Making The Most Of A Sick Day ♡

Hey there,
I got tonsillitis.  I can't say I'm enjoying it, but it has given me a couple days off from college and work.  I always try to go in to college when I'm not great, since I really hate missing classes and getting behind, but I think when your body is telling you to take a break, it's probably a good idea to do so!  This is going to be a post about how I choose to spend my sick days, and what helps me feel a bit less gross!

I always stay in bed a little later than I would on a normal day, as rest is important!  If I don't have to be out the house and I'm not feeling brilliant, I might as well sleep a little longer.  Or if I'm already awake, I'll spend a little time sitting in bed on social networks and playing games on my iPad.

When I do get up, I get dressed.  I know a lot of people prefer to spend ill days in their pyjamas, but I think getting dressed makes me feel a tiny bit better.  Obviously I don't go for anything too fancy - just leggings, an over sized t-shirt, a snuggly cardigan, and of course some slippers or slipper socks!

Since I'm not leaving the house, or seeing many people, I choose not to wear any make up.  It's god to give your skin a break!  Instead I'll just use a scrub in the morning, and then moisturise my face.  At the moment I'm reaching for the Vitamin E Cream Exfoliator by The Body Shop (buy here)  and a basic Nivea moisteriser.  I'll also pin my fringe off my face and tie my hair up in a messy bun.  This helps the skin to breath.

It's also nice to pamper yourself a little!  I like to paint my nails.  This time I went for Rimmel Salon Pro by Kate in red (buy here).  You also can;t go wrong with a bubble bath!  I'll play some music from my phone and have a soak.  I used a Watermelon bubble bath from Avon, which I can't seem to find on the website now.  Here's a generic bath photo that I took on my phone.

I also try to eat healthily so my immune system can fight off illness! Even though eating with tonsillitis is a painful challenge.

If you're having a sick day, I hope you're feeling better soon!  Sorry this post has been quite short, but I'll be back asap with some beauty/skincare posts.  I may or may not have purchased the Naked 2 and Naked 3 palettes.......

See you soon!

Pai - A Skin Care Saviour ♡

I'm a teenager, so typically my skin isn't brilliant.  I suffer from dry skin, and I'm also allergic to most cheaper skin care products - not great for the tight budget I have to work with!  I usually just go for cleansing my skin and removing make up with Garnier Micellar cleansing water (buy here), then using the St. Ives Blemish Fighting apricot scrub (buy here) and finishing my skin care routine by moisturising using a basic Nivea cream.  As much I would really recommend these products, my skin seemed to be having a lot of issues in the past couple of weeks, and I felt it was time to up my skin care game a little bit.  The main problem I stumbled across was the fact that barely any brands do sample packs of the products I wanted to try.  As I have very sensitive skin, I'm not keen on spending a lot of money on a higher end skin care product if it's going to cause even more problems for me.

Then I discovered a skin care brand called Pai.  This brand sells a variety of organic products, especially for sensitive skin! Perfect for me!  I was quick to find they sell a little sample pack of six little pots of different products, and a muslin face cloth to use with the products.  The link to purchase this is here, and for eight pounds, I would say it's definitely worth it!

The package arrived quickly, and comes with all the products in an adorable box, and also some leaflets about the brand and how it started.  Here are some photos!

The tester products you get are the Camellia & Rose Cleanser, Kukui & Jojoba Bead Skin Brightening Exfoliator, Avocado & Jojoba Hydrating Day Cream, Chamomile & Rosehip Calming Day Cream, Geranium & Thistle Rebalancing Day Cream, and last but not least, the Echium & Macadamia Replenishing Day Cream.  

The first thing that needs to be said about all these products is how amazing they smell!  You can really tell there is nothing artificial about these products just by the scent.  They all go on to the skin so nicely, and the day creams just sink in, and don't have any kind of shine to them.  

I used the cleanser to remove my make up, and lift any other dirt out of my pores.  I absolutely love the cleanser, and my skin felt very fresh after using.  It is also really hydrating - so unlike other cleansers, that draw all the moister as well as what you what removed from your skin, this made my skin feel brilliant afterwards.  

I also really loved the Kukui & Jojoba Bead Skin Brightening exfoliator.  I'd say that pretty much immediately after use I could see a difference in my skin, as it just looked more healthy and a lot less dull.  

