I recently came across this gem of a website called Sass and Belle which sells the most adorable things and it's a great place to pick up unusual wee gifts or stocking fillers - its not the 'normal' stuff you see in the high street stores. Here are my top picks. *Oh, and I haven't been paid/asked to talk about this site, I just genuinely love their stuff!
I'm doing Blogmas! For those of you who don't know, that means I will be blogging every day until Christmas. I'm not known for my regular blogging habits so this will be a real challenge for me, but I'm really going to try and see this through - eeep! I hope you'll stick with me and enjoy reading.
I tore open the first door on my advent calendar this morning (can I get a high-five for chocolate for breakfast?) , so that means It's officially the countdown to Christmas. I thought I'd kick off the festivities here on my blog with a Christmas Tag. I love reading these posts on other blogs - it always leaves me feeling so Christmassy! Right, let's do this! 1. What is your favourite Christmas Movie/s?
It has to be National Lampoons Christmas Vacation! Despite the fact I have seen it more times than I can count, it still has me laughing out loud! My favourite moment is Clark Griswold's rant. For those of you who haven't seen it, (shame on you!) here it is:
I also have a guilty pleasure for watching those straight-to-TV movies that are played almost non-stop in the run up to Christmas. I watched one last week where a technology-obsessed family became stranded in a small town called (wait for it) Nowhere, and in the end they learn what Christmas is really about. It's called The Town That Christmas Forgot and i'm sure it will be shown again before Christmas, so keep an eye out if you like super cheesy but heart-.0warming movies.
2. Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?
We always open our gifts on Christmas morning. We all meet at my mum and dad's on Christmas morning and my sister sorts out all of the gifts, then we take it in turns to open something. My husband always wants to open something on Christmas Eve though, so we usually pick a small gift to open before we go to bed on Christmas Eve - usually some cozy Christmas PJ's.
3. Do you have a favourite Christmas memory?
My dad has always loved putting lights up on the outside of the house, him buying new lights from B&Q pretty much signalled the start of the festive period in our house. I have so many memories of him up a ladder outside for hours on end, hammering up lights along the roofline of the house and stringing up more lights in the trees. We would then all be ushered outside for the grand switch-on.
4. favourite festive food?
I love all Christmas food and for the past couple of years I have cooked on Christmas Day - oh, and there are 12 of us! I love preparing the menu almost as much as cooking and eating the Christmas dinner! My favourite part of the dinner has to be the sprouts - I know they are a love-them-or-hate-them menu item, but I am on a one woman mission to convert everyone I meet to the humble sprout.
5. Favourite Christmas gift?
As a child, it was the huge doll house that my mum and dad stayed up most of Christmas Eve building for my sister and I. My mum says they listened out for every noise, thinking it was one of us getting up, shhhh-ing and leaping behind the sofa with each creak. I remember coming down on Christmas morning and literally being in complete awe of it, I couldn't believe how lucky we were. In more recent years, Darren bought me a fancy-dancy stand mixer - it is bright blue and I just love it.
6. Favourite Christmas scent?
At Christmas we always light the fire in the dining room at my parents house and this is my most favourite smell. It's like it's truly Christmas when the fire is lit in our house.
7. Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions?
Christmas Eve is usually spent prepping the Christmas dinner; peeling the spuds, chopping veg and cooking the Christmas ham. In the evening, we usually wrap up and walk to the local pub and have a couple of drinks - well, it is the festive period!
8. What tops your tree?
I shamefully do not have anything at the top of my tree. In my defence, I haven't found the perfect star/angel yet - they all seem a bit cheap looking. I definitely need to step up the hunt for this year!
9. As a kid what was the one (crazy, wild, extravagant) gift you always asked for but never received?
When I was 16, I was obsessed with wanting to get out on the roads. Being too young to drive, I pleaded with my parents to buy me a moped/scooter, which you can legally drive at age 16. There was no way I was ever going to get one, but it didn't stop my trying.
10. What’s the best part about Christmas for you?
Spending time with family is hands-down the best part. I love having a house full of people. I also love watching people open presents, is that odd?
I'd love to know what you love about Christmas? Also, any ideas what I can get to top my tree?
I picked up this beauty while in Florida in February. I ummm'd and ahhh'd over which one to choose, much to Darren's annoyance ("Heather, we've been looking at the same thing for 10 minutes, just. pick. one.!" I think he said!). The tricky thing is, that in american drugstores, they don't actually have testers, so I couldn't swatch any of them.
The shade I eventually plumped for was Berry Amoure. It's a pretty mix of a cool-toned pink with bronze-peach marbling. If I'm honest, I've spent many minutes admiring the prettiness of this blush in the pan. I think i'm weak for these kinds of 'baked' products!
As you can see from the swatch'y goodness above, the colours combine to create a lovely warm-toned neutral pink with just the right amount of shimmer to impart that healthy, i've-just-been-out-for-a-brisk-walk look!
