More Confessions from Me

Evening all, I'm currently wrapped up in my PJ's with a cup of tea and decided to sit down and write this post. I saw a similar post by Chloe over on the Little Plum (You can give it a gander here) and it got me thinking about doing a similar one myself. More than the little bit on my About Me section, lets really get personal! We all know I need little or no excuse to have a good old ramble Well, without further adeu, here's another one... all about me.

Favourite TV
I am in love with so many TV programmes, it's a little bit sad. Even sadder (not sure if that's a word, going to roll with it anyway) is that majority are not currently airing on TV. First of all Big Bang Theory is my life (I know that is currently on TV but it's my fave so we'll start here). I watch it all the time even though I've seen all the episodes multiple times already. Secondly, Gossip Girl is literally my all time love. I will be 90 years old and still watching Blake Lively walk about in gorgeous clothes. Breaking Bad is another guilty pleasure, mostly because it's wayyy darker than what I usually watch. Other's include Peaky Blinders (OMG Cillian Murphy is going to be my BF soon), Made in Chelsea (I was like yaaarrr) and Friends, I mean obviously right.

Movies
Okay so here's the thing, I live in the movies. They are something I always indulge in whenever and where ever I can. Majority of the time, I'll be spending my days off in my onesie watching a Disney film with a ridiculous hot chocolate... and I mean ridiculous. Mean Girls is one particular film that I could probably quote word for word (Stop trying to make FETCH happen, it's not going to happen, you can't sit with us... etc).

Food.
I think the fact I've added in a whole section on Food says a lot and generally anything with sugar in is okay with me. I used to have what I would say was a very unhealthy attitude to food. Now I'm all better (thank goodness) I don't deprive myself of anything, I just make sure everything is in moderation. Chocolate, yes. Sweets, yes. Fruit, yes. Milkshakes, Tea, Hot Chocolate, Pancakes... yes yes yes. It's actually funny that when the boyfriend and I are relaxing round his house and one of us suggests having a snack, he'll go for savoury things every time and I always go for sweet. Opposites attract eh?

Pet Peeves
I really don't like negativity and I rarely moan online. That being said, the things we find irritating are part of who we are and I felt I should include it. My pet peeve has to be the people who are rude over insignificant things. It really does grind my gears. Another point. Littering. Oh my god! Why do people complain that Birmingham is a crap place to live whilst chucking a crisp packet over their shoulder? Seriously, have some pride in where you live! Grrrrrrrrr.... and relax.

Animals
I love love love animals. Goats freak me out but other than that, anything furry or with feathers and I'm all over it. If you walk past me with a cute puppy, I'm going to ask you to stop so I can pet it. On holiday there was this man who bought animals with him to the hotel and he had a pet Skunk that was tame and it was the cutest thing I've ever seen in my life. Just mind the butt and everything is okay.

So now I've finished my rambles I think it's safe to say you know exactly what I'm all about now. What do you think of this post? Have you learnt anything new about me (maybe you wish you didn't) let me know in the comments below! Thanks again!

Laura.

My Favourite Autumn Lip Colours

Afternoon all, It's all about lips today. I love using Autumn-Winter as an excuse to opt for adventurous lip colours during the daytime. I tend to wear always grab for the same lip colours at the moment so I decided I'd share with you my top five. Prepare yourself, they're good.

Kate Moss 03 Here
I love Miss Moss for her gift to Rimmel with these lip colours. I already own a great deal of her collection (there's two alone in this collection!) but I have to say that number 03 is probably my all time favourite lip colour... ever. I know right, that's big. The reason I love it is because it goes with every makeup look, dark eyes, light eyes, dark cheeks, you name it and it will go. Not just that, it also goes with pretty much every skin tone. It is the definition of wearable.

Satin Collection in Silky Beige Here
Okay so this one is a little unfair as it's discontinued BUT still. This colour is my tied all time favourite lip colour (I know that's cheating, I don't care). It's a deep golden brown, with a hit or burnt orange, do I even make sense? It hasn't captured well on this image but it's literally the most gorgeous shade around. Plus this suits my skin pale or tanned.

