OOTD

Top: Primark (PJ top sssh) 'Choose Life' sounds pretty cheesy but I like the style of the top.

Belt: Newlook

Skinny Jeans: Primark. I really like Primark's jeans. I have quite a few pairs and after years, they have still stayed in shape.

Boots: Next

I really want to find some more big T-shirts which can be cinched in at the waist. Might find some cheapo men's T-shirts from Primark and do a bit of DIY ;)

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A not too big but not too small shop

Prices from time of purchase

From left to right:

• Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor Deep Conditioner - 2 for £5
• Aussie Miracle Hair Insurance Leave-in Conditioner - 2 for £5
• Aussie Dual Personality Heat Protection Leave-in Spray - £3

^ These smell so good!

• Batiste Coloured Dry Shampoo in Brunette - £2.99 - Still looks very light, like light coloured chocolate milkshake powder aha
• Superdrug's Coconut & Sweet Almond Shampoo - 99p - I buy this when I don't have a lot of money to spend on shampoo.
• Dove Go Fresh Antiperspirant Deodorant in Fresh Touch Cucumber & Green Tea scent - Half price at £1.44 (I also had a £1 off coupon so only payed 44p)

Reviews to come soon :)

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Thank you :)

I would like to say thank you to everyone who has commented on my last post. They brought tears to my eyes and I am so grateful for all your support. That is the main reason why I love to blog; because of all you down to earth friendly people who support and comfort me, as well as everyone else in the blogging community. I'm sorry that it was a sad post but I wanted to honour him because he really does deserve it. People with pets will know that they are like family and you love them just as much as humans.

I just want to say thank you again and sorry for an upsetting post.

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RIP Tam

8 years of age.

He struggled for days, crawling back after getting hit or attacked just so he could die at home. The back of him was in a complete state and there were maggots so obviously he had been attacked or hit by a car a few days ago. He was purring loudly as he was back home, content and ready to die. There was nothing the vets could do so he had to be put down.

RIP Tam, you were an amazing cat and you shall be missed greatly.

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I need a routine!

I have never had a skin care routine.. well I have but it has never lasted longer than a few weeks. I buy products, use them for a couple of weeks and then stop. I suppose it's because before bed, I'm too tired and can not be bothered and I'm also too tired in the morning! I only use products when I can be bothered like using a facial wash in the shower, and occasionally applying a moisturiser.

I'm going to start a skincare routine and stick to it for a good few weeks and then follow it from there. I normally don't use anything in the morning because I think using the products twice a day will strip my skin from it's natural oils etc.. but it must be ok if most people do it and most products recommend it for best results (I think they say this so you use them up quicker and buy more :P)

I'm going to use the simplest skincare routine products for this 'experiment' and what better brand than the one and only Simple.

I love their brand name, packaging, products.. everything about them!

I'll be using the cleanser, toner and light moisturiser. I am also going to buy the facial wash so I am not mixing and matching from different brands.

Now obviously what products I use will affect the results dramatically and I shall be reviewing them but the main point of this is to see whether having a routine can give me a better complexion. Giving my skin regular cleansing and moisture should improve the condition.

I'm not brave enough to show a photo of my au natural skin so you'll have to trust my judgement. My T-zone is rather oily and my cheeks are 'perfect' (Not dry, oily, no pores and no blemishes). Because of my oily T-zone, this leads to breakouts and also, there are large pores/a few blackheads all over my nose.

Hopefully the products and a routine will help give me a better complexion.

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Beads!

I've always been an artsy person and recently I have really been wanting to make my own bracelets. A few weeks back, I ordered a bunch of beads from this Ebayer. All beads sell for around 64p, a bit higher if you've been in competition with another bidder! Posting and packaging is free. All beads have a sterling silver core (925 printed on the side) and are similar to Pandora, Troll etc. beads.

I had to get a few frog beads! Their adorable. Quantity: 1

Quantity: 1

Quantity: 1

Quantity: 5

Quantity: 5

Quantity: 5

Quantity: 5

Quantity: 5

Quantity: 5

Quantity: 5

Quantity: 5

Quantity: 5

Many more designs!

I just have to wait for the sterling silver bracelet (Pandora style chain) to come through from another Ebayer and then I can start making!

When I have a few pounds spare, I'm going to purchase more chains and beads so I can make unique gifts for friends :)

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Elite Cosmetics

A few months ago I was sent some products by Superdrug as a thank you for helping promote one of their competitions. Now that I have some good quality photos of the products, I can review them :)

First of all, I have never seen this brand in Superdrug or in fact any other store. There also isn't a site for these cosmetics and hardly any links on them so most people haven't heard of this brand before. The only place I know where you can purchase them is at Superdrug.com.

