Not So Fabulous.

Simple But Tasty #2: Spaghetti Carbonara

2010-06-15T16:26:00.001+01:00

I love pasta dishes – my hips and thighs don’t though! However I had to share this with you. It’s definitely tasty, but maybe not quite so simple. But, I figure if I can cook it right the first time, then everyone else can as well! I used this recipe to feed three, however that was at a push. Adjust quantities as you see fit.

You will need:
8 rashers of back bacon (smoked or unsmoked)
3 garlic cloves (crushed and diced)
1/2 of an onion (or more if you prefer)
3 eggs
200ml double cream
75g of grated Parmesan cheese
Spaghetti (portions are up to you – I just guessed!)
Mushrooms (as many/little as you want – I added a few for my boyfriend and flatmate)
3tsp olive oil

1) Start the spaghetti to cook. It can be left to it’s own devices while you’re preparing the sauce.

2) Heat the oil in a frying pan and throw in the diced up onion and garlic. Chop up the bacon (removing as much of the rind as you can) and throw that into fry as well.

3) While the spaghetti is boiling and the bacon frying, mix up the 3 eggs, the double cream and cheese in a bowl together. It won’t look very appealing. But it will when it’s all combined!

4) When the spaghetti is cooked, drain it. Pop it back into the pan and add the now fried bacon, onion and garlic before adding the sauce. Mix it altogether on a lower heat until the cheese is basically melted and it looks and smell delicious.

5) Serve immediately – add a salad or some garlic bread to make a real meal out of it.

I found a lot of the ingredients where just guesstimations. You’ll know how much of everything you’ll personally need for whoever your feeding though. Enjoy!

Summer is here…

2010-06-04T13:36:00.001+01:00

Picture from Flickr, artist and link unknown.

Exam’s are finished. University is finished. Summer is well and truly here. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and I don’t have very much to do for the next three months. Just working, tanning, playing on the various consoles the flat I’ve moved into has and, of course, blogging! I have a small pile of products to review for you and lots to talk about.

Look out for:

Herbal Essences Perfect Ends shampoo and conditioner
Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation
Bourjois Brush Concealer
The Body Shop Sweet Lemon lip butter
The Body Shop Vanilla body lotion
A yummu spaghetti bolognaise sauce which is so easy

And a lot more. I hope everyone’s well and looking forward to summer!

The Body Shop Haul

2010-05-28T15:38:00.000+01:00

I paid for express delivery (£3.99) for my order for two reasons: 1) I was paying so little for my actual order; and 2) I actually move into a new flat on Wednesday 2nd, so I was concerned that standard delivery would not reach me in time, especially with the amount of orders they must be recieving. Checking the website, the 30% off offer is still running and at the time of writing this (11.30am), standard delivery was free, though I’m not sure how long this will last for. Remember to get an extra 20% off on top of the 30% by checking this post from yesterday.

I bought four items – one was actually a repurchase, but I’ll get to that. First, I want to show you my favourite thing from my haul:

Hello Face and Body brush! Normal price £14, but with the 30% off it was only £9.80, then with another 20% off it was only £7.84! I think that is a really bargain – almost have price (44% off for any maths geeks who care)! Let’s have a minor close up of those lovely soft bristles:

I can’t wait to use this – it’s just so soft and luscious. I’ve only ever heard good things about The Body Shop brushes. Let’s move on though.

I had problems with my camera today, so for those of your who are having a bit of trouble seeing the photo, it’s Sweet Lemon Lip Butter. And it smells amazing. I actually wanted to buy the shower gel as well from this new range, but sadly it was sold out. The Lip Butter normally retails for £5, but 30% gives you £3.50 and then the extra 20% off meant I only paid £2.80!

I almost don’t want to use it. It looks so nice and I might just carrying it around with me to smell it at regular intervals. The smell is a real sweet lemon – nothing like your washing up liquid by the sink which smells more like disinfectant. I might get the body butter to match this after I finish up my next purchase.

Vanilla Body Lotion. Which at 200ml, is a lot smaller than I though it would be. Normal price is £7.50, 30% off price is £5.25 and the extra 20% off meant I only paid £4.20. And for a bottle that size, I’m glad that’s all I paid. It really doesn’t look like it’s going to go a long way. It does, however, smell exactly how vanilla should smell – warm, slightly sweet and a little bit musky. Not at all like the over bearing sweetness of the Treacle Moon vanilla range.

The last purchase of my haul is the repurchase. Sorry for the blurry picture, so for those who are having trouble seeing what it is, it’s Vanilla EDT (30ml). Normal price is £8.50, 30% off is £5.95 and the extra 20% off meant I paid £4.76! I’ve been running out of perfume since March, but haven’t had the time to go out and find a new designer smell I like (because I don’t like to stick to the same perfumes from designers if I can help it – I might miss something even better). This though will tide me over until I get a chance to nip into town (which at the rate I’m going right now won’t be for another two weeks!). Pretty much the same as the body lotion though – smells exactly how vanilla should. I love wearing this perfume.

I really can’t wait to try out my new brush as well as the lip butter, and hopefully I’ll be able to get reviews up for at least one item from this haul. A lot of the products are classics, but it’s always nice to get a new perspective on things (especially when companies are constantly changing the formulas and what not),

And as you can probably see, I’m still studying for exams – I have one on the 1st and the 2nd of June. The 1st is going well and I’m not worried about that, but the 2nd… not so much. We’ll just have to see I suppose.

I hope everyone’s well and has a wonderful weekend. More from me next week or the week after!

Body Shop – 30% off! Plus extras!

2010-05-27T15:27:00.001+01:00

Can’t believe no one else has mentioned this today, yet! 30% off The Body Shop (in store and online, I believe), plus if you shop online you get FREE standard delivery on everything! As an extra treat, use VOUCHER20 or SUMMER20 and get 20% extra off! I managed to get a body lotion, lip butter, EDT spray and make up brush for less than £20! Reviews to come! And more blogging as well soon – almost finished my exams.

Review: Simple Kind to Skin Hydrating Light Moisturiser

2010-05-15T14:32:00.001+01:00

I’m bringing the first blog post in almost a month to you from the middle of a revision session. I’d also like to add that the book above was actually taken out the university library and some one had already highlighted it – score!

Anyways. My skin is horrific. It’s dry, it’s shiny, it’s spotty, it’s clean – it really just can’t decide. I had been using the Garnier Gel Moisturiser I was going to review, but that was just making my skin extra dry (and it was just horrible). I needed a moisturiser which was thick enough to really make my skin take a drink, but not so heavy it was going to take a year to dry. Enter Simple’s offering, which was on a £2 special in Asda last week – not too sure how much it is normally. What do you get for your pennies though?

The box is full of little promises: “Smile, it’s simple… when your skin’s happy and fresh faces, you feel healthier and happier too. Our Hydrating Light Moisturiser is a perfect blend of active ingredients and vitamin goodness to keep your skin replenished and hydrated. Perfect even for sensitive skin.” It also boasts two vital vitamins, pro-vitamin B5 and Vitamin E as well as two skin loving nutrients of glycerine and borage oil seed. To be honest, I’m not sure what all that means – but I bet it’s good things. And as with all Simple product there are no perfumes or colours, which is something I can really get on board with.

And a simple bottle. Easy to hold and easy to use, espcially when this is how you dispense the product:

It’s taken me a good week to be able to get the moisturiser out without either getting too much or not enough. This is a little bit of a flaw with this product – a pump would have worked a lot better.

