What I've been loving this past month

A quick look at my blog tells me it's been exactly a month since my last post. And whilst part of me is kicking myself for not keeping my promises and posting sooner and with more regularity, there's another side which thinks it's especially fitting that I'm blogging today instead, especially as my post is concerned with all the things I've been loving over the last month or so. And here they are...

• Spring flowers...yes, I know it's a blogger cliché (well that's how it appears to me, at least) but I just love the beautiful blooms that are such a special feature of this time of year. From cherry and apple blossom to magnolias and daffodils...be still my beating heart!
• Beautiful spring weather...let's just ignore the fact that the past week has been mostly cold, grey and gloomy, shall we?! Seriously, the end of March in particular was glorious, with unbroken sunshine and temperatures that made it feel more like June. It really got me in a summery mood and made me think of holidays, fun and making plans for the months ahead.
• Soap and Glory "Clean on Me" and Herbal Essences "Tousle me Softly" shampoo and conditioner...three of my favourite products over the last few weeks, reviews will be coming soon!!
• Meeting new people and getting to know others better...whether it's an online acquaintance who I've finally got the opportunity to meet face to face, work colleagues who are becoming more and more like friends every day or saying hello to a friend's beautiful baby daughter for the first time, I've felt privileged to get to know every one :-)
• Lighter evenings and longer days...add the fact that we're getting ever closer to the longest day to the clocks moving forward to signal the start of British Summer Time, and what do you get? Days where it's light well before you reach work and night that doesn't fall until around 8 pm. Catching some daylight while you can is the best cure for the workday blues in my opinion, and I love the fact that I'll be able to get just that little bit more every day :-)
• Wearing dresses...whilst dresses have become a bigger and bigger part of my wardrobe over the past couple of years, it seems that my love of them has reached new heights this spring. They've formed an extensive part of my working wardrobe in recent weeks and every now and then, I find myself mentally adding new dresses to my spring/summer wishlist. Well a girl can dream...! :-)

So those are my loves of the last few weeks, but what about you? What have you been enjoying over the last month? Let me know, I'd love to hear from you! :-)

'Til next time...

Autumn Days (in words)

Today has been a beautiful autumn day...cool and crisp with lovely sunny skies. Whilst it isn't my favourite season (I don't really know if I have one to be honest), there are certainly many things that I appreciate about it, and I thought I'd share a few of them today:

• The beautiful colours of the autumn leaves...I adore the reds and oranges, yellows and browns and hearing their crunch when they're underfoot is music to my ears!!
• Halloween!! Whilst I'm no longer a child myself, and don't often celebrate the occasion in a big way, I still love lots of things about the date. Seeing little trick or treaters in cute costumes, and sometimes getting the chance to dress up myself, pumpkin lanterns which add an eerie glow to many a house, eating themed food...all fabulous in my book!!
• Chilly autumn mornings when you can see your breath and the crisp, bright days that follow. I do know that we get rainy autumn days too...but I'm choosing to ignore that fact (hell, it's my blog and I can do what I like!!)
• Buying new autumn clothes and rediscovering old favourites...I love wrapping up in cardigans and am looking forward to being able to wear my cosy boots again!!
• Conkers...As a child, the start of the conker season was one of the main heralds of autumn for me, alongside the start of a new school year of course, and I still love collecting a few of them when I'm out walking. However, even though these days I'm particularly discerning and only pick the shiniest and most beautiful looking ones, I've still got quite a few and I'm not quite sure where I should put them or what I should do with them!!
• The smoky scent of bonfires and fireworks...Even though I hate fireworks and so am not overly fond of Bonfire Night, I love the smells associated with it, and the smoky, slightly foggy atmosphere that lingers for a day or two afterwards. And being the food lover that I am, I also look forward to such treats as parkin (a dark and sticky ginger cake made with treacle and oats) and treacle and cinder toffees :-)
• Dark autumn evenings spent watching TV or reading and curling up near the warm fire (I would describe it as roaring but that would be an exaggeration considering our fire is gas powered lol!!)
• Autumn baking and cooking...This is the first autumn that I've really got into baking/cooking and I'm looking forward to making lots of seasonal treats including parkin, halloween biscuits, gingerbread, soup and lots of apple and pumpkin based cakes. I can't wait!!

