Wednesday 27 February 2013

SHARING THE LOVE

Hello lovelies! Hope you're all having a fab day. I thought today I'd do the first of hopefully many 'share the love' posts. In each of these posts, I'll share a few of my favourite blogs at the moment and why I love them. I have a favourite blogs page but I think this is a slightly more personal way to share the love for other bloggers! I'll be looking for new blogs to add all the time, so definitely leave your link for me to check out below.
Anyway, onto the blogs!

 Lauren Ella
Lauren's blog is an absolute joy to read. I love her writing style and she has one of the prettiest layouts ever! She also has a youtube channel and is an absolute joy to watch. She does great posts and videos that are a fab mix of beauty, fashion and lifestyle. Her outfit posts always have such fun photos and her style is so unique and gorgeous!

Couture Girl
I'm sure a lot of you will have already heard of Kayleigh's blog, Couture Girl, but if you haven't you should definitely check it out! Her blog is an absolute joy to read, she does a lot of super detailed reviewed, which I love. It's so helpful to get a full, in depth review of something and Kayleigh's blog is perfect for that. I also have major hair envy for this girl!!

Ariel is one of my all time favourite bloggers and one I've known since the beginning, we've done several swaps and I'm pretty sure she knows my taste just as well as I do! It's great to have made such a great friend through blogging - and it's so cool to have a friend in Canada! Ariel's blog is absolutely lovely, she's another blogger who has a Youtube, her videos are absolutely fantastic so definitely check her out! 

Autumn Leaves
Rebecca's blog is such a lovely one to read. She's done some amazing lifestyle posts lately and seems to share my love for Soap & Glory ;). I absolutely love her hauls and I can't go on her blog without wanting to have a serious spending spree! Also - how cute is her background?

Copper Garden
Copper Garden is the gorgeous blog written by the lovely Jess, who I've been chatting to on twitter and such more and more recently. She's such a sweetie and her blog is so great to read. I always have serious wardrobe envy whenever she posts an outfit of the day, her style is incredible! I also love watching Jess on Youtube, she's definitely a first watch in my subscriptions.

Hope you enjoyed this post, and as I said, leave your links below, or links of blogs you're loving lately so I can check them out!

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Tuesday 26 February 2013

CONFESSIONS OF A BLOGGER TAG



Hello lovelies! I hope you're all good and having a fab day. I had my first day at my new job today. The Salon is great and staff are lovely so all in all a very good day on my end! I recently saw this tag post on Kayleigh's blogx-couturegirl-x.blogspot.co.uk (one of my absolute favourites, go check her out if you don't already know her!) and I thought it looked like such a fun tag. I loved reading Kayleigh's answers so I hope you all enjoy reading mine. I think this is a great way to get to know more about the blog you're reading and it's cool to know where it all began! So, ramble over, onto the questions.

When did you start your blog?
I started my blog in April last year, so Chloe's Way has been going for almost a year now. It's mad how quickly it's gone and while I don't have a huge amount of followers, I'm surprised and delighted at how far it's come and how many doors blogging has opened for me.

Have you had any past online presence before (Other blog, YouTube)?
Oh where to begin? I had a previous beauty blog called The Beauty Corner, which I'd had for over a year when Chloe's Way was born. I also had the Ramble Corner, which was going to be dedicated to lifestyle posts. The Beauty Corner was originally going to stay as my beauty blog, with Chloe's Way dedicated to fashion, but I wasn't happy with the layout, name, domain etc, so instead of re-vamping, I decided to leave the Beauty Corner and the Ramble Corner behind and have Chloe's Way as my all in one beauty, fashion and lifestyle blog. Confusing enough for you? 

Why did you start a blog?
Honestly, I'm not sure what made me start blogging. I started my first blog because I wanted a little place on the internet to ramble on about beauty and fashion instead of endlessly spouting information to my friends and family. I'd always had an interest in beauty and fashion but never really had a way to express it and I suppose that's why I started blogging. That's such a cliche but it's true!

When did you become serious about starting a blog?
To be honest, I don't think I've ever taken blogging too seriously. As I said, it can be an amazing thing and it has opened so many doors for me, blogging was a huge advantage point in the interview for the Salon I now work for. They wanted me to help out with their blog and now that's a huge part of what I do! However, despite the fact that blogging can be such a great thing, I don't think it's good to view it as anything but a hobby. There is no point starting a blog if you're just in it for the freebies and advertising money, because you will be disappointed. A good blog takes work and motivation, but it should also be fun. I look at anything else that comes along with it as an unexpected and fantastic bonus!

