Monthly Review - April

Make Up

I recently blogged about how much I'm loving pastel blue nails right now and it hasn't changed!

Read

Paper Aeroplanes by Dawn O'Porter. As someone that went to an all girls school I could really relate to the school environment and saw aspects of my own personal life in the friendships that main characters Renee and Flo had. Well written, funny and emotional this is one you need to add to your reading list ASAP.

Listened to

Back at the gym and nothing keeps me going like Avicii - as loud as possible - obviously!

Watched

My love of American box sets continues this time with Suits via Netflix. Let's be honest every girl needs a Harvey Specter moment occasionally. 

Blog post

Instagram continues to be my favourite social media app and so I loved this post from Emily at Cupcakes & Cashmere detailing how she uses the app and other photo editing apps to make the most of her mobile phone pictures.

YouTube

It didn't take long for me to stumble across Estee aka Essie Button in the beauty blogger / YouTube world and I friggin love her videos. She is so friendly and natural on camera whether delivering her monthly beauty favourites on her beauty channel or letting us in on all aspects of her life via her vlogs with Partner Aslan and dog Reggie on her vlog channel.

Instagram

Tweet

LIFE | 100 things every 90s kid will remember. http://t.co/yBARYkpjuH via @bloglovin
— Nicki Kinickie© (@NickiKinickie) April 21, 2014

Some serious reminiscing here.

Success

Back at the gym and re-starting is always much harder than keeping going. Loving being back at Spin class and a new Twenty4 class on Thursday mornings that make walking difficult on Friday.

Looking forward to...

Bank holidays...hell yes to 2 bank holidays in May!

Monthly Review - March

Make Up

One of my favourite things this month has been my new mascara from Maybelline. Deep black, no flakes and great gravity defying length and volume all day long. At around £5 this is an absolute bargain.

 

Food

Has anyone else noticed that Oreo cookies have been on offer in Tesco this month...no just me then. I just have literally not stopped eating them.

Drink

We have booked our next trip to the States and the onslaught of sunshine has got me thinking of these great Corona-ritas!

 

Read

I finished Apple Tree Yard this month after a recommendation from the mothers book group.
 

Yvonne Carmichael is at the top of her, rather male dominated, profession respected by peers, friends and family. One day whilst giving evidence at a House of Commons Select Committee she meets a stranger. She dives into a passionate but rather anonymous affair. An affair that leads to a live changing catastrophic event. 

Reflecting on themes of adultery, love, trust and the values by which we choose to live our life this book is totally gripping. You know that a book is good when you can't quite face starting the next book because you are too engrossed in the one you have just finished.

 

Listened to

Hello Frozen soundtrack at the top of my lungs in the car!

Watched

About 40 billion years behind everyone else I have finally started watching Homeland and oh my god it is AMAZING!!! I have just started watching Season 2 so no spoilers please.

Blog Post

My favourite blog post of the month has to be this one from Paula at PinkBow. Her blog is grown up and I love it. The post in question inspired this one and has helped me get a little bit of my blogging mojo back.

YouTube

This video of my new home city got me all excited and I have loved watching and sharing it all this month. 

Although a special mention has to go to the musings of Anna and Lily on their 90's Kid Tag which threw me a little bit of nostalgia last weekend.

Instagram

Tweet

Excited to show you all my journey so far! x vb http://t.co/DOoXqE8b1t pic.twitter.com/jSOxsC1o5L
— Victoria Beckham (@victoriabeckham) March 3, 2014

This month I have not been good at..

Blogging! I haven't been hugely inspired to put fingers to keys over the last month to be honest but I have a few things that I would like to write about in April. So here's to a few extra posts.

This month I have been successful at...

Netball coaching. That's right this month I successfully qualified as a level 1 Coach. I'll now be looking to test lots of new things out on the girls at the club. I love that already in 2014 I have learnt a new skill.

Looking forward to

I am looking forward to our trip away to Cornwall at the beginning of April. This is the first time I will have been down there except for Newquay when I was a teenager. We are looking for something slightly different from the Cornish coast this time around specifically a little bit of R&R.

All the will power in the world...

If there is one thing that is seriously testing my will power during this 100 day spending ban it is the Uber Pink Collection from Bobbi Brown!

Everything about this makes me happy. To start with it is pink and from Bobbi Brown *swoon*. Those colours are just so vibrant and pretty and you know that as it is Bobbi the quality will be just as amazing.

The perfect Valentine gift for that someone special (hint hint) or special treat to yourself of course.

The stand out items for me are definitely the lip gloss in Baby Pink, the nail polish in Pink Peony, the lip colour in Pink Kiss and the piece de resistance the illuminating bronzer in Pink Peony.

