Don't be a 'Mood Hoover'...

Dance with life and you’ll get everyone dancing!

 

Think about the last time you wanted to punch someone's face in... I wanted to knock out a guy who was chewing loudly behind me in the library this afternoon [don't worry, I didn't]. Now think about the time you were truly content with what you had and were actually happy being you! Don't worry if it took you a little while to think of something because you are not alone!

People are suffering from 'destination addiction'; they always have to strive to work harder to reach a goal which they think will give them the happiness they desire. Well guess what people? Happiness is here and now. Don't let the busyness of life get in the way of enjoying those precious moments with your friends and family.

A recent research study showed that the UK is the 41^st happiest country in the world. We are materially rich but community poor. Let's hit those brakes in the fast lane that we insist on travelling in and enjoy what is going on around us. I was driving back from work yesterday and I started panicking because I passed a church that I had never seen before. I stopped my car and got out my satnav to check my whereabouts - nope, I was on the right route. I had never seen this beautiful church before because I used to speed my way home and not pay any attention to my surroundings. Just think about all those things you could be missing just by speeding through life.

Another factor in this whole happiness shindig is that people always say you can't control it. 'How could I be happy when that crazy girl punched me in the face for chewing my gum too loudly?'Well guess what ladies and gents? 10% of your life consists of things that will happen to you and the other 90% will be how you react to it. That 90% is a big part of your life! Yesterday I had to wait for a learner driver who was doing a 3 point turn in the middle of a road oh-so-slowly - any other time I would have had grumbled, cursed and given him evil looks when he drove past me, but armed with my new information I sat there, waited patiently, and gave him a big smile and thumbs up when he FINALLY drove past. That smile that spread over his face literally warmed my heart! My positive-ness gave his the confidence boost he needed and I know he won't be crying in bed at night because the crazy woman in her banged up car was mean to him.

YOU are the main character in YOUR life so make sure that your negative behaviour does not have a knock-on effect on people around you. If you are pissed off at something that has happened at work and take it out on someone else then you are affecting their mood and it is a never ending cycle until SOMEONE takes that inspiring step to react with positive-ness and move on. Positive-ness is contagious so get on this bandwagon people and let's make the world a better place.

CHALLENGE

I challenge thee to take four minutes before you go to bed and think about what has been good about your day, what has been amazing about your day and what has been BRILLIANT! Going to bed in a positive frame of mind means you will wake up feeling positive. It takes 14 days for habits to become embedded in our minds so let's see this through!

Be the inspiration you want to see in the world!

Hello, Wow!

I have spent the last two days holed up in my bedroom applying for jobs, so you can imagine that I am at an all time low! So imagine my surprise when I got a little parcel through this morning containing some lovely treats for me. I was sooooooooper happy! I recently met Lisa Potter-Dixon at a Benefit event that I attended (blog post here) and was lucky enough to try and get a sample of the new Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation. I have been using it since and I have completely fallen in love with it! The girls from Benefit in Harvey Nichols (Manchester) rang me yesterday and asked for feedback on the foundation and whether I was interested in mail ordering it. Then she went on to say I would get a few little freebies thrown in as well...I was already sold but that was a BIG BONUS! I only ordered this yesterday and it was on my doorstep this morning - SO HAPPY!

I got the foundation in the 'I'm so money - Honey' shade and it matches perfectly! The foundation is in 9 shades so I will be very surprised if there is anyone who can't find a match. It's SPF 25 (perfect for the sun...when we get it), a brightening foundation (I will need this once I start back at school), oil-free, and you can build up coverage! It is a bit on the expensive side at £24.50 but when you think about how much you get and the 'benefits' of it (geddit?) it doesn't really matter! This is definitely going to be in everyday make-up bag! What are your thoughts on it?

The very helpful BeneBabe (I think it was Katrina) also went on to say I would get a free eye shadow with my purchase. It turned out I already had the one that they had in stock so she said I could choose two samples from their skin care range. I already had the Total Moisturising Facial Cream (review here) which she offered so she said I could get the Potent Eye Cream. I got two deluxe samples (my mother already stole one!). The eye cream helps to fade the dark circles under your eyes and helps retain/regain the elasticity. I have been meaning to buy this for a long time so I'm very happy with my deluxe sample which should tide me over for two months! Have you used this product? What did you think of it?

