Autumn is here!

I love Autumn! I do find it really hard to choose a favourite season but I think if I really had to choose just one, it probably would be Autumn! Who doesn't love, cosy knitwear, hot chocolate, crunchy orange leaves and the excitement of the festive season just around the corner?! I know I do!

The thing I love most about this time of year, is the fashion. I have always preferred autumn/winter clothes and find it much easier to put outfits together. I find myself going months without buying any clothes or a few items that I dont love but they will have to do during the summer months! My bank balance has taken a real battering over the past few weeks since the Autumn collections have come out in all the shops! I just love cosy jumpers, ankle boots and wooly hats! I have been loving this Mango lightweight jumper over the past few weeks as it's a great transitional piece. It isn't too thick (more of a long sleeve t-shirt material) so has seen me through these past few weeks where there is a slight chill in the air but still warm when the sun decides to come back. 

I also love to have a good sort out of my makeup collection at this time of year and drag back out some old favourites such as plum/wine lip and nail colours! These two NYX ones are my favourites at the moment as they're both a lovely consistency, yet so affordable! They are both the perfect Autumn/wine colours and work well with most makeup looks as they're still reasonably tame and not too 'out there'!!

Lastly, I have been loving the chillier evenings and the fact it is slowly getting darker because I've dug back out all the winter candles including my absolute all time fave 'yankee candle- paradise spice'. Now, this is discontinued and I must admit, it was a devastating moment when I thought I'd never be able to purchase it again so I savoured every last sniff of my last large jar! However, my amazing Fiance found it on amazon and ordered it for me (you can only get it in the medium jar and smaller ones). I have just looked on there to check as I was writing this and they are trying to sell the medium jars for £66 :O. Just to confirm, we definitely didn't pay that much for it no matter how much I love it!! 

What are you looking forward to most about Autumn?

Abbie x

Sensationail Collection

I have always loved doing my nails from a very young age. When I was just a little girl, I would love it when my Mum painted my nails for me and it was always a real treat! When I was about 10 years old, I was given a nail art book with instructions on how to create lots of different nail looks (my favourite was the snowman one!!). I used to sit in my room for hours painting my nails and doing different nail art. 

As I grew up I began to hate painting my nails and it seemed such a chore (plus I would always get told off for wearing it at school and asked to remove it, booooo!). When I started my job working in a pre-school, I found my nail polish would chip after one day of wear as I was doing more jobs like washing up etc. 

Since they came about, I had always taken an interest in gel nails but never been to get them done in a salon as they do come with a price tag a little too high for a student on minimum apprenticeship wage! A few years ago at Christmas I saw these Sensationail Gel Nail kits in boots for half price. I didn't buy one, or ask for one for Christmas as I was put off by the fact Gel Nails are known for leaving your nails a little ruined and dry! Last year, as usual, my Mum had been nagging me for ages asking me what I wanted from her for Christmas. I started to research and look at reviews for the Sensationail kits and as they were half price again on a black friday offer, I told my mum to just go for it. 

I must say, I didn't regret it! I have been a little lazy over the past few months and I have been super busy with work etc, so I haven't actually done myself a little Gel Mani in a few months. However, I love this kit and I have used it a lot in the almost year I have owned it! In the starter kit you get everything you will need to create the perfect 'at home' Gel Manicure (including the LED Lamp). I got the two colours 'Moroccan Rouge and Gold Glitter) which was very fitting for the Christmas month. 

Since then, I have collected a few of the polishes and have loved them all!

Sensationail claim that their Gel Manicures should last for up to two weeks. I find that mine last for about a week to a week and a half which is still brilliant and definitely a step up from average polish that would chip after a days wear! They are lovely and shiny and after a little practice, look professional for a fraction of the price of going to get Gels done at the salon every couple of weeks!

Sensationail Gel Colour- Moroccan Rouge

Sensationail Gel Colour- Mauve Maven

Abbie x

Polaroids

I recently got some photos printed at boots as it had just been a busy few months of holidays and my 21st birthday. I wanted to start sticking pictures that were of memorable times into a pretty scrapbook as I did one a few years back after a trip to New York. I've always loved the idea of having photos to hold and see in the flesh rather than on a phone, camera or laptop. I know there's such thing as the Icloud now, but when I have my own family, I'd love to show them all the pictures from my years growing up and all my happy memories and what's to guarantee that something might go wrong with all this technology we have now and all our photos would be gone.

