Throwback Thursday

I thought it would be fun to start doing Throwback Thursday posts, so here's my first one! It's also reminded me to scan in the photos that mean a lot to me. The one above is one of my favourites, and I actually have it in my purse. You have my dad, my sister (the baby), me, Jessie (the dog) and Monty (the cat). I'm guessing my sister is around 6 months old here, which would make me 3 1/2 in this photo. I'm surprised I'm not smiling because in all the others I am - I loved the camera! Jessie lived right up until I was 15, and she was 15, too (My dad got her when I was a baby). Look how huge Monty was! He wasn't far off being Jessie's size. I would pick him up under his armpits and drag him around the house, and he would just put up with it. He wouldn't let anyone else do it to him, though. Sadly, Monty got cancer 1-2 years after this photo and died. If we ever have another cream male cat, we'd name it after him (like my current dog is named after Jessie).

So, there's my first Throwback Thursday. I wasn't planning on writing that much, but when my animals are included, I can talk for days!

Wordless Wednesday

Barry M Gelly Nail Paint in Dragon Fruit

I wasn't going to buy Barry M's Gelly Nail Paint in Dragon Fruit because I thought I owned a similar shade, but it turns out I don't. I gave away the closest shade I had (Barry M's Bright Pink) a few months ago. Dragon Fruit is a barbie pink with subtle silver shimmer. There are some air bubbles in this manicure, which are really annoying me, but it's down to my application, not the polish. In the photos above, I'm wearing three coats, but you could get away with two. It's not a unique shade, but it's pretty, nonetheless!

Blush Comparison: Dainty Doll You Are My Sunshine and Sleek Rose Gold

Flash: Dainty Doll You Are My Sunshine, Sleek Rose Gold

Flash: Dainty Doll You Are My Sunshine, Sleek Rose Gold

Natural light: Dainty Doll You Are My Sunshine, Sleek Rose Gold

When my Fragrance Direct order arrived and I opened Dainty Doll's You Are My Sunshine powder blush, I realised how similar it was to Sleek's Rose Gold. In the pans, You Are My Sunshine looks more pink than Rose Gold, but when swatched, Rose Gold leans pinker. However, once blended out, they're very similar. Dainty Doll's offering usually retails for £13.50, but it's currently just £1.99 on Fragrance Direct. Sleek's blushes are £4.49, and can be bought in Superdrug and Boots, so are more easily available. Rose Gold is more pigmented than You Are My Sunshine, but the latter is silkier. At the moment, I prefer the Dainty Doll blush, but that could be because it's a new product to me. Both blushes are so beautiful, though.

Do you own either of these blushes? And have you ordered any Dainty Doll products from Fragrance Direct yet?

Barry M Gelly Nail Paints

Greenberry, Blueberry, Prickly Pear, Dragon Fruit, Papaya, Grapefruit, Pomegranate, Blood Orange

After buying Dragon Fruit on Monday, I realised just how many Barry M Gelly Nail Paints I have. I love them, and can't wait to see what other shades will be released this year! You can see my swatches of Greenberry here, Papaya here, Pomegranate here, and Blood Orange here. I'll be taking photos of the other shades soon.

Do you own any of these nail polishes?

Bookshelf Walls

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One day, I'd love to have a bookshelf wall. I absolutely love books, and think the walls in the photos above look amazing. You can even create one in a small space. Shelves that you attach to the wall would be good if you didn't have much money and wanted to gradually build one, but they leave marks and holes, and some places don't allow that. A large bookshelf unit would be great if you saved up for one. The only problem would be moving the books if you moved, so I'd probably wait until I found a place I wanted to raise a family in. Below are some of the books I own at the moment. I don't have much room left, so I'm going to have to go easy until I have my own place. This means checking books out of the library instead of buying them!

Superdrug Purchases

I wasn't going to blog about my recent Superdrug purchases, but they smell so good, I just had to! The Alberto Balsam shampoo and conditioner were 2 for £1.79. I've had them before and really liked them, but for the last couple of years, I've been using TRESemme. I cannot get enough of the Strawberries and Cream scent; I don't know why I ever stopped using it! The next product I bought was the Superdrug Raspberry & Macadamia Nut conditioner for 99p. This smells amazing! Like fizzy sweets. The pump is handy, too. I also bought the Coconut & Sweet Almond intensive conditioner for 99p, which I've used before. Again, this smells delicious, and leaves my hair really soft. Lastly, I bought the Superdrug Vitamin E facial oil, which was £2.99. I love the hot cloth cleanser in the range, so thought I'd give this a go. I used it last night, and like it so far. It completely absorbed into my skin after a few minutes, leaving it soft, soft, soft.

I love Superdrug's own brand. The products are affordable and great quality (from what I've experienced, anyway).