Wednesday Wishlist

I feel like I spend my life wishing...where's my winning lottery ticket eh? This week I am mostly coveting items that I have seen floating around the Internet and Boots. 

One thing I am taking note from this wish list is that I am starting to get more and more into haircare and am paying more attention to the types of shampoo and conditioner I lather on. Glossybox sent me Milk Shake's Conditioning Whipped Cream in one of my most recent boxes and I am hooked on the scent, so much so I've been browsing Feel Unique wondering when I can justify placing my order for Milk Shake's shampoo and conditioner. 

The rest of the items are just things I rather fancy! 

What are you wishing for at the moment?

Intention To Change

At the beginning of a new year everyone always has the best laid plans to change many things about their life for the better, be it weight loss, finding a boyfriend/girlfriend, getting better grades in school/university, finding a job etc etc, yet, as we all know the best laid plans can sometimes falter and fizzle out quite quickly. I have always begun each year with a bucket list of things I want to achieve for as long as I can remember, but in 2013 I thought it was about time to start getting serious and become the person that I want to be. As the saying goes, you should strive for progress, not perfection, and while I am a perfectionist in some areas of my life, I know that with my own personal goals progress is better than stalling. 

I bought this diary from Amazon in an effort to document my proposed changes that I want to make personally. Not many people on the blogosphere will know, but I have been gaining weight over the past 3 years as a result of a combination of matters involving heath related things, falling in love (why do so many dates revolve around food!), work things and indeed my time at university has also propelled me to the place I am at right now. Put simply I wanted to initially stop gaining weight, and then once I had levelled myself out I wanted to begin losing it, saying goodbye to 3 years worth of emotions and events. I bought this diary because it doesn't have a time frame, you're not restricted by dates of weeks/months/years, instead you fill in your own date and pledge 'Starting today I will...'. I began my first day with 'Starting today I will...shrink' the second day with 'Starting today I will...drink more water' and so on. For now I am proud to say I have finally stopping gaining and have levelled off to the extent that I lost 7lbs over my Christmas break from university. Half a stone is significant, it should be the push I need, but still I find myself needing help to get motivated, and this little book is helping me do that. Oh, and I'm now never without a water bottle at my side :-)

On some pages there are little quotations reminding you to stay positive, and on others there are small boxes of prompts to help you think and re-evaluate. I particularly like the getting up 1 hour early for a week (see picture above), what can be done with a whole spare 60 minutes...(blogging!)

In this technological age I still like to write things down. I'm the kind of girl who owns a MacBook, iPad, and iPhone but still uses her fabulous Filofax. In fact sometimes I wish I could handwrite my uni essays instead of typing them up and submitting them online. This little diary has been a God send to me while I work on my intention to change. It's only around £8, and will last for ages too. Onwards and upwards! 

Do you have a journal or similar?

Maybelline ColorSensational Vivids Lipcolor

In my recent haul post I wrote about finding these new Maybelline ColorSensational Vivids Lipcolor lipsticks (phew, what a mouthful!) in the shade 902 Fuschia Flash, and 910 Shocking Coral (RRP £7.19). I'm not normally a fan of bold, bright lips as I think they make me look a little odd, however I thought I'd pick these up and give them a try, they're definitely getting me in the mood for Spring and Summer!

Shocking Coral

Fuchsia Flash

Maybelline say: 'Now bright goes gorgeous, never garish. Brighter colour from our exclusive vivd pigments. Creamier feels from nourishing honey nectar'. I say that these lipsticks are incredibly pigmented and have a super creamy formula. They're an intense pop of colour that creates an amazing vibrant shine and a lasting finish in just one application to your lips. I was pretty amazed at the depth of the pigmentation, put it this way, you won't be missed in a crowd! With the formula containing honey nectar it means that the lipstick appears to be lovely and moisturising. However, I didn't feel that the lipstick was doing that, but it definitely didn't dry my lips out in any way either.

Fuchsia Flash - Gorgeous bright pink

Shocking Coral - beautiful orange coral shade

The camera doesn't truly capture how vivd these lipsticks are, in fact it definitely doesn't do Shocking Coral any justice at all really. But take it from me, these lip colours are beautiful and I'd love to own some more. I only managed to spot these two, and another red colour on the stand in Boots however, but I know that in the USA there are more colours available. Guess I'll have to book a trip to Florida in again...(a girl can dream, eh!)...

Will you want to try these lip colours?
What's your favourite lipstick brand?

How To Brew A Perfect Winter Sunday...