What was your first post?
My first post on Chloe's Way was an outfit of the day post - as were all my posts at the beginning. As I said, Chloe's Way was originally dedicated purely to fashion posts and I would post an outfit post almost every single day. I look back at most some of the outfits now and think what was I thinking when I got dressed that day? But that's all part of the fun I suppose!

What has been your biggest challenge about blogging?
In all honesty, I'm not sure. I never really worried about friends/ family or other people finding out because I was at college and pass all the silly high school days where people can be quite judgmental, so I didn't really have that to worry about. Although I do understand why some people feel the need to keep their blog a secret, it's a shame that people feel that way and it's ridiculous that people would ever view such a fab hobby as anything but a good thing but people in school can be bitchy! But as I said, I was in College when I started blogging and anyone that did know about it was quite interested. I'd say the biggest challenge for me was getting my blog 'out there'. When I first started, I was often discouraged looking at other, much bigger blogs and thinking 'why do they have so many more followers?', 'how come my blog isn't as good as that?', but I think after a while you get past that and learn to love and enjoy your blog despite the followers and page views.

Where do you see your blog in one year?
I think that's near impossible to say really. I'll definitely still be blogging in a year's time but as for followers, advertisers and such, I'm not sure. And to be honest, I don't mind, I'm so grateful for all of the loyal followers I have now, all the companies I've worked with etc etc and if I get more of them, that'd be absolutely fab, but it's not to say I'm about to give it all up if I don't, I love blogging too much to worry about all that.

What is the most rewarding thing to you about blogging?
This would definitely be reading all the sweet comments, tweets and emails from my lovely followers. It still amazes me that people all over the world actually read what I have to say! I love getting comments telling me I've inspired someones outfit, or encouraged them to buy a product. Knowing you've influenced or inspired someone is really cool. Another thing that's been fantastic is getting to know all of you. I've gotten to know so many wonderful bloggers in the time I've been blogging and I'd love to get to know many more!

What is the most discouraging thing that happens to you?
In all honesty, I don't really find anything too discouraging. As I said, when I first started blogging, I used to get discouraged by comparing myself to others, but I'm past that now so nothing really worries me. I've been very lucky and haven't had to deal with any nasty comments or anything like that. I think you should try not to let anything discourage you or get you down, your blog is your hobby and you should enjoy it!

What's your lasting inspiration or motivation?
My inspiration is usually other bloggers. It's definitely not a good idea to copy other blogs or try to be a replica of them, but it's definitely great to be inspired by them. I've had bloggers tell me I've inspired their blogging style or even to start their own blog - which is amazing! I don't really need anything in particular to motivate me, if I buy something new, or try a product I love, the first thing I want to do is write about it on my blog! Blogging is something I do as a hobby and I love it. You don't need to motivate yourself to blog, if you don't fancy it one day, just leave it until you do - I'm sure all your followers will be there when you get back!

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! Let me know if you do this tag yourself as it's such a fun one to read!


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Monday 25 February 2013

JOHN FRIEDA FRIZZ-EASE





Hello lovelies! Hope you're all having a fab day, I've been feeling a bit poorly all weekend and today but I start my new job tomorrow so that's pretty exciting! Anyway, I was recently sent these products from the lovely people at John Frieda and I was really excited to give them a go. I've never tried the Frizz-Ease range, because as I've never had massively frizzy hair (apart from slightly dry ends), I didn't think it would be necessary. However, when I got these in the post, I thought I'd give them a go anyway as I'd heard great things and as I do dye my hair, I thought it might help smooth down my slightly frizzy ends.

So, I got the Straight Ahead Shampoo, which claims to 'smooth, shine and align frizzy hair for easier straight styling. It is also supposed to 'nourish, soften and hydrate'. It is developed for all types of dry, frizz-prone hair. It is safe for colour treated hair too which is fab. Honestly, I'm not too fussy with shampoos, but I did really like this one. It made my hair feel super clean and didn't dry my hair out like some shampoos and made it feel nice and smooth too. The scent is nice and it lathers up really well too. I usually like to use John Frieda's Go Blonder shampoo, but as this is good for coloured hair and dry hair too, it's a lovely one to use every other time I wash my hair, as I don't want to overload it with the lightening shampoo.

