A Little Bit Of Inspiration

I've been having one of those semi-productive days today. I had such good intentions this morning, I even had a to do list! It's been my first full day off in a while and like many other people I have quite a few bits and bobs that I should really be getting on with. But I think I'll let myself off the hook today as I did manage to do at least half of the things that were on my list :) But I quickly got distracted by my laptop...typical.

I thought I'd have a little ramble about one of my favourite sites...Pinterest (the thing that has been distracting me all afternoon!). It's a fairly popular one I'm sure. It's basically a virtual pinboard, so through Pinterest you're able to share and organise pictures of pretty much anything! The reason I'm sharing this with you all is because I find it such a motivator. It really has become like a little scrap book of pictures that I find pretty, inspiring or just of things I like or would like to do/try, of places I'd like to go and the list just goes on. Categories on Pinterest can range from food, travel, weddings, home, beauty, sport and so on. 

I'm quite an arty person. I love creating things and I'm into home decor and all things creative! Pinterest is brilliant for giving me ideas on different things to try, on little D.I.Y projects as well as home decor. I also love how through some of these pictures you're able to access many of the original sources. Through Pinterest I have stumbled across some really great blogs and sites. All in all whenever I'm lacking a bit of Ooomph, Pinterest is one of my places to go! I also love going through pictures of quotes, cute animals, yummy food-recipes, beautiful travel locations, beauty and home decor. 

Well that is my ramble for today! I just thought I'd share. I know there is a handful of sites like Pinterest but for those who maybe haven't had a browse yet I'd recommend it. There is definitely something on there for everyone and it really is a lovely way to pick up some ideas and inspiration. I thought I'd attach a few of my random, favourite pictures/pins so far. I've tried to include a bit of everything. Although each of these are from Pinterest, where I can I have attached the original source. None of these images are my own. Enjoy :)

{Got to love a bit of glitter}

{I absolutely love fairy lights in the bedroom!}

{Original Source: The Beauty Department.  I love this site!! Check it out if you haven't already}

{This is so pretty... and actually quite easy to make. Original source: Sania Pell Disco Vase. Discovered Sania Pell through Pinterest, I absolutely love some of her home decor ideas!}   

{How stunning and peaceful does this look? Fairy Pools-Scotland. Original Source: Google Images}

(Just thought I should mention that I'm not sponsored or affiliated with Pinterest in any way - just thought I'd share my love for this site)

Are you a fan of Pinterest? Where do you get your inspiration/motivation from?

Essie Bargain

Hello Everyone.

I had to share my little Essie find with you all. While browsing through my local Tk Maxx, last week, I spotted a few packs of 3 Essie nail polishes for... £9.99! I couldn't believe my luck - what a bargain! After picking up Essie's Eternal Optimist (blog post - HERE) a few months back, I quickly fell in love with the brand. So it probably comes as no surprise that I didn't waste time in grabbing this bargain. I don't regularly go into Tk Maxx so I'm not sure how long this deal has been going on for, but I'm guessing it's a new thing as they definitely weren't there the last time I visited the store. There isn't a huge variety of packs of 3's, but there are a a few different shades to choose from. 

Individually these polishes can retail at around £7.99. So for 3 normal sized bottles for £9.99 I'd say that is pretty good going. My pack of 3 included the shades Jag-U-Are, Tea & Crumpets and Capri. I have spotted that Tx Maxx have made a little mistake with labelling these nail polishes, well one in particular anyway! When looking at the Essie website I noticed that Tea & Crumpets isn't actually the polish that was in this set (the real Tea & Crumpets polish is actually more of a shimmery gold colour) there must have been a mistake with the labelling! So unfortunately I can't tell you what the actual name of this Essie polish is - or what it should be. But for the purpose of this post I will refer to it as Tea & Crumpets - even though this is actually incorrect! Very annoying.

Moving on... I love the look of all of these Essie shades, so this was the pack of 3 I choose to go for. 

{L-R - Jag-U-Are, Capri and Tea & Crumpets (isn't correctly labelled)}

In terms of application Jag-U-Are is quite thick so just one coat gave me a lovely opaque finish. I'd describe Jag-U-Are as a cherry red (it looks slightly darker in some of the pictures) with a slight almost gold shimmer to it. I think this shade would look lovely on the toes. Capri is a gorgeous french manicure shade pink, it's very pretty and natural. It's definitely a barely there shade. Tea & Crumpets (which actually ISN'T Tea & Crumpets - confusing I know) is also quite a neutral shade it's a very pale pink/almost white shade which I love. I've compared this to Ballet Slippers and although they're fairly similar in shades Ballet Slippers is slightly paler and less pink in comparison. I have to say I think I'm becoming slightly obsessed with Essie! These polishes apply lovely, they give a nice finish and I love the quirky names. Definitely impressed with this bargain, despite the little labelling mistake. 

{L-R - Tea & Crumpets (again this isn't the correct name of this polish), Capri and Jag-U-Are. Two coats}

I have to say the above image didn't really capture the slight shimmer that comes with Jag-U-Are. But there is a slight shimmer there. I think its a nice alternative to the  standard red. 