Nice and thick, without being too thick. IT’s not trying to run away from my hand into my lap, that’s for sure.

And it rubs out to a nice thin layer. It’s easily absorbed into skin and dries off pretty quickly.

This is where I should mention that when they say light, they mean light – this is definitely a day time formula and for real results this would probably have to become part of a day and night routine. It has helped with my dry skin on my face, but I’m still having a few problem areas.

Definitely value for money if you can get it on special offer, and if it’s less than £4 then I’ll probably end up buying it again. I’d give it 3.5 out of 5, with points lots of the design of the bottle and for being just a little bit too light. Comes in 125ml size.

Review: Tesco Vitamin B Face Scrub

2010-04-20T13:10:00.001+01:00

Tesco is cheap. And simple. It is a super market after all. A few months ago everyone was raving in the blogosphere about their Vitamin E range which is cheap as chips – the scrub above was a bargain at only 72p when I bought it two months ago. It’s your standard size facial product and can be found in the skin care/bath/hair aisle of your local.

I don’t think this product. At all. And calling it a scrub is a disgrace.

Sorry about my veiny hands. But have a look at that splodge of the face wash. There’s bubbles, sure, but no scrubby bits. The only time I have ever felt any “scrub” from this product is when I had to use it as an emergency hand wash. On my face is just feels like a horribly soapy face wash.

It also tends to leave a filmy residue which isn’t very pleasant and the smell is a bit discount washing up liquid, to be quite honest. If you use a cloth, it does the job and get’s your face fairly clean, but it’s most definitely not for me. It creates too much of a lather and is just really runny as a product.

Out of 5, this gets a low low low 1. The one is for the price – as a bargain face care range I’m sure it does the job, but I won’t be buying again. I’m keeping it in my bathroom as an emergency product, but secretly I’m just hoping my flatmates will use it all up.

Blogsale #1

2010-04-18T11:23:00.001+01:00

My first blogsale. I just need to get rid of this stuff (and I need the money!). I have feedback on eBay and on Livejournal’s TSUK if anybody would like to see it. This stuff must goooooo!

Terms:
- No trades; I really need the extra space and money.
- Price includes postage and PayPal fees.
- I can do offers on more than one item.
- Make me an offer on stuff anyways, as long as it’s not completely ridiculous, I’ll probably say yes.
- I won’t be able to post these until Tuesday as I’m at uni all day tomorrow.
- I can get more accurate measurements no problem.

Please note that I will be at work from 1.30pm until 10pm or so, so may not be able to get back to you until tomorrow morning.

Clothes:

1. River Island Black and Silver Sparkle Vest-Dress, size 12 - £7

- Comes to mid thigh
- Quite stretchy
- Worn a handful of times
- Cost about £16 brand new last summer.
- Closer view of the sparklyness. It’s looks grey, but it is most definitely black with silver sparkles:

2. Primark Grey and White men's cardi - size Men's Small (Would fit a 10 to 14 I reckon!) - £4

- Worn once
- No missing buttons or pulls

3. Miso (Republic) Brown Knit Jumper with Plait Sleeves - size 10 - £7

- Worn twice, if that
- Would comfortably a size 12
- Sleeve details:

4. New Look Bubble Hem and Sequin Grey Dress - size 8 - £10

- Quite heavy to post
- Better for bustier ladies; I'm a size 12 with 30E/F boobies and it was still a bit scary to wear for fear of a slip!
- No missing sequins as far as I can see
- Only worn once

5. Dorothy Perkins Black Embelished Neck Dress - size 10 - £12

- Only worn once and was about £30 new!
- I pull up the bottom hem and make it kinda bubble dress-ish, if you can imagine what I mean. Makes it quite short though!
- Detail of neck:

- No missing sequins - they just wouldn't lie flat!

6. New Look Grey/Black/Slate Yoga Pants - size 10 - £4.50

- I'm not sure what to name the colour, they're kind of faded black, but that's the colour they were when bought
- Normal leg length, about 32 inches or so.
- Stretchy waistband, the tie is only for decoration.

7.Internacionale Black Short Shorts - size 10 - £5

- Made of a sort of polyester so they’re a little bit shiney.
- I had a do a quick mend job on the hem on one of the legs, didn't get a very good picture though:

-It definitely needs neatened up - I can do this before they're sent out, or I can knock the price down if you want to leave it and do it yourself.

9. Quiz Grey and Silver Short Pleat Skirt - size 12 - £6

- Invisible zip at the back
- The buckle is only decoration, I stitched it down as it just kept coming apart
- Size 12 is the upper limit of this skirt - probably better for a size 10!

10. Logo Black Pleat Skirt - size 14 - £4.50

- Worn a lot, but still a strong black colour
- Invisible zipe at the back or side - can't quite remmeber.
- Definitely not for a size 14, a size 12 is the upper limit for this skirt!
- Sorry it's creased, I can iron before sending out!

11.Warehouse Embelished Neck Top - size 12 - £5

- Worn once or twice
- Close up of the sequins:

- Various sizes of beads and sequins
- Close up of the one imperfections:

- The sequin is still attached, but I'm not sure how to tight it up. I can have a fiddle with it, or leave it like that for a little bit cheaper.

12. Quiz Black Sequin Detail Top - size 12 - £7

- Lovely stretchy top
- No sequins missing
- Definitely for the brave - makes boobies redonkudonkulous!

Jewellery:

13. TopShop Pearl and Bead Strechy Bracelet - £4.50

- The ribbon can be untied to make the bracelets individual, I think. Never tried!
- Only worn once.

14. New Look Long Dull Silver Necklace - £4

- Long length - reaches just below my boobs.
- TopShop had a similar necklace, but it was much more expensive!
- Worn a handful of times.

15. I Love You Necklace - £3.50

- Worn a handful of times.
- Some slight yellow discolouration on the chain, I couldn't get a brilliant picture of it though. It's about an inch a half long.
- I don't know how easy it would be to clean off the discolouration.

16. H&M Silver Heart Necklace - £3.50

- This is slightly longer length than most normal necklaces. Hangs somewhere in the middle of my cleavage

17. Tiny Turtle Necklace - £3.50

- Worn once
- The turtle is kind of wooden and the chain is gold coloured.

18. Mini Piano Necklace - £3.50

- The charm is a distressed gold colour and the chain is gold colour
- The lid of the piano opens, but I couldn't get a very good picture:

19. Pink Plastic Bow Bracelet - £4

- I think it's about six inches in length, can measure on request.
- Fastenings are gold coloured.

Leave a comment if you’re interested in anything.

Coming soon…

2010-04-18T10:50:00.001+01:00

Long break is long. I’m going to try and not let it happen again, I promise! Coming soon to Not So Fabulous:

A review on the Tesco Vitamin E Scrub which was a bargain at 72p or so. Everyone was talking about them a while back, but I didn’t see many reviews!
A review on Garnier Skin Naturals Fresh Day Cream/Gel (I’ve thrown out the box so I’m not too sure of the actual name at the moment).
A review on the DiorShow Black Out mascara I bought (mentioned in my last post).
A new series on weight loss and staying fit. I’m trying to lose weight, and I want you all to join me on my journey.

See you all soon!

Small Haul: Chanel and Dior

2010-03-26T12:40:00.001Z

About 3 weeks ago there was a Debenhams Spectacular sale… thing. Beauty normally get’s about 10% off or so, which is good enough for me.

