What's In My Makeup Bag - September 2013

I'm a nosy beggar so love seeing what other people have in their handbags or use on their face. There must be some other people out there who love this so I thought I would give you an insight into what I'm currently using (Disclaimer: I am no makeup genius, I just slap it on!!)

MAYBELLINE BABY LIPS CLEAR LIP BALM - Purchased this in Tesco just before I went on holiday as I hate chapped lips and I knew that the sun and sea air would dry them out. Absolutely love this product, its not too tacky and I like the packaging

MAXFACTOR MIRACLE TOUCH LIQUID ILLUSION FOUNDATION IN CREAM IVORY - Hate the texture of this product but love the coverage, it feels like show makeup from when I used to dance which feels wet and really heavy on the skin. This is now way too light for my skin tone after my tanning sessions in Cyprus but I still use it under my darker powder as it makes my makeup stay in place all day

RIMMEL WAKE ME UP CONCEALER IN IVORY - I recently did a full review on this product here but I am now nearly out of this much loved product (insert sad face here)

MAYBELLINE PRESSED POWDER IN SOFT HONEY - This was ridiculously orange on me before but is now the perfect colour, it's a bit of a "meh" product i.e. I don't really care about it either way but it does the job

RIMMEL EXAGGERATE EYE LINER IN 100% BLACK - I don't like this eyeliner, well I do, but not for the use that I wanted it. It reminds me much more of a liquid eyeliner and I find it much harsher than other pencil liners I have used before.

RIMMEL LASTING FINISH LIPSTICK IN ALARM - This is my favourite lipstick colour and I actually own three of this exact shade, one for my makeup bag, one for my handbag and one for my drawer at work. It instantly picks me up and makes me feel sexy, confident and smartens up every outfit

BOURJOIS BRONZING POWDER - Love this product, does exactly what I think it should and this product has lasted ages

BOURJOIS BLUSHER IN ROSE FRISSON - Same for this product, thumbs up Bourjois!!

MAYBELLINE MASTER DRAMA KOHL LINER IN ULTRA BLACK - I have been using this liquid eyeliner since I was about 15 (not this exact one, just this brand). It does exactly what I want it to and it will take a lot to convert me from this one.

TOPSHOP CREAM HIGHLIGHTER - Did a review on this one before here but after reading a few more beauty blogs I actually know how to use a highlighter!!

MAXFACTOR FALSE LASH EFFECT MASCARA IN BLACK BROWN - I didn't realise that this wasn't black until like the 4th time I used this. I normally pick black but I like that this is more subtle and slightly more grownup

Independent Women?

I love living in Suffolk, especially when you drive past an old drunk man on a child's bicycle at 10am on a Sunday morning and he then gives you the finger. I have never wanted to run someone over so much in my life!

Sunday is spinning day and I had a really great class today (absolutely knackering but it actually makes me feel like I have accomplished something). Good luck to those people who were completing a four hour spinathon in aid of MENCAP, I struggle through 45 minutes I have no idea how they are going to do it but it's for a really great cause, so well done them!!

Something struck me today during spinning, what the hell happened to independent women? Destiny's Child sang all about being independent, Charlie's Angels kicked arse and in spinning today a group of 10 women couldn't even count down from 8 loud enough to be heard over some moderately loud music. It was faintly embarrassing to be honest. Each woman felt too self conscious to count out loud when they were sweaty and working out in an enclosed room, who was there to judge them? I didn't get it so there I was happily shouting away numbers and when no one else joined did I feel embarrassed? No not really.

I used to be that girl who was too scared to ask anyone anything or speak out but I was sixteen years old. These were beautiful, grown up, successful women and it makes me sad that they were that conscious of their own voice. Luckily the instructor pulled it out of them (mainly by making us continue in low squat which is ridiculously hard when he thought we were too quiet!!) and I hope that experience made them care a bit less, because in all seriousness who cares? And to prove that here is me looking sweaty with no makeup for everyone to see!!!

