are both similar subtle neutral shades that gives a lovely healthy glow to the skin.

Firstly I'm super sorry for including the limited edition Viva Glam Cyndi lipstick but I just absolutely adore it. Other lipsticks that really stand out are Topshop Pillow Talk and of course, Revlon Cherries in the Snow. Last year I wasn't a huge fan of nude lipsticks and since I'm usually a fan of a more natural base I branched out into lipsticks that make a bit more of an impact!

Finally I had to include a couple of stand out hair products the first being the John Frieda Go Blonder Controlled Lightening Spray which really has worked wonders at lighting my hair colour by at least two shades! The conditioner that stands out to me as really helping to make my hair feel and look healthier is the Lee Stafford Treatment For Hair That Never Grows Past A Certain Length. I feel like I get a lot less breakage which is pretty amazing considering I backcomb my hair most days!

As promised I have embedded my favourites of 2011 video in case you would like to watch and hear a few more of my favourite products! Have you tried any of the products I've talked about in this post? What did you think of them?

What were your favourite products of last year? I'd love to know!

xoxo

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Everyday Make Up Look: Cherries in the Snow.

noreply@blogger.com (jennie) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:48:00 +0000

Taking a break from YouTube has made me become all awkward again in front of the camera, but hopefully that will pass soon as I make more videos! YouTube is a funny old place, some people seem to disregard all courtesy when commenting and just say whatever they want. I didn't really know how to deal with that when I was making videos last year but I think I'm okay with it now. Not everyone is going to like everyone and that's okay!

When I did my little survey last year (a huge thank you to everyone that took time out of their day to answer my questions!) I asked whether I should embed my videos into blog posts or to carry on blogging as I have been in the past and do a separate blog post along side my videos. The results were pretty mixed so I've decided to go with what I'd like to do and that is to carry on putting together posts as I have been doing with pictures etc. I don't want to lose the feel of my blog by just embedding videos & I love love love taking photographs! Having said that, I think I'll embed the video at the end of this post after the photographs, just incase you'd like to see it!

So, for my first video back I decided to to an everyday make up look featuring my current favourite lipstick which is Revlon Cherries in the Snow!

I really can't say enough good things about Illamasqua's satin primer, I really recommend it if you have dry skin or if you just really love that fresh dewy look! It is quite pricey but it will last you such a long time because you only need the smallest amount. I'm about half way through mine and the moment and will definitely repurchase! I'm so happy that I bought a bottle of Healthy Mix Serum from Bourjois, thank you so much to everyone that raved about it in their videos and on their blogs because I probably wouldn't have bought it otherwise. This is hands down my favourite highstreet foundation, it's such a great quality product and would really recommend this to anyone with dry skin as it doesn't emphasise dry areas!

When I'm wearing a bright pinky-red lipstick I always feel a bit clownish if I go for a pink cheek as well so I've been opting for my favourite neutral blush combination which is NYX Natural cream blush with a light dusting of NARS Douceur over the top. It's such a beautiful and natural combination that gives a real healthy glow to the complexion.

A light application of a champagne eyeshadow all over the lid with the pale highlight shade from the MUA Heaven & Earth palette in the inner corner is perfect for a non-eyeshadow lover like myself. Peep Show mascara from 17 is currently my new favourite affordable mascara. It has lengthening fibres in the formula but I also really like that this is quite a thick mascara that adds a lot of volume and drama to the lashes and mine definitely need all the help they can get!

Finally, Revlon Cherries in the Snow lipstick is the star of this make up look and a small amount of this can completely transform a pretty safe and neutral look into something a little bit more 'wow'!

That's it! A super easy look that really doesn't take a lot of time at all but really makes a statement. I love that cherries in the snow can be worn really boldly or you can also apply a tiny bit with your finger so that it gives more of a red stain to the lips!