I needed some new mascara and a new setting powder so I thought why not treat myself? I ended up buying DiorShow Black Out and Chanel’s Poudre Universelle Compacte (in translucent).

Obviously the powder doesn’t look anything like that any more I got both of them for less than £50 – which is a lot to spend on two items of make up, I know. I’m regretting it a bit now. But the mascara is brilliant and is only going to get better over the next week or two and the powder is ok. I might do reviews on both later.

Ins and Outs #3.

2010-03-08T10:55:00.000Z

Ins:

Finally being back at uni – I’m no longer bored out of my mind for 80% of the day.
Work’s going really well at the moment too – lot’s of fun.
Chargrilled Chicken. It’s so yummy.
Red grapes – much sweeter than green ones. Yay fruit!

Outs:

Being back at uni – I have a lot more work this semester and it’s bogging me down.
The flat is falling down around us – if something can break or go wrong, it probably has or will do in the next week.
Constantly craving cookies. My thighs aren’t happy.
All the books I need for an essay being checked out the library.

I hope you all had a nice weekend. Going to try and get something of substance written for tomorrow.

Promises of 2010: Update #2

2010-03-06T22:03:00.001Z

How is everyone else doing with sticking to their New Years resolutions and promises then? Hopefully as bad as me – it would make me feel a bit better!

Love and Life.
My boyfriend and I are still as strong as ever, thankfully. Getting ready to move in with him in a couple of months is a little bit scary though. We live together now, but it doesn’t really feel like we do – university accommodation does that to you, I suppose. I’m really excited though. I read The Time Traveller’s Wife last month as well – it was much longer than I expected, but I enjoyed it a lot – the film isn’t as good but it still made me cry. Toxic friends? The less I talk about that the better. And blogging more? Well that didn’t work out very well when I started back at uni!

Money.
Those of you who flick back to my last post through the tags will notice that this is exactly the same as last month – still only £100. Starting back at university has been a little bit expensive this month – textbooks to buy and pubs to visit. Hopefully next month I can get back on track! I’m still spending a lot of money I shouldn’t be – but I’m getting better! Much better.

University.
So far I’ve been to all but two of my lectures this semester. I think I’ve had about 25 or so though, so it’s pretty good. The two I missed were an introductory lecture and then one which I already knew about the subject matter. I’ve also been trying to take better notes, though I still have a lot to catch up on. I’ve got two essay’s to do this semester – one for a week on Wednesday and then one for the middle of April. I’m going to do the shorter one this week and then try and get the April due essay done before the mid-semester break at the start of April.

Myself.
Nails are still being bitten. It’s not nice. I’m going to have to really try to get this habit sorted. I just haven’t had time to reapply the nail varnish I use that stops me from biting for a while. As sad as an excuse as that sounds. I’ve also tried to start eating better – in fact, I think today I actually had at least 4 of my 5 a day (though learning that the Japanese Government recommends their citizens eat 12 or 13 a day has made me feel terrible).

So on the whole… not going brilliantly. But I’m still toddling along. Slowly but surely.

Film Review: Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland

2010-03-05T17:13:00.001Z

I’m trying very hard to think of ways to write this review without encouraging the wrath of Disney (because we all know how that feels, don’t we Odeon, Vue and Cineworld?). I went to see Alice in Wonderland this afternoon, because if I didn’t see it today, I probably wouldn’t have went to see it at all. And I kind of wish I hadn’t.

It’s not a long film and not very much happens. It’s pretty to look at, but there’s no real depth. Plus, fans of the original version(s) of Alice probably won’t like this film very much – it’s most definitely only to be enjoyed by the Tim Burton Brigade.

The acting leaves a lot to be desired by the girl playing Alice. It’s all shaky and pathetic and just does not compare to the big names she stars alongside with. Anne Hathaway stole the film, in my opinion. Her portrayal of the White Queen was very Nigella Lawson meets absent-minded fairy and was just completely enjoyable. I’m not going to talk about Johnny Depp’s “Scottish” accent. I couldn’t understand him a lot of the time, to be honest.

Would I recommend people go and see it? Not really. And definitely no in 3D. It adds pretty much nothing to the film and is just going to cost you a couple more pounds to look like a prat in the glasses.

I’m saddened that I couldn’t give this film a more positive review, but it certainly is what I’ve been expecting all along.

Apologies.

2010-03-05T13:08:00.001Z

I have to apologise so much for disappearing for three weeks there. I started back at uni and I really am so busy it’s unreal. I’ll try and get a few posts out next week, but I really can’t promise anything.

I hope everyone’s well and has a good weekend.

When working hard goes too far.

2010-02-12T23:00:00.001Z

Firstly, just a quick apology for disappearing – I was at work all weekend thanks to The Princess and the Frog and then went home to a house with no internet until today.

Trying to please.
The above image may be a bit hard to place unless you’ve watched it recently, but it’s Anne Hathaway as Andrea Sachs in The Devil Wears Prada. A quick refresher on the plot – Andy is the frumpy wanna-be journalist who takes a job at High Fashion magazine Runway (e.g. Vogue) as one of the assistants to the editor, Miranda Priestly (read as Anna Wintour), played by Meryl Streep. Andy quickly discovers that being an assistant is no easy feat and that the fashion world isn’t all about which belt goes best with which dress. Now the image above becomes clear – Andy is swamped with work as she tries to meet Miranda’s every whim, while keeping the job she desperately needs to further her career. One of the main situations in the film is based on this – Andy is working too hard to please Miranda and quickly begins to neglect her own life and relationships. This brings me to want to talk about today – when working hard for that degree or promotion goes a bit too far.

Beep beep beep.
It’s only natural to want to do the best you can in work or school or university to ensure than you get the best results as possible. It also rings true to want to do everything you can to please those around you and make their lives easier as well. People pleasing can become a problem though – as we saw in The Devil Wears Prada, Andy started to reject her own life. When your home life starts to suffer because of your job or school work then it’s time to take a step back and do some re-evaluation.

You’re not their third arm.
It is unlikely that you’re extremely high up in the office hierarchy at this stage of your life, but this doesn’t mean that you are simply just the tea boy or filing girl – you’re a valued member of the staff and should be treated as such. If you start to agree to do menial tasks which are not part of your job description (like picking up your bosses dry cleaning), then it would appear that you are being taken advantage of. It’s ok to refuse to do something – it might not seem like the best idea, but it shows that you are strong, assertive and most of all aware that they’re asking too much. That’s not to say that if your boss asks for a genuine favour that you should turn them down – quite the contrary. It’s when it becomes a regular occurrence that you need to put your foot down.

Textbooks aren’t the only books.
Sure, a good grade means a lot. But then so do social skills, life skills and good memories. If you start to turn down plans with your friends to go drastically above and beyond your required reading and work, then you have a little bit of a problem. It’s all about balance – agree to go out to every second invitation, or if your friends just want to spend some time together why not set up a study day with lots of healthy snacks and drinks; if you’re doing the same course you could bounce ideas off each other and maybe pick up a thing or two that you’ve missed out on or had trouble with. Your teens and early twenties are the times for you to learn about academia and yourself – there might not be an exam for the latter, but it’s still important.

Work is only a part of your life.
And to sum it up: be strong, be balanced and you’ll get where you want to be.

