Monthly Motto - September

In life you always have a choice, not always with things that happen out of your control but you still have a choice with how you react to it. Sometimes bad things happen and you can either take out your frustrations on other people around you or you can make the choice to deal with it in another way. 

This is what this month’s motto is about, not so much the actions you can choose to do or not do (spend too much money, eat too much chocolate, not go to the gym enough) these are more obvious things that you will or won’t regret and then make the decision to either do something about it or not. Whereas sometimes when something happens beyond our control it’s easy to blame the way we act on someone or something else but at the end of the day we have a choice! So instead of being bitter, angry or sad try (and I know it can be hard sometimes) on being happy and remembering the good, looking for the silver lining and try and keep a positive outlook.... Sometimes being happy is a choice.

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August Beauty Buys

So here's what I bought last month and what I think of each purchase so far...

Real Technique brushes

I know these are loved in the blogging world and I don't really need to say too much. I love them and can completely see why they are raved about so much. They are great value (I snapped these up in the Boots 'buy one get one half price' offer so even better) and worth every penny. The brushes are super soft and I honesty think my make up looks better when using these to apply it. I bought the stippling brush, expert face brush, blush brush and the setting brush (which I'm using for highlighting). After getting on so great with these brushes I've added some of the Real Techniques eye make up brushes to my list of things to get. Definitely worth the hype in my opinion.

Urban Decay Naked Flushed palette

I didn't plan on buying this product, in fact before I saw it I hadn't heard of it but I was browsing the Urban Decay make up section and came across it. The palette contains bronzer, highlighter and blush. I hadn't really tried blush before and was looking to try it as I have read a lot of posts from other people that have previously stuck to bronzer but then tried blush and loved it. I also wanted a palette that was easy for contouring and highlighting so this was perfect. If I'm honest I was really indecisive before going to the till as I was thinking about getting the Sleek palette which I've heard good things about and is much cheaper however I had a voucher to use and so thought why not treat myself. So glad I did as I love it. I love the packaging (as with most Urban Decay products) and I love the quality of the product. A firm favourite in my make up bag this month.

Rimmel Salon Pro with Lycra nail varnishes

I love Rimmel nail varnishes but hadn't tried any from this range until I bought these. I picked 'Jazz Funk' which is a pink, 'Disco Fever' a purple and 'Punk Rock' which is a grey colour. I do love my bright nail colours but with autumn approaching I thought I'd try something a bit different so opted for a darker purple and a grey along with a 'safe' pink colour. Usually £4.49 each but I picked these up on a 3 for 2 offer so even better value. As they contain Lycra the Salon Pro range are supposed to be long lasting with gel like finish. I love the colours in this range so will hopefully pick a few more up soon.

Soap & Glory 'It's About Prime' eyeshadow underbase

I've been looking at getting an eyeshadow primer for a while now as my eyeshadow just doesn't last and what is still on my lids is just creased. Although this does do a pretty good job I just can't help but feel that there is something a little bit better out there. I've heard good things about Benefit's Stay Don't Stray and Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion but these are quite a bit more expensive and wasn't sure how good they'd be to take the gamble. Do let me know your recommendations. I will keep using this but I think I'll look to replace it with something else in my search for perfect eye makeup that lasts all day.

Soap & Glory 'Marvelips' Double ended colour and plump lip crayon

I didn't need this really as I have lots of lip colours in my make up collection but as the 3 for 2 offer was on (the other S&G product was a present for someone so not included in this post) I couldn't resist giving this a try. I do like the colour its very pigmented and really lasts, the downside is that there isn't any other colours to choose from at the moment. I think the highlighting end of the crayon does really plump up the lips, when applied to the centre top and bottom as instructed but I'm not sure if that lasted. I would definitely buy a few more of these if they brought out more colours because even as just a lip crayon with out the plumping effect they are worth it.

Palmer's Natural Bronzer

I'm not one for using tanning products that much. It was one of those things, like false eyelashes, that I didn't try enough when I was younger so that by now I would have perfected the look. So, I feel at 26 its a bit too old to be walking around with badly applied tan but these gradual tanning moisturisers are something I can work with. I've tried a few in the past and they've been ok, no complaints. However, this one does seem a lot more natural looking and I've had people make comment on how I've caught a nice tan from the sun. Of course I went along with it, little did they know I spent the weekend inside hungover and the 'natural tan' was in fact from this bottle. Result! 