Tips&Tricks #2 Never wear make-up in the dark!

Don't laugh! It sounds so simple but it is such a common mistake. 

Disclaimer: This is not me!

Today I decided to use my Benefit Dallas bronzer to contour my cheekbones before heading out to run some errands. After I left the house I got a few weird looks and little chuckles, I didn't think much of it because I hadn't straightened my hair so assumed that I was walking with a frizz ball on top of my head. (OMG, it actually hurts to write this!) I finally stopped in front of a mirror to sort out my hair and was gobsmacked to see 2 very clear brown lines on both sides of my face - I HADN'T BLENDED PROPERLY! The dark lighting in my room had led me to believe that I had blended the bronzer in properly but in the clear light outside I could see how defined they were. DAMN.YOU.ROOM! This led to some furious rubbing of my cheeks which ended up VERY RED! Oh dear...

Anyway, enough of my sob stories! When applying make-up make sure that you are in natural light and always make sure that you have a quick look in your compact mirror once you've left the house. Dark lighting means that you will cake on the make-up because you can't see it!

DO.NOT.MAKE.THIS.MISTAKE!

Have you had a similar experience to mine?

Superdug Splurge

I made a very rookie mistake of going into Superdrug today when I KNEW that I didn't need anything. Being a laydee of very little willpower this is what I ended up buying;

Now I am going to try and justify this...

MUA Blusher Shade 4 - £1

I have read so many great reviews about MUA that I had to pick up a few of their products when I came across them. I am in need of a new blusher so I picked up this gorgeous shade. It is a deep picky-bronzey colour but doesn't go on that shade; it is a lot lighter even though it is quite pigmented. I can't wait to try this on tomorrow to see if I am blown away by it or not. Have you tried any of MUA blushers? What did you think of their quality?

MUA Bronzer Shade 2 - £1

I needed a medium coloured bronzer for contouring so I picked up this little beauty. I have given this a go and it is great for contouring because it is not shimmery and really does work. I refuse to make a proper judgement on this until I have tried it for a day to see how long it lasts. Have you tried any MUA products, and what did you make of them?

Mud Mask - £2.59

This was just one of those random purchases. I'm having a Disney movie night with my sister (we are big kids) so I thought we could make a night of it and pamper ourselves while we're at it. I tried some of this on my hand and it smells divine! I haven't used a Mud Mask in literally like YEARS so I am very excited! What Mud Masks have you tried and would you recommend?

Lynx for Her - £1.99

Firstly, if I don't have guys falling all over me when I wear this I will be suing Lynx for false advertisement. I kid, I kid! I'm not THAT crazy. I wasn't sure what to expect of this because it was one of those 'oh-that-looks-nice' moments when I was queueing up and I haven't heard much about it. The bottle is sturdy and not very feminine (aside from the pink) which automatically led me to believe that it was going to be a bit manly-smelling (you know that smell). However, I was very pleasantly surprised; it smells like Lacoste Pink, there are random bursts of a floral smell and something else that I cannot pinpoint. A must buy! Have you tried this?

Hand Sanitizer - £0.99

Germs, germs, germs! I needed this in my life. 

All this shopping and spending the money I don't actually have took it's toll on me so I skipped home to eat my dinner! I made cous cous from a packet that I got from Tesco. It was yummy but I had to season it because the salt was lacking. In my world you can't have dinner without dessert so I poured myself a large glass of Ribena and munched on some French Fancies. I actually have a recipe for these so I am going to attempt to make some of my own soon. Watch this space!

And now I am going to try to bash out a 3,000 word essay on behaviour management in primary school classrooms...

How has your day been?

'For people who like cake!'

I want to share with you guys some of my highlights from this past week. I spent it in Sheffield with my cousins and we had SO much fun (like we always do). Prank calls, midnight feasts, silly sleepover games, waking up at 3pm...just because we could! You name it, we did it!

The week, as usual, was filled with so much yummy food that I came back home 5 stones heavier (okay, okay, that's a slight exaggeration but you know what I mean). We consumed everything from Easter Eggs, chocolates, cupcakes to spicy biryani, sizzling hot samosas and kebabs. 