PS: You can buy The Devil Wears Pradafor only £2.98 at Amazon right now!

Paul’s Boutique “Grace” Bag

2010-02-04T10:40:00.000Z

The new bag finally arrived last week. I promised pictures over the weekend, but you’re getting them today. I’m no master photographer by any means, so I apologise now for the rather bad pictures – the bag is gorgeous though!

It’s lovely and big and the gold and black colour way really goes well together. I can take off the pin broach any time I want, but I’ve left it for the moment because I think it makes the bag a bit more interesting.

When my boyfriend first saw the pin he asked if I had won an award. Cheeky boy. Do you see the leopard print? It matches…

The inside of the bag where the black and gold detailing is continued. The one thing I was disappointed with about this bag is that it doesn’t zip close – the heavy weight of the padlock does keep it closed ok-ish, but I miss the extra security of a zip. That gold clip on top keeps the bag from looking too much like a sack, but it can be unclipped to make the bag huge:

And to be honest, I really don’t have enough things in my life to fill this bag with at the moment, so I’ll be keeping it firmly clipped closed. You can actually make the bag slightly bigger, while having the clip attached by loosening the straps at either side:

This means you can fit more in, but still have a bit of shape and structure to the bag.

Except for the zip I love this bag – though it does have that funny new bag smell, but I’m sure that’ll quickly disappear. Best £50 I have spent this year, so far!

NYX Jumbo Lip Pencils – Small Haul and Swatches.

2010-02-03T11:44:00.000Z

After seeing that Amy used these pencils and liking how they looked on her, I had to give them a shot. Everyone seems to be using some sort of NYX product these days as well, which was just another excuse to have a go. I got three pencils, for comparison, in three very different shades: Deep Red, Soft Fuschia and Iris.

And for some reason I can’t really fathom I swatched them in reverse order. The Iris is a pale frosty pink shade, the Soft Fuschia looks like a very dark nude pink swatched and the Deep Red scared me with how bright it was.

I really don’t like the Iris shade on. I guess frosted colours just don’t suit me – and it looked awfully silver in the light which made me feel like a robot.

The Soft Fuschia comes out a much lighter shade when it’s applied to the lips and I feel it just enhances the natural colour of my lips. I really liked this shade on, and it’ll probably become one of my every day staples.

And the Deep Red was just… I was quite shocked. I’ve never really worn red lipstick (or red anything) before and was surprised by how it looked on. The picture makes it look a little bit lighter than it really is – it’s actually a fairly dark, almost blood red.

The application of the pencils was really easy – they dragged on the first swipe across my lips but after that they were smooth and just felt really creamy. I’ve only had them for a day so I’m not too sure about wearablity and if they’ll have a drying effect on my lips, but I will be sure to let you know.

I bought the three pencils as a bundle from Joy’s Cosmetics shop on eBay for $6.99 plus P&P for a total of $10.52, which through PayPal conversion was only £6.70ish. She has most of the NYX products available for pretty cheap. She also ships out super quick – I paid on the 26th of January and they were sent out the next day on the 27th – they dropped through my letter box yesterday, the 1st of February. All the way from America.

Have any of you tried out any NYX products that you absolutely adore?

Promises of 2010: Update

2010-02-02T15:29:00.001Z

Happy February everyone! I did mean to do this yesterday but got sidetracked by a visit from my boyfriend – we spent the whole day watching my new True Blood DVDs! At less than £18 on Amazon they are an absolute bargain - £10 cheaper than anywhere else.

But I’m getting sidetracked. Let me tell you how I’m getting on with my promises.

Love and Life.
I’m still on track with sharing the lovey dovey feelings with my boyfriend – which is a brilliant thing of course. I don’t think we’ll be doing Valentines Day (we think it’s a little bit silly), so we’re being happy now. I’m no longer on my own in the flat – at least one of the toxic friends is here at all times, but we just generally avoid each other; too much has been said and done to ever go back to being real friends. But we keep it all amicable – talking about electricity expenses and things, pleasantries and the like. All very boring. I don’t know if you all noticed, but I blogged every weekday last week and have at least two more posts planned for this week, so I’m keeping to my blog more promise. The book situation isn’t going too well, but I’m planning to do some reading once I’ve tidied my room after this!

Money.

It’s the cute little money bar again. Compared to last post it’s a lot fuller! In fact, it is now a fifth full – each little pink and purple bar stands for £10 and I have now managed to save a whole £100! I don’t plan on being able to save so much every month, but it’s nice to have a big kick start thanks to a much bigger than expected payslip for January. Being less frivolous with my spending money is going a bit better. I’ve found though that I had a lot of little things to buy in the last week and in the next week too – ink for my printer, new mascara and paper for going back to university soon. I think I’m doing a little bit better.

University.
Classes still don’t start for another week yet, so there’s not very much to report here. I had my resit exam last week, but I still don’t know how I did on that. I hope well enough to pass, but we’ll just all have to wait and see.

Myself.
I was doing really well with the nail biting thing and my nails had looked better than they ever had – except the skin around them had started peeling and splitting. It was definitely not very nice. This didn’t bode well for me and I’m right back were I started with horrible ratty nails. But I’m not going to let that get me down – I’ll just have to start again! For my weight and body image… it’s not been going too well. With being stuck in the flat with not much to do I’ve been boredom eating and just not taking very good care of myself. It’ll all be fine though once university starts back up. I hope.

I hope everyone else is having a lot of luck sticking to their resolutions and promises!

Friday Finds #10

2010-01-29T11:12:00.001Z

It’s been about six weeks since I’ve done one of these! How annoying for you guys. Anyways. Here’s some hot things from the internet for you to pursue at your leisure. No theme this week, just a mix and match and mish mash.

Tongue Twisters
I occasionally take a quick stop at The Economist’s website for some topical new stories that have a bit more substance than say… the BBC website. As such, when I read this article back in December I book marked it straight away for my next FF so I could share it with other people. It’s not about fashion, or beauty, or even being a student. It’s about the world’s hardest languages. I study accounting and finance, so this has nothing to do with any of my university work, I just found it a really interesting read.

What’s on your shelf?
I discovered this on someone else’s blog a little while ago, I think it might have actually have been Tor’s? Anyways. You probably all already know about it, and I am once again tardy to the party. Shelfari is a website where you can keep track of all your books – what you’re reading, what you’ve read and what you plan to read. You can also go even further and choose which version of every book you own and give details on it’s condition. I’ve not really done much with mine except add all the obvious books, but you can find me here. Don’t laugh at my full name.

Charade Style.
Have you bought your Charade Annual yet? You don’t know what it is? I find that hard to believe! It’s the best articles from Charade Style’s first year, written by the lovely Megan. For only £15 (plus reasonable P&P) you can get a years worth of tips, tricks and inspiration. I ordered mine this morning (thank you pay day!), when will you be ordering yours?

And that is it for today! My new bag arrived literally as I was writing this so maybe some photos tonight or tomorrow. I’m going to see Sherlock Holmes this afternoon (finally!) and it’s sunny outside. I think it’s going to be a good day.

Review: Red Cherry Lashes and Duo Glue

2010-01-28T11:55:00.001Z

I talked about iheartredcherry.com quite a while ago and mentioned that I would do a review when they arrived. As a whole, I have to say that I’m neither pleased or unpleased. Just a bit… “meh”, I suppose.