After getting these printed, I saw another beauty blogger upload a picture to Instagram of their new polaroid style pictures from a site called LALALAB. I much preferred how these looked and the quality of them looked super good. The ones I had printed in boots were a little dark and the colours were a bit strange. Anyway, she had included a code which entitled me to £5 credit. The vintage style prints are £0.29p per photo so I got a fair few for the £5 credit. Once I started looking through my camera roll, I couldn't stop adding more and more pictures because I came across so many that made me smile and think back to happy memories. I ended up going slightly over the £5 credit but that was fine as I got lots of photos and only spent about £3 of my own money.

You can get all kinds of gifts and different style prints on LALALAB which is amazing as they do canvases, posters, collages and other little bits that would make beautiful gifts. They are very reasonably priced and from all of the pictures and reviews i've seen from other users that have ordered things like canvases, all their prints are amazing quality for the money you pay.

Overall, the app and website were both really easy to use and the delivery time was pretty quick. I will definitely be using LALALAB again and ordering more photos because they are amazing and I am so happy with how they have turned out!

Abbie x

Top 5 Autumn Lip colours

I can never really decide what season is my favourite. I do love summer and all that comes with it like cute picnics and holidays but I think fashion and beauty wise, I much prefer Autumn and Winter. I always find it much easier to put together winter outfits because I'm a big lover of a bit of layering. Chunky knitwear, beautiful coats, cute boots and bobble hats are, and I think always will be my favourite things to wear!

With Autumn usually comes darker colours in fashion and beauty- warmer tones such as burgundy and plums are my all time faves!

I've decided to be a little braver this year with my lip colours as last year I only really plucked up the courage for darker colours towards the end of winter and it was a little too late!

I have picked a few of my favourite Autumn/ Winter lip colours ranging from some nudes to plums. 

Left to right- as pictured above

What is your favourite Autumn lip product?

Abbie x

How I Wash My Makeup Brushes

Washing makeup brushes is the worst job, right? I always used to put it off so much which is disgusting, I know! I used to wash my brushes with a normal soap and water and just swirl them in the palm of my hand. This was always very time consuming as I'd rinse them to find there was still product in them and have to repeat the process a few times on each brush. I knew you could get little brush cleaning tools like this Real Techniques one I have, but back then, this particular one were not out yet and the only ones available were so expensive for what seems like just a bit of bobbley rubber. 

I got the Real Techniques one and I have never regretted it or looked back- it's fab! It takes me over half the time to wash my brushes which makes it so much more bearable and i've finally stopped putting off this used to be horrible job. I love that this palette has different sized bobbles for different sized brushes. This means you can really get in there and scrub them clean!

I now use baby shampoo to wash my brushes as it's gentle on the brushes and also your skin (it also smells beautiful!). Firstly, I squeeze a dollop of the shampoo onto the palette and dampen the brush. I then swirl the brush around the palette depending on the size of the brush, add a bit of water and carry on swirling till the water runs clean and that is literally it! So much easier than any other method i've ever used and my brushes always come out looking so fresh and clean!

Abbie x

Rimmel Volume Colourist Mascara

This product intrigued me. Every girl wants lovely dark lashes right? I naturally have quite long lashes so have never felt the need to get extensions or anything but I have always been interested in getting them tinted but not ever got round to it.

This mascara drew me in when I saw that it not only gives volume but also tints your lashes as you wear it. It says results can be seen after two weeks of wearing the mascara every day. Unfortunately, I never made it to the 2 weeks as I just didn't get on with it. I didn't find it gave my lashes any volume at all, so that was disappointing. I also found that after an hour or so of it being on, it had transferred under my eyes so I was sporting the 'panda eye' look very well! Usually, this would just be a slight negative for me, but as it is a tinting mascara and obviously has dyes in it, this smudging and transferring stains the skin so I was left with panda eyes for a good day before it began to fade. Honestly, I looked like I hadn't slept for about a week!! The dye actually shows up quite green when it is mixed with water (to try and wash off). A friend of mine also used this mascara and when walking in the rain ended up with green all down her face!

I would have normally given a product more time to decide if I like it and give it a chance but this is a big no for me as I can't see it getting any better!