I like the packaging of these products; simple yet sleek using square shaped packaging.

Eye Shadow Quartet VIP Colors 5, Blush Secret Cheeks No3 Epice, Repulp! Gloss 02 Glam Nude and Long Lasting Eye Pencil in Black. I was also sent a foundation but it was far too dark for my skin tone so I gave it away (I'm talking about it being as dark as a bronzer on my skin!)

Here are the swatches: Eye Pencil, Eye Shadows, Blush and Gloss. The Eye Pencil and Gloss were 'swiped' once and this shows you how pigmented they are.

Lets start with the eye shadow palette: Gorgeous everyday colours, very soft and well pigmented.

Blush: This is the perfect everyday blush colour - The slightly flushed effect. This product is extremely soft and I've noticed that it produces no powdery mess when swirling your brush around in it which is rare to find in a powder based product. The pigmentation is reasonable; you can apply quite a bit without looking like a clown. Not as pigmented as some blushes but I like blushes that are not highly pigmented as this means I can build the colour up.

Gloss: Very pigmented indeed and again, the perfect everyday lip colour. When using this I rarely put a lipstick underneath as this has enough pigmentation on its own. As for the plumping effect, I haven't notice any difference in the 'plumpness' of my lips when this is on but the shine of the gloss helps them to appear fuller. This has a brush applicator which I like but this does not have long staying power.

Eye Liner: This is a very good eye liner, as you can see from the swatch above, with one swipe gives an immense amount of pigmentation. Long lasting?

This is what the swatches look like after using a tissue and repeatedly wiping with a lot of force (my arm hurt after). I haven't gone over it softly so the product stays and I can prove my point because I wasn't even going to take a photo after I wiped them off. It was only after trying to get the product off that I thought I'd take a picture to show you how well the eye liner stays put. That's with only one line of product as well!

This is a good brand and I hope they add more to their collection and sell the products in store!

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Cacti

I love plants, especially Cacti. The top left and top right have bloomed before and the bottom left is currently blooming! I love how a 'non pretty' plant can produce flowers so beautiful.

The Cacti are from my local florist for 99p and the ceramic pots and dishes are from Wilkinsons for around 20-30p each.

I've had these plants for about 2 years now and I water them once a week or once a fortnight.

I did a post on these last year and I thought I'd do a little update :)

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Collection 2000 Glam Crystals

Again, I have already done a post on these here but they deserve good quality photo's so you can see their full potential :D

Top to bottom: Shake it up!, Pow!, Le freak, Spandex and Funk

& the swatches. Aren't they pretty?!

These are just £2.99, have great pigmentation and last all day. I highly recommend these :)

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Avon Arabian Glow Clearly Shadowed Eye Pencils

Last month I reviewed these here but the pictures were not very good as they were taken on my phone camera. My camera is working again so I thought I'd show you some decent pictures :)

Top to bottom: Vivacious Turquoise, Plush Purple and Burnished Bronze.

& here are the swatches. You can see that Vivacious Turquoise is slightly more pigmented and vibrant than the other two.

I wear these literally every day; mostly the blue (this has now become my everyday 'black'), purple for a more subtle look and bronze for an 'au natural' look. I wish they did a green! When I have the spare money I want to purchase Barry M's Aqua Green Intense Eyeliner Pen

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Sleek Original i-Divine Palette

I know you've all seen this product a million times before (slightly exaggerated :P) but I love it so I wanted to show you it too!

Gorgeous range of colours. I've just realised, in the mirror of this palette is a nice view of my cleavage, I'm ever so sorry.

Anddd the swatches.

These are my favourite eye shadows I've ever tried; very pigmented, soft and extremely cheap at just £4.99 ( That's around 41/42p per eye shadow ;) )

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Superdrug's Vitamin E Moisture Cream

Price £2.44

"Naturally sourced Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant which not only revitalises and protects the skin, it also helps combat the damaging effects of free radicals and shields it against the environment.

This 12 hour Moisturising Cream provides the extra hydration and daily nourishment your skin needs to keep it feeling soft, smooth and looking radiant. With the additional protection of SPF15 to combat harmful UVA and UBA rays."

You get 125ml of product which will last a long time. It is very moisturising and leaves my skin soft and smooth, like it states. With large pots like this, I'm not afraid to slap it on. Also, with it being in a pot, if you have spare cream on your hands, instead of wasting it like you would with a bottle, you can simply put it back in the pot. The SPF15 is a little bonus and this has a gorgeous, light floral fragrance.