I ordered in the middle of December and waited about a week until I finally got any email response informing me that some of the lashes I had selected were out of stock and asking me to pick others. The lashes which were out of stock were not for me, but a friend so she quickly choose other ones and I emailed them back. From that date it took about two and a half weeks for them to arrive – but obviously they’re coming from America and it was Christmas and New Years.

Everything made it in pretty good condition, however some of the lashes had been substituted with “like for like” lashes. This annoyed me, as if there were more lashes out of stock why didn’t they email me again and ask which ones I would like instead?

I apologise for the bad pictures – it’s been so dull that even daylight isn’t working on my side. I received lashes #47, #106 and #138 for myself. #106 and #138 are not on the website at the moment so I can only assume they are out of stock. As far as I am aware, all these lashes are made out of human hair.

I also ordered a tube of Duo Eyelash Adhesive after hearing rave reviews about it. It comes out the tube white and dries clear, however you can also get a dark version, which I presume dries black.

There are the #106 being worn. When I looked in the box I thought they looked the most natural and everyday wearable. I was so wrong. Of course I trimmed the lashes to fit my eyes – I had to cut off about half a centimetre from each one and I took it from the longest side – there were actually longer lashes on the strip than what I have on my eyes. I just felt these looked a bit OTT and drag queen-ish. They also started to shed as soon as I tried to take them out the box

I was also completely underwhelmed by the Duo. It was no better than the rubbish little tubes you get in standard lash sets and just created a really weak bong between the fake lashes and myself.

Overall, I probably won’t be buying from Red Cherry again. The communication was pretty poor, the lashes don’t really seem that great and I’m just completely underwhelmed. It could be my own fault for buying the lashes I did, but it’s just put me off them for a little while. I might try the other two pairs later in the week and see if I change my mind.

How to make a folder holder.

2010-01-27T13:43:00.001Z

My bookshelves are no where near big enough to store folders on. This means I don’t really have anywhere to put them and they normally just end up on a pile on the floor – but not anymore. I was about to throw out the box my Converse sneakers came in when I discovered it could hold three folders up right – the exact number of folders I use! To make your own folder holder you will need:

One Converse sneaker box with the lid cut off.
A big sheet of wrapping paper (mine was £1.60ish from Tescos. 1mx1.7m)
Scissor
Sellotape
A gluestick.
A pencil.

Before you start cutting out your wrapping paper, sellotape up all the raw edges of the box and any joints or weak spots. This just makes the box a wee bit stronger and gives you smoother edges to work against.

Begin by placing the box in the middle of the paper and drawing around it. Then tip it on all of it’s various sides and draw around it there too. You’re aiming to create a net which you can wrap around your box. Here’s a badly drawn example of what I did:

This is where I make everything much more complicated than it needs to be. The black square is the base; the red ones are the sides (and yes there should be two on each side); the blue squares the ends and the pink lines are tabs. You just wrap this cut out shape around the box, sellotaping and gluing the various tabs down to hold the paper to the box. I started with the sides, bringing them up and wrapping them inside the box – the two sides on each half line the inside of the box for you! I did the ends after all the side’s tabs were secure. The more technical amongst us would probably have doubled up the ends as well, leaving only the inside bottom of the box to line with a single rectangle of paper glued down… but I didn’t have a big enough piece of paper for that and had to do the inside ends and bottom separately.

Still, I think it came out fantastically for a spur of the moment piece of crafting. Tell me what you think!

New Things: Paul’s Boutique “Grace” Bag.

2010-01-26T11:26:00.001Z

I have been needing a new bag for quite a few months now, but I could just never find anything that looked quite right. I wanted something fairly timeless and not faddy, but at the same time for it to look very nice and young. I was browsing ASOS as a last ditch attempt when I saw this beauty. When I first looked at it, it was also available in pink and I swithered for a few weeks, undecided until last night when I went to look again and it was only left in black. Of course, I snapped it up there and then (well half an hour later – I had forgotten my ASOS password and had too many failed attempts). At £65 it’s a small investment on a student budget, but it’s big enough to use for university things, but also as an everyday-throw-everything-in bag. I’ll be taking more pictures when it eventually arrives.

You can get your own Gracie bag at ASOS for £65 here, and remember to use the discount code ASOSINSTYLEB to get a massive 20% off anything, including any sale items as well, apparently.

Ins and Outs #2

2010-01-25T14:27:00.001Z

Theme Hospital. I know. So 1996 and just weird. But I downloaded it from the internet the other day and when I’m not revising it’s a nice way to de-stress. Shouting at my silly little doctors also helps.
The Big Bang Theory. I only started watching this last week and I’m already a quarter of the way through series two. I didn’t think I would like it, but my boyfriend kept telling me to watch it and as it turns out, I love it. It’s funny and educational!
Aussie Dual Personality Heat Protection Spray. This has been my staple heat protection spray for about two years now. It smells yummy and leaves my hair looking nice and glossy.
Pantene Pro-V Classic Care Shampoo. I should probably be using a volumising shampoo, but my flat mate left this over Christmas and I’ve been using it. It makes my hair smell niiiiice and it’s a brilliant clean.

Out

Exam revision. I feel like I did this all already for my original exams in December so I’m really bored and it’s just not going in very well. Hopefully I can scrape a pass on Wednesday.
No work. I’ve had three shifts at work in the past two weeks. While this has given me plenty of time for exam revision it does mean that I will have a pretty poor wage at the end of this month and next (due to cut off dates). It also means that come Wednesday afternoon I will be very bored until university starts for me again in the middle of February.
Cold. It’s still cold in the UK. While it’s stopped snowing and being ridiculously icy I’m still bundled up in layers and wishing it was summer.
Boots Extracts Cocoa Butter Body Wash. Ick. I’ll leave it at that since I’ll have a review for it up this week.

On a completely unrelated note, I’ve finally seen Avatar (in 3D of course). It was ok. Definitely very nice to look at, but it was also the longest version of Pocahontas I have ever seen. I might go and see it again though – possibly better the second time?

I hope everyone had a good weekend!

Being contacted by companies – when they do it wrong.

2010-01-22T15:02:00.001Z

As a blogger there are certain perks. For bloggers with high readerships it’s likely that they’ll be sent products related to their niche to try out provided they write a (favourable) review on their blog. Other’s may receive money to write reviews about products and services.

I will admit freely now that one day in the future I do hope that I am sent products and such to try out, but this is not the ultimate aim of my blog writing. I write because I enjoy it and it’s a nice outlet.

About a week and a half ago I was approached, via email, by a company who wanted me to write as a potential guest blogger in their fashion section as well as recommend their price comparison service and add them to my blog roll. While I have no problems with being approached and asked about these kind of things, I do have a problem when I’m approached by a company who would not interest my (small) readership at all. It’s a very basic price comparison website who were asking me to give them free advertising for nothing in return – no link back, no monetary reward and nothing of interest for you guys.

I didn’t respond to the email. I have received another email from the company asking me to yet again become a guest blogger and to mention their website in a future blog post. For those of you who are observant, you will notice that I haven’t made a post about fashion in any way since October. While I do post about things I buy, I most certainly do not count that as fashion tips or as fashion blogging. I have been making a move away from fashion (which is not my strong point) towards make up, lifestyle, student things and finance. I find it slightly insulting that from what I’ve been posting in my blog that a company would think I’m a fashion blogger.