Next up is the lovely Smooth Start Hydrating Conditioner. This is formulated for all hair types and it claims to Nourish each and every strand of hair to replenish lost moisture and restore the hair's natural defence against frizz. Which I definitely agree with. It makes my hair feel so soft and smooth and helps with my dry ends too. I usually have to use a deep conditioner or treatment as my every day conditioner to keep my hair in good condition, but that can sometimes be a bit much and weigh my hair down a bit so this is fast becoming my favourite 'every day' conditioner.

The last product I was sent was the Frizz-Ease hair serum, extra strength formula. I've never actually tried a product like this before but I'm so glad to have had the chance to give it a go. I was a bit worried as it's the extra strength formula, but I really love it! You put this on after conditioning your hair in the shower and it is supposed to 'transform' frizzy hair to make it smooth and sleek. While I can't speak for those with super frizzy hair, it definitely smoothed down my dry ends and made my hair loads smoother. I didn't need to straighten at all after blow drying which is great! My hair usually blow dries straight naturally, but ends up a little wavy after a while, but after using this it stayed straight for two days (I wash my hair every other day). I definitely think I'll buy this again when I've used it up, but I might try the lighter formulas, just to see how they compare to this one.

Overall, I've really loved all of these products and would recommend the range to anyone who struggles with even slightly dry or frizzy hair. Even if your hair is straight, it will definitely hydrate and smooth it out a lot.

Hope you enjoyed this post! 

Have you tried this range? What are your thoughts?

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Sunday 24 February 2013

LITTLE HAUL, KORRES, SOAP & GLORY





Hi lovelies! Hope you're all having a great day. I mentioned in yesterdays post that I was going to do a bit of celebratory shopping and I thought I'd do a mini haul of what I managed to get. I'm not having much luck with the shops lately and can't seem to find much in the way of clothes in stores but I did manage to pick up a few bath and body type bits and bobs so I thought I'd share them with you all.

My local TK Maxx has been amazing lately, you do have to sort through a lot of rubbish but if you're willing to take your time (almost an hour, sorry Darren!), you really can find some gems. I've found Korres in TK Maxx before, but usually just single items so I was really pleased to find this little Guava set. I actually only picked it up because it had a lip butter in it and I've never seen one of the lip butters in TK Maxx before! I also thought the little shower gel and body butter would come in handy. The Guava scent is lovely, it's light a fresh and very clean smelling, great for when you don't want anything to heavily scented or strong. The body butter is supposed to be extra moisturising and as this strange weather is playing havoc with my skin I thought it'd be good to give this a go. I'll definitely update you all on my thoughts on this little set!

Then as I still had some of my Soap & Glory vouchers left and they were on 3 for 2, I decided to pick up a few things I hadn't tried before. I decided to try the Girligo moisturising body mist, as I've heard great things and when I gave it a sniff in store, it smelt gorgeous! I've tried this already and I'm loving it so far. It smells lovely and feels lightly moisturising too. I also thought I'd give the Pulp Friction body scrub a go, as I finished the Sugar Crush scrub, I'm quickly getting through The Breakfast Scrub and I want to try another one to see which is my favourite! I then picked up the Endless Glove hand cream/ mask too, as it smells the same as the Pulp Friction scrub (the Fruitigo scent) and I love Hand Food, so I figured this was worth a try for extra dry hands thanks to the weird weather!

So that's all I got! Let me know if you like these mini hauls or if you'd rather I did bigger ones less often?
I'll probably review most of these but if there's anything you'd particularly like to see, let me know.


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Saturday 23 February 2013

WEEKEND WISHES


Hi lovelies, happy Saturday! Hope you've all had a fab week and have a lovely weekend planned. I've had a great week as I've just got a new job! It's in an absolutely lovely salon near to where I live so I'm super excited about that. I'll be working Saturdays after this week, but I don't mind that really, shopping on Saturdays can be a bit of a nightmare. Although I'm off out shopping with the boyfriend today to celebrate - it has to be done sometimes. So, with this in mind I decided a wishlist post was pretty appropriate! 

How cute is this dress from Topshop? I can't wait for the weather to perk up a bit so we can get away with natural tights without looking crazy, or, dare I say it, no tights *gasp*. It feels a lifetime away right now but I can dream! I'd probably style this with military style boots (what don't I style with military boots?) and a leather jacket in the springtime, I love simple outfits like that - so cute.

