Monday 31 August 2009

I’m back!

Though not regularly for the moment! I’m just doing a quickie here, to let you know I’m alive and what I’ve been doing.

I finally bought a camera!camera

Not the exact camera that I originally wanted though, but better! 12.2 megapixels, a much stronger pink than the picture shoes and just nice and compact. I got it for £79.99 from Argos, though you can get it a bit cheaper online if you’re willing to wait – which I wasn’t since I’m going back to uni in less than two weeks. So more pictures for you!

Clothing is essential!
I’ve started to buy my back to uni wardrobe. Though slowly, I admit. I’ve boughten a slouchy jumper from H&M (no picture I’m afraid) with pink and black stripes for flat lounging – it was only £7.99, so I don’t expect it to last much beyond the next few months. I’ve also bought:

iboughtnewlook

Which was one of the cardigans I mentioned in my SSS post last week. It’s a bit thinner than I thought it would be, but it’s nice and soft and fits really nicely. I might get it in another colour or two, I’m undecided.

I’m still looking for going out clothes, and this is turning out to be a bit of a nightmare – I think I’m just going to have to accept that sequins are “in” this season. I’m going to look like a big old disco ball.

My parents have also bought a Wii so I’ve been playing that a little bit obsessively and can’t wait until my Guitar Hero gets delivered. I might budget well and get myself one nearer Christmas.

I hope everyone’s well and getting excited to go back to uni. I’ll post again soon, and hopefully with something a bit more… bloggish. I’m working my way through the Crest Whitestrips, so I’ll be reviewing them soon!

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Sunday 23 August 2009

This week without pictures.

Just a really quick recap this week because man, I’m tired. My grandad is still in hospital, very tired. I ended up looking I am very very tired. I ended up looking after my niece most of the weekend from Friday at midday so I didn’t have a chance to do anything computer wise – not even Happy Farm on Facebook! – since she’s only two and requires a lot of attention. Posts will still be thin this week as I catch up on everything I missed (I tend to do most of my work at the weekend!), but I’ll tell you now, I have something super dooper planned, but more on that later!

I hope everyone’s well and having a good end of summer holidays!

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Wednesday 19 August 2009

I’m going to try Crest Whitestrips.

crest whitePicture courtesy of crestwhitestrips.co.uk

I don’t like my teeth.
And I never had. When I was little I had a gap between my top front teeth and a really scary squint tooth. Now that I’m older they’re definitely no where near the colour I want them to be and I hate going to the dentist. This means that the only way I’m going to get sparkly pearly whites is a home treatment. I’ve been reading about WhiteStrips for a while now and I’ve decided to take the plunge, ordering some from eBay. I’ve made sure they will arrive well in date and the seller has perfect feedback.

What I will do!
From my reading, I’ve gathered that you really can’t wear them too days in a row due to sensitivity issues, so I’ve ordered a standard week’s worth (14 strips in total, 7 uppers and 7 lowers) for just over £10. I will take pictures (and I apologise for the possible grossness now) and give everyone a nice honest opinion.

Because, of course, a princess must have perfect teeth.

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Monday 17 August 2009

Save, spend, splurge! #1

I did this before for summer jeans shorts and I really enjoy it, so I’ve decided to make it a bit of a more regular feature. Today I’m going to focus on one of the most basic, chic and desirable pieces you can have in your wardrobe for autumn and winter – a long sleeved, long length, black cardigan. Wear it with dress, skirts, jeans – anything!

Save.asdaslouch8
There are two save cardigans – both from George at ASDA. The first one is the one on the right and checks out at a whopping £8! You can find more information on this cardigan and buy it online here. The reason I choose this one is that the buttons go up slightly higher than I normally find on a cardigan, meaning that those of us beautiful ladies who are slightly more well endowed in the bust area will not have a boob-escaping moment when trying to climb on the bus. It’s also slightly looser around the body and waist making it easier to hide any unsightly tummies and bulges that we may be trying to get rid of.asdaboyfriend10

 

The second save cardigan I want to introduce costs you a friendly £10 and you can find more information or buy it from here. This cardigan is perfect for the girls who want a little bit more definition around the waist if they want to button it up. The only problem I have with this cardigan is that it has much lower buttons – I would definitely not be buttoning it up for fear of my boobs trying to make a runner.


Spend.
newlookboyfriendloose20

 

We have two spend cardigans as well – both from New Look. The first one is another slightly looser cardigan for those who want to hide their tummies – however the buttons are fairly low down so watch out ladies with a bigger bust! You can get this cardigan for £20 here and in store. It also comes in a few other neutral colours which would work well for autumn and winter.