Once again, I will not be replying to this email. I should probably give them a polite, but firm, sign of decline, but I feel that they themselves are being fairly rude by not actually reading my blog and just assuming I would want to be one of their guest bloggers in hopes that my followers number would jump.

I won’t be naming the company, of course, but I just wanted to get this out there. While I’m not objecting to being contacted in any way by companies, you guys or other bloggers, I am objecting to being contacted by people who are just hoping for free advertising.

For you other bloggers out there – what is your experience with this? Do you find that as your readership grows you get a lot of free loading companies hoping to make a quick buck from you?

PS. Sorry about the lack of pictures, but I don’t think there’s anything that would really fit with this!

Review: Boots Extracts Fairtrade Mango Body Wash

2010-01-20T20:00:00.001Z

I apologise for the terrible picture. I just couldn’t get my camera to focus on anything. Anyways, Boots Extracts Mango Body Wash. It came as part of the gift set with the Brazil Nut Body Butter and Cocoa Butter Body Wash (which I’ll review later on). The whole Boots Extracts range is all about fair trade conditions being used to create your product while you get to be clean, soft and smell great. The blurb from the website page for this specific product says:

“Boots Extracts has been developed to make a difference. Extracts have created this wonderfully indulgent mango body wash with Fairtrade certified ingredients.”

In this case, the fair trade ingredients included in the mixture are mango extracts and honey, with the mango also being organic. Guilt free beauty! And it is beauty; the tube promises that the product “gently cleanses, conditions and moisturises, leaving skin feeling soft and smooth” and who wouldn’t want that?

The rest of the packaging leaves a little something be desired – it’s a squeezy tube which is stored with the cap facing downwards. This can lead to a little bit too much product being dispensed as well as a bit of leakage into the actual cap itself. The labelling also looks like something you might find on a supermarket in the exotic tea section – it doesn’t scream bathroom.

The actual formula is quite thick, and a very pale orange yellow colour – this isn’t going to stain your shower curtain or bathmat (I’m looking at you Body Shop Raspberry scrub). It’s also fairly thick, so if you’re not going to use it with a puff or sponge it isn’t just going to slide off your body as soon as water hits it. If you do use it with a puff then you’re going to feel fab – it lathers up into some serious suds and the smell! It smells absolutely divine. So sweet and fruity. I’m not 100% sure what mangos smell like, if I’m being honest, but if they smell like this then they must be terribly tasty.

After using it the first couple of times I did find that my skin did seem to be a little bit softer, but I think that might be because this body wash makes me never want to leave the shower so I’m probably getting circulation and exfoliation going with the overzealous use of my shower puff.

I would definitely repurchase this body wash, even more so if it was in slightly better packaging. Overall, I’d give it 4.5/5 – the tube ruined it for me! You can buy it for yourself in Boots for £4 per 200ml tube.

5 Tips for Better Revision.

2010-01-18T10:00:00.000Z

See the full sized image by Noora Suliman at Flickr here.

I know for a majority of people exams are now over for the time being and the next set won’t be hitting you until nearer the summer. I still have one exam to re-sit in just under two weeks and I’m still a little worried. However, I think I can now safely say I know a thing or two about revision techniques and because of this, I want to pass on what I’ve discovered to you guys!

Everyone is different.
This is the key to revision – you are not your friends or course mates. You are you! Being you means that certain techniques are going to work for you and others aren’t. If you’re a visual arty person then it might be easier for you to see things as pictures rather than written text; musical types might enjoy making up a little song filled with facts and figures to recall their knowledge; factual types might find it easier to just write and rewrite their key information until it’s totally sunk in. My point is, you need to do whatever works best for you. Not to say you shouldn’t try something if you don’t think it’s going to work – you never know, it might be just the thing missing from your revision technique.

Yet another list.
So here are some of my tips and ideas for you to try out to see which works for you! (I have to add that some of these may have been stolen from willing friends as well!)

When is your peak time?
Do you work better in the morning or the afternoon. Maybe you’re a little bit nocturnal and work best at three in the morning when you can have absolute silence. I find I work best in the morning and get up a bit earlier than normal if I have a lot to get through in the day. But for you, it might be different – experiment and see.
What is your ideal technique.?
This relates to the techniques I mentioned above. Find out how you remember things best – whether it’s pictures, words or music. It’s all about trial and error.
What is your ideal environment?
Do you work better in silence or with some music playing in the background? Do you like it to be very warm or a little bit chilly to keep you alert? Find out where you revise best. Maybe it’s in a library or your own room. Once you know, never leave it!
What is your fuel?
And I mean that in the literal sense. Is water your elixir of knowledge, or is a strong cup of coffee going to help you get through the day? Is a nice healthy apple going to keep your smart hat on, or is calorific chocolate going to help you remember that complicated formula?
Why do you want to study?
And the answer isn’t “to pass my exam”. I mean why do you want to pass the exam? Think about it in the short and long term – in the short term it is so you can pass the exam, but in the long term what do you want to achieve with your qualification or diploma? A nice and comfortable life with the people you love? A high powered job? Being able to help people? It’s your goal and you are the only one who is going to make it happen – that should be enough of an incentive to help you revise and to find your ideal revision zone.

Finding out the ideal way to revise for you is crucial to any and all tests and exams. Even if you’re set in your ways, you may find that there is one thing which can take your revision from A- to A+.

What are your best revision tips?

Change of Blog Address

2010-01-17T21:53:00.001Z

Just a quick note to say that my blog address has changed! I felt that the URL needed something which was easily identified with the name of the blog so it is now:

http://fabulousnotso.blogspot.com

So you might need to change bookmarks or anything if you have me saved. Sorry for any inconvience everyone, but this is maybe one step closer to having my own .com or .co.uk address!

Blog Award #1

2010-01-17T21:50:00.001Z

I got my first blog award today. I know they’re silly, but it’s still nice to think that someone thought of my blog – especially in the same post as some other high profile blogs.

The Gorgeous Blogger Award
(Though I’ve never shown my face so how can anyone know if I’m gorgeous or if I’m an absolute minger?!)

I received this award from Olivia. Thank you very much – sadly I couldn’t comment on your blog, but I think that may be a glich on my end!

The Rules:
1. Thank the person who nominated you.
2. Copy the award and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
4. Tell 7 interesting things about yourself.
5. Nominate 7 bloggers.
6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.

Seven (not so) Interesting Facts About Me.
1. I read a lot of bad chick lit and novels.
2. I only wear white gold jewellery except for the occasional costume bracelet.
3. I wish I had actually done a degree in an essay based subject rather than Accounting and Finance.
4. I have to save all my blog images in PNG format because I hate JPEG. I think the above image may be a JPEG though, which annoys me since they’re so loss-y in quality.
5. I used to be a Scout and a Scout leader. Not very girly, I know.
6. I speak German, though it’s much more limited than it used to be. I can also read Italian to a reasonable standard.
7. My favourite fruit is grapes.

Seven Wonderful Fantastical Blogs:
1. glad rags to riches : a personal style blog which I don’t mind waiting for to update.
2. …that’s peachy : a personal blog from Tor who has a lovely personality.
3. Lipstick & Lollipops : a beauty blog from the lovely Laura.
4. Smudge Glamour : another beauty blog by Samantha, as well as style inspiration.
5. Sophie’s Realm : yet another beauty blog from the wonderful Sophie. Lot’s of reviews and product recommendations, especially for all you red heads out there.