Have you tried any of these products yet and do you like or dislike them?

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Foodies Festival - Feast at Battersea Park

Me and Cardene ventured to Battersea Park Saturday down to the Foodies Festival. There was so much lovely food and drink. I tried to get my hands on it all..

The most amazing chocolate orange cake! I instinctively went for all the sweet things but they were all 'healthier' in some way. Gluten free, organic, natural ingredients but still 100% tasty!

Toffee vodka - this was even a little too sweet for me!

Cocktails made with 100% fresh fruit. The Shack Revolution made amazing cocktails and were lovely people! 

Jeans - Diesel | Shirt - River Island | Belt - River Island | Wedges - Select | Bag - Michael Kors

Bracelets - Topshop

This ice cream may look boring but it was ridiculously tasty!! I naturally chose Nutella flavour. 

This post has been picture heavy but I feel that sometimes pictures say it all especially when it comes to food.

We had a great time, later that day we went to see West Side Story at Sadlers Wells Theatre and it was amazing!! If you can, get down to see it - its on till 22nd Sept so there's still time. Its one of the best musicals ever and is so good live.

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Patty & Bun

I know my previous post was all about healthy eating for good skin but as having a 'balanced' diet also includes having a big fat juicy burger every now and then its all good.

If you live in London and you like burgers then you have to visit Patty & Bun (if you don't like burgers then best not to go as they have very little else on the menu)! Its not new so you may have already enjoyed one of their amazing burgers but I only went for the first time last Friday. It wasn't the best time as it was rather busy and as they can only sit up to 30 (at a squeeze I might add) it meant queueing for a while. The wait was worth it though.... it was delicious! Everything a good burger should be. I had the Smokey Robinson which had caramelised onions, bacon and a smokey BBQ mayo. It looks very pink in the picture but it was cooked perfectly to medium/rare. We also had a portion of their chicken wings and chips with rosemary salt.

Its a 'get stuck in' kind of place so don't expect plates but for fast food that tastes great its well worth a visit. There have been quite a few burger places popping up in London that have a similar concept - gourmet fast food. But I've always heard great things about Patty & Bun which is why I wanted to check them out for myself.

Have you been yet? What did you think?

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It's not just what you put on your face that counts...



Photo source - http://pinterest.com/pin/4292562114885286/


My skin has been so much better recently and I wrote a skincare post not so long ago saying that I thought a lot of it was down to having a better skincare routine that I stuck to. Although I believe this is true I have to also give credit to eating healthier. Sometimes we forget that what we stuff in our faces is just as important as what we put on them. It’s the same as someone going to the gym but still eating crap all day long – they are never going to have the perfect body and vice versa. So there is no point in spending loads of money on beautiful skincare products if you eat crap because you will still suffer from breakouts and bad skin. Don’t get me wrong, I know there are those lucky ones out there that have perfect skin and yet their 5-a-day is more like 5-a-month but I’m not one of those lucky ones and I don’t think the majority are. You can cover up in as much makeup as you like but everyone would prefer to have nicer skin to be able to go makeup free if they wished.

I’m not saying give anything up completely, I don’t really think you should deprive yourself anything 100% and I’ve got to be honest, I love my sweet things far too much. It would be like torture to me and that’s no fun either! All it takes is a balanced diet, yes you had a whole Ben & Jerry‘s carton of ice cream but no you don’t do that every week. Everything in moderation! Foods with high sugar, high salt and bad fats are not good in anybody’s diet regardless of whether they are trying to lose weight or not.

I find that the problem is that these days everyone is looking at calories instead of the overall nutritional information. An avocado is high in fat and so the calorie count is about 160 per 100g, a diet coke is like 1 calorie but health wise the avocado is so much better for you. You get good nutrients, good fat and its known to be great for the skin. Diet drinks are said to be worse for you than most people think and the artificial sweeteners can't be easily broken down by the body. There are always different reports coming out one minute somethings bad for you and then its good, its hard to keep up sometimes. But at the end of the day you can't go wrong with adding more fresh fruit and veg into your diet and also drinking plenty of water. It won't transform your skin overnight but eventually your skin will look a lot better for it. 