What is your go to make up look at the moment? Are you loving statement lips or do you favour a more dramatic eye look?

xoxo

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What I Wore: Breathe Me.

noreply@blogger.com (jennie) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 11:45:00 +0000

This trench coat is one of my favourite Primark finds, I'm not sure when I got it but it must have been a few years ago now. Trench coats are definitely the most flattering style for my body shape and I'm feeling the need to invest in a couple more, I think a nice navy colour would be perfect, especially if it had little touches of gold on it too. Pretty!

Coat: Primark, Dress: Love Label, Cardigan: Boohoo, Tights: Matalan.

Shoes: ASOS, Bag: Disaster Designs Dandy Bag purchased from Yumi.

Necklace: Sailboat, Ahoy! Heart Ring: Scape Jewellery, Ruby Ring: Studio59.

Base: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation & Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer.

Cheeks: Illamasqua Promise Cream Blusher & Bourjois Rose d'Or Powder Blush.

Eyes: 17 Wild Curls Mascara - horrible, don't purchase!

Lips: Revlon Cherries in the Snow Lipstick.

Venturing outside to take outfit photographs is probably one of the best choices I've made regarding the ol' blog but oh my gosh, something embarrassing, silly or just plain ridiculous happens every time! This time as I was merrily posing away an old man walking his dog came up to my boyfriend and said 'ooh no no no, this isn't right, she should be in a bikini and posing in the river. That would look nice that would'. Cue nervous laughter and hello red face & a quick exit. Oh how I hate feeling awkward and that conversation was probably the epitome of awkward. I hope these things happen to other people too...

Just wanted to quickly say a huge thank you to everyone that takes the time to leave a comment! Now that blogger has finally added a reply function making it easier to see my replies, I'm aiming to reply to every single comment, even if it's just to say a simple thank you. I figured that if you take a few seconds to type something to me, it's only right that I do the same!

I hope you're all having a lovely Monday. I'm going to hopefully finally film a new video for my YouTube channel (yay!) & make a start on my next University assignment (not so yay!). Lots of love!

xoxo

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Twenty Five Before Twenty Five.

noreply@blogger.com (jennie) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:30:00 +0000

Okay, so it's Friday and this post should be a Five Things I Love Friday but it's not because honestly, I've had one of those weeks where I haven't found much to love and I don't want to try and make up a bunch of stuff because that wouldn't be very real. I'll try harder for next week, things are looking up!

Instead I thought I'd pop up my list of twenty five things I'd like to do or achieve before I'm twenty five years old. I was going to do a thirty before thirty list but we'd be waiting around a pretty long time to see if I actually achieved them. This May I'll be turning twenty three years old so I have a little over two years to see how many things I manage to achieve!

One. Set up a rainy day savings account and regularly pay into it.

Even if I can only manage to pay in a small amount each month, it's better than nothing and you never know when you'll need a few spare pennies in life!

Two. Move in with my boyfriend.

My boyfriend is very fortunate to own his own home and I realise how lucky we are to be in a position where we won't have to rent. There's absolutely nothing wrong with renting, I know it suits so many people perfectly, but it's just not for us. His house was a pretty big renovation project and at every step of the way he's asked my opinion on things which is really lovely because one day this is going to a home for the two of us.

Three. Fully set up my online jewellery and photography stores.

Sailboat, Ahoy is my little online handmade jewellery store and in the coming months I hope to turn it into something really quite wonderful. I'm not someone that's been arty or crafty all my life but I'm certainly enjoying learning as I go along and making new pieces to put into the shop. My next aim is to set up a little online photography based store selling prints, note cards and greetings cards. I'd really love to make these little shops into something special. Fingers crossed that I can!

Four. Get married.

I never thought I'd get married. At school all of my friends had boyfriends and I never really did, I was kind of the chubby kid with unflattering glasses that no boy ever looked at apart from to have a bit of a laugh at. For the most part I was okay with it, having a boyfriend wasn't such a big deal to me. Over the years there were a few boys I went on dates with but no one was really very special until I met Mark. You know when things just feel right? I remember telling my mama that I had just met the man I was going to marry.