It is going to take every last ounce of self-control to not purchase these on my first jaunt around the shops this Saturday with Mum in tow.

What's In My Bag: The Cambridge Satchel Edition

The Cambridge Satchel is the new addition to my weekend wardrobe as I have been looking for something a little smaller and more casual than the Michael Kors suitcase that I lug around during the week. It took a little while to arrive but I am thrilled with my choice and have fallen instantly in love with the gorgeous colour, practical size and the quality of the bag.

This is the 13" Cambridge Blue satchel. 

It's not the most roomy of bags which means decanting and downsizing for those laid back weekend days where minimal make up and fuss are a must!

So the essentials that I carry around with me are:

• iPhone 5 in white with Accessorize case
• Ted Baker Elonka Wallet in gun metal.  I managed to pick this up in the sales after my last Ted Baker wallet gave up after 8 hard wearing years. It is large so takes up a lot of room in the bag but I can't be faffing with a separate wallet for weekends as well! Plus it's silver and shiny *heart eyed emoticon*. 
• Teal notebook from Paperchase. God knows I do not need another notebook but this is a handy size, a pretty colour and was in the sale.  This lets me jot down any little random thoughts that I think deserve pen and paper rather than a digital life. 
• Ray Ban sunglasses because I am the eternal optimist that the sun might just come out!

As it is the weekend I try to wear a slightly paired back make up look. This little silver bag from a Xmas hair gift set a number of years ago gets a de-clutter to face the weekend. No where near full on a Saturday and Sunday it squashes down to fit in the bag before being ceremoniously refilled on a Sunday night before the Monday morning commute / train make up scenario happens again.

 My weekend essentials include:

• Mini Hairbrush for on the go grooming
• Hair band and grips
• Hand Sanitiser
• L'Occatine hand cream
• Nivea Hydra Care Lip Balm - I brought this after watching this Lisa Eldridge beauty solutions video
• Benefit lip gloss in 'nudie-tude'
• Rimmel mositure renew lipstick in 'To Nude Or Not To Nude'
• KIKO natural concealer in shade 2
• Calvin Klein Euphoria roller ball perfume

As I said I like to keep the weekend edit as minimal as possible but I am still covered for almost all eventualities with this selection whether it be a trip to the cinema, meeting friends for coffee or shopping. 

I love reading 'What's in my bag posts' so please link yours in the comments below so that I can have a good nose and I will also plan a week day edition. 

100 Day Spending Ban 2014

Things have become a little excessive of late, in the purchasing arena, spurred on by even more excessive blog reading and youtube watching. My love of make up and all things sparkly, along with a penchant for accessories and an almost unhealthy relationship with Paperchase means that our little house is bursting at the seams. 

A week away with no purchases and a New Year makes it the perfect time to take stock (literally) and try and rein it all in a bit. So here comes the 100 day spending ban. My oh my 100 days is a long time though taking us up until the 10th April.

I do want to use this time wisely - a big clear out and charity shop drop along with more focus on diet and fitness after the festive season and a holiday saw this all come to a grinding halt - to ensure that I see the new year started in a healthy and practical way. 

Whilst this is my idea my husband is 100% behind it - obviously!

So I think that I need to set some rules.

THE RULES

1. Simples. Do not spend money on unnecessary purchases. 

2. Unnecessary means anything new make up wise unless replacing a crucial item for which there is no viable alternative already within my stash. 

3. This does not include personal hygiene products like deodorant, shower gel and shampoo/conditioner which will only replace what I am currently using when it runs out and I'm sure is something my nearest and dearest will be pleased about. 

4. Unnecessary also extends to clothes, accessories and stationery products. 

5. I will also stop the pre-work Starbucks habit and when possible take a pre-prepared lunch. 

6. The 100 days started on the 1st January and will continue until the 10th April. 

So far it has been easygoing as I have been sat on a sun lounger in Egypt with very little to no spending temptation or desire to spend money. So far so good! I'll keep you updated ...

If you are doing a spending ban at the start of 2014 then please link your blog in the comments below and follow me on Twitter @mrsnicholls33 so that I can follow you back and keep up to date with your progress.

Autumn Beauty Favourites

It seems like only a few weeks ago I was singing the praises of Bourjois summer hits and now I am looking out of our study window on a rather chilly, rainy November afternoon with Autumn in full swing.

It did not take long to delve head first into the Autumnal tones when it comes to make up and these are a few of the things that I have been turning to day after day.