Here are a few pictures that I had time to take before we stuffed our faces;

My favourite cake shop EVER has got to be Fancie!They sell the most amazing.cakes.in.da.world! I am a huge fan of their cupcakes; they are big, very reasonably priced, there is a massive range to choose from, AND they are yummy. This company is based in Sheffield so I would recommend you get your bums there if you ever go. 

I had the praline cupcakes; it was so soft, moist and the middle had a gorgeous filling. My mouth is watering as I type! They also do mini cupcakes, gluten free treats, muffins, hot drinks, and lunch options. Have you ever been Fancie's? What did you think?

My cousin made these little delights for us! The cake is chocolate sponge with a chocolate fudge topping. It was like heaven in a bite! She made the little chocolate cups (I will be doing a blogpost soon to show how) and wrote a personalised message for everyone. It was so thoughtful and creative.

These are some Easter cupcakes that we made instead of giving out Easter Eggs. Some had nutella in the centre; others had mini easter eggs. We were up until 4 in the morning doing this but it was so much fun baking and decorating that we didn't even care. 

How was your Easter?

Did you have any baking adventures?

Tips&Tricks #1 Always wash your brushes!

After spending a whole afternoon with some of my friends comparing a whole variety of make-up, skin care, hair advice and realising how some of us had never even heard of the basic ones, I decided to do a little 'Tips & Tricks' segment for my blog. Some of these you will have heard and others will blow your mind!

I am going to start with one that we all know about but most of us don't follow.

ALWAYS WASH YOUR MAKE-UP BRUSHES!

Our poor brushes get thrown around in the make-up bag, get a ton of product on them and are often forgotten about the second we put our make-up on. They are prone to having a build up of bacteria that can get transferred to the rest of your make-up if you use the brush with a multiple of products. It is also a cause of some breakouts if there is a large amount of bacteria in the brushes. It is recommended that you wash them weekly but I wash mine at least twice a week. It takes very little time and effort!

Here is how I wash my Clinique Foundation Brush:

Step 1: Run the brush under water. As you can see, mine has got a slight brown tinge to it.

Step 2: Add a soap, shampoo or anti-bacterial wash on the brush. How much you put on depends on the size of your brush so use your intuition. 

Step 3: Wet the brush again and swirl it in your hand so the anti-bacterial wash can lather up. Swirl the brush in your hand in a circular motion. Wash the brush PROPERLY and repeat if there is any coloured residue left. 

Step 4: Stand back and admire your work! If you look at the first picture and compare it too this then you can see how much cleaner it look.

Step 5: Dry the brush with a towel but do not pull at the bristles! Place your brush on a rolled up towel that has a slight slant to it so that any excess water can be absorbed by the towel. Leave it there over night and it should be dry by the morning. 

How do you wash your make-up brushes?

Natural is not always better...

Buying expensive make-up is really having a drastic impact on my bank balance, so when I decided to pop into Boots last week I decided to try something. I have heard good reviews for the Natural Collection products so decided to invest in their Shine Away Foundation. I bought the colour 'Biscuit' after testing it on my jaw line and was pretty happy because it was a match (and only £2). Feeling very pleased with my purchase I skipped off back home to try out my new buy. 

Little did I know that I was going to be very, very, very, very disappointed!

As you can see,you get a lot for £2.

And it looks like foundation...

BUT it didn't sink into my skin, I was dragging it across my face with the brush because it was too thick,  it was caked on my face, my face was sooo dry, you could see every little single line in my face, and my face felt so dirty that I had to wipe it off within an hour of putting it on. 

I really was not impressed!

What are your experiences with Natural Collection like?

Losing my virginity...

Ahem...not like that! I finally lost my Beauty Box virginity this month as I got my She Said Beauty box through a few days ago. The blogging universe has been going crazy about these little treasures, so when I saw that there was a new beauty box out I jumped on eeeeeet! I was very pleased with the box and will definitely be getting another one next month. I love the fact that you get a present delivered to your doorstep every month...it doesn't matter that you paid for it yourself...it's too pretty!

Here are the products I got and my mini reviews.