Bel and Dragon Cookham

I know if I say Cyprus one more time you are probably going to reach through your laptop and slap me but bear with, I will probably only mention it about a million times more and then I'm done I promise. On the Tuesday before we went, my parents drove me and my sister to Cookham which is where my Uncle lives and works. Its a beautiful little place on the Thames and only 30 mins from London so a great little place if not a tad expensive (Want a 2 bedroom semi detached house with a garden the size of a postage stamp? Do you have £750k? No? Then maybe try Lowestoft)

We had a lovely evening meal at the Bel and Dragon on the high street in Cookham and it was one of the tastiest meals I have ever had. The Bel and Dragon is technically a chain restaurant with restaurants in Windsor and Reading but it really doesn't have the feel of one. The decor is immaculate and looks like the interior of one of one of the many pictures I pin on Pinterest (if you don't follow me then check me out here)

The food was really great and the wine was lovely. When I normally drink rose, I have to put lemonade in it as it's too acidic but it was very drinkable (i.e. too drinkable and got a little rowdy). I have lots of rubbish Iphone pictures of absolutely lovely food; I had red pepper soup, roasted chicken and then caramelised peaches with cointreau and raspberry ripple icecream. No wonder I need to go on a diet.

See doesn't it look delicious? My sister had lobster for the first time which as you can imagine ensued in the hilarity of taking pictures with half a lobster shell, you can't take us anywhere!! The tables are all painted in blackboard paint and they have chalks supplied which I think is meant to be for children but also meant that we drew rubbish pictures of hearts and dragonflies and left messages for the waitresses. All in all a fully enjoyable meal!!

Goodbye Cyprus

Boohoo holiday is over for this year and I'm sad to see it go! As I write this (2 days ago now :() I am half way through the plane journey back and feeling very uncomfortable. Why are the seats so bloody tiny?!?! I feel like I would fit if I didn't have any arms but I do so I feel like I am constantly in the personal space of the poor bloke next to me.

I also wish I didn't have eardrums, not only for the fact that they really hurt but then I also wouldn't be able to hear the child that has been screaming for the past two hours. I understand that they can't help it, they are kids etc. and I would scream too if I was stuck in the tiny space between someone else's lap and the seat in front but it doesn't make it any more fun to listen to.

Is it just me or did you think that flight attendants were meant to be able to apply makeup well? Not the case for Mandy, the very harrowed looking Thomas Cook attendant. I have never seen so much eyeliner on one person in my life and I went through a stage of being proper emo as a teenager (I had the fringe and everything)

And the flight seems a million times longer than the flight out there. Maybe it's because I'm leaving the sun behind but I feel very grumpy!! I wish I had the superpower where I could just transport to places or be like Harry Potter and be able to Disapparate to hot climates. I mean I know Harry was fighting Voldemort but I really feel like wizards would go on more holidays.

So now I have been back for a little while, I feel ready to embrace Autumn but that doesn't mean I don't miss this view...

Return of the Fatty

So I have taken an unscheduled hiatus from the blog world. To be honest I knew September would be a difficult one with the holiday, holiday preparations, friends leaving for uni, friends leaving to have babies, going to the gym and work but to be honest the main thing holding me back from writing was me. Blogging had become a pressure, a pressure I felt I couldn't live up to. To say I was disappointed in myself is an understatement, I had worked so hard to gain followers, to interact with people, to sponsor blogs I love, to participate in giveaways and start to put money into my little part of the internet and then I gave it all away! Who's going to keep coming if you have nothing to say?

I started to struggle with the fact that no one was commenting, days with minimal page views were bad ones and to be honest I started to doubt myself. It's been a while since I doubted myself but I could feel that all too familiar feeling of confusion creeping up on me. It felt like I was in high school again, not sure where I belonged and caring too much if people liked me. Who was I to put my world on the world wide web and demand that people take note and listen to me? My life is uninteresting. It revolves mainly around food, work and sleep. I don't go to fancy parties, I don't even go out that often, I don't have a boyfriend or anyone that is even remotely interested!

But that's not the reason I do it. I love the comments I get, I love the interaction between people I would never have known existed before, I love writing. I now realise "so what?" So what if I don't blog everyday? So what if someone disagrees with my opinion? So what if I don't lead a busy interesting life? General advice is that your blog must be about something; travelling, makeup, craft, being a mummy but that's not true. I read lots of blogs and not because of what they are for but for the person that wrote them. The blogs I enjoy the most are those with personality and I have bucket loads of that. I have a voice I want to share and a passion for sharing it so no promises, just a desire to write and be me

Ramblings about Life, Laziness & Packing

I am rubbish at packing!!

Cyprus is in 8 days and so far all I have done is checked I know where my passport is.

How the heck do you know what to take? How much is enough and how much is too much? 