From left to right: Nars Laguna Bronzer, Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in Beige, Revlon Nail Colour in Vixen, Benefit Sexiest Nudes Ever...Eye Shadow Kit and MAC Eye Shadow in Divine Decadence.

The Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation was a replacement for my Rimmel Wake Me Up. The every day foundation that gives a good coverage and the dewy complexion that I prefer. I personally don't think that there is much between them and I would probably just pick up which ever one was on offer in Boots...that said the next purchase will be the Happy Light foundation...why? Just because.

My first foray into Revlon nail polishes. I can't say I am surprised by the quality of this product, all of the items I have picked up from them in the last year have been great. Great packaging, great formula and great colour. 2 coats give you that deep berry red perfect for these Autumn months.

Long time favourite of many a beauty blogger the NARS Laguna Bronzer has been on my shopping list for quite some time.  I am a huge fan of the Bobbi Bronzer but this gives a little more of an understated glow which adds a little colour as the weather turns cold. This does have a feint shimmer running through it unlike the matte colour in the Bobbi version but you are not going to turn into a glitter ball it just adds a little dimension.

MAC Divine Decadence is a limited edition eye shadow colour from the Indulge Collection. MAC describe it as a soft warm bronze. The colour itself is glittery Autumn in a tub. I use this in the crease for a day time neutral eye but have also used this all over to create a great shimmery smokey eye. 

The last is this great palette from Benefit. There are 3 of these in the collection but I just couldn't resist this cool purple offering. The palette contains 4 powder eye shadows; the white 'milk it!', the deep violet 'raincheck?', the lilac wash 'pause for applause' and the shimmery silver 'blingo!'. All 4 of these have great colour pay off and I've managed to create both day and night time looks. I was always a little wary of purple tones but I am absolutely loving these and the colours certainly do work for the green eyed girls.

Also included are the 2 mini creaseless cream eyeshadows in holy smokes, a dark shimmer laden grey, and bikini-tini, a nude gloss. Bikini-tini is a little 'meh' I don't think it adds much at all but I love love love holy smoke. It is a great shade and I have been using it as an eye liner for when I don't want something quite as harsh.

I think this little lot will keep me busy until the Christmas offerings start attracting my glittery magpie eye.

MAC & Smashbox Payday Treats

Well it didn't take long to grab a treat or two once pay day arrived. These two items were definitely heart over head purchases. 

The first is the MAC Antonio Lopez face palette in Coral. These palettes have amazing designs on the compact cover, which to me seem very 80's retro and to be honest just looks great in the make up drawer. OK and I am definitely jealous of those lips!

Behind the cover is a full sized mirror (always a plus for me) with a delightfully displayed golden peach highlighter for that iridescent shimmer on top of the cheek and then a satin powder blush in the shade coral (obviously).

This blusher has some serious pigmentation and a little goes a long way but unfortunately the same cannot be said for the highlighter which is a little bit 'meh' in my opinion. 

Then for the best bit...the top layer pushes to one side which just excites me so much. Pushed to one side it reveals a terracotta base bronzer/contour powder. This is particularly orange for me and so I do use it sparingly but the powder is wonderfully soft and blends beautifully .

Summer will live on just a little bit longer with this item in my make up collection and it can be part of your collection here. 

Smashbox is one of those brands that I don't really know much although everyone raves about their primers. I have recently been really interested in cream eye shadows mainly because I don't necessarily need to use a brush for the wash of colour I'm likely to add at 7.15am in the morning when the less work required the better. 

The packaging is similar to that of other premium brands - glass jar and black rubberised top - so no points there for individuality although it does look and feel premium.

I am afraid I don't get any points for individuality either when I picked up the limitless 15 hour wear cream shadow in the very natural looking rose gold colour toned 'Quartz'.

This shade is extremely wearable and as it says on the tin long wearing, although I do use the Urban Decay eye primer underneath. It is packed full of shimmer and so can give a sheer wash of colour (bottom swatch) or can be packed on to give a more vibrant opaque glimmer (top swatch).

I've used this on its own and also as a base colour when building a smokey eye for evenings and get just as a good coverage and staying power whether it has been applied with fingers or a brush.

These are very much welcome additions to my make up stash.

Summer Boots Haul

I have an addiction and seem to only be posting haul posts recently but there is so much on the wish list and so little time! This is simply the outcome of my last little walk around Boots in Cribbs Causeway, Bristol.

First the not quite such exciting stuff; deodorant (I will only use Sure - guaranteed to work), double face pads and Batiste, which as far as I'm concerned is now an essential.