 

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This is out tighter option for the spend category and is also priced at £20 from New Look. You can get more information here and buy it in store in a wider variety of dark and bright colours. This cardigan has slightly higher buttons for those who like to button up their cardigans, however i would still be wary of a boobie revolution so watch out bigger boobed ladies! Remember you get a 10% student discount in New Look shops with a valid student card.


Splurge.
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Our final cardigan (because there aren’t two for the splurge category) is from TopShop and costs a slightly sore £32. You can see more information and buy it online here and in store – there are also a few other colours available. The buttons are, again, a bit low for my liking, but the cardigan is nice and loose for those wanting a bit of security. Students get a 10% discount in TopShop with a valid student card.

 

 

Blog posts might be scarce for the next week or so while I have family staying and hospital visits and what not. I hope everyone’s well!

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Sunday 16 August 2009

Sundays are personal too.

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I haven’t done very much this week. My nephew is now out of hospital, but my grandfather has now fallen ill and my little nephew is going back into the hospital this week for an operation. Besides from all this bad news I’ve only done a few very unexciting things.

I visited a friend’s new flat in our university town, and now I can’t wait to go back , however it’s still another four weeks yet before I can move back in. I’m desperate to go back, I feel so bored here.

I baked a batch of triple chocolate chip muffins (there’s white and chocolate chips in there too!) and a tray of toffee crunch cookies which I didn’t take a picture of I’m afraid. After that I watched Twilight again. I can’t help it, it’s my guilty guilty pleasure.

I’ve also spent some time with my boyfriend, just going out and about to silly places like Tesco. I’m a very simple person.

I hope everyone’s well and had a good week – and getting excited for uni starting back up soon!

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Saturday 15 August 2009

Friday Finds #4.

friday finds

Friday Finds on a Saturday? I know, my mind’s boggled too. I’ll do my personal week post tomorrow instead, so you don’t get too bogged down with blog posts.

If you haven’t been already why not?

I feel like I constantly post about Charade, and for good reason – Megan really does run one of my favourite blogs. This week Charade is celebrating it’s first birthday! And for this special occasion there’s going to be a series of giveaways all week long, starting today at noon. So click on over (via the banner), have a look around and see if you can win anything.

Does your life rock?mlif
This is a site I came across accidentally. If you’re like me, you’re probably getting sick of FML and MLIA – fake stories and unfunny laughs seem to be the norm for those two sites now and it’s just not what I’m looking for. Ladies, let me introduce to you, MLIG. It’s similar to FML and MLIA, but with a small twist – all the stories are happy, heart-warming or just make you feel good about humanity again. Take a look and see what you think.

I hope everyone had a good week and is feeling well. Look out for what I’ve been up to this week tomorrow!

name

Thursday 13 August 2009

Review: DiorSkin Nude Liquid Foundation.

dior1

I need a little bit of coverage. 
I wear foundation most days I go out anywhere further than the shop for milk. I think that’s enough of evidence to show that I’m fairly vain – but not in the bad way. My skin should look nice, but it’s getting harder with all the skin complaints that I seem to be getting for some reason. I’ve tried a lot of different foundations; powders, minerals, mousse, liquid; and I’ve still to find the perfect one.

Break the budget.
I’m a firm believer in buying quality products for the base in your make up routine. Usually I spent up to about £15, and more often than not I’m disappointed. I decided to blow the budget a little bit and splash out. I had gotten a sample of this foundation when I had bought my DiorShow Iconic Mascara and liked it, and I love my DiorShow, so I thought I’d give it a shot. I’m fairly pale at the moment with the lack of sun and the current colds and flus being passed around at the moment and the Dior Lady recommended shade 010 Ivory.

The claims.
The full name of the foundation is DiorSkin Nude – Natural Glow Hydrating Make Up, and the spiel on from the website is; “Containing nearly 40% water, this fluid foundation offers an instant sensation of well-being. Skin appears fresher, silky and feels more comfortable. Thanks to micro-droplets of water, this foundation’s coverage is lighter than a more “classic” fluid formula, even as it evens out the complexion and makes it appear more radiant and transparent. With daily use, the skin becomes more beautiful for an ever more natural and radiant result than upon first application.

The truth.
The first line I must point out is the one about the lighter coverage than a standard liquid – this is completely true. It is definitely a lighter coverage foundation, but it can be built up a bit in layers if you need a little bit more. This means that if you have a lot of blemishes this will not cover them.
The claims of an even complexion is something I must agree with – the areas of my face which were fairly clear and blemish free were a breeze to cover up and looked a lot better. I have a lot of unevenness in my skin and this foundation helped with that.
For someone with perfect skin who just wants a little bit of reassurance that their skin in evenly toned and flawless, DiorSkin Nude is for them. If my skin was clearer I could probably wear this on it’s own for a dewy look.