And I’m very sorry, but those are the only blogs I can think of which haven’t already been awarded a million times. I probably would have added Cupcakes and Cherries and Lipglossing, but I know for sure they have already been linked a million times and are probably bored of it!

So, once again, thank you Olivia!

Where am I?

2010-01-14T21:19:00.001Z

I am here of course. Here being at home with my parents and not in my university town or own flat. I’m having so flatmate problems at the moment so I’ve came home for a while. I also have to resit my finance exam at the end of the month. This is leaving me with; 1) no time to blog; and 2) nothing to blog about. My camera and most of my make up and beauty products are still in the flat.

I do have three reviews almost finished though, so once I’m back in the flat they will be finished and posted quickly. It’s the two Body Washes that I got with the Boots Body Butter as well as Red Cherry Lashes and Duo eyelash glue which have finally arrived from America.

While I’m at home I might write a guide on better revision – I have now certainly learned which techniques work the best and which do not.

I hope everyone’s well and if you’ve started back at work or university that you’re having a good time!

Review: Boots Extracts Fairtrade Brazil Nut Body Butter

2010-01-07T13:36:00.003Z

I received this as part of a gift set at Christmas along with two body washes which I’ll also be reviewing separately in the next week. It’s a body butter from the Boots Extracts range – all fairtrade and what not. I don’t know if it’s just me, but when I think of body butter, my mind instantly jumps to The Body Shop. I’ve never tried any of their body butters though – in fact, this is my first dance with body butters rather than just moisturiser.

The spiel on the Boots website page for this product is:

“Boots Extracts has been developed to make a difference. Extracts have created this wonderfully indulgent brazil nut body butter with Fairtrade certified ingredients.”

and on the packaging it is claimed that the product “intensively moisturises and hydrates, leaving skin feeling soft and smooth”. The base of the product also has a little story about shea butter and it’s work to support West African communities.

First off, I wouldn’t have chosen brazil nut as the flavour, if I had had the chance to choose. The smell isn’t exactly horrible, but it’s not pleasant to me. Sometimes it even smells a little bit like plasticine. And it’s not too pleasing on the eye either:

I don’t know if this is a problem with the formula or just a problem that’s occurred due to the extreme cold snap we’ve been having in Britain since forever. The butter has taken on a fairly solid consistency and seems to be a little bit waxy, buy I do think that is due to the cold – we don’t leave the heating on while we’re in bed so the flat is freezing. Even right now, the bottom of the pot is very very very cold against my thigh where it’s perched. This has been making it difficult to get the butter out – you can see in the picture where my fingers have been clawing at it pitifully.

Once it’s out of the pot and on warm skin though, it’s all fine and dandy. I tend to use it straight out of the shower while my skin is still hot and it practically melts away from the solid little lumps I manage to get out into a nice thick cream… or, well, butter. It’s quickly absorbed into skin while it’s warm and leaves it feeling quite soft and smooth. The smell of the brazil nut lingers for a few hours, but it’s most definitely not overpowering.

Overall, I would give this product 3.5 out of 5 – the smell doesn’t appeal and due to the current consistency of the product, I’m not too pleased. I might re-evaluate this score once the cold goes away. I can’t blast this product for price though; at only £7.50 for 200ml compared to The Body Shop’s £12.50 for their butter of the same size, it’s almost half price. You can also get 50ml mini body butters from both companies with Boots weighing in at a measly £2.50 and The Body Shop being a splurge at £5. You can get Boots Extract Fairtrade Body Butters online or in store.

Promises of 2010: So far.

2010-01-04T10:04:00.000Z

This obviously relates back to the post I made yesterday. Being that it is only the 4th of January, I haven’t made too much of a dent into any of my promises so far, but I would love to share with you what I have done already!

Love and Life.
Since I’m actually in the flat on my own I haven’t had a chance to make any improvements with the toxic friends, however thanks to the internet and my mobile phone I have been able to tell my boyfriend that I love him everyday so far. I’ve also spent some time with my real and new friends over the start of the year which is brilliant. And I’m blogging more! Two days in a row. The reading situation isn’t being remedied yet – I’m trying to tidy up the flat and get important things done for the rest of the month so I have more time to relax.

Money.
I have actually saved money! I’ve made a cute little graphic to monitor my saving as well!:

Each of the little bars represents £10, which means that I’ve saved £40 so far from my work pay. I also designed this graphic in such a way that I need to save in £20 increments or I would also be one bar short because of the white on white colour scheme. I’m consider changing the white bars though – but you’ll have to wait until February to see if I do. I also wasted a little bit of money the day before yesterday – I had to order in for my dinner because Tesco’s had shut earlier. But I made the take away stretch to last night’s dinner as well which makes it slightly better value.

University.
I’ve probably mentioned this before, but I don’t actually go back to university until the middle of February, so I can’t really tackle this section of my promises until then. However, I am still waiting for the result of that terrible finance exam I mentioned which means I might end up having to spend all of this month studying for a re-sit.

Myself.
The mention of take away above obviously means I’m not having much luck with the weight side of things at the moment, but that will all change when I go to Tesco’s later on today – I will be planning out a menu and sticking to it and it’s going to be packed full of fruit and veggies – I live about 5 minutes away from Tesco and Sainsburys which means that I can pick up fresh ones whenever I need. For the nails side of thing, I’ve painted them with a clear glitter varnish which is barely noticeable to anyone if they choose to look and my horrible hands, but I know it’s there – meaning I don’t want to bite them! And since I’ve not left the house since New Years Day, I haven’t really had a chance to work on my self image or confidence, but they will probably improve as my weight drops and my nails grow.

How has the first half week of the New Year been to everyone?

Promises of 2010

2010-01-03T15:48:00.002Z

This is a list of everything I want to try and accomplish this year. Some of it is very boring, mundane, superficial or just downright silly - but I will do it.

Love and Life

Tell my boyfriend I love him everyday.
Because if I don’t, who will?
Get rid of the toxic friends in my life.
Because I don’t need them. I have better friends who treat me well.
Blog more.
Because I love you guys and love to write silly little things, like reviews, which help someone from wasting money.
Read more books.
Because I love to read and don’t make enough of an effort to do it.

Money

Save at least £500 from work pay.
Because it’s never too early to start saving for the deposit on that house.
Be more careful with money.
Because it would scare me if I added up how much I spend on rubbish.

University

Keep more concise notes and just be a better student in general.
Because no one else is going to do it for me.
Don’t leave things until the last minute.
Because the essay I did in plenty of time last semester got the best grade I’ve ever had and I want to continue with that.
Get upper 2 grades on everything this semester and the next.
Because I need to get a good work ethic and degree result.

Myself

Stop biting my nails so I can wear pretty nail varnishes.
Because I can’t remember a time when I haven’t bitten my nails, and at 19 that’s just out of order.
Slim down to a size 10.
Because, though I’m not overly overweight, I’m not as toned as I would like to be and feel very self conscious.
Improve my self image and confidence.
Because I should be a strong and confident young woman, and not hiding in the background of photos.

I’ll be doing a quick update post tomorrow on how I’ve done so far with what I can do at the moment. I would love to know what everyone else’s promises and resolutions are – leave a comment or link me to your very own blog post!

2010

2010-01-01T08:00:00.000Z

I hope that this is the start for a great year for everyone!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T09:41:00.000Z

I hope everyone has a super day!

Round up post: Sale sale sales!