I've only got one YSL lipstick, but I absolutely adore it. They are a little on the pricey side but whipping the super shiny packaging out of my handbag makes any guilty feelings go away. From swatches I've seen online this looks like the most perfect nude, but I'm going to have to wait to swatch it in a store to make sure!

Now I know what some of you may be thinking and yes, I do already have this bag in cream, BUT, it's such fab quality for the price and I don't actually own a black bag. (Not one I use at least). I don't often do the 'buy one in every colour' thing, but I may have to make an exception for this little beauty.

I get through make up bags so quickly and the lovely one I got for Christmas is already looking a little untidy! I think these Ted Baker ones are fab because they're so big, you can fit so much in them and they're plastic so they can be wiped clean. They're on the pricey side, but if it's going to last, I think it's worth the investment.

The final thing on my wishlist is another pricey product, but bronzer is the only product I've never had a high end version of. I think Nars Laguna looks so gorgeous. I know it's crazy hyped and everyone and their dog has one and though I'm very late on this one, I'm still desperate to give it a go. It might be another one I need to see in person before taking the plunge mind you! Let me know if you'd recommend this as I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Hope you enjoyed this post! What are you lusting after lately?

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Thursday 21 February 2013

I HEART HIGHSTREET MAKE UP TAG


Hi lovelies! Hope you're all good and have had a fab day. I've been meaning to do this tag for a while now because I think it's such an interesting one to read. High end make-up feels a little bit more special, but there really are some gems on the highstreet so I thought I'd give my take on this tag. I changed 'drugstore' to high street, because I wanted to include some make up from high street shops and we don't call it drugstore in the UK and I feel a bit silly saying it! Anyway, let's get into the questions!

The Questions:

1. What is your favorite drugstore makeup brand overall?
This was really, really difficult and I could only really narrow it down to two (oops!). For me, it's a tie between Soap & Glory and Topshop make up. Soap & Glory do the best eyeshadows I've ever found on the high street. While they don't have a wide range, the lid stuff palettes are my absolute HG eyeshadows. I also love their mascaras and the supercat eyeliner. As for Topshop, their lipsticks, nail polishes and blushes are absolutely amazing. And me being me, the packaging from both brands sways me slightly too!



2. What are your favorite face, cheek and lip products?
Face - definitely my Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation. It's amazing! I actually think it's better than most of the high end foundations I've ever tried. I actually did a full review of it here if you'd like to see that.
Cheek - This has to be the Look Beauty 'Make Me Blush' in the shade Rosy. It's a gorgeous peachy pink with shimmer. As I usually wear matte eyeshadows I like to go for a bit of shimmer on my cheeks. It's not too shimmery so you won't look like a disco ball, but it has just enough to give you a bit of glow.
Lips - This has to be Topshop lipsticks in general, rumour has it they're made by the same people as MAC's, but don't quote me on that. The formulation is gorgeous and they come in a fab range of colours. Some of my favourites are Nevada, Macaroon, Whimsical and Saint - I really want to try a red though!


3. Least favorite product?
This was quite a difficult one to think of as I usually really look into products before I buy them, so although sometimes something might disappoint, I don't often hate a product. However, I once picked up the Collection 2000 Cover Up Stick concealer on a whim when I needed a concealer and was short on cash and I can't stand it! As the lasting perfection concealer was so amazing I figured this would would be pretty good too but I was so wrong! For me, this has very little coverage and looks cakey far too easily for my liking. There may be some people out there that love this but it's just not for me at all!


4. What is the best makeup bargain?
This has to be the elf make up brushes! Not all of them are so great, but I love these two eyeshadow brushes. They're only £1.50 each, I've had them for around two years and they're still going strong! They're super soft and work perfectly for applying and blending eyeshadows. They still hardly shed at all after all that time too which is amazing.


5. What is your favorite underdog product? (Something you love that often gets overlooked?)
For me, the Accessorize blushes are a major underdog in the make up world. They're a fab cheap alternative to a MAC Mineralize blushes and are great for a 'night out' blush as they're so shimmery. They last really well on the skin too. Although I'm sure a lot of people love these, I haven't seen many people talk about them in the bloggy world so that's why they're my underdog.


6. A drugstore product that is overpriced?
While I absolutely adore these, I do think the real techniques brushes are bit expensive to be sat on the shelves in Boots! I know Boots do stock premium brands sometimes, but my local Boots doesn't and they still have these brushes so I consider them to be high street brushes! They are definitely worth every penny, but I think if you're looking for brushes on the high street, you may not expect to pay as much as these retail for. 