I had worried that, like the Bourjois baked blushes, these may have poor payoff, however that isn;t the case. In fact, if anything you need to go a bit steady when swirling your brush in this, or else you'll apply far too much! It's a lovely smooth formula which lasts a good 8 hours on me before starting to fade a little.
Here it is on my cheekies! It's very natural in colour and texture. I only wish I'd bought more, since these are unfortunately not available in the UK. However, GB girlies might be able to find these in a blog sale or on eBay, so keep an eye out!
It's always disappointing when you lust after a product for ages and when you finally get your hands on it, it's so underwhelming you just cannot understand what everyone else saw in it. Doing as much research as possible does help minimise any let-down, but I have come across a few products which, despite my almost obsessive trawl of Google/Instagram/Twitter etc. etc., still haven't lived up to the hype. While it's never nice to slate a product or brand, I think it's important to be honest - not every product will work for every person.
NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation
On paper, this foundation should be my holy grail; full coverage - check, lightweight - check, natural luminous finish - check, lasts all day - check...but no matter how hard I try I cannot get this product to work for me. I have tried every conceivable way of applying this base, I've used fingers and brushes, primers and oils, tiny amounts of product, powders, setting sprays - I have tried it all. The issues with this product start with application. The pump dispenses the teeniest drop of product, which apparently is all that is required for the whole face. Now, I'm under no illusion hat no matter how wonderful this product is, a drop of foundation no bigger than a couple of grains of rice just ain't gonna cut it to cover scars and redness. However, use more than this and all hell is unleashed (well..not quite, it's just foundation..). The problem with this foundation is that while initially it looks beautiful and flawless, it very quickly begins to almost separate and slide around on my face. On my skin this happens fairly quickly, usually with the first hour of wearing it. Less than ideal given the hefty price tag.
Bourjois Round Pot Blush
Blush is my absolute weakness, so the Bourjois stand draws me in like a tractor beam to their little pots of cheeky goodness. I love the compact size of the products, the way they are subtly scented and the way the packaging matches the colour of the blush contained within. All sounds good so far, right? Unfortunately the baked texture of these products makes it nigh-on impossible to get payoff on my cheeks. Seriously, you'd develop RSI in your wrist trying to get product onto the brush! I have swirled, stabbed, and even scraped the damn thing and at the end of the day it's just not worth the hassle. I've already used up far too many minutes of my life trying to get some colour payoff - I have even considered rubbing the little pot directly onto my cheeks..! Such a shame, as the colour I have (Sienne), is a beautiful muted pinky brown. Let's hope Bourjois reformulate these soon.
Anastasia Dip Brow Pomade
My brows are very low maintenance. A quick tidy up with the tweezers and a brush with a brow comb and they're happy. Last year with my wedding approaching, and having decided that I wanted to do my own make-up, I thought I would treat my brows to a bit of extra grooming and ABH Dip Brow Pomade ( Pom-ade or pom-ad?) seemed like the ideal choice. The colour is perfectly ashy, and it's relatively easy to apply once you realise that you need a very very small amount of this. Plus, when it dries down it ain't going anywhere til you remove it. The one major downside of this product is how quickly it dries out and becomes flaky and crumbly. This, along with the fact you need very little means that it would be impossible to even make a dent in this by the time it starts to dry out. Perhaps a smaller pot would be the answer? Or a rethink on the packaging?
My tips for avoiding being let down (by beauty products....):
Research. Blogs, Google, Pinterest and Instagram are all good sources of information. Check out swatches on different skin tones.
Don't rush. There's always a fair bit of hype surrounding new releases, usually followed by a swathe of positive reviews. If you sit it out a bit, you tend to find more honest reviews appear and you can make a more rational choice.
Try before you buy. This might sound obvious, but if it's available at a counter or stand, get yourself down there and ask the sales assistant to try the product on you then wear it for a few hours. This will give you an idea if it's worth the splurge.
Are there any products which have disappointed you recently?
Taking cheesy selfies in the shower...perfectly acceptable behaviour..?!
A good body scrub is hard to find. I have had high hopes for many a product only to be disappointed when, after scooping some product out of the tub, the grains immediately dissolve/rinse away before I can even start scrubbing.
When I first came across an article for Frank Body, I had pretty much given up hope of finding a good body scrub and instead had been using exfoliating mitts. Don't get me wrong, they do a great job of smoothing my skin, but they can feel a bit harsh and were leaving my skin red and tender.
This particular article I found touted Frank Body coffee scrub as a miracle product for those with various skin concerns, ranging from acne to stretch marks. I had to try it! I ordered up the An Original Introduction bundle which contains the original body scrub and body balm. As a side note, the website is super cute and stylish, it's well worth a nosey. I think the branding is spot on, it's a bit cheeky and a bit naughty, but without being seedy or sexist.