Five. Adopt a dog.

From when I was a baby my family have always had a dog and that's something I'd like to continue. Ideally I'd love to adopt a dog from a rescue centre although I know they have strict rules and I'm not sure if our small garden will be large enough. I hope it will be though because I'd love to give a dog that's had a hard time a really lovely home.

Six. Welcome our first baby.

I never thought I'd be in a position where I was saying that I'd like a baby. This is another one of those things that comes with meeting the right person. I'm not quite ready just yet and it's just not quite the right time at the moment. With something as big as this I want everything else to be as perfect as it can be, I'd like to be married, in the position where I can be a stay at home mum and just able to give everything I possibly can to another life. I'm also excited to see what our future child will look like, my boyfriend is half Filipino and I'm as white as can be. Boy or girl I don't mind, I just know it's going to be such an exciting time in our lives.

Seven. Lose around 14lbs and keep it off.

This may be slightly too ambitious, I'd be very happy with just losing 10lbs and I think I'd feel much better for it. I mean I'm okay with how I look right now but I know I'm not as healthy as I could be and that's the aspect that bothers me.

Eight. Finish my degree.

I'm currently studying English Language and Literature with the Open University and I'm not sure if I'll end up doing anything with my degree in terms of employment - I'm twenty two and I still have no idea what I want to be when I grow up! I think a degree is always a wonderful thing to have, even if it's just something that helps you grow personally and not professionally.

Nine. Keep blogging.

Blogging is probably one of the few things I've ever stuck at for a long period of time and it's one of my proudest achievements. Right now I can't imagine not logging on to blogger and typing up a post so I hope I don't give it up for a long time to come & I hope you all stick with me!

Ten. Find a job I really quite like.

It's no secret I'm not the biggest fan of my current job, I essentially work on the tills in a shop and I'm super shy so it's pretty much my worst nightmare having to talk to strangers constantly. I can't lie, it has been good for me to push myself but a quiet office job would suit me down to the ground!

Eleven. Make a homemade lasagne completely from scratch.

This is a bit of a silly one I suppose but lasagne is one of my absolute favourite foods but for some reason I've never made one from scratch by myself before!

Twelve. Learn to drive.

This is something I've been saying since I turned 17 and I've still not got around to learning. I'm a little bit scared I suppose but it's mostly the cost of lessons and then the cost of running a car. Admittedly it would be handy to know how to drive and I wouldn't need to get my own car after. We'll see with this one!

Thirteen. Watch the sun set and the stars come out in the middle of the country.

Living in a large light polluted town most of my life doesn't lend itself to seeing stars as clearly as I could from right in the middle of the countryside so this is something I'd love to do this summer!

Fourteen. Go on a real holiday with my boy.

I haven't been on a plane since I was thirteen and honestly I'm not overly keen to get back on one. I've watched far to many movies and documentaries featuring plane crashes than is normal and it's safe to say I've been thoroughly put off. My boyfriend on the other hand is plane obsessed and I know he'd love for us to go on a 'proper' abroad holiday. I've promised him we'll go somewhere nice for our honeymoon, so all he needs to do is marry me. I think that's a fair deal!

Fifteen. Purchase and keep a One Line A Day: Five Year Memory Book.

Keeping a diary and documenting my inner most thoughts has never been my thing, I would always start one on January 1st and from then on I'd just forget. This sweet little book just looks perfect and finding one sentence to summarise your day could be a pretty interesting challenge!

Sixteen. Take on a project 365: take one photograph every day for a year.

This is something I've wanted to do for a long time but I'm always afraid this will be another thing I'll just end up giving up on. I think I'm going to try and rope my boyfriend in on this one and we'll do a joint 365 project starting on the first day I officially move into his house.