7. Show your best drugstore dupe!
I think if you're on the lookout for a fab nude, Topshop Nevada is very similar to MAC Creme D'nude. It's a tiny bit sheerer and not so shiny, as Creme D'nude is a cremesheen finish, but Nevada is buildable and has almost the exact same effect on the lips. Love it!



8. Drugstore product that isn't worth the hype?
I'm sorry, but I think Barry M nail polishes in general are over hyped. Please don't hate me! It's not that I don't like them and I think the glitter polishes are fab, but the cream polishes just don't do it for me. While I do own a lot of them because they're so cheap, I just don't think they're that great. They don't last very long on my nails at all, I'm lucky if I get to the end of the day without chips usually. I'll give them that the colour range is fab and I do use them if I just want my nails to match an outfit, but otherwise I just don't think they're all that. Although I do want to try the Gelly and textured ones!


Hope you enjoyed this post - I tag you all!
Let me know what you think and definitely comment if you've done this tag, I'd love to see it!

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Wednesday 20 February 2013

LUSH COMFORTER BUBBLE BAR REVIEW




Good evening lovelies! Hope you've all had a great day. I'm sat here with the boyfriend who's currently flicking between the Brits and the Football so I thought I'd do some blogging to distract myself from the TV Tennis he's got going on. I'm just not that into the Brits to be honest, or any award show really - I like the music but the speeches and whatnot just don't do it for me. I do love seeing the outfits on Glamour Mag's website the day after mind you.

Anyway, I thought today I'd review something I'm absolutely loving right now - my Lush Comforter Bubble Bar! I mentioned this in a haul post a little while ago, I'd used it in the past as I'd borrowed a bit from my sister once or twice but never actually bought my own. So since I had a lovely full bubble bar to photograph and use all myself, I thought it was about time I shared my thoughts with you all, because who doesn't want to hear about a product that turns your bath pink? No one doesn't.

I've been so eager to review this, even though every blogger and their dog has probably already heard of/ used it before, but in case you haven't, I'm going to try to convert you. This bar is pretty much a solid bubble bath, which in itself, is cool enough to make me want to buy it. But if that doesn't sway you, the scent, colour and super cute swirly candy pink and white design should do! This big bar of loveliness will set you back £4.25, which I think for a Lush product is a pretty good deal. You can break it up into lots of pieces (you'd probably only need about half the size of the piece I'd broken off in the photo, which I learnt when I got in the bath and the bubbles actually tipped over the sides - oops), and crumble it into the water to create a lovely pink, bubbly, black current scented bath. I've used this three times myself and my sister's used a piece once and I still think I could get another two or three uses out of it so that's six baths for £4.25, which is great! I use this only when I want an extra special pamper night, so it lasts me a while and it could last even longer if you use smaller pieces too!

The actual bar itself melts into the bath water really well, which I love because I hate feeling grainy bits on the bottom of the bath, it makes me cringe! It fills the whole room with the gorgeous scent, but also manages not to be too overpowering (put it this way, your bathroom will smell like the bubble bar only - and not a whole lush store!). It has essential oils in it so it is somewhat moisturising too. I don't have particularly sensitive skin, but some product can give my skin a weird sort of dry/ tight feeling - nothing a body lotion can't sort out, but it's nice to have products like this that don't have me running for the moisturiser straight after! And above all, have I mentioned it turns your bath pink? Pink. How can you resist?

Have you tried this? What's your favourite bathtime treat?

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Tuesday 19 February 2013

MY EVERYDAY EYE




Hi Lovelies! Hope you're all having a great start to the week! Not much going on here at the moment, Darren and I went into town this morning, he managed to get a few things but not much luck for me! I can't find anything I want at the moment at all, I find clothes shopping so rubbish at this time of year, the shops are at that awkward 'between' stage, winter's sort of over, but spring's not quite here yet. Does anyone else know what I mean? So annoying!

Anyway, I thought I'd share my currently everyday eye look with you all today. It's not too interesting really, but what I love about it is that it's all from my Soap & Glory 'Lid Stuff' palette in 'What's Nude'. It's only £10, making it just £2.50 per shadow and it's fab! I did a full review of it here.