I have tried all the day creams, and for me, I feel like the one that had the best effect would be the Chamomile & Rosehip Calming Day Cream.  I suffer from a lot of redness around my face, especially around my nose, and I could definitely see that using this moisturiser reduced this by a noticable amount. 

After using Pai products for a week, I can definitely see a change in my skin, and it feels and looks a lot healthier.  

So what products will I be purchasing in full size?  I'm definitely going to go for the cleanser and exfoliator, and I'm most likely to be buying the calming day cream.  I'm going to try a few cheaper alternatives for my moisturiser, and can compare what ever I'm trying to the Pai creams I used.  It wouldn't surprise me if I find myself going to back to Pai for this though.

I know Pai is quite pricey compared to various products you can pick up on the high street, but I feel like skin care is so important, and keeping a healthy complexion is something that will we thank ourselves for in the future!  I find I can't really rely too heavily on high street skin care anyway, as I've tried a lot of different products, and had nowhere near results as good as what I got from Pai!

Hope you've enjoyed this post!  What skin care brands do you love? 

See you soon, 

    xx

Forever 21 Wishlist ♡

Hi there!

I feel quite bad, because it's been literally twelve days since my last post, and I am really trying to not get into bad habits like leaving big gaps between posts. Sorry!  I was away for the weekend though, so in my head that is a valid excuse for being lazy.  

Anyway, onto what this post actually is - a Forever 21 wishlist!!  I love Forever 21, it's probably one of my favourite shops.  It's super affordable, but also really lovely quality, and a huge huge selection of pieces.  Unfortunately I'm not lucky enough to live near a store, so I usually do all my shopping and gawking at their products online.  A couple of months ago I did manage to get to the store in Birmingham, and it was like a dream, and I think I spent so long in there making important decisions (such as how many cute dresses do I need/can I afford) and my boyfriend probably wanted to kill me.  

I am probably going to be doing a haul-type order from Forever 21 when payday rolls around, but there are still way too many things I love, that I can't buy them all, so here's a selection of the things I love, and some of which you may see soon in a Spring clothing haul post (possibly a video - let me know if you'd like to hear me talking instead of reading my thoughts).  Since we're now approaching spring in the UK, I'm trying to update my wardrobe so it's a little more appropriate for the season!

A quick disclaimer: all the images used in the wishlist graphic are from the Forever 21 website.

1. Bloom Babydoll Dress - £12 (buy here)

Dresses are a big part of my wardrobe - I love how easy they are to style! The print on this dress is adorable, and could be worn with bare legs in the summer and a denim jacket, or paired with tights, boots and a cardigan to make it winter-friendly.  I am very much hoping this is still in stock when I can afford to order a few nice things for myself, as this would fit very nicely into my wardrobe!

2. Favourite Striped Dress - £12.75 (buy here)

I have always been drawn to stripes, and I love the baby pink/white combination here!  A lot of my clothes are quite dark, wintery colours, like black, reds and greys.  I really want to introduce some more pastel pieces to my wardrobe as the spring and summer approaches, and this is just too cute to resist!  The long sleeves are perfect for me, as in the UK, even in the summer, it can still be a bit breezy!

3. Cutout Ballet Flats - £12.15 (buy here)

Most of my shoes are black, and I definitely need some more summery shoes, as I spend most of my time wearing Dr Marten boots.  I love the little cutout panels on these shoes, as they give the shoes a kind of sandal-ish feel.  

4. Buttoned Rosebud Skirt - £12.75 (buy here)

I'm a fan of floral skirts.  They're so feminine, and are perfect for the warmer weather, but also great for winter.  The delicate rose print on this piece is adorable, and I'd love to pair it with a simple white or pale pink t-shirt to bring out the pattern on the skirt.  

5. Paisley Power Mini Culottes - £11.50 (buy here)

I am yet to own anything paisley, and for a while I wasn't really keen on any kind of paisley print, but these adorable culottes have changed my mind!  I love culottes as they look as pretty as skirts, but you don't have to worry about everyone seeing your underwear if it's a bit windy.  They'd also be really easy to style with lots of different things because of the monochrome colour scheme.  Hopefully you'll see me in these soon!

6. Mod Floral Travel Cosmetic Case - £8.40 (buy here)

I find myself travelling a lot, so this means I'm always needing something to store my make-up and toiletries in while I'm staying away from home.  I'm really drawn to anything pink or floral at the moment, and I think this would be adorable to keep in my suitcase! 

