Lately

On  the bank holiday Monday me and the boyfriend made a last minute decision to make the most of our day off together go and visit a safari park! I worked all weekend but fortunately we both had the Monday off. The weather was absolutely beautiful so we picked up some snacks, packed some suncream and a camera and made our way to a safari park.

As it was a bank holiday it was super busy, the actual process of driving through the safari park was long! I'm talking hours. Most of the time it felt like sitting in a very long traffic queue. Normally this may have been irritating but the sun was shining and seeing all of the animals along the way made it worth it. In particular seeing the two beautiful elephants. I don't think I can explain how much I love elephants! Once we'd spent hours making our way around the safari part we parked up and had a little mooch around. This park also had amusement rides and other animals located within the park. We went on a couple of rides, which was highly amusing. My boyfriend isn't one for rides. He enjoyed them in the end but watching his reactions were hilarious. We ended the day by grabbing a bag of chips, sitting on a picnic bench and enjoying the sunshine before heading home. 

I loved our day out together, despite how busy it was. It was one of those fun, light hearted days. 

There was a nice week or so of rain-free days and sunshine. When me and the boyfriend had bit of free time together and weren't stuck in work we tried to make the most of it by getting out and about. This usually consisted of jumping in the car and finding nice places to have a mooch and a walk around. Below: the view by the docks and taking the dogs for a walk :)

                                                                                                                                                                    






I had last weekend off so me and the boyfriend spent a couple of days back home. Well back home for me anyway. I live a little way away from where I grew up so I often go back and visit some family and friends. This time around my boyfriend joined me. It was a lovely laid back weekend full of delicious home cooked meals, bowling, drinks and movies. You can't beat a catch up with loved ones especially when it's been a couple of months since your last visit. 

What have you all been up to lately?

Rimmel - Hip Hop

I couldn't resist picking up this bright Summery shade when I spotted it in my local supermarket (Asda, if you're wondering). It was slightly cheaper than usual and priced at £3 for a 12ml size bottle. However, they're normally priced at around £4.49. I have a handful of other nail polishes from Rimmel, I find that they're affordable, easy to use and can be quite long lasting. This particular shade is under the new Salon Pro range which includes a variety of different shades. The Salon Pro nail polishes claim to be up to 10 days chip resistant so I'll be putting that to the test!

Hip Hop is somewhere between a red and a coral shade. Two coats of it gave me a lovely glossy and opaque finish. I found applying this polish was quick and easy, as the brush is thick and wide, so about three strokes on each nail and you're done. It was a fairly quick process overall as this polish seems to dry quite quickly which is an added bonus. I think it's perfect for Summer and great for if you're in a bit of a rush. I love this shade, it really stands out and has a gorgeous finish. 

Have you tried any of Rimmel's Salon Pro nail polishes?

{This nail polish in actual fact lasted 3/4 days without chipping. To be honest this doesn't really surprise me. 10 days would be very impressive but I don't think it's very realistic. Nonetheless a couple of days without chips isn't bad going}

Favourites - Skin Care

Ren - Rosa Centifolia Cleansing Gel
This is one of the first products that I've tried from the Ren range and I've really enjoyed using it. I was on the lookout for a cleanser that wouldn't irritate my skin, as some previous cleansers have dried out my skin out and left my face at times feeling itchy and red! As this cleanser has a lot of natural ingredients, it really appealed to me.  The cleansing gel foams up nicely and really refreshes my skin. It feels very gentle on my face and does a good job of making my skin feel clean, fresh and soft. The cleansing gel has a rose scent to it, I have a love/hate relationship with rose scents. Initially I disliked it but it's a good cleanser and I've began to not mind it at all. 

St Ives - Apricot Scrub Gentle
I've only recently picked this product up. I normally use the Aapri Exfoliating Scrub Cream, but decided I wanted something a little less harsh for the skin and wanted to try something different. This St Ives Scrub is for sensitive skin so it's more gentle. I actually have normal to combination skin, but this product works best for me. It's a nice and creamy consistency, but still exfoliates the skin well without feeling harsh or irritating. My skin feels soft and refreshed after using this. It also smells gorgeous - a clean apricot scent (if you hadn't guessed). I definitely now prefer this in comparison to the Aapri Scrub Cream.