Seventeen. Regularly print out our photographs and organise them into albums or scrapbooks.

The digital age has seen most of my photographs staying firmly put on my computer or saved on various external hard drives which to me seems like such a shame! It's my goal to have a bookcase full of photo albums that I can look back on when I'm older. Memories like that are just priceless.

Eighteen. Give blood.

This is one of those things I've been meaning to do for a long time and I'm sure a lot of people feel the same. Blood donations are so important, you never know when you may need to receive blood yourself and this is one goal I'm determined to achieve - hopefully more than once!

Nineteen. Stop biting my nails.

This was something I managed last year but getting a job that doesn't allow me to wear nail polish soon had me biting them again. No nail polish means my nails break so easily which is rubbish but biting them is such a horrible habit and I need to stop!

Twenty. Have a picnic in the countryside in the summer time.

I've got this vision of sitting in a cute field surrounded by flowers and getting homemade sandwiches and cupcakes out of my new picnic basket while sitting on a cute gingham picnic blanket. In reality my picnic blanket will probably get blown away, the sandwiches will be stolen by ants and I'll be chased by a bee. But it'll be fun and that's all that matters!

Twenty One. Make sure date night happens at least once a month.

Since moving closer to my boyfriend we seem to have almost stopped going on proper dates which I really miss. I think going to the cinema or out for dinner once a month is achievable and I also think it'll be a lovely thing to do together.

Twenty Two. Make vegetarian maki at home more often.

Yo! Sushi is the restaurant that first introduced me to the world of sushi and maki is probably one of the easiest things to make but it's also super yummy. We've made it at home a couple of times before but it would be nice to have it more often!

Twenty Three. Find a good quality black eyeliner that actually lasts on my eyes without smudging.

I touched upon this in my last post and although it's quite a trivial goal to have, it's something that's been bugging me for ages. I really love the winged eyeliner look so I'm really hoping I can find a liner that won't smudge on me.

Twenty Four. Plan my meals better and incorporate more healthy foods.

Lately I've found myself filling up on unhealthy snacks and then when it comes to meal times, I never really want anything. I'm aiming to have 5 portions of fruit & vegetables every single day and to start eating breakfast!

Twenty Five. Comment on every single blog post I read.

This is one that sounds simple but I think it's going to be one of the goals I find the most challenging. When I'm on my iPad it won't let me comment on blogs that have the disqus commenting system which is super annoying and it's not often that I browse blogs on my laptop anymore but getting better at leaving comments is something I really need to improve on!

Have you made a similar list of things you'd like to achieve? I'd love if you would let me know in the comments or link me if you have a blog post!

xoxo

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What I Wore: When the evening shadows & the stars appear.

noreply@blogger.com (jennie) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 11:45:00 +0000

This time last year make up was definitely my thing, it was what I was choosing to spend my hard earned pennies on but this year I can sense my tastes have changed and I'm finding myself lusting after more and more clothing items. As someone who is generally more comfortable behind the camera, I'm surprising myself by really enjoying taking photographs for outfit posts. It also makes me proud of my boyfriend, he's such a talented photographer but he hardly ever has a camera in his hands anymore except when I make him do these pictures for me. He loves it really!

Dress: Boohoo, Blazer: Primark, Tights: Matalan,

Shoes: ASOS, Bag: Love Hearts & Crosses.

I really love this dress from Boohoo, I hadn't placed an order with them for a long time and I'm really impressed with the things I got. The quality seems to be quite a bit better than I remember it being. This dress would be perfect if it were a few inches longer, this seems to be a problem I'm having with a lot of dresses on the highstreet at the moment so I'm taking it as a sign that I need to get back on the ol' exercise bike and tone up my legs. It's no secret that I've put on a few pounds lately which I'm now ready to do something about, it's one of my 25 things to do before I'm 25 (a post on that will be coming soon!) and hopefully within a few months of healthier eating and exercise I'll begin to really notice a difference. I don't own a pair of scales or anything, I have a tendency to get a little obsessive if I'm constantly weighing myself so I just judge on how my clothes fit me. I can tell my hips & legs have filled out a little bit, typical pear shape, a big fat nothing ever heads for my two friends - damn!

