January Favourites 2015

Ted's clearly not impressed with my choices!

January - the month has gone so fast, I feel like I haven't achieved anything that I wanted to from my January to do list but it's been a very busy month. My favourites this month are a real eclectic mix of all sorts of bits and pieces.

First up is my New Look Scarf. I love it because it's huge, I can wrap it around me twice or just wear over my coat. Next up is my 1l Water Bobble Bottle. I'm trying really hard to keep drinking lots of water at the minute and this helps as it filters tap water plus I'm more aware of how much I'm drinking, I need to invest in a smaller one for in my bag day to day. A new favourite for this month is the Khiels Midnight Recovery Serum, my lovely little sister bought me this for my birthday along with some other bits and pieces. I've used it every night since I got it and its love, my skin feels amazing but there will be a full review soon about this. I'm also loving Alpha H Liquid Gold, I use this twice a week in the evening and it makes such a difference, another one for a full review in the future. Final bit of skin care and it’s my beloved Soap & Glory Youthful Rejuvenating Eye Cream, this is my second pot and I love it!

Onto some other bits, I'm loving the Kerastase Nutritive Bain Satin 1 Complete Nutrition Shampoo, this leaves my hair so soft, and it smells ah-mazing. For makeup I'm constantly reaching for the Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer, I like the foundation but this is great, it blends easily and covers a multitude of sins. Last bit of make-up and it’s the Anastasia Dip Brow; this stuff has tamed my unruly brows and holds them in some sort of normal human shape.

So there you have it, my favourites for the month of January. I hope you've had a good month; I'd love to know what you've loved this month? 

Sarah Xx

NOTD - Essie Winter Collection 2014 Mini Set

I've not painted my nails in ages, more out of laziness than anything else, but it’s time to sort this out and whack on some nail colour.

I picked up the Essie Winter Collection 2014 Mini Set in Boots just after Christmas because I wanted to try some of the colours without committing to the full size versions. The three colours in the mini set are Jump in my Jumpsuit; Tuck in my Tux and Jiggle Hi, Jiggle Lo. There are 3 other colours in the full collection but they are 3 similar pink shades that don't interest me.

Jump in my Jumpsuit is a raspberry red, its showing up bluer toned here but it really is a darker raspberry. One coat and this was fully opaque which is great and it leaves a lovely crème finish. Tuck in my Tux is a soft pinky/white colour that would look great under sparkles or other colours. This needed 3 layers to be nearly opaque but you can still see the nail line underneath - maybe worth using as a white for an at home French manicure. Jiggle Hi, Jiggle Lo is a foil finish gold/silver blend which is a nice transition from the full glitter of Christmas to something more winter appropriate. This needed 2 coats as it was flawless, the only mistake I made with it was thanks to Ted knocking me but it’s quick and easy to apply.

All three dry really quickly and are stroke free. I can see myself wearing Jump in my Jumpsuit most, especially on my toes, maybe with Jiggle Hi, Jiggle Lo as a take on the classic French. You can pick the set up in Boots for £12.99 which is perfect as you get a little of the more interesting shades of the collection.

What do you think of the Essie Winter 2014 collection? 

Sarah Xx

My Make Up Bag #2

Finally I have my Big Girl camera back working and I got a tad snap happy this week but I have lots of lovely things I wanted to show you. My make-up choices this week really reflect how I'm feeling at the moment - I'm full of cold and so my skin is looking very sorry for itself and is not playing ball. 

This week I've picked two bases dependent on skin days. Benefit Porefessional teamed with Bourjois 123 Perfect foundation for days when I can be bothered to apply a proper base and have a little more time in the morning. For days when I just can't be bothered, Benefit You Rebel Tinted Moisturiser as it gives just a tint to the skin without full coverage, plus it helps my poor, dehydrated skin around my nose. Concealer is my favourite from Rimmel, the Wake Me Up concealer is amazing and perfect for bag and break outs.

Onto eyes and I'm using a mix of a palettes, I can't choose just one as I've got a few new ones to play with thanks to the boy. Brows are my new go to favourite of Anastasia Dip Brow as it holds and fills my brows without looking over done. Mascara is Rimmel Scandaleyes Retro for full lashes. When I can be bothered, I will try to us Collection's Fast Stroke liner to add a bit of line to the upper lashes but this will depend on time and laziness factor in the mornings.