I would recommend this product and once I've finished this large pot, I shall be re-purchasing.

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Superdrug's Vitamin E Illuminating Moisture Cream

Price: £2.44

"Naturally sourced Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant which not only revitalises and protects the skin, it also helps combat the damaging effects of free radicals and shields it against the environment.

This Illuminating Moisture Cream gives your face a touch of radiance. it helps protect and hydrate your skin for up to 12 hours, and at the same time gives you an instantly radiant complexion. with the additional protection of SPF15 to combat harmful UVA and UVB rays."

I love this as it is very moisturising and has the bonus of SPF15. I don't use this all over my face because the tiny shimmery particles reflect light and if your whole face is reflecting light, you can look a little greasy for a while. I use this on my cheeks and brow bones which gives dewy, radiant looking skin.

You can slightly see the effects in the picture above.

I would definitely recommend this :)

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Superdrug's Vitamin E Cleanser and Eye Make-Up Remover

Price: £1.95

"Naturally sourced Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant which not only revitalises and protects the skin, it also helps combat the damaging effects of free radicals and shields it against the environment.

Gently and effectively removes all types of make-up."

This is a standard product that does exactly what it says: cleanses and removes eye make-up. The formulation is light and is very moisturising.

I would recommend this product if you are looking for an everyday cleanser/eye make-up remover.

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Superdrug's Vitamin E Facial Scrub

Price: £2.44

"Our naturally sourced Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant which not only revitalises and protects the skin, it also helps combat the damaging effects of free radicals and shields it against the environment.

This gentle exfoliator with oatmeal lifts dead skin cells to reveal deeply cleansed skin that feels soft, smooth and looking radiant."

Superdrug, Boots, Tesco, Asda and probably many other stores/supermarkets do their own Vitamin E skincare range. I really like the packaging of Superdrug's Vitamin E products. Instead of white, they are a light sandy-beige colour which makes them look more expensive than they are.

I really like this scrub, more so than St.Ives. To me, St.Ives facial scrub is just a blah product - Its not bad, I just expected more from all the reviews it has been given. Here is a comparison between St.Ives and Superdrug's Vitamin E. I've chosen to compare it to St.Ives as most people are familiar with this product.

Left: St.Ives, Right: Superdrug's Vitamin E.

St.Ives has a thicker formulation to Superdrug's Vitamin E and also has smaller exfoliating grains. The smaller grains might be better for exfoliating but I prefer the oatmeal grains as they are less abrasive. Superdrug's Vitamin E is also a lot more 'milkier' and I feel that its a lot more moisturising.

I would recommend this product :)

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Vaseline aloe fresh anti-perspirant deodorant

I don't normally review products like deodorant as it's an everyday essential which I over look, but I thought 'ah why not'.

I normally use Dove deodorant sticks, as Dove is a reliable brand which I have always used. I use sticks because I find roll ons never dry and get all over my clothes, and aerosols can choke me which is very unpleasant.

Now summer is approaching and we've been having some gorgeous weather, there's nothing better than to be refreshed during the day. A spritz of cool spray on a hot day is just heaven.

That's one reason why I chose a spray and the reason for choosing Vaseline is because I wanted to choose another brand other than trusty Dove. Vaseline seems like a reliable brand as I love the other products they have to offer.

I chose aloe fresh over active fresh because I preferred the smell and it seemed more refreshing.

• 24h protection
• Suitable for sensitive skin
• Alcohol free, non sting formula
• Keeps you dry all day
• Light fresh fragrance
• Contains Proderma - a skin caring complex which can help protect the underarm skin

When putting this on, there was no stinging! Which I've found some Dove deodorants do. There was also no choking on my behalf which I was very happy about. It left my room and, of course my underarms smelling lightly fragranced with aloe-vera, which smells divine and is not over whelming. I can still smell it now a few hours later. Oh and the most important feature, it keeps me dry :)

The day after buying this, I get a coupon come through with £1 off various deodorant brands. Typical aha

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Charm Bracelets

I love the idea of charm bracelets; Creating your own personal piece step by step.

Looking at the prices of 'Pandora' and 'Links of London', I was amazed as I would have to save up for years to buy one. £20 for a single bead? and that's one of the cheapest. When buying these, you're not paying for the product, but for the label. They will last a long time and as they are so expensive, you will treasure it, so when I'm earning a lot more than I am now, I might invest in one.

There are many bracelets that are similar to Pandora ones that will not break the bank and no one will notice any difference. The only way people will know if it is a true Pandora, is if you shove it in their face and say 'Look it's a Pandora' - Many people do, just to show off.