Have you tried this mascara? What do you think of it?

Abbie x

Clinique Sonic Cleansing Brush

'I am a big believer in that if you focus on good skincare, you really won't need a lot of makeup'- Demi Moore. 

I live by this quote!

Growing up through my teen years my skin was always pretty good. I never really got proper breakouts until I was about 18. This is when I'd say I actually started taking better care of my skin as before I would just use makeup wipes and be done with it. 

Aside from the occasional breakout that feels like I have boulders on my skin (it always looks worse to yourself!), the one thing that bothered me about my skin was how dull it always looked and that I often got blotchy discolouration here and there. 

I was given the Clinique Sonic Cleansing Brush as a birthday present back in June this year. I have used it every day since and have really noticed a difference in my skin. I had read reviews on these kind of facial brushes before and been put off by people saying it made their skin worse before better as it takes a bit of getting used to. Luckily, I didn't experience this. My skin is much clearer, less oily and much more even toned as well as being more radiant and glowing! 

I've never suffered from really noticeable blackheads but obviously everyone has a slight build up or discolouration around their nose (gross, I know, but let's face it, we've all been there with nose strips and various blackhead removing tools!! Cringe!). Cleansing brushes are great for helping get rid of this and I love how this brush has the green bristles at the top for getting into those hard to reach places. 

The brush that I have came with 3 clinique miniatures inside which was great as I was looking to try a new skincare brand anyway at this point. It came with the foaming sonic facial soap, clarifying lotion and the dramatically different moisturiser. The moisturiser didn't really suit me and felt quite oily and sticky on my skin which is a shame as I know loads of people swear by it and love it. I wasn't particularly fussed by the lotion either and prefer my Liz Earle skin tonic still. I loved the facial soap and when I ran out, couldn't get it in full size as it was out of stock everywhere!:O. I went back to using my Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish and even tried using it with the facial brush but it wasn't the right consistency as the brush works best with foaming cleansers. After a few weeks I managed to get my hands on the facial soap and have used and loved it every day since! 

I think the skincare routine I have right now will be the one I continue for a long time as I have found it to be the best for my skin yet!

What is your favourite skincare product?

Abbie x

Current hair care routine

I am one of those people that has always bought different shampoos and conditioners every time I run out because I had never found one I really loved and would stick with. I have probably tried most hair products out there because up until now I never liked anything I used and found certain brands just didn't suit my hair type. 

In terms of what hair type I have, I would say it's pretty average. I don't have a major issue with oiliness unless I touch my hair a lot during the day (which I've tried to stop myself doing!). I wash my hair every other day and on it's second day I tie it up as it is a little oilier. 

Toni & Guy Reconstruction Mask

I recently tried the Toni and Guy reconstruction mask and absolutely loved it- the smell, the consistency and of course, how it made my hair feel and look. I tend to leave it on my hair for 3-5 minutes and then wash it out. It leaves my hair soo silky soft that I can't help but touch it! I can't really say whether it 'reconstructs' damaged hair as I personally don't believe that any product can 'fix' or 'repair' the damage that is already done and that the only way to do this is to get a trim so that the split ends are gone. 

Toni & Guy Shampoo & Conditioner For Damaged Hair 

After trying and loving the reconstruction mask I decided to try some more products from the range. I picked up the shampoo and conditioner combo for damaged hair because like most girls who love their hair straighteners and curlers, my hair is far from perfect and I am not short of a few split ends! Again, the consistency and smell of these products is just beautiful and I have found it to be the only combo that has made my hair feel clean yet super soft and manageable (everything I've ever looked for in a hair shampoo and conditioner!!). 

Toni & Guy Shampoo For Advanced Detox

Once a week I use the cleanse advanced detox shampoo as my hair does seem to gather a lot of build up from different products and this just makes it feel squeaky clean again! However, as it strips the hair of all nastiness and oils etc, it does leave the hair quite dry which is why I then skip conditioner and just put on some of the reconstruction mask for 5 minutes before washing out and this sorts it out! 