This is what I've got in my make-up bag this week; I'd love to know what you're using this week. 

 Sarah Xx

Slendertoxtea 14 Day Meal Replacement Shake

Hands up if your still sticking to your New Years resolution of healthy eating and exercise. I've been working really hard at keeping on track and planning meals but it can be hard to get all my meals in or remembering to eat.

Often at work I don't have a lot of time, in between setting up for the afternoon lessons, marking books, grabbing a quick brew and having a wee there isn't a lot of time to put food in, especially when it requires sitting down like a salad or soup, so when I saw the meal replacement shake from Slendertox I thought I would give it a go.

You get a 14day detox shake so it's meant to help kick start your weight loss, not a permenant meal idea. It's so easy to make up, one small scoop into 100ml of water, quick mix with a fork and you have a mini meal in a glass. It's more a couple of mouthfuls rather then a full smoothie but for on the go it's a great idea. I was worried with how little it makes that I would be starving within an hour hit in really not, it seems to keep me fuller for a fair few hours and then I eat normally in the evening.

You can pad it out using yoghurt or milk or blend it in a smoothie but I prefer it like a single drink with water, it's quicker for me. It doesn't taste bad, it's quite sweet and berry like. As for weight loss, I can't comment as I've only been using it a couple of days but if you want to know then I will update after the two weeks. 

For more information, check out Slendertoxtea website or ask me.

Have you tried a meal replacement? Would you try it? 

New In - Miss Guided Size 14-16

I've never bought anything from Miss Guided - I always thought it would be sized really small and similar to a lot of brands where those of us above a 14 only dream of squeezing into them.

After a quick browse I realised that Miss Guided have upped their game and have introduced a real range of clothing in much larger size. I love the mix of check and sports wear that they have on offer at the moment. Lots of the colours of the collections are very winter appropriate, without meaning it, my favourite bits are all black or grey - I seem to gravitate towards these colours most of the year now.

Price wise, most of these sit in the £15-£30 category, which I don't think is too bad for the range, you would pay more in Topshop for a smaller range of sizes so a real bargain! I think I need to get some of these in my life!

What do you think of  my picks this week? Have you tried Miss Guided before, how do you find the fit of the clothing? xx

What's New - Boohoo Fit

Boohoo Fit by knickersandnails on Polyvore

January, the month of diets, dumbbells and new gym kit. I love buying new clothes to get me into the gym mood but I find that it's incredibly expensive! I know some people love buying high end brands, but I just want to be comfortable and to not look hideous. I saw Boohoo had launched their own fitness range on their Instagram page on Sunday evening so I hot footed it over to check it out and I must say I am impressed!

The range is a mix of leggings, hoodies and crop tops. Now I won't be bothering with the crop tops and no one in the gym needs to see all of my belly bouncing about but they are still cute. I love the designs on the leggings, lots of graphic detailing, side panels and a mix of bright colours and interesting prints, I quite like the Get Fit Leggings.

The range of hoodies are a mix of cropped and longline - personally the cropped ones are something I would like to layer over tops during a warm up or travelling too and from the gym.

All of the clothing in the collection is under the £20 mark which is awesome, meaning you can get an outfit for under £35! Head over to Boohoo to check out the rest of the collection.

What bits would you pick? xx 

Winterize your Nails with Julep

Winter is always the worst time for nails, I find that the cold weather, glitter nail polish and central heating all have a nasty habit of leaving me with dry, flaky nails that break easily and simply need cutting off and starting again.

With that in mind, I've been treating my hands a lot more recently, trying to get my nails back to their normal strength, trying out a few new shapes and lengths as well as giving myself at home manicures to look after then this winter.

I've been following this litter Step-by-step from American brand Julep. I've used Julep nail polish before and it's quite a nice brand to use, their colour range is great, the only down side is it's nearly impossible to get hold of in the UK, I picked it up when I was in Paris in the summer.