 Take your favourite pair of slippers/slipper socks and make your feet all cosy in this bitterly cold weather,

Add in a handful of your favourite pampering products for top to toe indulgence,

Grab your favourite snack of choice (I'm reaching for water and mini doughnuts at the moment!),

and then settle down with a good book or brilliant film wrapped in a blanket. 

Enjoy! 

What does your perfect Sunday consist of?

Maybelline The Rocket Volum' Express Mascara

Every so often a new product will come out and the packaging will lull me in and I will purchase expecting not to be wowed. I have lost count with the amount of Maybelline mascara launches that I have been sucked into, the names get me, the colours of the tubes get me, and the promises on the outer packaging get me too. I held off dipping into my pocket for Maybelline's newest creation, 'The Rocket' as I will affectionately be referring it too. The combination of the pretty hot pink lettering combined with with the beautiful blue shade of the tube which reminds me of Essie's Aruba Blue was, quite simply, crying out to me and yesterday I caved. Well done Maybelline, you've done it again.

Maybelline say: 'IT'S ROCKET SCIENCE! Our exclusive Jet Glide brush with Flexi-fine bristles loads on big bang volume so fast, there is no time for clumps! Our smooth formula keeps lashes looking sleek and even'. 

I purchased mine in Boots on introductory offer for £5.99 and they say: 'Clump free volume gets reinvented with our exclusive elastomer brush - the Jet-Glide. Lashes have up to 8 x more volume. The patented Jet-Glide Brush propels smooth volume evenly all the way up every lash in a flash for explosive volume.' Rocket science indeed...let's blast off...

First of all I absolutely love mascara wands with plastic bristles, they make my lashes so much more alive, in terms of volume, curl and lift. I only own one mascara with more natural bristles, Revlon's Grow Luscious, but always feel that I have to use another mascara on top of it to separate my lashes due to clumping. Maybelline's Rocket did not make my lashes clump once, incredibly true to the claim.

I am blessed with fairly long lashes naturally. I have never had extensions, used an extension fibre lash type of product, nor do I wear false lashes on a daily basis like I have been asked before! My lashes are quite spidery though, as you can tell from the photo on the left there, and this is not down to the mascara, it's just something I have to deal with!

Maybelline's Rocket still managed to add incredible length to my spidery lashes, blackening them perfectly and after a whole day of wear they look just as they did when I applied my mascara this morning. They retained a lovely lift and curl and I was also surprised at how fuss free the application was. Normally I end up with little clumps of mascara falling under my eyes but there was none of that with The Rocket. Win!

Could I possibly love this new mascara any more? I'm so glad I picked it up. If anything it's a little akin to my beloved Benefit They're Real, only without the steep price tag, but that's just my opinion. It won't replace my love for They're Real, but it comes in a very, very close second.

Have you tried The Rocket yet?
What is your favourite Mascara of all time?

Mini Haul - Boots

Once again I succumbed to the pull of Boots as I walked to the bus stop coming back from lectures yesterday afternoon. I don't know what it is about the weather at the moment, but I seem to tell myself that perusing around Boots will keep me warm for a few minutes and then I can carry on walking to the bus. But of course, I end up buying things, and this trip was no exception...

Dove deodorant is currently on 2 for £3, and No7 skincare is £5 off with a voucher, making these wipes £2.

First into my hands were essentials. I needed another deodorant and at 2 for £3 (individual price £2.89) I saved a grand total of £2.78 on these two deodorants from Dove. I have used the pomegranate one before and it smells lovely, but the cucumber scent is a new trial for me, let's just hope they do the job right!

Hands up if you think paying £7 for face wipes is excessive? Yup, me too, so it's always good to get them with a £5 off voucher, be quick though, my voucher ends on the 27th of January. I only ever really use face wipes when I'm falling into bed after a night out, or if I've been wearing a lot of makeup and want to remove the bulk of it before using my Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish. I've never tried No7 wipes before, but I have high hopes.

Maybelline Rocket was £2 off at £5.99, and Rimmel is currently 3 for 2.

I think it must have been a brilliant day to visit Boots because it looked like each brand had a selection of new products, or even products that I have never managed to spot before. Many of the brands I love also had some sort of offer going too, Rimmel and Revlon were 3 for 2, Models Own, Maybelline and Bourjois all had buy 1 get 1 half price.

I had wanted to try the Maybelline Rocket mascara after seeing the shape of the wand in Tesco. Tesco had it on sale for £8 but a lovely person on Twitter (I apologise, I've forgotten who you are) mentioned that Boots had £2 off so I snapped it up.