Some great foods to add to your diet;

• Colourful vegetables such as carrots and red peppers contain antioxidants called carotenoids which will give you a healthy glow.
• Berries such as strawberries, blackberries and blueberries are high in antioxidants that are good for the skin.
• Avocados are amazing for the skin - great source of Vitamin E and also contains Vitamin C
• Not a food but I'd also recommend drinking Green Tea. It's not the best tasting drink out there but if you can get over that it really is great to try and drink regularly. 
• And of course plenty of water throughout the day.

As they say... you are what you eat, so feed your skin some goodness and it will look good!

A little different from any of my other posts but hopefully you've found it a little interesting or helpful? Let me know.

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Southbank's Urban Festival

So last weekend we headed down to the Southbank in London as they were having a weekend of activities celebrating street culture. They had all sorts going on.... Parkour, dancers, BMX riders and a lot more. We ventured down on Sunday and there was still plenty to see, including the lovely view across the River Thames.

Anybody could get involved and become a bit of a graffiti artist themselves which looked really fun.

We also stopped by the skate park which has a petition going at the moment to stop it being closed down and relocated. Apparently the Southbank Centre are proposing to move it to a different location in order to open more retail space. The skate park has become an attraction in itself over the years and is enjoyed by so many people it would be a real shame if the closure/relocation actually goes ahead. 

Me and Cardene did our bit and signed the petition... if you fancy finding out more about it you can here.

 

I LOVE Mexican food!!

There was also various DJs playing some old school classics outside the Southbank Centre for a lot of the day and the atmosphere was amazing! Everyone was dancing and joining in, it was so much fun. There was even a few dance offs going on... check out my little video clip at the end. I love how music can bring everyone together.

(This video is also on my instagram if you are having problems viewing it)

Did any of you happen to pop down to the Urban Festival last weekend? What did you think?

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Monthly Motto - August

So I thought I would do this monthly as its always nice to start a new month with a fresh outlook.

Like a lot of people at the beginning of the year I think about New Year Resolutions and although there are the ones that appear on every years list (be more healthy, go to the gym more etc) I also have the few odd ones that are brand new that I honestly think I’m going to do. Now this post isn’t about New Year Resolutions as such but more about those lists that we make at the start of the year, month or week... The ‘To do’ List. I am so guilty of making these lists and not completing the things on them. Certain things just keep on reappearing on the next list because I keep putting them off. So, we come back to what this post is really about... Less thinking about what I’m going to do and more actually doing it!! So as it’s a new month and everything I am going to make an effort to actually try and DO what I put on my lists. I will give my whole room a ‘spring clean’ (only a few months late!) and sort out my clothes/shoes/make up/ life!

Aside from boring chores we put off I do also think it’s good to try and achieve at least one or two other things that we might have as a ‘to do’. Whether it’s a place you want to visit, a course you want to complete or just something more general that you haven’t had a chance to do yet like learning to cook properly. At the start of the year I said I would get a new tattoo that I wanted (*tick* got that back in June – I took a photo in 30 Day Snap if you want to take a look) and that I was going to get a ‘good’ camera and learn how to use it (*tick* and nearly ticked off - Got a photography day course booked for this Saturday). More recently as I mentioned in my previous post me and my boyfriend are going to make the effort once a month to visit one of the many restaurants ‘on our list’ that we want to try out. I think it’s really good to try and give yourself a few realistic goals or things off your bucket list to complete. It’s so easy to put things off sometimes but as you get older time goes by quicker and life seems to get in the way more and more. Seize the day as they say and accomplish whatever it is you want to do because a lot of times whether we want to admit or not it’s usually ourselves that are holding us back. Of course more money would always help with completing some of the things we would love to do but there are plenty of things that don’t cost as much as we’d think or if you want it bad enough you’ll save somewhere in order to do what you really want to.

So your homework assignment – think of things you want to do/accomplish/complete, think of both everyday things you may have been putting off (uploading all those unwanted items on ebay is already at the top of mine!) and also things that you really want to do that would be on your bucket list. Now once you have a few things in mind....  STOP THINKING and START DOING or at least start putting them in motion!

Let me know how you get on :-)

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