Blogmas Day 11: Red and Black OOTD
Hello Lovelies!
Day 11 already! December sure is a speedy month! It's finally holiday time for me, so expect my posts to be more on time!
Recently I've been loving red and black. So I thought I'd share with you a red and black outfit which I love. There's something so festive about red, or it might be my inner desire to match Father Christmas!
Anyways I hope you like it:
This top is from Zara, Skirt is from J Crew.
Overall it's a simple outfit which is super easy and comfy to wear and put together.
Have you bought any outfits lately?
L x
Blogmas Day 1: Cosy Mugs
Hello Lovelies!
I can't quite believe how quickly this year has gone! The last few months have been pretty crazy and jam packed so unfortunately my blog suffered a little bit! However I thought it was time that changed, so expect lots of new posts as I attempt to do Blogmas again! There's nothing better than lots of Christmas inspired posts to get you in the mood for the big day!
Lately I've been loving mugs a bit too much. For some reason a warm drink tastes better in your favourite mug!
Both of these mugs are my ultimate favourites and are totally perfect for feeling warm and cosy. Cue fairy lights and Christmas music! These are both from Anthropologie and I can't decide which one I love the most!
Nothing better than a bit of mug motivation. So if you're looking for a mug related gift for a loved one this festive season, these mugs sure are a great gift!
Have you got a favourite mug or any recommendations from Anthropologie?
Happy December!
Lx
Hello Lovelies!
I thought I'd share with you a few makeup things which I'm excited about trying this week.
1. L'oreal Voluminous Butterfly Intenza Mascara
I'm quite addicted to the Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde mascara at the moment but I thought I should try a new one, and when I saw this one in the US the shape of it was pretty unusual. The claim that it adds 9x more volume to your lashes is pretty impressive so it's definitely worth a test!
2. MAC Whirl Lip Pencil
I'm a great lover of MAC Lip Pencils, they are definitely the dream team when combined with their lipsticks! I recently snapped up Whirl and I cannot wait to test out this shade to see if it lives up to its' reputation. When paired with MAC Velvet Teddy, I'm sure it'll be an unstoppable force!
3. Chinatown by Lipstick Queen
This little trio was snapped up in Space NK. 3 things in one package from Lipstick Queen, could there be anything better? This set contains 3 chubby lip crayons. The shades include:
Chinatown Chase, Chinatown Pink Bluff and Chinatown Catalina.
I'm super excited to use these petite pencils as they're meant to leave you lips smooth and moisturised too! Perfect for winter.
Well that's three things I'm excited for trying this week, I'll let you know how I get on!
What are you excited about this week?
L x
Morning Lovelies!
As it's Wednesday and sometimes we need a little midweek perking up!
Here's some things which always perk me up during the middle of the week!
Flowers:
My favourite flowers are Peonies and Orchids but to be honest I love any flower. They're so beautiful and always put a smile on my face! Flowers definitely change the atmosphere in any room.
Candles:
Switching off the lights and the room being lit by candlelight is just so magical. I love pretty much any type of candle! I've recently just got another Jo Malone candle flavour which I can't wait to start burning! The scents they give off are incredible.
Positive quotes:
Everyone probably knows that I love my positive quotes. However something which I love is these cute little pegs which I have, they are engraved with a different day for the whole week. They are perfect for pegging a daily quote or two!
So here's the offering from today:
"Minds are like flowers, they only open when the time is right"
These type of quotes always make me think and motivate me to start the day in a positive way!
What are your midweek pick me ups?
L x
Good Morning Beauties!
I hope you've got a tip top Sunday ahead of you today! As it's so chilly outside, I thought I'd share with you some things which are keeping me lovely and toasty, cosy and in tip top condition to tackle the winter weather.
Nothing beats burning a beautiful candle and relaxing in just pure candlelight bliss. The White Company Winter candle is one of those perfect candles to achieve this! The smell of this candle with its cinnamon, cloves and orange aromas just screams Christmas every time! It's a lovely change from Yankee and Jo Malone candles. The packaging is so simple and elegant, that it creates such a cosy winter feeling when placed any where.
In this weather my hands take a battering and definitely need some in depth TLC! I've been using this Josie Maran Whipped Argan oil intensive hand cream. I'm currently obsessed with everything from Josie Maran and so I'm loving using this hand cream. The fact that it's vanilla scented is an added bonus for me. The hand cream itself is quite silky and smooth. It's not greasy at all and works a treat. I wouldn't say it's the most intensive one out there but it does work its magic!
Lastly I'm all about slipper socks! Socks are literally one of my favourite things for feeling all warm and cosy. I recently found some gorgeous cream slipper socks from Crabtree and Evelyn and they're the softest, fluffiest and cosiest socks in the world. Putting these on is something you would imagine in slipper sock heaven!
What are your perfect tips for staying cosy in winter?
L x
Good Morning Beauties!