Rimmel had a wealth of new products available, and on 3 for 2 I picked up two of their Scandaleyes eyeshadow sticks. From swatching they're incredibly pigmented and smooth in application. At £4.49 each they're not bad on the pocket either. I also picked up the Exaggerate Undercover Shadow Primer. At present I am using a MUA one, but after taking the decision to never buy any of their products ever again following shoddy customer service I feel differently about it and wanted to try something new. For £4.99, this is not a bad price either!

I just had to purchase an Apocalips didn't I! Maybelline was also buy 1 get 1 half price so I picked up two of their new Colour Sensational lipsticks.

My last Rimmel product was one of their new Apocalips, in the shade Nova. I have read that they're a 'drugstore' answer to the YSL glossy stains, and I was spoilt for choice with the shades, opting for a pretty muted pink for £5.99.

The last two new makeup items to make their home in my lip holder are two of the new Maybelline ColorSensational lipsticks in 902 Fuchsia Flash and 910 Shocking Coral which are two beautiful colours, perfect to brightening up this miserable winter weather. They're £7.19 each, but currently part of a buy 1 get 1 half price offer.

So I managed to pick up bargains galore! In total I saved £17.87, and because I spent just over £35 and had visited the points kiosk in store I managed to get a voucher for 350 extra points too - happy me! If you're not on a spending ban (and I should probably put myself on one now!) then I highly recommend having a visit with all of the amazing offers on at the moment!

What have you been buying lately?

Boots Double Faced Oval Pads

Following on from my post about my new Denman hairbrush, I thought I'd carry on with a little mini series of reviews about my favourite cosmetic and skincare tools. I'm dedicating this particular post to some cotton wool, which doesn't sound that exciting, but bear with me!

I need cotton wool in my routine like I need oxygen in my bloodstream, I just can't live without the stuff. It's one of those multitasking tools that we don't really give much thought to. I usually hate paying through the nose for something that I'm only going to use once and then throw away in the bin, but, as always, I believe you get what you pay for and I recently began to invest in better cotton wool.

Going back to basics however, not too long ago I thought the only type of cotton wool on the market was the little white fluffy ball variety, the one that you can pull apart in your hands and is really no good for cleansing or nail polish removal. How wrong I was! I graduated to using small circular cotton wool pads, pleased that they would take off my nail polish with relative ease, and that, if using multiple pads, I could remove excess makeup from my face of a night time. I still thought there should be something out there on the market that would be perfect for multi purpose use on my face and that's when I discovered Boots Cotton Wool Double Faced Oval Pads.

I believe that these cotton pads are a little more luxurious than normal cotton pads. They're 100% cotton, which makes them incredibly soft and are dual sided, with a 'light textured' surface on one side and a 'compact surface' on the other. Boots say, 'the light textured surface is ideal for applying   lotions and creams, such as cleanser' and 'the compact surface is ideal for applying liquids such as nail polish remover or toner. This surface does not fluff or lint'. Multi purpose perfection, I love them!

The largish oval size is perfect for using all over the face, I no longer have to use '12948590' cotton pads to completely remove my make-up, one or two is enough so that brings the waste down significantly.

I would agree that they are quite expensive for cotton wool, £1.89 for 50 pads, but they're definitely worth it. I bought mine in the current Boots offer of buy one get one half price so that made them around 95p.

What do you use to clean your face?

Denman D81S Grooming Brush

More often than not when I sit down to review something it's a make-up or skincare item and I never truly pay enough attention to the tools of the trade. I'm not talking brushes (well, I am here, but of the hair variety, not face!), more like the other little items that are used without much thought to help us perfect our appearances each morning/evening. I was in Boots yesterday and decided to invest in a good quality hairbrush. I own a tangle teezer, and while I love it, it's just not really the same as using a real hairbrush is it? Cue my new love affair with Denman...

I wanted a hairbrush that wasn't too large, and that would fit comfortably inside my handbag / overnight bag for when I travel to and fro from uni to home. My local Boots have a wide selection of Denman brushes, including the new 'Tangle Tamer' brushes, classic styling brushes and paddle brushes and choosing between them all was difficult! In the end I decided to purchase the handbag sized Grooming Brush (D81S) for around £8, the baby sister brush to the medium and larger sizes. I've never owned a Denman brush before but have heard very good things about them, and to say that my experience of using this brush did not contradict anything I've heard before would be true. 

Denman say that the D81S is a 'Small cushion brush with natural bristle and single nylon quill. This 'porcupine effect' is excellent for grooming and conditioning the hair. The lightweight, perfectly balanced handle provides good grip and control.' The D81S aims to make it easier for the user to smooth and polish her hair with its natural bristles and nylon quill, which are arranged in a staggard formation to reduce snagging and breakages and help to retain the hair's natural sheen and vitality.