I'm currently nursing a few scratches on my hands, last night was spent trying to trim Ralphie's nails down and it was an eventful experience. Not quite as difficult as giving him a bath is, but it came pretty close. It's not something I'm keen to repeat too soon.

Last night I asked on twitter if the Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner is better than the MAC fluidline & everyone that replied said yes! Will the Bobbi Brown last longer on my eyes without smudging? I gave up with MAC blacktrack and sold it in a blog sale because it just didn't last very long on me at all. If you have any long wearing black gel or liquid eyeliner recommendations, of any price range please let me know in the comments! I'm really missing winged eyeliner!

xoxo

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Five Things I Love Friday & Five Blogs I Love Friday 027.

noreply@blogger.com (jennie) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 12:30:00 +0000

Back by popular demand are my Five Things I love Friday posts! Hopefully I'll be able to keep these up every week like I used to, sometimes it's hard finding things I love a lot every single week and there is a real issue with photograph copyright - I don't want to get shouted at for using other people's images without their permission. I'll try my best to find my way around that though because I really do miss putting these posts together!

One. These exquisite jewellery pieces from RUST!

Yesterday I saw a post by Estée on her blog featuring the beautiful ring her boyfriend bought her for Christmas from an online jewellery boutique called RUST & I instantly fell in love and had to have a look at every single piece they sell. Gosh, I'm not even sure quite what to say. Everything just looks so elegant and that first ring up there is my absolute favourite piece!

Two. yyellowbird's flickr photo stream!

I've been following Cari's photostream on flickr for probably around four years now and I have absolutely loved watching her talent grow and grow. I'm no longer a regular flickr visitor but I always make sure to have a look at Cari's page every once in a while!

Three. This amazing children's bed.

I have recently been hit, well, pretty much smacked in the face if we're being honest, with an overwhelming feeling of broodiness and I have no idea where it's come from. I'm not overly keen on other people's children so it's not like I'm surrounded by babies or anything like that but I'm finding myself cooing over all things baby. But we won't talk about that anymore, not for a little while anyway! I stumbled across this adorable little bed on Kaelah's blog and it's just the sweetest thing ever. I would have loved a bed like that when I was small!

Four. Winning the battle against flat packed furniture!

Now, I love ikea as much as the next person, the prices are pretty amazing and the restaurant always manages to lure me in for chips and lingonberry juice. I do not however like the flat packed nature of it's lovely furniture. You know it's going to be a big job when something comes in two boxes and you have to pay them £15 to deliver it to your door because you can't make it fit in the car! A little bit of cursing, several cans of coke, a doughnut and two & a half hours later this baby was up. It was worth all the effort because I love it. Yay!

Five. New make up storage!

I had been after some new make up storage for a little while, specifically of the clear acrylic variety. Over the past couple of years I've watched copious amounts of videos and read a lot of blog posts from lovely ladies that had these acrylic drawers of wonder! Leanne tweeted about some drawers that she had found at Homebase a little while back and it must have just stuck in the back of my mind because recently I ventured to a Homebase store and picked up two of their acrylic paper sorters. Now at £20.99 each they're fairly pricey but they do seem to be really good quality and I love them so it's worth it in my eyes!

One. Bones & Lipstick. Two. Sweet days with Elle and Mia. Three. flattery.

Four. goose & button. Five. milk bubble tea.

xoxo

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What I Wore: The winds of change are blowing wild and free.

noreply@blogger.com (jennie) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 11:30:00 +0000

A new year brings my pledge to do what I wore posts more often, whether I'll succeed with managing them regularly I'm not sure, but it definitely is a million times easier roping my lovely boyfriend into taking the photographs for me. We also discovered this pretty little spot not too far from where we live that may just become my new outfit of the day background.