However.
There are two things that I don’t like about this foundation at the moment.

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Sorry for the slightly blurry picture, but it shows point number one. That white nozzle. It looks so out of place against all the glass and shiny metal and it’s a nightmare to keep clean.

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This picture doesn’t show my next gripe well since I cropped it, but drop of foundation is actually more than a centimetre square and a lot of product. Too much product, I ended up have to wipe half of it on a tissue and it felt like a massive waste. This may have been my fault though, as it was the very first pump out of the bottle – and you all know how hard you push the first few times to try and get the product flowing.

Final words.
This is probably a given, but make sure your moisturiser is completely absorbed into your skin before you start applying this product. I was in a bit of a rush the last time I used it and still had moisturiser residue on my skin and this made it quite difficult to blend the product in and probably affect the coverage slightly. This may skew my score for this slightly, so keep that in mind.
For what this product is meant to do, I’d give it a 8 out of 10 – it’s wonderfully light coverage and does feel silky against your skin. It loses marks for that ugly white nozzle and the lack of full control over the product.
For what I hoped the product would do, I give it a 7/10. The coverage is a bit poorer than I thought it would be, or remembered it would be. Hopefully with the nozzle seal broken and a little bit of air getting into the mixture it will thicken up, as it feels a little bit thin at the moment.
Thus, this is a product for anyone who was slight coverage and a lovely even skin tone. Perfect for all you peaches and cream princesses.

Facts.
You can see the full shade table on the Dior site, and can buy the product for £28 from Debenhams, any department store and Duty Free in airports.

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Wednesday 12 August 2009

Review: Neutrogena Wave Duo Part 2.

wave

You may remember I started reviewing this last week or the week before and promised a follow up. I do apologise for the lateness, but real life has been unhelpful for anything remotely productive.

Finally.
I don’t have very much more to say on this. I used it on the second stronger speed for a week to see if there was any difference in cleaning power. There wasn’t. The vibrations, if anything, just annoyed me and made me stop using sooner during cleansing than I had before, but I persevered, just for you girls. I finished up the week and now it’s sitting back in the box.
I’ll be honest – I didn’t like it. I didn’t feel like it made my skin softer, cleaner or less blemished. Maybe I was using it wrong? Maybe the product just isn’t effective? I can’t say. Everyone likes to clean their skin differently – I personally like a grainy scrub over a lathering vibration.

For the reason that skin care is something that everyone does differently, I won’t be giving this a rating as such. I will leave you with my opinions on it and the advice to search for other reviews as well to get more information.

Since I won’t be using this again, I might make it a small giveaway after I’ve given it a thorough clean and sterilisation. Keep your eyes peeled for that.

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Monday 10 August 2009

How to look after yourself on a night out.

boozeSee the full sized image by beatnikside@Flickr here. 

I’ll get this round in.
We all do it, or plan to. You hit 18, head off to uni and want to go out every night and have a good time with your friends. Some people just want to the good vibes, others want to have that 2am kiss with the guy who’s been eyeing them over the dance floor and others, sadly, just want to get so drunk they can’t walk. Those last group of people, however, are not the only ones in danger on a night out – everyone is.

Caution.
Not everyone in the club will be there to have a good time, some people are there because they know they can pray upon those who are less than attentive. All it takes is to look away from your drink for ten seconds – ten seconds is plenty of time to slip something in. It happens more often than statistics claim, I know plenty of people who have been spiked and never reported it because they managed to get home safely before the effects took hold.
This is where watching out for yourself and your friends comes into play. I’m not saying every guy on his own is trying to spike your drink so he can rape you; I’m saying that anyone could be trying to spike your drink, or your friends. If you feel like you’re not yourself, more drunk than you should be or just out of sorts, tell a friend and see if someone will take you home. If no one will take you home then go to the clubs cloakroom and explain what’s going on – they will help you (cloakroom’s also usually stock plasters, tampons and sanitary towels if you ever get caught short)!
If you notice that a friend is acting strangely, seems a bit more drunk than they should be for the amount they’ve drunk or just not themselves then help them. Take them home, go outside for fresh air, anything.

What to do?
If your, or a friend’s drink, has been spiked it’s very likely that there’s going to be a lot of sick, a very severe hangover and possibly blank spots of the night before. There is usually no need to panic unless breathing becomes laboured, there’s blood in their sick or it’s more than you think you can handle. If the condition becomes too much for your, or a friend, to handle them go to hospital. It could save a life.

Prevention.
There’s no sure fire way to ensure that your drink is never spiked, but there’s a few things which you can do on your night out to make sure you and your friends stay safe.