I absolutely agree with everything Denman say. I found the brush a bit odd to use at first because unlike other plastic, more synthetic bristles I couldn't really feel it moving through my hair, but I slowly got used to this and found I was eventually completely knot and tangle free, without having to really pull on the brush as I used it. It was easy to use, and fitted perfectly in my hand (and handbag, whoo!) I would, however, suggest that this brush wouldn't be so suitable for incredibly thick hair as I'm not sure how well it would move through it, but that's just my guess.

The brush is also easy to clean and remove excess hair, there's nothing worse in my opinion than having a hairbrush full of hair. An odd thing to mention, but perhaps you know what I mean? Overall, this brush is incredibly good value for money, and Denman is definitely a brand I'd reccomend. With their wide selection of brushes, there will be something to suit everyone, if the D81S is not really for you!

What do you use to brush your hair?
Have you ever used a Denman brush?

Benefits Of Snow - A Leg Workout!

Here's me, getting a miserable pout on because the snow in County Durham has decided to come down much heavier than it had in the previous week (that's my 'snow should foxtrot oscar' face). But then I thought I'd use this flurry cold, wet snow to my advantage and came up with the brilliant idea to put on my gladrags (head warmer, scarf, gloves, boots...) and go out into the snow and give my legs a good workout - clever eh?

Brrr...doesn't it look cold! 

Snow actually provides great resistance, much like sand, for giving your calf muscles a good workout. It's a lot harder to walk on snow, than it is to walk on the hard ground, especially when you don't know how deep it is in places, and to include a a few steady gradients in your stroll will benefit you more. I chose to venture out to a local field/park place this morning for a little Saturday stroll and am now sitting here, muscles hurting, but with my brain feeling the benefits!

It's ok...I didn't want to keep my feet anymore anyway!

I have read that you can burn up to 270kcal an hour trekking and rambling through snow covered fields, which is brilliant for this time of year when everyone's on a health kick, but feeling like hibernating because of the chilly weather. I say, no! Get your snow gear on and get out there in the cold! What's more is that pulling a sledge, or simply making a big snowman, or even shovelling the snow from around you car all count towards a mini workout. I'm a big fan of burning calories when you don't even know you're doing it!

Snow makes everything pretty!

The best thing about walking in the snow? It's free! All you need are warm clothes, suitable waterproof footwear and your best buds/dog (or, if you're after some alone time like me, your music) and you'll have everything you need to slip in your daily workout without even realising.

Are you a fan of the snow or would you rather be indoors?

Inspiration For The Weekend

Found on Tumblr. If it's you, let me know.

This quotation has rung true with me this past week. I say I'm not stressing, but in reality I think I am a little bit. Everything seems to be getting to me, the lower marks in my essays, the looming deadlines for my dissertation and essay, eating right, drinking enough water...the list goes on. There have been many mornings this past week where I've just wanted to say no to my alarm clock and pull the duvet back round my head. There's just so much to do, where do the hours in a day go?!

If I'm stressing then it's not ok. And because it's not ok, it's not the end of the situation. Everything has to be put right, ever the perfectionist! I don't really know how to provide any inspiring words this weekend, maybe because my inner balloon has deflated slightly. But what really matters is to carry on and chip away at whatever you're doing, don't give up. That famous, omnipresent saying - 'It does not matter how slow you go, as long as you do not stop'. I kept telling myself that as I was in the pool in my local leisure centre with only the 50+ aqua aerobics club for company. If they're not giving up, as a 21 year old, I refuse to give up either.

Everything will be ok, not right away, but soon. Promise.

Have a lovely weekend <3

Lush Bath Ballistic - Think Pink

I'm a fairly recent convert to Lush products, the overpowering smell of the shop always used to put me off going in there until one day I took the plunge and realised that my nose would gradually get used to it, until it completely disappeared and I could shop in comfort. Cue my excitement as I picked up, and nosed through everything in the store!

I picked up this fabulous bath ballistic called Think Pink for £3.50 in the Plymouth store just before I returned to uni after my Christmas break and had to share it with you - it went ballistic...I went ballistic...my bath was suddenly awash with fun...

For a start I absolutely adore how this little ball managed to turn my bath water pink. As a self confessed girlie girl this pleased me greatly! I loved watching my Think Pink fizz under the running water, slightly sad that it was getting smaller and smaller each time I looked, and that the pretty flowers had disappeared.