Dress: Boohoo, Blazer: Primark, Shoes: ASOS, Belt: Vintage Shop, Bag: Love Hearts & Crosses,

Bracelet: Sailboat, Ahoy! Lipstick: Revlon Cherries in the Snow.

I'm not entirely sure what to say today! I could tell you about that time this morning when I scooped Ralphie up into my arms and danced around the room with him. He wasn't impressed. I can't say I blame him. Or that I managed to spectacularly spill fizzy cherry all down my pyjamas as I walked upstairs earlier. Magically I managed to avoid spilling any on the carpet. Hello miracle. Oh and I may have lost half of my morning to an iPad app called 'the Sheeps'. Yeah.

Taking these photographs I decided to be arty (note: sarcasm!) and put my bracelet on a tree branch to take a photograph of it. As we merrily finished taking photographs we got in the car and left. Cue me, about 4 hours later, snuggled in my slanket editing these pictures realising that I had left my bracelet on the aforementioned tree branch. Silly me. After the boy finished work we drove back, in the dark, in the hope that we could find it again and sure enough there it was, right where I left it. Moral of the story: don't try and be arty!

xoxo

01.01.2012 - A New Year, Sailboat Turns Two & Thank You From The Bottom Of My Heart.

noreply@blogger.com (jennie) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 11:30:00 +0000

Wow, well, hello 2012. I’m not quite sure where 2011 went, Iseem to have blinked and it disappeared. Today marks the beginning of a newyear and today Sailboat turns two years old. This little piece of the internethas turned into so much more than I ever could have hoped for or even dreamedof. Each and every one of you who reads, comments & sends me sweet emailshave contributed to making me infinitely more confident in my own skin andthat’s something that I can never ever say enough thank you’s for.

When I first started writing here two years ago I was pretty much at rockbottom. I had just dropped out of University, I felt like a complete failureand I felt like I had no prospects at all. But that was the point that I decidedthat I wasn’t going to wallow and I wasn’t going to just sit on my bum all dayevery day doing absolutely nothing. That wasn’t the life for me.

2011 was a year of ups and downs, like I’m sure many of youryears were. The start of a new year always brings so much hope and that’ssomething amazing that should be cherished but it’s important not to forgetthat your life is what you make of it. There are always opportunities there forthe taking, sometimes seeing those opportunities is difficult and unfortunatelythey don’t always make themselves noticed. If you’re anything like me you needthings to pretty much come and smack you in the face before you begin to seethem and truly appreciate them. That’s something I need to work on! Sometimesyou have to actively track opportunities down. If there’s something you want todo, you have to believe that there is a way that you can make it happen. And there will be. Where there's a will, there's a way.

I said goodbye to my childhood home on my twenty-secondbirthday last May and although I had so much to look forward to I can’t lie andsay it was an easy situation. Without getting too personal that was also theday that someone left my life forever. Myself and that person didn’t have agood relationship, we hadn’t for a really long time, but the choice to cut allties and stop making contact altogether wasn’t my choice but I’ve accepted itnow, that’s just the way it’s going to be. It kind of hurts, I can’t lie, butit’s made me a stronger person. It’s those difficult situations that help makeus who we are and although something may suck at the time, I believe thatthings always happen for a reason and the only thing that often helps thingsbegin to make sense is time.

I know I used this same photograph in last years post, I'm making it my mission to take more photographs with my boy in 2012!

Although I lost someone, I also gained someone. Even though he’s been in my life for four years now, he had always been far awayuntil last May. 300 miles to 30 seconds down the street was a big change for myboyfriend and I, which is why I made the decision not to move in with himstraight away. I'll never forget the first time he picked me up from my new house and counting the amount of seconds it took for us to reach his house while holding hands tightly. Not living together straight away was 100% the right decision to make and we now have astronger relationship for it. 2012 will see me move house again, but luckilyit’s only a couple of houses down the street this time, which will be mucheasier! Although, I am going to have to learn to live with a boy and he snores sometimes, but shhh, don't tell him I told you that!