Anyway, I digress...a couple of weeks later the package arrived and inside the blush pink box were my goodies. I literally ran to the shower, and for someone who doesn't run often, this is a big deal folks. There's a bit of a knack with using this product; switch on the shower and get the skin wet, then switch the shower off and rub the scrub into damp skin for 5-10 minutes. This seems like such a long time when you are loitering around in the shower, gradually freezing your tush off, but it's really important to leave it on to get the most benefit from it. The first time I rinsed this off I was amazed by just how soft it made my skin, leaving a thin veil of sweet almond oil behind afterwards. This thought was closely followed by pure shock at the state of the shower cubicle - it is a messy job and the coffee grounds were everywhere but, it rinses away easily and it entirely worth it. I blotted my skin dry and then followed up with the body balm which is an unusual squeezable oily balm. This is also a pretty special product and left me stroking my skin in a very unnecessary way for the rest of the evening.
I have used this product once or twice per week for the last couple of months (the website suggests continuous use for maximum benefits on conditions such as cellulite and stretch marks - this ain't no quick fix) and can't recommend it highly enough. It has noticeably improved the texture and elasticity of my skin and I can imagine that the results will only get better the longer I use the scrub.
Today marks a momentous occasion indeed - my first ever outfit post! I have umm'd and ahh'd for a long time about sharing some of my outfits on my blog, but finally decided that life really is too short to be giving it so much thought, so I put on my big girl pants and just did it! You can imagine the look I got when I asked Darren if he would come into the field with me and take some pictures...but once I explained he reluctantly agreed, mumbling "remember I aint no David Bailey" as we walked though the corn field next to our house.
While in Glasgow yesterday I popped into Forever 21 to have a look at their plus size offerings. I always used to get so confused with the sizing in Forever 21 when they first opened in the UK as they used US sizing which I think is 2 sizes less than ours...I think! Thankfully, however they now have the UK sizing on the labels which makes things much more straight forward. I spotted this checked shirt right away and fell a little bit in love with it before I even tried it on. Annoyingly, I can't find it on the Forever21 website, although there are a couple of similar styles on there. It's a longer length and comes with a skinny belt which makes it a bit quirky and interesting. Today I styled it with some plain black leggings and ankle boots and also popped a vest underneath for a bit of a different look. I feel a bit of an OOTD fraudster as this isn't very high fashion and I don't have the perfect matching accessories but do you know what, this is real life and this is what I actually wear. Speaking of real life, do you know how hard it is to get up onto one of those ruddy hay bales? Nigh on impossible! The method I used was to take a run at it (whilst trying not to break my ankle in my heels), jump up and then Darren literally manhandled me up onto the blimmin' thing while I shouted "keep pushing!" and flailed my legs around trying to get traction to push myself up...it's all about the glamour over here! Getting down was interesting too...
I hope you enjoyed this kind of post, and while I don't think my invite to LFW will be dropping on the doormat any time soon, I sure did enjoy my little photoshoot!
I'm really not very exciting when it comes to styling my hair. I have very fine hair which seems to be shedding even further (eep!...but that's another post entirely) so creating some loose curls is about as fancy as it gets with me! Styling products tends to either weigh down my fine hair or make it dry and crispy - do you feel my pain yet? So when Bed Head got in touch to say they were launching a new product and sent me a sample, I was pretty sceptical...
Called Joyride, they describe this product as the World's first Powder Primer Balm. It creates the
perfect base layer for any style
and keeps it that way.
JOYRIDE primes the hair with a fine,
invisible powder that adds texture
and grip making styling and hold easy.
So, get a grip and hold on, for
the JOYRIDE of your life!
I was fairly convinced that this product would be a powder, something along the lines of the ultra-fine texturising powders so I was a little surprised when I cut open the sachet this morning to find a clear gel inside...that'll teach me to read things properly!
As instructed I applied this to clean, damp hair and concentrated on mid-lengths and ends. Initially I was quite unimpressed as my hair didn't feel any different after applying. I expected to feel some kind of tackiness or grit but my hair felt the same. I went ahead and dried off my hair as I would normally - using my heat styler to smooth out my natural curls and add a bit of volume. It was at that point that I could see that my hair had a subtle texture to it, almost like second day hair but without any oiliness. I ran the straightener through to create a loose wave and found that I didn't need to use any of my other normal styling products to get the subtly defined waves that I tend to go for. This product seems to have some level of hold in it, but feels like it's just your hair.
I snapped a couple of quick selfies in the car before work, which accounts for my sleepy face! Concentrate on the hair, people!
Hopefully this gives you an idea of the texture and lightweight-ness (yup..reckon I just made up that there word!) of the product in relation to fine haired types like myself! I'm pleasantly surprised that I like this product, I was sure it would be too much for my hair texture. However instead it seems to work with the texture of my hair really well. Bead Head Joyride is £16.95 = buy here