Collection Privee in Blake's red Here
We all agree on one thing, Blake Lively is a goddess. Is this red particuarily different to any other red? Not really. But that being said, it has a great consistency, it stays on really well and it's well... Blake's. I'm all over it, does that mean I can date Ryan Renolds too? Oh...

Mac in Russian Red Here
Mac Mac Mac. I love it and I think if you're reading this, you probably love it too. This is a deeper shade of red compared to Blake's which makes it the perfect daytime red. I just feel fantastic putting anything Mac on my mouth (that sounds odd) and it stays on like no other. Plus the lovely boyfriend bought me this (it was my first ever Mac) and so I'll love it forever.

Kate Moss 107 Here
Again another red, I just can't help myself. My makeup bag is just full of red lipsticks, virtually all the same shade. But that being said, you put on a red lipstick and your day is 100% better! This shade is a little darker than the other colours, more a plum than a red. I actually have a burgundy jumper that matches this exactly (yes I'm that sad) so whenever I put them on together, I feel like a winner. Okay so it's a great lipstick and I've reached new levels of sadness. Now is the time to stop.

What do you think of my lipstick choices? Have you got any that you recommend? Let me know in the comments below. As ever, thanks for listening to my beauty rambles, until next time!

Laura.

The Cheapest Perfume ever?!

Evening all, I hope you've had a better few days than I have. Yesterday I woke up feeling like I'd drank my body weight in alcohol when in reality, I'd been at work and not had a drop. Throughout the day, I progressively got worse until I had to call in work in tears saying I couldn't come in. The worst part was that I was so hungry and couldn't even keep water down (ew) but I'm happy to say i'm feeling a little better today (though sadly not much). So to cheer myself up I decided to pop on my laptop and rave about a new perfume I've found.

Now I know what you're thinking, this is a post about a cheap perfume so why the hell is Lady Million in this picture. Well, I've been a big fan of Lady Million and every time I get a wiff of it, it takes me back to my holiday last year as I practically bathed in the stuff. But by any means, it is not a fragrance that I'd consider cheap. You can pick 50ml of this badboy up for £50.00, so no pocket money purchase in my eyes.

So, what if I told you that there was a perfume out there that smells pretty much exactly the same and costs a tenth of the price? Well, this is the part where I introduce my most valuable beauty find to date, what is it you ask? Let me introduce you to Golddigger Ladies perfume. If I'm being honest, anything "Golddigger" is enough to send me running for the hills trying to avoid memories of my high school "Chav" days. But alas, this little badboy is worth it. Not only does it smell exactly the same as Lady million, it costs £5 for 100Ml. I know right, what the hell! I wear this badboy and I honestly get complimented on it all day. Every time I put it on, I feel feminine and quite honestly a million bucks.

So do you pay £50.00 for 50ml of Lady Million or £5.00 for 100ml of Golddigger, well I think this one's a no brainer. Plus, for £5.00 you can buy it just to try it out as it's hardly a lot to loose if you don't. If you do feel like giving this badboy a go, it's currently on sale in Savers (my new stop for bargain beauty buys). Have you tried Lady Million or Golddigger, let me know in the comments below! 

Laura. 

EOS Sweet Mint Lip Balm

I am never one to rush out and buy a beauty product as soon as I see it on TV (that's a lie). Okay, well I didn't do it with these EOS lip balms, because if i'm honest, I hadn't heard of them until I saw Miley Cyrus using one in her "We Can't Stop" music video. That being said, I have well and truly missed the hype bandwagon. So much so, the ship hasn't just sailed, it's already reached it's destination. Why it has taken me so long to discover, I don't know.

All of that aside, this little gem is fantastic. I am a lover of all things mint. Ice cream, handwash, chewing gum, sauces and even mints (yes those too).  So when I was waiting in Urban Outfitters for my friend Lizzie to buy a bag (it truly was a fabulous bag) I spotted this little gem in the queuing isle. By this point, I'd already gotten into a spending frenzy and didn't know what hit me till I'd purchased it and was walking out the shop, story of my life. Anywho, I'm glad I did and here's why...