7. Retro Round Sunglasses - £4.90 (buy here) 

I love rounded sunglasses with a thicker frame, and they suit my face shape best compared to other styles of sunglasses.  I already have a couple of black pairs, so I think it's time to add a nude-ish colour pair to my collection.  Hopefully we get the weather to wear them! 

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed my wishlist!  What do you have your eye on for the spring season clothes-wise?  

I have a skin-care post coming up soon, which I'm looking forward to putting up!  Speak to you all soon, lots of love

February Favourites ♡

Hello you!
First I want to say hi to my new followers - to most people the amount I have seems like a small amount, but I'm in shock anyone is taking any interest at all in my blog!  But I do put a fair bit of effort into it, so I really appreciate every single reader.
Today I have a favourites post for you!  I've been trying quite a few products that are new to me this month, and here are a selection of things I'm loving this month - both new and old to my make up collection.

1. Sleek i-Divine Eye Shadow Palette in Au Naturel (buy here)

I am so excited about this palette!  It is an absolute bargain at about eight pounds, and has such a beautiful range of colours.  I've been looking for a decent natural eye palette for a while now, and I mentioned in a previous post I was considering buying the Nude 'Tude palette from theBalm, which costs about thirty pounds.  When I saw this, I couldn't say no.  I really love Sleek cosmetics, and I think the quality is great for the price.  All  the colours are really pigmented and are really nice to apply.  There is a nice mix of lighter and darker shades, and also matte and shimmery colours, so you can create a natural day-time look, or a dramatic night-time look with this palette.  I think for the price, this is such a lovely palette and I honestly can't praise it enough!  I am considering doing an entire post dedicated to this palette with swatches and different ideas for looks you can create - so let me know if you'd like to see that!

2. Bourjois 123 Perfect Colour Correcting Cream (buy here)

I've seen a lot said about this product in the beauty blogging world, and I couldn't resist trying it.  It seems Bourjois can do no wrong when it comes to foundations, as I've seen so many good things said about them.  I was drawn to this product as it claims to have different pigments in to correct various skin issues.  I suffer from redness and dark patches on my face, so I was really pleased to see this cream worked as well as I'd hope to remedy these issues.  I don't like to have anything to heavy on my face, and I used to use a lot of different BB creams, but found they didn't really cover my skin as well as I needed.  This has the right balance between wonderful coverage and feeling lovely on the skin!  And for under ten pounds it's such a good buy!  

3. Real Techniques Core Collection 1403 Brush Set (buy here)

I had been using a set of EcoTools brushes to apply my make up for quite a while, and as much as they did work well, I felt like it was time for a change.  Real Techniques is a really popular brush brand, and I felt like it was time I found out what all the fuss was about.  I love these brushes!  They are so soft on the skin, and pick up plenty of product.  The buffing brush I like especially, as I find it blends my foundation and concealer in really well, with no lines around my face.  I also really love the case they come in.  I travel a lot, and find if I just shove my brushes into my make up bag, they get dirty and the bristle part.  I was a little bit unsure about trying these, as the price was a little out of my budget, but now I have them, I think they're really worth it! 

4. L'Oreal Paris Miss Manga Mascara (buy here)

I was kind of unsure about this product, as I'd heard a lot of mixed opinions about it.  I thought I'd give it a go anyway since I was in need of a new mascara.  When I went to use the product, I was a bit put off by the fact the brush was bristly, as oppose to a plastic brush, which I usually prefer.  The wand also bends, and I'm not really sure why? If anyone wants to explain the purpose of this, please let me know!  I was pleasantly surprised though, as this mascara actually volumised and lengthened  my lashes.  I also find I don't get black smudges around my eyes after wearing it for a few hours, which is normally an issue for me with mascaras.  The packaging is also really pretty!  The only downside is that it's not waterproof, and I don't think there's waterproof version.  

5. Cath Kidston Star Assorted Hand Cream Trio (buy here)

I mentioned that I had one of these in my bag post.  I ran out of that, so bought the mini trio, and I like them.  I find they keep any eczema break outs at bay during the day, and smell amazing!  They're really moisturising and just really handy to keep in my hand bag.

Thanks for reading!  See you soon lovlies!