Ralphie has been such a sweet constant in my life this year.He has well and truly hit the toddler stage and has become infinitely morecheeky and he pretty much chooses to ignore what I’m saying if I tell him tostop doing something. I wouldn’t have him any other way though, my life wouldbe missing something if he weren’t here. Even though he's just pulled a pile of clean laundry on to the floor and started digging in it, I can't imagine my days without him in them anymore.

In 2012 I’m hopeful that I will be able to leave my currentjob and either be able to entirely support myself through freelance work and mylittle jewellery business or at least find a little part time job that I actuallyenjoy. I have some lovely plans for Sailboat, Ahoy! which is my little shop andI really hope that I can make it into something really wonderful. Sincereceiving such a lovely new camera for Christmas hopefully I’ll be able to dosomething related to photography too, which will always be my first love.That’s the thing that I have no idea where to start with, but I’m going to makesure I give it a good try!

Like last year, I’m not going to make any specificresolutions, just give myself a couple of goals to aim for. I hope to continueto do well with my Open University degree; by next October I will be half waythrough and hopefully, fingers crossed, on the way to gaining a 2:1. Perhaps 2012 will be theyear I actually do manage to start eating a little healthier, I’ve put on a fewpounds in recent months that I’d quite like to say goodbye to but unfortunatelyI’m allergic to exercise. What? That’s not true? Oh okay, I’m just lazy. Mustdo something about that one! And who knows, maybe my boyfriend will become my fiance? Well, a girl can dream, right?

I said this last year but I truly do mean it, I’m sograteful to be able to share life’s little ups and downs with each and everyone of you. My aim is to blog more and most importantly, comment much more thanI have been doing in recent months! I've noticed the number of comments I receive have been dropping off in recent months, I'm not sure whether it's because I've done something wrong or if it's because I haven't been as active online as I used to be? Either way, I'm hoping it's something I can fix because it's all the interaction that makes this extra special for me. This is the first post I've written in a very long time that feels like it reflects me completely. I think that's what Sailboat has been missing these past few months. I just needed time to adjust to my new life, everything is completely different and as a result parts of me are now much different than they were twelve months ago.

Thank you so much for being here for thelast year, through the ups and the downs, and I hope that you’ll stick around so we can face 2012 together!It’ll be more special and all the more wonderful with you all here to sharethings with!

Wishing you all the best, take care & keep safe!

Lots of Love,
Jennie & Ralphie.
xoxo

Monthly Favourites: November & December.

noreply@blogger.com (jennie) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 16:15:00 +0000

Last month I left it a little too late to put up a favourites post but I didn't want to miss out on a month because I've been doing these posts for a super long time now and I think they're amongst my favourite posts to write. So to make up for being so unorganised last month, this may be a bit of a long one...

I shall begin with the one non beauty/skincare item that I just had to include because I'm so in love with it and that is this beautiful Keep Calm & Carry On necklace ♦ from Temporary:Secretary. Sarah sent this to me as a Christmas present and I've pretty much worn it with everything since I opened it because it's so beautiful! I love Sarah and if you haven't checked out her jewellery & accessories shop, Temporary:Secretary, yet then you really should because I know you'll find something on there that you fall in love with!

Last month I decided to go back to using my Neal's Yard Chamomile Cleanser because I felt like what I was using previously wasn't quite cleansing my skin as much as I would like. After I've taken my make up off with a baby wipe I massage this into my skin when it's dry & I then take a hot muslin cloth and gently remove the cleanser. This leaves my skin feeling super clean but not irritated and every last scrap of make up is removed. I adore this cleanser!