Firstly, the packaging this balm comes in is uber cute and quite frankly, I've never seen anything like it. It's super comfortable to hold in your hand and easy to chuck in your bag for those dry lip days. Next, and probably most importantly, the product itself. It does what it says on the packaging and gives my lips a burst of moisture. Best of all, it is 95% organic, 100% natural and paraben and petrolatum free. After use, my lips feel smooth and moisturised which is perfect for the winter months ahead. 

These little beauties also come in flavours such as Strawberry Sorbet (yum), Pomegranate and Raspberry, Lemon Drop, Blueberry and Acai and Summer Fruit. All of which can be bought for a respectable £6.50 from Selfidges Here. What do you think of EOS, let me know below! As always it's been a pleasure!

Laura. 

Tips and Tricks to beat your cold!

Hello all! I planned a few reviews recently but haven't got round to doing any because I've got a stinking cold, boo. It seems to me that around this time of year, just about everyone is ill. It's the downside to my beloved Autumn season. That being said, I've there are things we can do to make ourselves feel better and self indulge a little bit! These are my tips that I practically run to at the first sign of the dreaded cold. I hope you're not ill, but if you are I hope these help you somewhat! 

Take a hot Shower
When you've got in with dripping hair and a running nose, there is nothing nicer than hopping in a hot shower to help you beat the cold. I treat myself to two a day when I'm ill, once in the morning and once before bed. Then get in your cosiest PJ's and snuggle up by the fire. Bliss.

Drink Tea
Drinking tea has numerous beneficial properties if you're drinking things like green tea or peppermint tea. I love peppermint but I also like cranberry and red berry teas for the winter time. I've also heard of 'Metabolic Boosting' Teas, and although I haven't tried them myself, the MateFit teas are said to be exceptionally good. Whatever you drink, even if it's regular tea, I always find it makes you feel better.

Get your Vitamin C
It's always good to try and boost your immune system from the inside. The best way to do this is get your fix of Vitamin C, which is one I always struggle to get in Autumn-Winter. I take Vitamin C and Iron supplements but I recommend talking to your doctor before taking any supplements. If you can't get to your doctor, drink and eat fresh oranges and orange juice. Blueberry juice is high in sugar but is very high in vitamin C if you fancy a sweet alternative.

Eat soup
Sometimes when you're ill, you're not in the mood to eat. I actually had to call in sick to work (something that actually pains me to have to do) and I couldn't bring myself to eat anything but soup. It's the perfect food to get something in your belly and start the healing process! You can make them from home with just about any veg or you can get them in cans! No excuse really!

Wrap up warm
If you have to venture out of bed (which those of us in the working world have to) get wrapped up warm. I cringe thinking back to my secondary school days where it was the middle of Winter and I was still wearing dolly shoes, how silly of me! Nowadays, I'm wrapped up from head to toe, scarf, mittens and even ear muffs if I feel like it. Sometimes I feel like a lemon when it isn't that cold but it prevents your cold from getting any worse so is worth overdoing!

Get your rest
At the end of the day, i'm so tired I have no problem following this step but it's super important. Most of our repair occurs during our sleep so it makes sense that the more sleep you have, the more repair occurs (within reason of course). Early nights are the way forward when you can't shift your cold!

Have a duvet day
If you do happen to be ill on a day off (which is either lucky or very unlucky depending on your outlook) I suggest having a duvet day. Getting your rest and staying warm will ensure that when you do have to rejoin the working world, you'll be feeling a little more like yourself. And I have to say, I would never leave that bed if that was my room in the picture above, pug included!

Have a movie Marathon
I love having a movie marathon and being ill provides you with the perfect excuse. On my day off I watched Frozen, Hercules, Paulie and Anastacia. Watching anything Disney is enough to uplift anyone down in the dumps from illness! I don't really need to be ill in order to do this step.