Superdrug Coconut Oil For Hair and Skin

Every 2 weeks or so I like to do an intense treatment on my hair (if it is feeling particularly dry or damaged). For this I use the superdrug coconut oil. I have actually just had a good few inches cut off my hair so at the moment it is in the best condition it has been in a while so I haven't used this for a while. However, when my hair was a lot longer (and damamged :O ), I used this coconut oil about once a week and I could honestly tell the difference straight away! My hair felt much smoother and more manageable and I also felt like it made my hair feel thicker and grow quicker than normal. I either leave this on overnight (tie hair in a bun and put a towel over your pillow- can be messy!) or I would just leave it on for 2-3 hours and wash it out. 

Tresemme Nourish and Replenish Hydrating Mist

After I have washed my hair and it is feeling super soft and clean, why not add some more 'soft creating' products?! I have been loving this tresemme mist as it smells of coconut and even after blow drying, the smell still stays! Obviously it's great at making my hair that bit softer and shiny as well but the smell is probably what makes it a winner for me!

What are some of your favourite hair care products?

Abbie x

Blueberry pancakes!

Every year when pancake day comes around I say 'we should make these more often', but then they always go wrong and I just end up getting grumpy!
I tried making the Jamie Oliver ones a few weeks back (they failed miserably and were so inedible I threw them straight in the bin and cooked something else).

Today after I came back from a 10 mile run, I really fancied some pancakes. My fiance looked for more recipes and found the BBC food one. I was so pessimistic about it saying 'they won't be nice-every time i've tried making them they always go wrong). Clearly he is a better cook than me as they turned out really well! We added some blueberries into our mix which was really tasty (and made us feel like we were being a teeny tiny bit more healthy ;)).
They were really quick to make and the ingredients needed were all basic things most people will have in their cupboards/fridge at home!

I will admit, the first one we did, went horribly wrong and ended up like a scrambled cake mix in the pan! We persevered and came up with these lovely light and fluffy blueberry pancakes which we topped with some maple syrup- delicious!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/fluffyamericanpancak_74828

Abbie x

I'm on Bloglovin!

I'm just getting to grips with this whole blogging malarky but still becoming very confused with some things! (I am not a computer genius at all!).
I joined bloglovin a few years ago to follow a few of my favourite bloggers and get updates when they upload.

Now I have 'claimed' my own blog on there!

























Come on over and follow me if you wish!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Abbie x

August beauty favourites

Hello September! I'm boring myself keep thinking or saying this but seriously how the heck is it September already?! It really does only feel like yesterday I was chinking glasses with my family saying 'HAPPY NEW YEAR!!'-crazy! Before we know it, it'll be Christmas (eeeek!).

Here's a little peek at what beauty products I have been loving over the month of August (I am aware the perfume isn't really in the 'beauty' category but shhh, it smells gorgeous!'.

OLYMPEA EAU DE PARFUM-50ml

I have loved this fragrance for a long time now (this is my second bottle). It is still the perfume I pick up every morning without fail. It's the kind of scent that smells strong enough without being overpowering and lasts all day. I always look for Eau de parfum as they tend to have the lasting power over eau de toilette sprays. When I first started using this fragrance, I got lots of compliments and people asking me what it was (this is always a good way to know a scent suits you ;)). You don't need to spray a lot for the smell to be strong enough- I tend to spray once on my neck and once on each wrist. 

LOREAL FALSE LASH TELESCOPIC MASCARA

Again- I have been using and loving this mascara for a good year now and still reach for this one over other mascaras in my drawer every day. I have repurchased this many times and I think it will continue to be a favourite of mine for a long time. I have tried other mascaras in between but always found something wrong with them and gone back to this one which for me personally, is faultless! I love the way this gives my lashes amazing length and volume all at the same time. It is also amazing at separating my lashes to really give me that true falsies effect. 

MAC MINERALIZE SKIN FINISH- LIGHTSCAPADE

I hadn't ever got into highlight until a few months ago. I had various cheaper drugstore ones that were in a blush form (more pinky tones) but they never really worked for me. I am by no means amazing at doing makeup and I think I wasn't ever putting my highlight in the right places. I had seen lots of reviews on the Mac mineralize skin finish in soft and gentle but as I am quite fair skinned thought this may be a little too bronzy for me. I decided to try lightscapade and absolutely fell in love. It is the perfect shade for slightly paler skin tones but would also work for darker skin tones. It is the perfect amount of shimmer and I don't find that I end up looking like a disco ball like I have found with other highlights. A little does go a long way so this product will last agessss!