Origins - GinZing Eye Cream
I think it's important to look after your skin, including the eyes which at times can get slightly neglected. In the past eye creams weren't really a part of my routine but I've been making sure I use an eye cream now on a daily basis. I have the disadvantage of not being able to compare this to other eye creams as I haven't tried many others, but this eye cream works well for me. It leaves the skin around my eyes feeling refreshed, cooled and moisturised. I find it also makes my undereye area look a bit brighter. This 15ml pot has lasted me well over the months as it's one of those products you don't need much of. A small amount of this gently dabbed around the eyes does the job.

Liz Earle - Skin Repair Moisturiser
I first tried this product as part of a set I received with a handful of other Liz Earle products. This one product stood out to me the most and was the one product I really looked forward to using. I purchased the full size moisturiser up once I'd used it all up and it's now a daily staple in my skincare routine. It's quite rich so not much is needed. This moisturiser leaves my skin feeling soft, hydrated and protected. It has a light scent to it which I quite like. I abosolutely love this product, my skin seems to really agree with it.

Estée Lauder - Advanced Night Repair
I was given a teeny tiny sample bottle of this to try out and surprisingly it's lasted me over four months! I don't use this product on a daily basis and when using this serum a few drops are all thats needed, which may be why it's lasted as long as it has. I personally use a couple of drops of this and rub it into my skin before applying my moisturiser in the evening. The serum absorbs quickly into the skin and feels quite nourishing. After using this on a more regular basis I noticed that my skin appears more healthier and radiant looking. It also helps reduce redness. I recently stumbled across a 30ml bottle priced at £33, as oppose to the usual £44, so after being impressed with my little sample bottle I decided to treat myself due to the slightly cheaper price tag. This serum aims to nourish skin and help reduce the appearance of damage or uneven skintone. This really appeals to me and is one of the few products that I've felt has actually come close to achieving such results.

Superdrug - Vitamin E Skincare Oil
This is definitely one of the most affordable of the bunch. It's a product that I have been using for years now and will tend to always repurchase. I think a basic vitamin e oil is a necessity. Like EL's Advanced Night Repair I will apply a few drops of this on to my face before applying my night cream or moisturiser in the evening. I usually use this whenever I feel my skin is looking quite dry and needs a bit more hydration. This is particularly handy in the cold winter months! This oil soaks in quickly and is a nice consistency. The scent reminds me of cocoa butter, which I love. The 30ml sized bottle is an affordable £2.99! It's an absolute bargain, it offers good results and this particular bottle has lasted me months. The packaging is fairly simple, the label fell off at some point, but at the price it is you can't go wrong.

The above products make up the majority of my skin care routine. It's taken me some time to mix and match products that work best for me. I try to use products that aren't harmful to my skin. There are a handful of other skin care products that I also use, some more regularly than others, and enjoy using them, such as; Origins - Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask (love this!), The Body Shops - Vitamin E Nightcream, Liz Earle - Instant Boost Skin Tonic and Botanics - Rosewater Toning Spritz. But my standout skin care favourites at the moment have to be the products I've listed above.  

What are your skin care favourites?

Lately

I've been particularly impressed with myself for saving up those pennies. It was a NYs resolution of mine and I've surprised myself by how well I've managed to stick to it. Avoiding the shops and working most weekends has helped massively! In the last week or two I have treated myself here and there. But over the last couple of weeks I've mainly been taking it easy and pottering about with the boyfriend, getting in to a good book, working my way through my stash of Lush products and enjoying the odd bit of sunshine. 

{I love a good cup of coffee and a slice of cake, although in this case a Tiramisu in a teacup. Delicious!}

A hot bubble bath and a good book definitely can't be beaten after a long day at work.  Me Before You has been on my 'to-read list' ever since a good friend reccommended it to me. I've only just finished it and I loved it. It didn't take me long to get stuck in to the story.