I've just purchased a silver chain identical to the Pandora ones on Ebay, along with multiple beads (Silver core). They say sterling silver, but even if they were silver plated, I wouldn't be fussed. Anyway, the chain is VERY expensive (not), around £1 and sets of 5 glass beads with a silver core at 64p. I can not wait for them to arrive to I can create my own charm bracelet.

My friend has a Pandora bracelet and I'm going to see just how similar mine will be to hers.

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Today's Make-up

Today's make-up was very neutral. My hair was also quickly tied back because I was only taking the dogs for a walk.

I hate it when the camera doesn't pick up the colours! grr, buts heres what I used (In order of the products used) :

• Collection 2000 Complexion Perfection Concealer
• Collection 2000 Shine Away Compact Powder
• NYX Eyebrow Powder
• Avon Arabian Glow Clearly Shadowed Eye Pencil in Burnished Bronze
• Collection 2000 Mosaic Shimmering Glow Powder
• Collection 2000 Volume Sensation Mascara
• No7 Perfect Lips Pencil in 20 Nude
• Elite Repulp! Gloss in 02 Glam Nude

^ Can you tell I like Collection 2000 products? hehe

Today was one of those rare days when I wear lip products! The nude lip pencil is the only lip pencil I own so I'm looking at buying a few more because I quite like them :)

As you can not actually see the products, here are a few swatches:

Avon Arabian Glow Clearly Shadowed Eye Pencil in Burnished Bronze, No7 Perfect Lips Pencil in 20 Nude and Elite Repulp! Gloss in 02 Glam Nude. As you can see, the two lip products are perfectly suited. The lip gloss is very pigmented and I love the colour (The only place I have seen where you can purchase this, is at superdrug.com)

In the picture above you can see I'm going slightly ginger again! Woo! I've altered the colour settings in the picture below to show you how I want my hair to be (Like it used to be.)

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Boohoo dress and simple eye make up

My experience with Boohoo was a good one; easy to navigate website, fast shipping and good communication. Here's the dress I ordered for a wedding I'm going to in a few months. It was £25. I'm usually a size 8 in dresses but ordered a size 10 and it fits perfectly so I think Boohoo sizes are slightly smaller than other stores.

(The photo's are taken in the mirror with me looking very vain because my sister got in a stress and refused to take the photo.)

I just need to find some shoes :)

My make up today was very simple; black liquid liner and mascara (Also concealer and brow powder.)

I've used Collection 2000's liquid liner and Collection 2000's Volume Sensation mascara, both great products.

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Today's Buys

Here is No45 Warior and No54 Magical. £1.50 each.

& here's a rubbish photo of them aha, on the thumb you have Warior (Shimmery sandy beige colour) but the camera isn't picking up the shimmer. Magical (Coralish colour) )is on the index finger. Warior only needed 1/2 coats and is great but Magical is very sheer and needed 4 coats and it could really do with another 2 coats. It's a shame about the consistency of this polish because it's like a jelly bean colour which I love.

I also bought this beach bag for £3 :)

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Cheeky dogs

Shadow & Jessie chillaxing

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Nail Polish Collection Including Names- 6th April 2010.

This is my current nail polish collection, on a towel ;) The crazy living room carpet pattern would of distracted you ha

Asda:

Close up:

From top left to bottom right: No7 Golden Sands, No5 Under The Sea, No8 Blue Lagoon, No22 Ultra Violet, No41 Mysterious, No10 I Dazzle, No26 Mocha Ice, No3 Pink Glitz, No33 Sherbet Fizz, No31 Groove, No38 Blush, No6 Hot Pink.

Collection 2000:

2in1 Top coat, Sparkle Top Coat, 2in1 Base Coat, 246 Latin love, 59 Icy Pink, 32 BMX Bandit, 23 Show Off, 324 Hello Sailor.

Miss Sporty:

(Names are not on the bottles, only the numbers are. Names found on the stands in stores and on the website.) French Tip Whitener, 203 Zodiac, 251 Electric Beige, 30 Peachy, 106 (Not sure of the name, but it's a twinkle shine polish.), 303 Manga, 406 Red Tango, 220 Miss Red.

Barry M, No7 and NYC:

296 Coral, 305 Pink Flamingo, 279 Bright Pink, NPP1 Limited Edition Pink, 20 Clear, 105 Damson Dream, 216B Central Park, 206B East Village.

Star Gazer and Revlon:

104, 133, Goldfinger, Blackberry, Autumn Berry, Plum Attraction.

Others: (Natural Collection, random and Avon)

Clear, Random, Random, Classic Fit.

Phew! It took a longgggg time to hunt down all those names.

Hope you're having a good day :)

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