  • Only buy bottled drinks – the neck of the bottle is much easier to keep covered with your hand. It also means that someone watching your drink is more likely to notice someone fiddling around and putting something in it.
  • If you buy drinks in glasses then keep them in your hands at all time in front of you. If you can, cover the top of the glass with your hand as much as you can when you’re not drinking.
  • If you leave your drink unattended for even thirty seconds, buy a new one.
  • Never drink something you find lying on a table.
  • Watch friends drink if they go to the bathroom and vice versa.
  • Discuss with your friends before hand what you want to all do if you think someone has been spiked – maybe even implement a buddy system.

Stay safe on your nights out, but don’t let the worry of being spiked ruin a good night out!

name

Saturday 8 August 2009

Saturdays are personal.

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I want to talk to you!
I thought from now on that Saturday’s and Sunday’s would be the days when I share more with you – what I’ve been up to this week and the like. At the moment, it probably won’t be the most exciting. I’m still at home and don’t move back to university for another five weeks yet.

Say “ah”.
The week started for me with dental work. More than I had anticipated. I usually go in and just get a check up and a well done (I wish I still got stickers). This time, I wasn’t so lucky and had to go back to get a crack in my tooth sorted out. Luckily, or unluckily, they had had a cancellation and I got to head back the next day. My tooth still doesn’t feel right and it freaks me out when I touch it with my tongue.

Should I get the 16” or 18”?
Sadly, the rest of the week wasn’t as exciting. I had to buy some new cooking pans for going back to uni (since I threw out the ones from last year). It wasn’t as exciting, but I managed to get everything I needed for only £22.50. Yesterday, I woke up with a rather stuffed up nose, so I relaxed all day and watched my new DVD, Marie Antoinette, which I got for only £3.59 – it’s currently £3.99 on HMV.com and Play.com, but I have a student discount card for HMV for an extra 10% off.

The rest.
I woke up this morning still stuffed up and feeling quite ill. This means that sadly I can’t visit my young nephew in hospital for fear I’ll get the other children, or him, ill. Since it was quite sunny, I was going to lie outside and read while feeling sorry for myself, but I think those plans are lost as it’s quite dull now.

I hope everyone’s feeling better than me and has a lovely weekend!

name

Friday 7 August 2009

Friday Finds #3

friday findsI only have one find this week and wish I had been able to write about it last week like I had initially planned, but I guess better late than never!

Learn through lists!
ffsmart
I stumbled across Smart.fm by accident one day, watching YouTube videos about a girl who taught her viewers odd and weird phrases in Japanese. She claimed that she learned Japanese through using lists and I had a look and I was shocked. By using the pop-out software (no downloads) on the website, specifically it’s signature program iKnow, you can take a list of anything and learn it quickly and easily – be it another language or the moons of Jupiter! If there’s not already a list there then you can make you own.
With university starting back up for everyone in a few weeks, I though this little known website would be a massive help – need to know details of ten cases for law? Use this! You can enter the name of the case, a brief description and then a fuller one.
I can’t really describe how it helps you to learn very well, but it uses mini quizzes and fill in the blanks, among other things to help your mind recall the correct answer.
I’d never spoken French before in my life (I did German at school), but after only ten minutes I can now say, read and write the numbers from zero to twenty! Give it a go, you know you want to!

I hope everyone’s well and you all have a good weekend!

name

Wednesday 5 August 2009

Consolidation: The University Post

consolidationSee the full sized image by Beamer 26@Flickr here. 

I’ve only six weeks left to go before I head back to uni, so everything’s starting to move along. I don’t feel rushed or worried though because I’ve got all these great posts to look over and remember that I know what I’m doing!

  1. The first things you should do!
  2. The way to pack for uni!
  3. What to buy for the bedroom!
  4. What to buy for the kitchen!
  5. The first budget you should make!

So don’t panic. Have a read, make a list and get going!

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Monday 3 August 2009

I feel like all I do is apologise.

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At least at the moment, to all you who read this blog. You know, all four of you! The posts will be a bit scant this week as my nephew has gone into hospital (and he’s not even one yet!) and he’s very ill. I also have to get a lot of (unforeseen) dental work done this week and do a lot of errands for my grandfather at the end of the week. I will have the promised Friday Finds, but not until (you guessed it) Friday and I also have another post planned – but it’s only going to be a post with all the links to the university specific posts in my blog. There may be the possibility of two other posts this week (an Affordable Fashion one and one about safety on a night out), but we’ll see how much time I’ve gotten. And the flowers? They were from my boyfriend for my birthday!

I hope everyone’s doing well and having a good summer. If there’s any posts in your blogs you want me to read (and I’ll comment), leave a little link down below as I don’t have time to look through all my usual blogs!

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