Today is definitely one of those frosty and cold days but instead of the usual grey clouds, the sun is shining and the blue skies are peeping through! I love this winter combination, it just feels so fresh and crisp outside. Now all that would make it truly festive is if there were a little robin hopping about.
However because the temperature has dropped, I thought I would share with you something which can be enjoyed whatever the weather!
Festive popcorn! Now I thought this was a nice little treat to spice up the weekend, and it's incredibly easy to make and eye catching at the same time.
So here's three flavours, which would make cute little extra gifts for people or a nice little xmas movie marathon accompaniment!
1. White chocolate and cranberry popcorn
2. Salted caramel
3. Chocolate orange and marshmallow
They're so easy to make and to be honest I don't really follow recipes, I just guess and pour. But for each of these flavoured popcorns, you start by popping your corn in a saucepan of a little oil.
Once popped, you can do whatever you want.
Drown it in melted white chocolate,
Melt butter + sugar to form some kind of caramel,
Add essences, decorataions, sprinkles, glitter, crunches, chocolate drizzle, dried fruits, nuts! The possibilities are endless.
If you would like me to put together some kind of recipe for any of the flavours, just let me know, but to be honest you can make any flavour popcorn in the world! It's so quick and easy because once made you can just put it onto a baking tray and pop in the fridge for about 10-20minutes. And then voila it's done!
Have you made any flavoured popcorns before?
L x
Hello Lovelies!
Today for day 4 of Blogmas, I thought I would share with you a lovely hair mask which I bought whilst I was in the US last month. My hair has been feeling really dull, dry and just literally in a bit of a damaged condition due to excessive use of hair straighteners and having it coloured!
So last month for the first time in years! Yes this is a HUGE deal, I decided to go without the straighteners for a whole month, as whilst I was in Florida I knew that the heat and sun would damage it even more!
It was difficult to start with this ban, but then I just got used to not using them! When I went back to my hairdressers she actually remarked on how much better my hair was and I actually went a little bit darker for winter, so hopefully that will help to strengthen it until I decide that I want to be blonder again! Which will probably be extremely soon!
However I used this Bumble and bumble Creme de Coco tropical-riche masque along with my Kerastase shampoo and conditioner, and it honestly really did improve my hair!
It felt soft, silky, full of moisture and actually like it was alive. The smell is yummy, I'm obsessed with coconut scented products so this definitely ticked the scent box.
You only need about a walnut size, and you apply it for 7 minutes. You do this once a week after shampooing. However I recommend that if you're not doing anything and can brave the cold weather, that you try and keep it on for as long as possible as this really delivers a deep conditioning treatment.
I really recommend this hair masque if you get the chance to try it especially if you have really dry hair because it does work plus it makes you feel like you're on vacation!
Do you have a favourite hair mask?
L x
Hello Lovelies!
Here's day 2 of Blogmas! Although it's not a christmas post or a new travel destination for Travel Tuesday, it's a travel destination with a very special activity!
Personal Lipstick Making!!!
If this isn't what dreams are made of, I don't know what is!
So whilst I was in New York I booked an appointment at the Bite Beauty Lip Lab to have my own custom lipstick made. The whole total for this starts at only $36 which I think is incredible value!
Once you go in the really unique Soho based Lip Lab the lovely ladies welcome you and you get started on creating your lipstick masterpiece.
You have a little chat/ colour consultation about the shade you're after and the finish. Then they work their magic by mixing and blending some lip paints together. I never realised how scientific and creative the whole lipstick making process was. It's so exciting to watch too!
I asked for a pinky nude with a creme finish at first, but after a few mixing, swabbing and swatching sessions, I realised I wanted and needed more of a browner nude and a matte finish.You can see from this picture how different the initial colour was.
However after a few attempts we found the perfect shade!
So then it was time to move onto the next stage. The scent (definitely the yummy part!)
There were many scents to choose from: cherry, mint, vanilla, citrus, mango, violet and wildberry and you even could mix and match them!
So I opted for vanilla and wildberry, because where else can you get this flavour from?
It's a very yummy and delicious lipstick indeed.
The next stage was the technical part. The ladies worked their lipstick magic by mixing your shade in a bigger version and then placed it into the machine for some real mixing and melting. Once out it's then poured into the moulds where it's frozen for about 5 minutes! I never ever knew lipstick was frozen. So this whole lipstick process was wayyyy more useful than any science lesson I've ever had!
The lipstick making process is incredible, they even give you a choice of the packaging so the bullet and lid!
You then watch as they successfully place the lipstick into the bullet with such skill and care. They have to do this very carefully indeed to avoid the horror of lipstick smudging! However they're so talented at this, that they do it perfectly every time.
I am so pleased with my own personal lipstick, it really is the perfect shade for me.
If you're ever in New York, I highly recommend this as it's such a special and unique experience.
Have you ever visited Bite Beauty Lip Lab/ would like to?
L x