I've used MAC's Painterly Paint Pot as my eyeshadow base for almost two years now and I'm still on my first pot! I'm pretty sure that's not the most hygienic thing in my make up bag but it still looks and works absolutely great so whatever! It creates a really smooth, neutral base for your eyeshadows and they stay put all day. They cost £14.50 each, which at a first glance, seems pretty steep but considering the fact I've used it every day for about two years and it's still not run out, I'm pretty happy with that! Not having to repurchase another primer for a good two years (or more, if you're prepared to use it for as long as me) is fine by me.

As for eyeshadow, I use the lightest colour in my palette (Vanilla) all over and as a highlight, with the second lightest/ neutral colour (Pink T) in the centre and outer third of my eye as a base colour, with Mud Honey, the matte brown shade in the crease and outer corner. What I love about this palette is that the shadows are almost completely matte, which is great for an everyday look. However, I do sometimes use the shimmery shade in the outer corner too for a bit of a different look. These blend like a dream and the darker colours are very buildable so the look can be as dramatic or natural as you like. I bought this because I was trying to resist buying the naked basics palette, which is double the price for only two more (smaller) shadows and I'm so glad I went for this instead! Definitely check it out if you're on the lookout for a great neutral palette.

As for eyeshadow and mascara, I've been using my Soap & Glory Supercat liner, also reviewed here, which is great for doing your make up quickly. The pen design makes it super simple to use and you can get a nice neat line super easily. For mascara, I curl my lashes, then use two coats of CoverGirl Lashblast for length and definition, followed by one coat of Soap & Glory's Thick and Fast mascara for a little more volume and 'blackness'.

Then that's pretty much it! I'm not sure how interesting or useful this was, but I'm not sure I've ever done a make up look on here so I thought I'd start out with something simple.

Let me know what you think!

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Sunday 17 February 2013

MARBLE CUPCAKES


With the cold weather lately, Darren and I haven't really been in the mood for going out, so the other evening we decided to do some baking and I thought it'd be the perfect time to do my first ever baking post - how to make cupcakes!. These are such a simple and fun cakes to make so definitely give them a go if you're into baking.
You will need:
160g self raising flour
160g caster sugar
160g butter/ margarine
3 eggs
2 teaspoons cocoa powder (you can adapt this depending on taste)
First, you need to preheat the oven to 180° and set out cupcake cases in a tin (as you can see we needed extra tins, so if you may need more than one tin if you don't want to throw any mixture away!) mix together the butter and sugar until smooth, then whisk the 3 eggs together in a separate bowl. You then add the whisked eggs to the butter and sugar mixture a little at a time, stirring it in each time you add a bit. When this is smooth, you fold in the flour until it's all well mixed together.
Now for the fun bit! You want to separate the mixture half and half into two bowls. Then add the cocoa powder to one of the bowls and mix well. Then add a spoonful of each mixture to each cupcake case and swirl the two together with a knife to create swirly patters.
Bake for around 15 minutes, or until they start going brown, take them out, leave them to cool then enjoy!
This recipe was inspired by this one from http://bakingmad.com/ - I didn't have the exact ingredients that they  used on there so I improvised! You can check out the website for loads of amazing recipes including a lovely simple sponge cake recipe!

Hope you enjoyed this, let me know if you'd like to see more baking posts.
What do you think? Would you like to try making these?

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SOAP & GLORY SIT TIGHT REVIEW


Hi lovelies! Hope you're all having fab weekend, I've been having quite a busy one so looking forward to a lovely night in in front of the TV with the boyfriend tonight! My Dad flies out to New York for work today so I'm thinking of asking him to pick me up a couple of American Beauty/ Make-Uppy bits, if anyone has any suggestions I'd love to hear them.

Anyway, I mentioned I'd bought Soap & Glory Sit Tight a little while ago and a lot people wanted a review. However, as this is a body firming/ tightening product, it does take a little while to see results so I had to use it for a little while to make sure I was giving it a fair test. This product claims to tighten your thighs/ hips/ bum and reduce cellulite/ stretchmarks. The product is applied with rollerballs, which massage to stimulate circulation and lymphatic drainage. I bought this to see if it would help tone my thighs at all and reduce the little stretchmarks I have on my thighs thanks to puberty! I should say, I do exercise to keep myself toned and this is no quick fix, do not expect to drop a dress size using this alone!