Filthy Gorgeous London Nail Polish (Vamp) - £9

This was the only product I was very disappointed with so I'm going to get this out of the way first. The colour was awful, it stained my nail and it started chipping after a few hours. I can see these being in the bargain baskets in Pound World not a high end store. The company boasts of combining rich cremes, delcate sheers and crystal 3D glitter pigaments in the long wearing (HA!), high shine (Lies!), high pigament professional quality (Lol) nail polish formula...it's all lies! Never ever ever again!

Mischa Barton Luscious Lips - £12

I was adamant that I would not like this because it's Mischa Barton (from The OC) but I was pleasantly surprised. I like the fact it has SPF15 and vitamins in it because I like looking after my lips and that would do the job. It is a hydrating lip protector with a hint (non-existent) of flattering colour; I did not mind this because it seemed to emphasise my own lip colour rather than add anything to it. I found my lips were hydrated but I would not pay the full price for it. Still a good product though!

Bellapierre Cosmetics Shimmer Powder - £12.99

I love love love love love this product and it's a pretty nifty size so I know it will last me all summer! The 100% Mica powder has a gorgeous shimmer to it that lasts for such a long time. I used it as a highlighter when I tested it and it really enhanced my cheekbones and lasted all day. However, you can use it as an eyeshadow, cream shadow (apply with damp brush), blush, eye liner (apply with damp eye liner brush), lip colour (on top of vaseline/clear gloss), or nail varnish (on top of clear polish). The product is very versatile and I will be buying this little beauty again!

Bharti Vyas Face and Neck Polish - £25.50

This is part of an anti-ageing treatment for the skin from this company; it clears the skin of dead skin cells and leaves it feeling refined and fresh. I started off thinking that it was just another exfoliator but this was soooo much more; my skin felt lovely, fresh, moisturised and ah-may-zing! I am going to put this on my wishlist because it is a great product but I can't afford it.

Comfort Zone Body Expert Kit

This little kit has; Body Strategist Cellulite Remodeller which has a thermogenic action, D-Age Body Cream and Fruity Peel Exfoliator, Tranquillity Cream, Mediterranean Shower Gel, and Vital Leg Cream. I haven't used this yet so I can't really comment but I like the idea.

Erno Laszlo The Hollywood Collection 

This sample contained; Ava Gardner Instant Eye Repair, Marilyn Monroe Morning Beauty Rescue, Katharine Hepburn Intensive Porcelain Veil, Grace Kelly Refresh Moisture Infusion and Greta Garbo Velvet Night Cream. I tried this and LOVED it! My skin felt so amazing afterwards and I was practically beaming all day long. However, full size products from this range cost around and over £100 so I'll look into it again after I win the lottery.

And last but not least, there was a little Lindor Easter egg. I would show you a picture but it was in my belly within seconds of me opening the parcel.

Are you on the beauty box bandwagon?

What have been your favourite samples this month?

The Cupcake Tragedy

The Easter holidays have begun and I have made a promise to myself that I WILL enjoy the first few days before I get bogged down with work. Over the weekend I decided to reconnect with my little cousin who I haven't seen in a few weeks because I have been crazy busy with uni work.

Our favourite past time is baking cupcakes, so I picked her up, brought her to my house, got out our aprons, and got baking! It was such a gorgeous day and the fact that I was spending it with one of my favourite people made it even more spectacular. 

We worked together for a couple of hours baking cakes for her and my family and nattering [as much as you can natter with a 5 year old]. We made the frosting while we waited for our cupcakes to bake, coloured it, flavoured it, and then decided what type of design we would go for. The little one wanted roses so we decided to make flower cupcakes!

This is what they looked like...

We were both incredibly proud of our hard days work and decided to stick her cupcakes in a tin so her mummy and daddy could see what lovely treats she had made for them. 

We walked to her house ever so carefully so as not to mess up the cupcake frosting. 

When we got there, she grabbed the tin excitedly to show her grandparents her cupcakes...and...BOOM!

 The tin fell onto the floor, her face dropped, and her little eyes filled with tears.

We were lucky because the cakes did their little dance with death IN the tin so apart from the frosting being totally destroyed they were still edible...

But it wasn't the same...

Have you had any baking adventures recently?