My sister has been laying things out, taking pictures of outfits and has brought enough toiletries to drown in (luckily I am sharing in all the sun cream, hairspray and dry shampoo) so far I've flicked through my wardrobe and thought about what might be sensible. I am such a procrastinator, I will put off any task I don't want to do for as long as possible

I'm also feeling pretty lazy, I went spinning yesterday but didn't go the gym tonight. Weight loss is pretty slow which while I try to not worry and be sensible about it, I do find it disheartening. I think I might start Weight Watchers after my holiday and hopefully this won't be another task that I just put off.

Something that won't be put off is the start of Autumn. You can feel the chill in the air when you wake up and I can't wait for the time I can wear boots, tights and chunky cardigans such as these...

ASOS Fred Perry Cardigan

Any tips for successful packing? What are you most looking forward to about Autumn? 

Blogging about not Blogging

So you may have noticed that I have been blogging AWOL for the past week and it wasn't that I didn't have things to say it was rather the fact that I didn't know how to say what I actually wanted to say so I thought it was better to stay silent!!

This week has been an .... interesting one I think is how I would describe it. It has gone by in the blink of an eye yet at the same time so much seems to have changed that I don't know how to process it.

My friend had her last day at work before having her baby and not having her there to support me and listen to my bitching and moaning is going to be really hard. I cried a little as I waved goodbye to her after piling her ridiculous amount of presents into her car because I don't know what I'm going to do without her but on a positive note I can't wait to meet her little one!!

One of my other friends has gone back to university for the new year and it's also really sad to see her go. We had lost contact since school but its been really great this year getting back to know her. She has become the confident person I always knew she could be at high school and it's great seeing her as a grown up. High school is not something I want to go back to but I'm really glad I have her from that time! I'm going to miss having her around but she'll only be at the end of a phone call

Also celebrating my friend starting her teacher training course and I am very proud of her. I can't imagine any of us as true grown ups but this is one step towards that!! 

I guess I just thought I would give you all an update as to what has been going on and I'm back before I go away again to Cyprus, major excited, so I leave you with a stupid selfie as I have no proper pictures

Snail Mail Collective - August

I love receiving packages in the post and to be honest who doesn't so I think it was a lovely idea of Melyssa @ The Nectar Collective and Chelsea @ Lost in Travels to think up and organise the "Snail Mail Collective" Basically you sign up and there is a theme and you get paired up with someone from around the world to chat with, find out about and then buy them a small gift.

August's theme was "Under the Sea" and I was paired up with the lovely Carlisa @ Something Infinitely Interesting. She lives in Dallas in Texas but was originally from Florida so instantly I'm jealous of that childhood proximity to Mickey Mouse but really she was the sweetest girl I could ever imagine to be paired up with for my first swap. It was so nice finding things out about a person that I would probably never even know existed without this.

The other day I received her package which had me squealing like a small child, I absolutely love it!!!

  

I love the two colours of nail polish she has got me (perfect for my holiday to Cyprus in 11 days - way too excited!!), the candles smell great and the little plaque that says "Snail Mail" on it is so sweet. I love tying people's handwritting up to their personality and her's is so much neater than mine. I hope she receives my package soon as I really hope she likes it!!!

I really enjoyed joining in and have done the same this month. Today is the last day for sign ups so head over to Melyssa or Chelsea's blog to read the rules and sign up if you are interested.

Thank you so much Carlisa!!!

Sunday Spinning

My legs are literally killing me!! Whoever thought that signing up for a spinning class after only having been working out for just over a week is an idiot!

If you have never tried spinning I would actually totally recommend it!! The calories you burn is crazy, a person of my weight doing 45 minutes of spinning can burn approx 700 kcals. The sweat is literally dripping of you within minutes (attractive I know) and you can push yourself as hard as you want. There were times when I thought that I maybe could have gone faster or had a higher resistance but for my first time I really just wanted to get to the end of the class without passing out!!!

It was literally one of the most physically difficult things I have ever done but I feel so good about myself and I think I'll be doing it all again next week. The ladies in the class when I first turned up were very helpful, letting me know how to adjust my bike and making sure that I had water and it was really nice to feel supported. Tomorrow night I have another class, this one is called "Jump Fight Mash Up" and I'm slightly scared!!

Yes this is the same picture from Ginger @ The Gym, I'm being lazy