That said, I've had this for about a month now and so far I'm quite impressed. Though I've never been too worried about stretch marks (mine are very tiny), I figured it wouldn't hurt to try to improve what was there. I use this every three days or thereabouts, on my hips where the marks are and the tops of my thighs and my bum (cheeky), just to test where I could see the most improvement. After using this every few days for a month, the marks I have have improved somewhat, they're not gone completely but I do think if I keep remembering to use this, they might eventually disappear. As for toning, I do notice it very very slightly, but again, I think I'd have to use the entire bottle to notice a big difference. One thing I feel I should mention as well, is that my legs are already somewhat toned through exercise and my stretch marks were only very slight as I got them back in that 'becoming a woman' time and they've had time to go down on their own!

So overall, I would recommend this product and maybe if I'd used it everyday, I'd have noticed an even bigger difference by now, but I'm so bad at remembering things like this! If like me, you don't have anything dramatic to improve, you'll probably love this, however if you have particularly bad 'needs', then this is still a fab product, but bear in mind it won't happen overnight!

Hope this was helpful, let me know if you've tried/ would like to try this!

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Friday 15 February 2013

WET LOOK SKATER SKIRT


Top - AX Paris *
Skirt - Karma Clothing *
Socks - Primark 
Boots - Ebay
Bracelet - Topshop
Hat - H&M

Hi lovelies! Hope you're all having a lovely Friday and had a fab Valentines day. I haven't done many outfit posts recently and I don't know why as I love doing them. Let me know if you'd like to see more of them. 
I was sent this gorgeous wet look skater skirt from Karma Clothing recently and I absolutely love it. I've been on the hunt for a wet look/ leather look skater skirt for so long and hadn't found the perfect one yet, so when Karma Clothing got in touch I jumped on the opportunity! I styled the skirt with this cream lace t-shirt, (which is really old, but you can definitely find similar ones about) sheer black tights, studded army green knee length socks, military boots and a beanie. I love this outfit because it's actually pretty simple, I'm just wearing a skirt and t-shirt technically, but the tiny details make it much more interesting. 
This skirt is only £7.99 from Karma Clothing (linked above in pink) which is fab! Their prices are fantastic and they have so many gorgeous pieces. The quality of this skirt is fantastic, so if you're on a budget but don't want to compromise on quality definitely take a peek.

What do you think? Let me know if you'd like to see more outfit posts like I used to do!

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Thursday 14 February 2013

MY SKINCARE ROUTINE


Hi lovelies! Happy Valentines Day! I hope you're all having a lovely day whatever you're doing. I'm going shopping then out to dinner with Darren later, nothing too fancy as it is a bit of a gimmick really, but any excuse for a meal out and soppy presents is fine by me! Anyway, I've been meaning to do this post for a while now, as I find them really interesting when other people do them and I've finally found what works for my skin (which is normal/ combination, with a slightly oily t-zone and normal cheeks, with larger pores around my nose, for the record!). So I thought this would be useful to those with similar skin types to me, or just if you're on the look out for some new products.


 Cleansing/ Toning

Garnier Simply Essentials 2 in 1 Make Up Remover - I use this to remove my face and eye make up before bed and before cleansing. I've spoken about this in previous posts so you probably know how much I love it by now. It's an oil/ water forumla that you shake up to mix the separate liquids and put on a cotton pad to use. It removes every trace of make up, including difficult to remove mascara. I think this is due to the fact that it's oil based. This may scare you off if you have slightly oily skin, but I've never had problems with it as I always use a face wash or separate cleanser afterwards.
Soap & Glory Peaches & Clean Cleansing Milk - I really have been meaning to do a full review on this as I love it so much! Again, if you have oily skin, you might usually back away from Cleansing Milks but this one if definitely worth a go. It makes your skin feel super clean and soft, without drying out dry skin, or being a nuisance for oily skin. I use this after taking my make up off using my Sephora Precision Pore Cleansing Pad (far right) and it gets off any last traces of oil/ dirt/ make up and makes my skin feel lovely. The smell is gorgeous too (if you like artificial peaches!). Despite being obviously heavily scented, I don't think this is a harsh cleanser at all, but if you're sensitive to fragrance, or don't like strong scents on your face this one might be a no no for you, but I love it! 
Korres 3 in 1 White Tea Cleansing Water - This is my lazy product for when I've had a busy day/ night out or am just too tired for the long trek to the bathroom (being human and all), I use this on a cotton pad to double cleanse my face after taking my make up off with the Garnier make up remover. This gets off all last traces of make up/ dirt and makes my face feel almost as fresh as when I've just used a face wash. I refuse to use face wipes, even after a night out, so this is my little savior for when properly washing my face at night seems too much like hard work. 
Garnier Simply Essentials Soothing Toner - This is just the toner that goes with the Garnier make up remover, it's the sensitive skin formula. I don't really have too much to say about this as I'm not fussy with toners. However I do like to use one as toner closes your pores and no body wants open pores. Ain't no body got time for that. This one does the job and it's super cheap so that's fab.