This winter I've been picking a real range of dark colours, I love this time of year for nails as its when I can rock black and not get questioned - I would wear black all year round!

I might do a post on my at home manicure at some point if that's something you lovely lot would like to read, let me know!

How do you look after your nails? What colours are you rocking this time of year? xx

My Make up Bag #1

Why is the first week back at work after the new year always the most hectic week of the year! I've felt exhausted all week and just didn't get a chance to do anything other then get a head with work for school. Not only that but I have managed to leave my camera cable at my parents so these photos are off my phone, normal photography shall resume next week when I get the cable back.

So this feature has had a bit of a rejig, I've changed the name but the idea is still the same, I quick look at what I'm using this week, I love looking in other peoples make up bags so it's nice to share!

Any way, back to this weeks make up - I've picked lots of bits to help get me through the week, some old favourites and some that I'm still trying to master. Starting with base and its Rimmel Fix & Perfect to keep things in place, nothing worse then your face ending up sliding off during the day. On top of that Rimmel's Wake me Up foundation & Concealor in True Ivory to hopefully look awake and natural. As the foundation leaves dewy skin, I want to keep the natural softness with my make up & have picked Topshop's Cream Blush in Flush, I haven't used this in ages so I will be nice to rock it again. Teamed with this is MAC Harmony blush to contour and warm up my ghostly complexion.

On to eyes and my current go to for brows in Anastasia Brow Dip, nothing can beat this at the moment. Eyes is my go to, throw on palette, Naked Basics 2, love it for speed in the morning. On top of that I'm trying to master Benefit's They're Real Push up liner, nothing like a thin line to really define the eyes. Finishing off with my No. 1 Mascara, Rimmel's Scandaleyes Retro Glam mascara, I would go as far as saying this is my Holygrail mascara.

Those are my picks for the week, I'm sure there will be a FOTD on Instagram with the different Lipcolours of the week so keep a look out for those.

What bits are in your make up back this week? xx

January To-do List

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I love a good to-do list, there's something about ticking things off that makes you feel like your achiving something, even if its just something small! I've sat and thought about all the things I want and need to do this month and picked out the ones that I want to do before that days of January whizz by too fast and February is upon us.

- Bake a Birthday cake ( It's my birthday on the 14th so countdown is on to that day!)

- Wear lipstick at least twice a week all month (check this out on Instagram)

- Visit a historical place 

- Complete a week of a photo challenge

- Fill in a couple of pages of my scrap book

- Cook a new recipe 

- Read at least 2 books

- Try a new resturant somewhere! 

- Take Ted out somewhere new!

Just a few things, lots of which I can blog about so look out for some different posts over the month, including a new series for and about Ted!

So that's my to-do list for January - which ones would you like to do? What should I add to February? xx

2015 - Hopes, Dreams & Goals

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Happy New Year!!!!

I know we're a couple of days into the new year now but we've been very chilled out at my parents that I just haven't wanted to pick up the laptop to blog. I sat down and wrote out a list of all the things I want to do with the blog this year as well as a few personal goals as well.

Personal:

- Lose weight - I've set myself the target of getting down into the 12stone area by July, but this is not the main target, I'm working on size as well - I would love to fit into a pair of Topshop jeans as their 16's are really uncomfortable and tight, regardless how little I weigh!

- Travel around the UK - Now we have Ted, we're limited in how much we can travel but I'm determined to get out and about with him, I'm hunting for places to visit around the UK, including weekends away and days out - thinking of starting a travel series for him.

- 

Blogging

- Hit 400 followers on Bloglovin - only 55 people to go!

- Have a blog overhaul - its time to just have a bit of a freshen up and a re-design, if you have any blog design recommendations then please let me know

- Comment more on other blogs - I love getting comments so to share that feeling is important, aiming for 5+ a day really, I read so many so it makes sense.

- Engage more on social media - time to get the Facebook up and running again as well as chatting more on Twitter and Instagram

- Branch out more with posts - I love writing different posts so excpect to see lots of different bits on here, outfits, food and film reviews.

I have loads of other things to achieve this year, plus a few other posts along this topic but it's exciting to see what 2015 has to hold for all of us! 

What are your goals for 2015? xx