So if you're an Essie fan and anyway near a Tk Maxx I'd suggest popping in and having a little browse :)

Topshop Cream Blush in Flush

After hearing so many lovely things about Topshops cream blushes I decided to pick one up. This is my first cream blush purchase as I tend to lean more towards powders. The Topshop blush I picked up was in the shade Flush. I have to say I quite like the packaging of Topshop's beauty products. It's simple but very cute and girly. This compact blush also comes with a little mirror so it's really handy for on the go. 

On first impressions in the store I was slightly intimidated by the bright pink shade. BUT the minute I swatched it I knew I had to have it. It softens to a really beautiful blushing pink shade once blended into the skin. It's easy to blend it out on to the cheeks to create a really natural and subtle finish. It's also nice and buildable so you have the option of how bright you'd like the blush to be as it's very pigmented. 

{I've blended out the top swatch more to show how this blush can be blended out to become more subtle - depending on the look you're going for}

The texture is of course creamy, but once applied to the skin the texture almost resembles powder. The packaging says to "Dot on cheeks and blend". I normally just swirl my finger around into the blush then apply to my cheeks and blend out. I also buff it out a little with my Real Techniques Buffing Brush.

Unfortunately this blush doesn't have the best staying power, bit of a shame, but for the price tag of £6 and as it's easy to take with you and apply whilst on the go, I can let it slip. I also find that the packaging gets dirty fairly quickly, but it's easy to clean with a wet wipe if this does bother you. Despite this the packaging is pretty sturdy and the little polka dots haven't rubbed away or faded.

Overall, I have to say I really love this shade I think it's very flattering and I love that it's a cream blush so overall I'm pretty happy with this purchase. 

Have you tried any of the Topshop blushes or any other Topshop beauty products?

June Favourites | 12

So here we are - July. June has been pretty eventful for me and I do have a lovely little handful of favourite's for you all today. Apologies for the delayed favourites this month!

Clinique - Repairwear Laser Focus Foundation

I'm a bit of a Clinique fan when it comes to skin care and foundation. The previous foundation I was using was Cliniques - almost makeup (which I loved). The foundation was lovely and lightweight but after using it all up I decided to go for something which offered a bit more coverage - the repairwear laser focus foundation. This foundation is also nice and lightweight, it blends easily, offers a nice medium coverage and fits my skin tone perfectly. This foundation also offers SPF coverage. I love the finish of this, it isn't at all cakey. It gives a nice smooth, slightly dewy finish. I also quite like the bottle although due to there being no pump I think I'm going to struggle to get all of the product out towards the end.

GOSH - Velvet Touch Eye Liner in Truly Brown 

I haven't actually tried many products from GOSH but after swatching a few of their eye liners I fell in love. They feel so so soft on the skin when applying. I've been using this brown eye liner smudged lightly around the eyes for a softer smoky look and I love it. The shade is warm but adds definition to my eyes. I can't fault this eye liner - it stays put, it feels lovely and soft when applying (so no tugging and scratching which is the worst!). GOSH products can be purchased in Superdrug stores. 

Aapri Exfoliating Scrub Cream 

I love this stuff. I've had this for months now and use it around once a week for a good ol' exfoliation. It's lasted me fairly well. This exfoliating scrub cream is formulated with natural apricot exfoliants so it smells like, well, apricots (adore the smell). It is what it says really - a cream with lots of little bits which help to exfoliate and cleanse the skin. This isn't the most gentle product that I have ever used for exfoliating but it doesn't irritate the skin and leaves my face feeling really clean, revived and soft after use. It may be a bit harsh for those with sensitive skin, but for me it gets the job done a lot better than many other products that I've tried. I thought I'd include it this month as I've just started including this again into my skin care routine... after briefly losing it :)

Deborah Lippmann - Stairway To Heaven 

I did a blog post on this here. This has to be one of the prettiest nail polishes that I've ever owned. It's a really gorgeous shade which I love the look of on my nails. I've been wearing this on it's own, two coats - I love it. 

N-Spa Body Scrub - Raspberry Milkshake 

I picked up a few of these from Asda as they are so affordable. I haven't tried these before but thought I'd give them a try. They all smell fantastic! Raspberry milkshake smells fruity, sweet and fresh, but not at all sickly.  I'm really enjoying using this product it's lovely and refreshing on the skin. I normally slather this on when in the shower then rinse off, it gives my body a lovely light exfoliation.

Stephenie Meyer - The Host 

The Host is a science fiction/romance novel which to begin with I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I first picked this up. I decided to give it a try at the end of May and within a few weeks I'd finished it, it didn't long at all for me to get sucked into it.  It's quite different to anything I've read before and definitely something that I could really picture being in a film... so I was pretty pleased when I spotted that it is in fact in production to be released next year! If you didn't know, although I'm sure that many people do, Stephenie Meyer is the author of the twilight saga books.

Music - always a favourite, but more specifically in the month of June I've been loving the following; Trey Songz - Heart Attack, Lawson - When She Was Mine, Paloma Faith - Picking Up The Pieces, B.o.B ft. Taylor Swift - Both Of Us and Chris Brown - Don't Wake Me Up.

What were your June favourites?