And those are a few of my favourite autumn things!! What are yours?? I'd love to hear from you :-)

Till next time...

PS: I was intending to include some pretty pictures with this post, but we heart it is being slow and I'm getting impatient, so you're just going to have to wait till another day! I'll post an autumn days picture post soon, I promise!

Some beauty favourites...Part 1

Like most girls, I'm interested in the way I look, and as a result, I always enjoy both buying, and also being bought, new beauty products. So much so that, again like many of us, I have far too many of them. Some of which I've tried and don't like, so they've been banished to the back of the cupboard. Others I do like but, as I have so many of that particular kind of product or don't have much need for them in my daily routine, they don't get used that often. Then there are the ones that have never even been used due to my desire to use up open products first. And finally, and by far the smallest category, are the products I use regularly...all of which I like using; some of which I love! Those are my favourites, and they're what I'm going to share with you right now:

Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Foundation
I've been using this for a while now; over 2 years I think, and when I first purchased it I was basically just jumping on the bandwagon. I'd seen the adverts proclaiming it to be Britain's bestselling foundation and decided to see what the fuss was about. And I've never looked back (maybe sideways...but more about that later!) And why do I love this? Well, for quite a few reasons. Firstly, I love the coverage. As someone who suffers from redness and frequent blemishes, especially around my T zone, I need a foundation that neutralises and covers these and Dream Matte Mousse does just that. Also, it's longlasting...if I've been working or for a night out, I may need to do a mini touch up once, but other than that, no action is required. And loads always comes off on my remover wipe when taking it off. It's also reasonably priced, easy to apply and blend and one jar lasts a long time.

Bourjois 10 Hour Sleep Effect Foundation
Right now I suppose you might be thinking "If you love the first foundation so much, why bother with another?" Well, I'll tell you. Despite the fact I love the mousse, I think it's a bit too heavy and matte looking for summer wear...I want something lighter and fresher looking. And this is where this comes in. Not only does it leave my skin glowing; almost radiant in fact, it also has a gorgeous smell and is longlasting. Now, as it provides lighter coverage than the first, it does mean that I often have to add a couple of minutes onto my make up routine...using concealer and/or Dream Matte Mousse on any spots/blemishes before the Bourjois, and then dusting pressed powder over my T zone afterwards, but for the look it gives, I think it's well worth it.

Rimmel Extra Super Lash Lash Building Mascara
Now when it comes to mascara, I've experimented with a fair few in my time. From budget (Primark and Natural Collection) to high end (Benefit) and volumising to lengthening. I've tried those with white base coats and waterproof varieties. There've been big brushes, standard brushes and bendy plastic wands. But the one I've always come back to is this this one. Why? Because it does exactly what it says on the tin. It truly "builds a natural to dramatic look". One coat and I'm ready for work or a night in with friends. Two or three...and it's party time!! Whilst it may not be waterproof, it is longlasting and at the cheaper end for a brand name mascara. So really, what's not to love?

Urban Decay Lube in a Tube Miami
I came across this product by chance in a local discount fashion and beauty shop (Ethel Austin) for, I think, £1.50 and was instantly attracted by four things: the colour, the description on the packaging, the fact that it was Urban Decay and, of course, the price! Basically this is my favourite lip product because it combines all the things I like in one...it has the moisturising properties of a balm (thanks to the shea butter which is one of its ingredients) with the pigmentation you'd expect from a lipstick or gloss. So for someone with limited room in their make up bag (a la me) it's ideal! As well as moisturising and giving my lips a lovely reddy-pinky colourcolour, it also gives them the tingliest feeling on application. I'm not quite sure why (maybe it's the mint which is another active ingredient), but it's definitely a pleasant sensation :-) In terms of reapplication, I'd normally put another coat on every couple of hours or so, which is pretty standard for me when it comes to lip products, so it isn't disappointing in that sense either.

And that's all for now...stay tuned for some more favourites coming up!! What are your favourite make up products/brands?? Let me know...it'll be great to hear from you :-)

Till next time...