I didn't realise that there would be confetti either...cue much excitement as I adore confetti (*ahem, blog name, ahem*), and what's more was that the confetti was in the shape of teeny tiny love hearts - squeal! I know from watching a variety of YouTube videos that some Lush bath bombs/ballistics had confetti or glitter inside of them because you can hear it rattling around if you shook your bomb/ballistic, but there was no sound from my little pink ball, so the hearts were a lovely surprise.

I would more than recommend this bath bomb to anyone who loves the more overtly feminine things in life...aside from the fabulous pink colour of my water and the hearts, the smell in my bathroom made me envisage that I was sitting in a warm, fluffy, sweet cloud...a bit cheesy I know, but this smells delightfully sweet and yummy.

What's your favourite Lush bath product?
Leave me some recommendations <3

GlossyBox January 2013

My January Glossybox has literally just landed in my doorstep (thank-you for the wake up call Mr. postman!) so I thought I'd show you the contents quickly before I run out door to stumble about in the snow on the way to lectures.

The theme is a 'January Detox' for the post festive period, with products aiming to 'stimulate your senses...while rejuvenating your spirit for a replenished new you'. Sounds like a good promise!

I received:

• Paul Mitchell Super Strong Daily Conditioner - 100ml
• Elemis Exfoliating Face Wash - 30ml
• Monu Warming Aromatic Mask - 30ml
• Duck Island Limited Body Lotion - 30ml
• Jason Lips Bee Healthier - 4.5g
• Added extra - Glossybox sleep mask

I'm excited to try the Monu mask, I've never used a warming product before so that'll be interesting to see how it works. Also the Duck Island body lotion smells amazing, fragrance with bergamot and mandarin, and is incredibly rich and moisturising. I've used some on my hands which are now superbly soft, great for this snowy day!

The one product I'm not so keen on as yet is the lip balm, I've never heard of 'Jason' but the new Glossybox magazine style leaflet promises wholesome, natural ingredients to prevent parched lips so perhaps I'll give it a longer test run. I'm also slightly annoyed that I've only got a Paul Mitchell conditioner..I might have to source the shampoo because I like my shampoo an conditioner to be a matching team!

But overall a pretty good box, and I will definitely be putting that sleeping mask to the test!

Do you subscribe to Glossybox?
What did you receive this January?

The Winner Of My 10,000 Page View Giveaway Is...

So Rafflecopter has spoken and the winner of my 10,000 page view giveaway is Becky from The Colour Carousel! Becky has chosen the Real Techniques Stippling Brush as part of her prize, and I'm sure you'll all agree that she's chosen brilliantly, it's one of my favourites for sure :-)

I would like to say a massive thank-you to everyone who participated in my giveaway. I enjoy doing the odd giveaway for milestone moments and 10,000 page views blew me away! I'm sure I'll do another one soon, whenever I may be blessed to reach my next milestone...

Burt's Bees Richly Replenishing Coconut Foot Cream

I have a love hate relationship with my feet, they're quite the touchy subject. They're not in terrible condition, more like they'd benefit from a lot of tlc if I had the time to really lavish attention on them. When I was picking out my Christmas presents from my boyfriend we were in Boots (of course!) and I came across this foot lotion from Burt's Bees. I've not tried too much in the way of Burt's Bees before, and didn't own a product that is foot specific, but I love the smell of coconut and this smells delicious so I was sold!

Burt's Bees say, 'Take a walk on the wild side! Burt's Bees pampering natural foot cream combines coconut oil, lanolin and vegetable glycerin to revive and rejuvenate even the driest, most neglected feet. There's also a hint of rosemary and peppermint oils to refresh tired feet. Go nuts for incredibly soft feet, naturally. Your feet will never be the same.'

I can't say I've 'gone nuts' for this product but it's definitely something I keep wanting to use. I was expecting this to be like a moisturising cream like the name suggests it is, so I was pleasantly surprised to find a gel with what feels like tiny micro-beads suspended in it. There's no mention of an exfoliating element anywhere on the packaging, so either I am imagining feeling these micro-beads or I have a duff tube. Puzzling indeed. However, the gel itself is incredibly rich and moisturising, and it turns into an oily texture once applied to the feet. Some might think that this adds a bit of a sticky film to the foot, but once you've left it to soak in for a while it feels extra nourishing and your foot feels super soft and super smooth.

The only downside to this is the price, it's RRP is £12.99, which is quite pricy for a foot cream that might not suit everyone's taste. You can find it cheaper however, when Boots do 3 for 2 on indulgent bathing or on feel unique where I thinks it's more affordable, around the £8 mark.

How do you take care of your feet?