Below: I had to include this cute little picture I took a week or two ago. The sun was shining, I was sat in my back garden and this little munchkin was bouncing in circles around me. She is so adorable. Although sunny days can be short lived, it makes a change seeing blue skies and sunshine instead of the usual wind and rain.  I guess I wasn't the only one enjoying the sunshine! :)

What have your last couple of weeks consisted of?

NARS - Ondine Eyeshadow

This beautiful NARS eyeshadow caught my eye a few months ago now. Although I have a couple of other NARS products lurking around in my make up bag, an eyeshadow isn't one of them. After spotting this gorgeous taupe/plum coloured eyeshadow I couldn't resist. Ondine is a single eyeshadow (2.2g). I find the packaging to be a handy and compact size, it isn't too bulky and holds nice amount of product. Ondine is lovely and pigmented, there is a slight shimmer in this eyeshadow but it's very subtle. When applying this product I haven't experienced fallout. I love how buildable this eyeshadow is, and how easy it is to work with. It's definitely a versatile shade that you could often use as it works well on its own all over the lid, blended in to the crease or for creating a smokey eye.

I pulled out MACs Satin Taupe just so I could compare the two. Ondine appears more softer and smokier in comparison to Satin Taupe, whereas Satin Taupe has a frost finish and is more cool toned compared to Ondine. NARS Ondine retails at around £17 so it's not the cheapest. Although this is quite pricey for a single eyeshadow it is a beautiful shade, it's also very versatile and a worthy opponent to your typical browns and taupes.

{L-R -NARS Ondine and MACs Satin Taupe}

Have you tried any NARS eye products before?

To Read List

I'm sure this list will continously be added to...

-Citadel - Kate Mosse

-The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath

-His Dark Materials Trilogy - Philip Pullman

-The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky

-The Secret Keeper - Kate Morton

-Me Before You - Jojo Moyes

-Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

-The Thirteenth Tale - Diane Setterfield

What do you have on your 'to read' list? I'd love to hear about any of your own book recommendations or if you've read any of the books listed above :)

The Little Things

{Pinterest}

-Kind words can be such a 'pick-me up'. After going through a bit of a stressful time a few weeks ago I really appreciated the support I received from family and friends


-Having a girly day with my mum which consisted of shopping, eating tasty food and getting our nails done. Something which we haven't had the chance to do in a long time


-Browsing through and watching lots of different films and TV programmes, on Netflix, during my rather long breaks at work. It definitely helps to pass the time


-Charlie's playful, and at times scary, sessions


-Friendship: I work with quite a small team and feel lucky to work with some of the most loveliest girls. They keep me smiling and laughing and I'm happy that we all get on so well


-Planning secret surprises for Mum's 50th birthday


-An impromptu trip to visit one of my closest friends. Something I've wanted to do but have previously struggled to get around to doing. As I had the weekend off I packed my bags and drove two hours to visit my friend. I really enjoyed having that quality time with her, visiting her new home and eating and drinking out at lovely places. Times like these are hard to beat they're always filled with smiles and laughter :)


-Giving the dogs a wash and a brush and watching them run around the house excitedly afterwards. I love how fluffy and cute they look afterwards


-Nice days.... like today, the sun is shining and the sky is blue. No rain and no snow


-Spending yesterday with my boyfriend and his family. We all stuffed our faces at a local restaurant and had a relaxed afternoon of pottering around the local shops. In the evening me and the boyfriend cosied up and watched the Easter special of Jonathan Creek


-Messing around on Snapchat with my brother. He never fails to make me laugh and this app is another fun way of keeping in touch and just being silly


-Picking up some new bath bombs and bubble bars from Lush. In particular The Brightside bubble bar which smells amazing


-Spending the odd hour or two on The Sims 3. I can't see a day in which I will ever get bored of this addicive game