Moisturising

Soap & Glory Glow Job Moisturiser - I use this moisturiser before my make up whenever I feel like I need a little pick me up. It has 'bronzeburst' particles in it, which create a gorgeous sunkissed look, which just makes me feel a bit more alive if I'm having a 'meh' morning. This is a bit tricky for those morning when you've slept past your alarm and need to get ready in a hurry however as it does take some blending to get the bronzing beads to create an even look, but once they do, it's absolutely gorgeous! On a good skin day, I can wear this on it's own as it looks so lovely.
Soap & Glory Clear Here Moisturiser -  This is my everyday moisturiser at the moment, its targeted towards oily skin - and while my skin isn't generally too oily, I do find a light moisturiser works better for me so I decided on a whim to give this a go a while ago and I'm so glad I did. While it is very light, it still leaves my skin feeling moisturised and soft, it also has a slightly mattifying effect as well as slightly reducing the appearance of pores. While this works really well for me, I'm not sure it'd be great for drier skin types as it really is a very light moisturiser. However, if you have oily, combination or normal skin and would like a light moisturiser, then this is for you. While I don't get many spots, my skin has been a lot clearer and more even since adding this to my skincare routine - bonus!
Good Things Bright Eyes Eye Cream - Eye cream is probably the one thing I tend to neglect in my skincare routine, but since adding this back into my routine, I've had to use a lot less concealer under my eyes! I don't have a huge issue with dark circles or puffy eyes, but I've been a bit of an insomniac lately for no apparent reason and this has definitely improved the little problems I did have after one too many early mornings. It's targeted towards young skin, but still has anti-aging properties, which is great because it means it's not too heavy duty, but still prevents early aging - you're never too young to start!


Treatments and Masks

Soap & Glory Scrub Your Nose In It - Are we sensing a bit of a theme? I really think Soap & Glory have nailed it with their skincare, which is why it makes up most of my current skincare routine! My exfoliator of the moment is Scrub Your Nose in it, which is fab for getting rid of dead skin and clearing pores. It makes my skin feel super smooth and very clean without making it feel too tight. 
Soap & Glory The Fab Pore Facial Peel - This is my favourite face mask at the moment, I use it twice a week - which might be too much but it's been fine so far (touch wood!). I've only had it a little while but it's been fab for clearing my pores and generally making my skin look more healthy. My face feels super smooth and fresh when I use this. As mentioned at the beginning of the post, I have larger pores around my nose and this has done a great job of keeping them clear and they definitely seem visibly reduced. I will do a full review when I've used this a little longer.
Soap & Glory Dr Spot - As I said before, I don't get too many spots, but when I do, I like to have a little treatment like this handy to stop them getting too scary. I've only had this a little while and haven't had too many spots in the time I've had it. However, I did have one very tiny one that I caught before it got bad and this got rid of it over night! I was seriously impressed.


Lips

Lush Sweet Lips Lip Scrub - Lip products probably don't really belong in my skincare routine, but here we are. I use a lip scrub about 3 times a week or whenever my lips are chapped and I love them. I've used a few from lush but the Sweet Lips one is my current favourite, it smells of chocolate which is really nice and it works really well. I'm aware you can make lip scrubs at home for about 10 pence per pot or something ridiculous like that but it's not quite the same is it?
Soap & Glory A Great Kisser Lip Balm - I've been loving the Soap & Glory A Great Kisser Lip Balm as my every day balm lately. This is the Vanilla Bean one, it smells and tastes nice which is great but it also works really well too. It keeps my lips super soft and gives them a lovely pinky peach sheen.
Carmex - When my lips need a bit of TLC due to this horrible winter weather, Carmex is a life saver. It soothes and relieves sore, chapped lips and leaves them soft, moisturised and kissable. (perfect for Valentines day!!)

What do you think? What skincare items are you loving lately?
Let me know if you'd like any full reviews. Any reviews I have done are linked in pink.

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