Friday 31 January 2014

What Have I Been Reaching For In January?


So after a busy week of working and travelling, I decided to write about what I've been reaching for the most this month. I think I'm going to continue this series as a sort of monthly favourites. Let me know down in the comments what you think - also what beauty products you've been reaching for :)



So as a quick over view the products that I have been obsessing over are the following; MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Rio (£22), MAC Mineralize Eye Shadow in Love Connection (£17), MAC Matte Lipstick in Pink Plaid (£15), Natural Connection Lipstick Moisture Shine in Rose Bud (£1.99), YSL Shocking Mascara (£22) and finally the much talked about Bioderma for sensitive skin (£9.99).
I know what you're thinking...that's a lot of MAC.



With this month being particularly bitter, my face has taken offence!
I decided that a nice rosy glow would definitely blast away any dullness. I especially love Mac's Mineralize Skinfinish in Rio, this is a beautiful rose gold colour which has a spectacular shimmer to it. I only use a dab of this on my cheeks to give me that dewy look. As with all Mac Mineralize pressed powders, a little goes a hell of a long way. You do not want to be a shining beacon of light! It's not pleasant. 

I use the 'highlighter' side of my Love Connection Eye Shadow to emphasize the tops of my cheekbones, but as mentioned above, only a dab! This creates a really stunning flawless look and makes your skin look amaze-balls (Yes, that is a word..kind of!)  

From Top to Bottom; 'Love Connection' Highlighter, 'Love Connection' Gold Shimmer, 'Rio' Skinfinish

The next items on my list are my favourite lipsticks, these colours are seriously so beautiful the camera does not do them justice. They are warm pinks, so you can wear them during the day with a more natural look or at night with a sexy smoky eye and a pop of gloss. Girls, you can not go wrong.


Top; Natural Collection Rose Bud. Bottom; MAC Pink Plaid

Okay so everyone knows about Bioderma - if not where have you been?! I won't go on about it too much. Basically all you need to know is, it's fab! It's a 2 in 1 product; a cleanser and make up remover.  It's super gentle on your skin and does not leave you feeling oily or dry. A serious must have for any avid beauty fan - I defy you not to like it!


I even like the bottle...is that wrong?

Finally, my luxury item. YSL seriously know what they're talking about when it comes to mascara and this does exactly what it says on the tin. Your eyelashes look so good, they're shocking...see what I did there? I know this is pricy, however if you're looking to splurge on an item I would recommend this. It not only lengthens your lashes, it curls them too in it's rich formulation. This holds the curl, defines each lash AND lengthens them. What more do you want I ask?! 
LOVE IT. 




On a closing note, I hope you've enjoyed the first instalment of 'What have I been reaching for?' Now I tag all of you to let me know what you've been reaching for! I'm dead nosy and love to know what everyones favourites items are each month. 

 As always guys and gals, it's been a pleasure. 

Char xXx



                                                                   








Friday 24 January 2014

Laura Mercier Colour-To-Go Portable Palette in Smoky Violet for Eyes, Cheeks & Lips


I don't know about you, but anytime I hear the Laura Mercier name mentioned, my ears prick up and my heart starts to race. There is just something about this brand that makes me loiter around the Laura Mercier counter and demand to try out pretty much every product. It has become my new make up addiction (in case you hadn't realised!)

I had my eye on this for a while, so when it came to people asking me what I wanted for Christmas, this was one of the items at the top of my list. It's not too expensive either for a LM product, I believe it's about £31.00 but difficult to get your hands on at the moment! This is so useful, as I can take this out with me on a night out, I can use it in the day, throw it in my handbag so I can attempt to look glamorous whilst at work or on the go. This palette really has a lot going for it.




There are two levels to the palette; The top layer is pretty much all about the eyes (minus the lip gloss - obviously!) You have a trio of eye shadows, which include a highlighter, midtone and definer shades in Plum Smoke (Matte), Violet Steel (Luster) and finally a Tightline Cake Eye Liner (Violet Asphalt). The pigments of the 3 shadows are fantastic - a little goes a long way! The colours really blend well together and you don't just have to use this for a smoky eye. I didn't the first time I used it and got no end of compliments, as it also provides you with a natural look too, so long as you don't go too heavy with the violets.  Just a little tip would be to wet your brush (I use the mac 266 small angle brush) to bring out the pigment on the liner a bit or alternatively a new blogger friend recommended the Illamasqua Sealing Gel which, I'm assured will bring out the pigment even more. 



The bottom layer of this palette is all about the cheeks and lips.You have a bronzing powder in Golden Bronze which does have a shimmer to it (sorry matte lovers!) and a rose gold coloured blush in Barely Pink. This is also where the lip gloss is tucked away; it's a mini version of the LM Lip Glace in the colour After Hours. Its a peachy nude lipgloss with a slight shimmer to it, LM glosses always smell delicious, this particular one smells of vanilla. It provides enough coverage on the lips as is or over a matte lipstick. If you're after a lip gloss that you can wear anytime of day, this is it.


The palette is small in size, no bigger than 10cm in length and has a full sized mirror built into the top lid. So as far as i'm concerned this product does no wrong. The only thing I would say, is that it's missing a section for it's Secret Concealer which seriously is amazing guys...I'll be doing another blog post on that in the near future. 

Anyway, for now I hope I've given you some insight into one of the wonders of my make-up bag. It was a pleasure, as always. 

Char xx




Thursday 16 January 2014

My First Review 2014 |FOOD| Banana & Oat Healthy Cookies


At the beginning of the week I realised that I seriously had to start organising myself better, and allocate time to write my blog. I looked into what other bloggers do, and their best advise is to write ideas down in a notebook as and when they come to you.