Montagne Jeunesse sent me one of their new Very Berry face masks and since then I've gone a bit crazy for them and bought pretty much a zillion more because I loved it so much! This is a mask that's suitable for all skin types & is packed full of yummy ingredients like blueberries, cranberries and aloe vera - just remember not to eat it! Consistency wise this is quite a thick and creamy mask that smells absolutely divine & feels beautiful on the skin because it's super refreshing and soothing. Once I've taken this off my skin feels beautifully cleansed and not dry or tight in any way. I absolutely love this mask and the company, Montagne Jeunesse and completely animal friendly which is always a huge plus in my eyes!

My next favourite probably won't be a huge surprise but I couldn't not include it because I love it so much and it is of course Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum foundation. Now I won't waffle on for too long because I've already done a separate review which you can read here but essentially this foundation is pretty darn special. If you can find a colour match for your skin, I know that Bourjois foundations are more on the yellow side, then I highly recommend giving this a try. It's beautiful.

Concealer brushes have never particularly appealed to me & I never really saw the point because I thought my fingers did a better job of blending until I tried this concealer brush ♦ from Japonesque. Now, I was sent quite a few brushes a little while ago which I will review fully once I've tested them out a bit more and washed them a good few times because they are on the more pricey side and I wouldn't want anyone to rush out and buy a brush because I said I liked it after using it once, you know? If you're investing in a brush you want it to really stand the test of time and also wash really well. All I will say is so far, I'm impressed and this little concealer brush does a brilliant job at blending my under eye concealer and it gives a slightly more opaque coverage than my fingers do. Since my under eye circles are pretty horrendous right now, the more coverage my concealer can give me the better!

For the last few weeks I've been going one of two ways with my lip products - either nude and subtle or bright and bold. If I'm in the mood for a more subdued lip colour I've been reaching for Rumour Has It lipstick from Topshop. It's the perfect dusky rose shade that looks beautiful if you're wearing a bold cheek or a sultry smokey eye.

If I'm feeling more daring the lipstick I've been reaching for is of course Cherries in the Snow from Revlon. What can I say about this lipstick? It's just divine. You can wear it super bold like it looks in the tube or you can dab a little on to your lips and wear it more as a stain. Either way it looks absolutely amazing and I'm so happy I finally managed to track down a tube, it's perfect!

The Rose Ole Special Reserve highlight powder from the MAC ChamPale collection was something that I tried to sell in a blog sale but no one wanted it. I decided to start using it again just out of curiosity mainly and I've fallen back in love with it! It's a really subtle warm highlight shade that's not too much to wear in the daytime and can be built up for a heavier highlight look more appropriate for the night time too. I'm so glad nobody bought this from my blog sale, I've been reaching for it daily ever since!

Eyebright from Benefit had been on my lust list for months and months but for some reason I never bought it until recently. I really have been missing out by not getting this sooner because it really works to brighten up my eyes and make them seem a little bigger which is always a good thing in my opinion! I've been putting this creamy pale pink shade along my waterline & on my inner corner and I'm really impressed with its staying power - on me it lasts a good 4 to 5 hours before I have to apply a touch more. This is a product I just can't be without now and has fast become a staple in my make up routine.

Lastly I have two blushers to talk about and like my favourite lip products I've either been opting for a subtle cheek colour or a super bold one. Peachy Keen from Eyes Lips Face is a fairly new addition to my make up collection but I'm so glad I have it because I don't have anything else quite like it. This gives a really subtle peachy glow to my cheeks which is really lovely and it's sometimes quite refreshing opting for a light cheek colour since I usually go for something more noticeable.

My bold blush of choice for the last couple of months has been Tweak from Illamasqua and although it looks terrifying in the pan, a light hand gives such a pretty bright pop of red-pink to the cheeks. It's my perfect winter blusher and I think Tweak will always be one of my all time favourite shades!

What were your favourite products of November or December? Have you tried any of these products before? What do you think about them?
xoxo