BODY SHOP HONEY BRONZE DROPS OF SUN

I got this for my birthday back in June and have pretty much used it every day since. I add one or two drops to my everyday moisturiser and mix the two together on the back of my hand. I then apply it to my face before makeup and it provides a beautiful glow that really does look like you have just stepped off of the plane from a week in a sunny country. If used every day, this will of course build up and you will start to get a better colour on your face. I have found that this gives me enough colour to brave going out with just a little concealer and powder without looking like a ghost. 

ZOEVA 102 SILK FINISH BRUSH

Again- I have had this brush for about a year now and have used it every day. (I apologise for the fact it isn't clean *slaps wrist*). I had always used the real techniques brushes- which don't get me wrong are still great and I do still use these too. However, this Zoeva brush is super soft, washes amazingly and blends foundation and concealer amazing- what more could you want?! I will continue to reach for this brush every day for a long time and I am hoping to get my hands on some more of the Zoeva collections (the rose gold ones are beautiful!!). 

Abbie x

Aveeno

I have always had quite sensitive skin but never particularly dry. Over the past year or so, my skin has become a lot more dry and I often get really itchy legs (yucky- I know!). I had just been using average moisturising lotions for a long time and finding no positive results from them. This is when I discovered the Aveeno range!

My Mum and I had just got back from a beautiful sunny week in Gran Canaria and as you do to 'top up the tan' she sat out in the garden and managed to get quite burnt on her arms (she didn't think she needed suncream in the UK in April after a week in Gran Canaria- she was wrong, always wear sun protection!!). It had started to blister and become very sore so she went into the pharmacy in Boots and the pharmacist actually recommended to put Aveeno Daily Moisturising Lotion on the sore patches. She did just this and it cleared up really well and super fast with no irritation! This is when I knew I had to try it!

I'm not going to lie and say I moisturise my body every night after bathing or showering, because I don't! I am super lazy with things like this and find it really tedious! I do try to use it once every few days to keep my skin super soft and itch free and it works a treat! This moisturiser is made with naturally active colloidal oatmeal, so it is perfect for even the most sensitive skin. Again- I wont lie and say this has a nice scent or anything, because it doesn't smell of fresh flowers and pretty things at all (it actually just smells like oats in my opinion). However, once it is absorbed, I can't smell it strongly on my skin at all.

I used to suffer with very dry and sometimes chapped hands in the colder months, but now this is more of an all year round battle. I work in a Pre-school so I am constantly washing my hands or using hand sanitisers which is probably the reason for my dry hands. I then found that in the range of amazing Aveeno products, they also do hand creams! I usually go for the skin relief one which is for very dry and chapped hands. It's such a rich consistency but absorbs really nicely leaving my hands silky soft! I love putting a generous amount of this all over my hands and cuticles before I go to bed so that when I wake up they feel soft as a blanket!

Abbie x

They keep creating beauties!

I have been a lover of Apple since I got my first Iphone a few years back. I guess they are a bit like marmite as some people love them and some are more on the Android side.

I have also adored my beloved Ipad for many a years and therefore never thought I would need/want a Macbook-oh how wrong I was!!

When I saw Apple had brought out a rose gold edition of the macbook- I was sold! 

I'm not usually a gadgets kinda girl but I had it in my head for a few weeks after seeing it (a little like when you see that pair of shoes or handbag whilst shopping but refrain from buying there and then). 

I decided it had been on my mind long enough to know I desperately needed a rose gold Macbook in my life (why do they produce these items in pretty colours?!). I am pretty certain they have probably sold a load more of these beauties since bringing them out in such gorgeous colours so well done Apple, you sucked me in with your pretty pinkness!!

When I went into store to get my hands on this beautiful creation, I was told I was getting a free pair of beats headphones as well (went for rose gold in these too of course!!). WIN!
This is an offer they have on at the moment where if you buy a Macbook, Iphone or Ipad pro, you bag yourself a pair of Beats!

Again- I have never been one to spend lots of money on things like headphones and the Apple ones that come with Iphones etc have always been good enough for me. They are still perfect for portability but I can definitely say the sound quality of the Beats is something else!

I now need to go on a spending ban! (slightly difficult as online shopping is now so much more pleasant when done on a pretty laptop ;))

Are you on the Apple side or the android/windows side?

Abbie x