So. This was the perfect opportunity to use my Christmas present from my Aunt. My first thought when I saw this was 'what the hell..?' as, lets face it, it's not the prettiest of notebooks, but it has grown on me so much. It's got that 'Harry Potter' look to it, its made of 100% leather and has my initial embossed onto it (clearly my Aunt went to a lot of trouble). Next thing on the agenda was organising my time, and what better way to do this, than with my new Filofax that I got from my best friend Claire (take note of Claire as she will no doubt be mentioned a billion times in my blogs!)

Please ignore the cats...I'm not a crazy cat lady!  x

I was thinking long and hard about what I was going to do my first review on and in all honesty I couldn't really make up my mind. I have a tonne of products, places & food that I think would be worth reviewing, so to come up with just one for now is a nightmare! I've decided on the ever so popular Banana & Oat cookies, which a lot of YouTubers rave about.

Banana & Oat Healthy, Quick and Easy Cookies

What you will need:
200g Oats
3 Ripe Bananas
Large mixing bowl
Your hands :)
Baking Tray
Grease proof paper


Method:

It really is so simple, you just pour your oats into the bowl and add your bananas. You then just use your fingers to mush the banana into the oats until it forms a thick doughy mixture. It is quite crucial that you use ripe bananas, as they are not only sweeter but will bind the mixture together with ease. The reason why they get sweeter is down to the starch in them, which breaks down into sugar. Hence why you get that caramelised taste whilst it's being cooked.


Stage 1 - Preparation & Method


Stage 2 - Baking & Tasting


First Thoughts!


Smell:


The first sensation will almost always be smell. You can really smell the Banana (Duhh!) However it's a caramelised scent, so very sweet, delicious and ever so tempting. Which is exactly what you want with a 'cookie', especially one that is actually good for you for a change.

Texture:

Well the texture is quite 'flapjack' like. I would go as far as to say that these should be called Banana Flapjacks; they are soft, moist and oaty. Not crunchy and chewy as you would find with most cookies. However I ate these straight out of the oven, and didn't really give them much time to cool. Perhaps if I had made them thinner and let them cool, they would have been a much crunchier texture? I'll try that next time. 
You may also find that sometimes you come across a dry section where the banana hasn't quite spread evenly amongst the mix and other times you come across a bit of gooey banana. Some of you might relate to 'Millies Cookie-Pops' where you got really excited when you came across a smartie?.. Or perhaps that was that just me.

I swear these have gotten smaller....
Taste:

This is where your senses suddenly come running back and realise they've been fooled into thinking this is an actual cookie. Yes - the obvious flavour that comes through is banana, and unfortunately that is the only thing you can taste. So, if you hate the taste of bananas, you're screwed! 

Serving Suggestion: Add some natural yoghurt and fresh fruit e.g. blueberries/ strawberries / mango (whatever you want) I just had a glass of milk as they were a little too dry on their own. 

So...LOVE or LOATHE?

It's got to be love, I would 100% do these again. They are so versatile, you can have them for breakfast, as a snack or a dessert. You can add ingredients to them like chocolate chips, nuts or some type of dried fruit? The fact that they are so easy to make is another bonus - including preparation time and cooking you're looking at 15 minutes tops. 



If you found my review useful in any way, let me know! It would be great to know that there are people out there that actually ready this. Any criticism you give will be taken onboard so i can hopefully mould myself into a proper blogger! 
Follow me on Twitter & Instagram to keep up to date, spur me on and request what ever review you want me to do next!

Friday 10 January 2014

So, around 5am on New Years Day I decided that it was about time I came up with a resolution (I mean -what else are you supposed to do at that ungodly hour?!). I've never really taken a New Year's resolution seriously until that moment of reflection...where you realise you've not really accomplished anything yet. I know it seems very melodramatic but everyone around me seems to be going places so why aren't I? After looking back at what has been an average year, I couldn't help but recall that I go on and on about how 'I will make something of myself', when, in fact I don't do anything risky enough to actually persevere my so call 'dream'. I mean I'm not going to be jumping out of a plane anytime soon, but it's time to do something a little different.

Thanks Jill...!


So here I am, ready to take on an adventure and see where I end up. I've heard a lot of people on YouTube, like Tanya Burr, Fleur de Force & Zoelle, talk about blogging/ vlogging and all that jazz, and decided I was way too scared to jump in-front of a camcorder just yet! Never say never - hey?! 

My thoughts on what I'd like to achieve this year are quite all over the place. My first thought is that I'd quite like to win the lottery....of course I'd have to actually buy a lottery ticket to even consider this a possibility. Do you ever wonder what you'd do if you won an obscene amount of money? You get the usual, 'I'd give some to my friends, family, charity' blah blah blah! Yeah right - you'd scream your head off, get a Rolls to come and pick you up, tell work to 'do one' and tell the driver not to stop until you're in the VIP lounge at Heathrow sipping an ice cold glass of champagne with Kim Kardashian, and if she's not around any celeb will do! 
It seems we've gone off track.
Another thought (slightly more realistic) would be to go out and see the world some more, or even go somewhere else other than London. Maybe, dare I say it, go for long walks in the countryside? Take up a hobby? Volunteer work? - SOMETHING?! Writing a blog maybe.... 
I'd say (if i was being completely honest) that by the end of this year, no matter what, I will be doing what I love and making more and more friends along the way. The last few years have been tough and my family seems to gotten a hell of a lot smaller, so for me it's important to surround myself with people I love. 

I love this, so true.


So. This blog, What's its aim? I thought I would write regular blogs about anything and everything. I love make-up, hair products, food, places, shopping, travelling anything really. So it makes sense for me to review these and give you my honest opinions on what I think of them. Also my aim is to keep you all updated on where I am and what I'm doing to ensure I stay on this path and see where I end up. If you have any thoughts or recommendations let me know :)
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