I like to have my 'everyday' make up which doesn't always include the high end products as they are often expensive to keep replacing. As a result I picked up these 2 Rimmel products; the Stay Matte powder in number 1 'Transparent' is raved about by almost everyone and I have had a few comments about it on my own posts when I've written about more high end powder products and the Wake Me Up concealer.

I really do like both products. The stay matte powder provides a gentle coverage and if buffed on with a slight hand avoids looking too chalky. It is not as long lasting as the Benefit Stay Flawless but topped up during the day keeps the oil at bay. I brought the concealer as day time alternative to the YSL touche eclat and actually think that it provides better coverage but of course isn't quite as easy to apply or as long lasting. It is certainly much needed by Friday of every week. 

There was a 3 for 2 on Bourjois so I chanced on the Healthy Mix foundation rather than repurchase the Rimmel Wake Me Up. I genuinely really do like this and can't tell much difference between the 2 drugstore products. It certainly provides good coverage and the finish is as you would expect from any foundation promising a radiant finish. 

It is here I must admit that the full reason for my trip to Boots was to pick up this simple lip crayon after reading rave review after rave review. I am loving the burst of bright glossy colour that 'Peach on the Beach' leaves me with and had lots of compliments from friends when I wore it on a recent night out.

I have been wanting to wear a white nail varnish for a while and think that they can look great on their own as well as provide perfect base coats for those brights. I wasn't so lucky with this one and the Maybelline option is the only drugstore white I could find. It is very thin and took 3 or 4 coats to get totally opaque.

The micellar solution from L'Oreal is an attempt at replacing the irreplaceable Bioderma which is now finished! This does not remove waterproof masacara and is a little more drying around the eye area than its French competitor but I am enjoying using it as part of my evening skin care routine, and first thing in the morning to refresh my eyes.

Please link up any drugstore hauls you have been posted about recently.

Rocking Benefit

Well it didn't take much convincing to add this beauty to my collection as soon as I heard it was a rose gold shimmery shade. I've long been obsessed with anything 'rose gold' and am still on my quest to get the perfect eyeshadow. It is generally more flattering and subtle than a plain gold or silver.

This was hyped and they have done flash sales releasing it on Benefit counters for one day only and then for 3 days only in Debenhams before the full launch which is where I picked this up - with beauty points on top of course.  

Benefit blushers are always of high quality and I already own Coralista, Dandelion and Hoola (if you consider that a blusher). This is different as it has this great design set into the blusher to really show off the products highlighting potential.

What you get is a warm shimmer that is perfectly buildable to give you the level of intensity that you want. It is shimmery and so you can skip the highlighter for a perfectly acceptable day time look. It has that beautiful floral scent that I associate with the Benefit box blusher collection.

The only negative is that as soon as you use it the 3D pattern starts to break down taking it from pristine to well loved in a couple of days. 

 

If I'm honest this isn't going to replace Coralista as the best Benefit blusher but it certainly comes a close second.

Blog Sale Buys

So a couple of weeks ago the lovely Emma from Glossy Boutique had a little blog sale and I just so happened to log on to bloglovin when this was at the top of my feed. It took me all of a couple of minutes to have sent her an email asking for these 2 premium products.

The first being this gorgeous Clarins Odyssey palette in 09 which a little google has shown me is from last years Christmas collection. Look at how amazingly gorgeous the gold packaging with motif is. 

You open this up and the first thing you see is the GLITTER and I was excited. The other colours that you get a beautiful nude shimmers offering just the right amount of sheen to make them constantly wearable. Wearable is an understatement because I shed a little glitter tear when I have to take these off at night - I've been wearing them everyday.

I've been wearing the lighter shade all over with the top left mid-brown in the creases. The dark brown is great for a smokey eye, but it makes a great eyeliner a little less harsh than black which I apply with a damp brush to get the best colour pay off. 

The glitter is amazing and is best patted on and I've been loving it in the corner of my eyes. Below are some quick swipes but I can attest to them also looking amazing when applied with a damp brush. 

I've never really been interested in Clarins make up but I now can't wait to see what they have in store for us this Christmas. 

 

The second thing I picked up was the Hello Flawless powder in the shade 'Honey' which I had previously been colour matched to at the Benefit counter. 

There is not too much to say about this other than it is a seriously mattifying powder that does give you that flawless finish. It took a little while to get used to it and I was a bit heavy handed at first and suffered from the dreaded 'cakey' look. 

I have now got to grips with it and use it on my T-zone and nose on those days where I need a long lasting non-shiny look!

Thank you Emma for these lovely pieces and I will definitely be making purchases from blog sales again if something catches my eye. 

Have you managed to buy some lovely things from blog sales? Link them up so that I can read your reviews.