Well those are my steps for beating the illness, I hope they help you to get rid of whatever it is that ails you. It may be that you're not ill but using these steps may prevent you from getting ill. You know what they say, prevention is better than cure! Here's to hoping that we all get over these snuffles soon, I know I can't wait to be rid of mine! 

Lots of Love,

Laura.

My Top 5 Beauty Tips

Hello my gorgeous readers! It's beauty tip time. Sometimes you have a useful technique that you have in your daily routine and it isn't until you tell somebody about it that you realise it isn't common knowledge. For me, I love looking up peoples beauty tips and tricks so I thought, hey, why not put mine in the bloggersphere too? You may find some of my tips completely obvious or even completely useless, but if you find one useful to incorporate into your routine then it's all been worth it! Again, I apologise if you've already heard of some of these, I tried to pick my top five most useful tips! Also some may not apply to you but I hope you'll be entertained nonetheless! Well, without further adieu...

Reducing warm up times
My first tip is something that has helped me out no end on those mornings when you're running late. I sometimes (although not very often) use hair rollers to get some curls in my hair. But as we all know, the little buggers take time to heat up, making the preparation time for your curls that much longer. When I was attending university and had to be at morning lectures for nine (I know, not even early) I learned that if I set my alarm 30 minutes before I had to wake up and turned on the curlers, when I actually got out of bed, I could throw them in my hair straight away. I even put a shower cap on top and wore them in the shower. Then I would do my makeup, have my breakfast and take my curlers out literally last minute. Doing this means you have maximum time with curlers in your hair and save all the warm up time.

Vaseline your way to beauty
Vaseline has been a god of the beauty world for years now and for good reason. My tip? Put it everywhere. Once I've removed my make-up and carried out my evening skincare routine, I put this on my lips, eyelashes, nose and nails. Okay so lips, not that weird, but eyelashes you say? Well I've found many forums discussing the lash growing power contained within Vaseline and I agree, it does keep my lashes healthy and growing (although I don't do this every single night). Nose, you're thinking I'm just plain weird now! But it's true. During winter when your nose is red raw because you've been wiping it with tissue all day, it can be reduced overnight simply by applying Vaseline to the sore areas before you go to sleep. Finally, putting Vaseline on my nails (not too weird?) improves the strength of my nails and ensures a healthy cuticle. I've even heard that people put this on their eyebrows to make them thicker!

A smile a day keeps the wrinkles away
You know, I just didn't feel like making a post without making this point. It's all good being savy with your beauty tips but it's not always about the beauty on the outside. If you don't do any of my other tips, do this one. Smile. The most beautiful person in the world is the one who is always smiling. The best part is, they are contagious and make you feel good physically. I know it's a cheesy point but I had to get it in here as I feel it's super important!

Fan your way to great lashes
Why the hell has she got a picture of a fan in here? Well, I hear you, don't worry I do actually have a point. One day when I was watching one of my girl crush Carlibell55's video's (I know, get a room already) she mentioned how she applied her mascara in front of a fan. I tried it and you know what, it works. It gives you thicker lashes because it makes the mascara dry much quicker whilst still being able to shape it on your lashes. Just make sure you don't point the opening of the tube towards the fan as it dries out your whole mascara otherwise!

You can't have too much of a good thing
We're made of it, dogs are made of it and the world is covered in it. Yep, it's water. Why is this even in here, you should do this already. I remember sitting down one day and forcing myself to drink a pint of water, and I decided that I liked drinking it. Now I drink minimum of around six pints a day and that doesn't include the water that is in other drinks. People aren't lying when they say the condition of their skin improves when they're drinking plenty of water. My skin appears dewy and plump when I'm drinking the right amount, it sounds silly but it really does make such a difference. Just look at this picture long enough and I promise you it will make you want a glass!

Well those are my top five beauty tips! I'm not one for anything complicated and I think all of these are things you can easily incorporate into your routine. Let me know your top beauty tips, you know what they say, sharing is caring folks! I hope you enjoyed this post and as ever it's been a pleasure! 

Laura.

Monday Must Haves

 

Hello all, we're in October! I just love this time of year (if you haven't guessed already) and I just want to run around with Costa Hot chocolate in big boots and chunky jumpers. That being said, first you have to buy those chunky jumpers and boots (the ones I have already don't count) so I've put together what I plan to buy on payday (oh dear). I finally found the one in terms of coats and so I've styled everything else around it so I can mix and match, not just a pretty face eh?

Roll neck sweater dress £45.00

I always dressed very preppy in college and university but I want to change my style to something a little more grown up and this jumper dress is just it. It looks cosy, flattering, smart and chucked on with some black tights and boots will look amazing.

 Black Wedge Chelsea boots £35.00

With me, ankle boots have always been a hit. They make your legs look longer, look amazing but most importantly, they are actual practical shoes in Autumn-winter. These plain beauties will go with everything and make you look super long too, double wammy!

Blue Chiffon Check long sleeve shirt £19.99

Okay so chiffon isn't really winter friendly but when it's this cute who cares. This little badboy checks all the criteria, it has navy and black to match the coat, can be thrown on with jeans and it's check print so is very on trend too. 

Black Zip Treggings £9.99

Plain black jeans and trousers are something I've really got into lately. I think they flatten your figure and slim down your legs. Plus they go with just about anything and make it look smart!

Coat with a pile collar £59.99

Oh my. This coat is literally everything I want all wrapped into one. It's super warm and cosy (I've already tried it on in three stores, I know sad), it has leather look sleeves so is bang on trend and it combines black and navy so will go with a bunch of things in my wardrobe. What is not to love!

Cream Colour Block Winged tote bag £45.00

I think if I'm being honest, I don't really need to buy a new bag as I probably have many that would work with this lot but hey, when do we ever really need the clothes we buy?

Shell Pink Textured Necklace Trim Shell top £12.99

Again, not winter friendly. Again, not bothered. I'll shove on a coat and feel a million bucks. Plus it's cheap and us bargain hunters can't really argue with that.

Navy Skinny Jeans £19.99

They're blue jeans and theyll go with everything. I don't really think I need more of an excuse than that to be honest.

Rib crop top £26.00

I went and tried on this little beauty the other day and absolutely loved it. I actually paired it with a leather look skirt and it made one hell of an outfit. That being said, it was also super expensive for the two so I found a cheaper alternative listed below..

Tinsel wrap mini skirt £32.00

Said cheaper alternative and with the wrap and glitter style it checks so many trends I can't keep count. Plus you could shove it with anything and it would make a new outfit. I mean when an item works this hard in your wardrobe it would be rude not to get it.

Well ten items and a dozen excuses later that just about wraps up my Monday Must-Haves. I don't really need them all but we all know that these gems are going to end up in my wardrobe. What's more is that they'll probably be a few others that sneak in too. I just can't help myself. So what do you think of my choices? Let me know in the comments below! As always, it's been a pleasure! 

Laura.

Icon/ Cheryl Fernandez-Versini

It's another appreciation post and this time it's for one of my all time favourite women, Cheryl Fernandez-Versini or as I still call her, Cheryl Cole. I've written posts of this nature for Rosie Huntington-Whitely (here) and just had to do one for Cheryl. She tends to be a bit like Marmite, some people (like me) absolutely adore her, whilst others are sick of the sight of her. I love her because she is the sort of woman who has worked her way up from the bottom and earned her place and she's not afraid to speak her mind. Although, I'd be lying if I said the fact she is one of the most stunning things (besides Rosie) to walk this earth adds to her appeal.

I think my taste in clothes is a little less daring than she is, but her makeup is right on point. In fact I kept pausing the TV during one X-Factor show to look at her makeup. The picture above is the only one I could find of her in that outfit and I loved that makeup look so much I copied it and wore it to work. Was it a bit too much, probably. Do I care, not really. 

Overall, I just can't get enough of her. There isn't anyone like her and I just love her for that. Do I love her more than Rosie? I can't say but I do respect this woman a great deal. What is your opinion of our Cheryl? Let me know in the comments below. Lots of love.