2009-12-24T17:05:00.001Z

It seems like everywhere is having a sale at the moment, and it’s not even Christmas.

La Senza’s sale has started, so go go go now and you might be able to snap up some bargains. I managed to get two bras, four pairs of knickers and something nice for the boyfriend in the bedroom for only £40.
River Island’s sale started online earlier in the week and there was tons of stuff when I had a look.
New Look’s online sale has started.
Topshop’s online sale has started – but there really isn’t very much left in the bigger sizes.
Republic’s online sale started earlier in the week as well and there was a lot of stuff left even just yesterday.
HMVs online sale started, and I bought that Star Trek box set. Embarrassing geeky moment.
Finally, NailsInc online sale started, apparently, and there’s up to 70% off some products.

Have you seen any good bargains in the sales yet? Will you be braving the masses just after Christmas? I know I most certainly won’t be!

Little online shopping.

2009-12-23T16:20:00.001Z

Crafted Bootcut Jeans from Republic ~~£34.99~~ £25
These fit ok. Might need a belt after they’ve been washed, but I just find it so hard to buy jeans that I’ve started to settle for anything.

Crafted Boyfriend Jeans from Republic ~~£34.99~~ £25
Similar story for these badboys. I have to add that before, these jeans were in the 2 for £50 offer so really, I didn’t save any money as I had planned to buy these last week.

Converse Pink Low Tops from Schuh ~~£32.99~~ £25
I’ve probably wanted pink low tops forever and finally had two excuses to buy them – I needed shoes to go with the boyfriend jeans and they were only £25! I was tempted to get another colour as well, but decided against it.

Star Trek: The Next Generation Movie Collection from HMV £13.99
I’m a loser, please forgive me. I love The Next Generation, there’s just something about Picard. And all four films for only £14 (which I think I may have also gotten student discount on somehow, even though the card was supposed to have ran out about 4 months ago), I know I couldn’t resist!

A little online sale shopping never hurt anyone when I got paid a couple of days ago. Have you bought anything in the online sales yet?

Five Quick Ways To Warm Up

2009-12-22T16:55:00.001Z

Without turning the heating on!

See the full sized image by ourdarkesthour here.

It has been absolutely freezing all over the UK for over a week now and I’m getting sick of having to turn on the heating. It costs a lot of money, and only warms up certain parts of the flat and it can seem a bit pointless to have it on for that reason. Here’s five quick ways to heat yourself up with out spending money on the heating:

Layer it up. Just wearing a t-shirt and cardigan? Add a vest underneath the t-shirt and then a jumper under the cardi. You might be a bit bulky, but layers are brilliant – I was doubtful of them until I had to walk home from work at 2 in the morning in –5 weather. Two t-shirts, two cardigans and my jacket made sure I was pretty toasty.
Make a nice hot cuppa. Whether tea, coffee or hot chocolate is your tipple of choice, it doesn’t matter – just make it nice and steamy. It gives you something to warm your hands on and warms you from the inside out. If you’re having a hot chocolate why not throw in some marshmallows, chocolate and make a cheeky splash of your favourite alcoholic drink; you’ll quickly forget about the cold.
If you’ve got a significant other on hand, it’s time for snuggles. Cuddles, kisses, blankets and duvets – share your body heat!
Sure, it might only be about 5pm, but it’s never too early to go and lie in bed and watch DVDs or have a read of a book.
Finally, cook something. Make some cupcakes or cookies – the oven’ll heat up the kitchen and you can exert yourself out while baking, no doubt. Plus you can eat the scrummy foodstuffs while they’re still warm for a little bit of extra heat.

How have you all been heating yourself up over the past few days?

Driving Home For Christmas.

2009-12-20T15:35:00.001Z

See the full sized image by *racheal here.

University is finished until February (re-sit of exam pending), I’m not back in work until the 30th of December and I’m just relaxing. It’s nice to be home and able to sit in front of a nice warm fire and watch some rubbish television.

The rest of this week is going to be spent wrapping presents, catching up with old friends and just not worrying about anything. Total bliss. It’s going to be really nice. Won’t be much in the way of blog posts this week except silly little things like this.

I hope everyone has had safe journeys in the horrible weather we’ve been having recently.

Film Review: Nativity

2009-12-18T10:55:00.001Z

I’m normally quite “Bah, Humbug!” about Christmas. It’s cold, wet, slippy and dark. I don’t like winter, and this is turn makes me dislike Christmas. I could go on and complain about the comercialisation and lack of tradition, but I shan’t, as today I’m talking about the film Nativity.

British Comedy Family Christmas film sums it up nicely, I would think. I was a bit sceptical about it, but after the bad week I’ve been having I hoped it would cheer me up a wee bit. Which it did.

It’s just really quite funny, and not just because the children are adorable and silly. The whole thing is just so… quaint. I’ve never heard of anything of the adult actors before (except Alan Carr, Ashley Jensen and Ricky whatshisface), so I didn’t know what to expect from the two lead actors.

The film is just brilliant – it’ll put a smile on your face if you’ve had the worst day ever – even if it is for only and hour and half. You’ll probably need to take a tissue with you – there’s a couple of slightly weepy moments. This isn’t for anyone who doesn’t like kids though – it’s likely to be packed with them since schools are getting out, it’s Christmas and parents don’t know what else to do with them.

Has anyone else seen it? What did you think? And! Will anyone be going to see Avatar?!

I am a big fat failure.

2009-12-16T14:01:00.001Z

I had that exam today guys. Remember. Finance? Yeah. It really hasn’t gone very well and I expect to be resitting it in January. Boo. But we’ll see. No proper post today, just stare at the cheese kitty for a while. I’m going to sob in the corner and have a nap before work.

Ultimate Student Want: Livescribe 2GB Pulse Smartpen

2009-12-15T13:49:00.001Z

I have an exam tomorrow and I’m absolutely panicking about it – I really don’t think I will do well and it’s my own fault. My notes are abysmal, badly organised and I can barely remember the lectures. I was browsing Amazon the other day looking for my new diary for next year and this bad boy popped up: Livescribe 2GB Pulse Smartpen.

Wouldn’t studying and revision be so much easier if you could take notes, record the lecture and have a digital copy of everything you had written? This is exactly what this pen gadget does.

“Capture everything: The Pulse smartpen records audio and links it to what you write. Missed something? Tap on your notes or drawings with the tip of your Pulse smartpen to hear what was said while you were writing. The Pulse smartpen automatically captures everything as you write and draw. Transfer your notes to your computer, organize them, and even search for words within your notes. Find what you want in seconds. Transform your notes and audio into interactive movies and upload your creations online for everyone to see, hear and play. The 1.3 oz. anodized aluminum Pulse smartpen records audio and links it what you write. The 2GB of memory can hold over 100 hours of recording. Actual time may vary. Requires Windows XP with service pack 2 or Windows Vista.”

I’m considering saving up for one of these. At the moment they’re priced at £119.99 – a bit more than you’d pay for a standard pen, obviously, and you have to buy pad refills and ink refills. But I think the positives most definitely outreach the cost. Unless of course anyone would like to buy it for me or send me it to try out?

I can dream, can’t I?

Review: Blistex Intensive Moisturiser

2009-12-14T11:18:00.001Z

Sorry about the flash glare.

Winter, still.
Sadly, it’s still winter. Sadly. Winter means chapped lips for me. Yucky horrible chapped lips. I tried to take a picture but I just cannot work my camera at the moment so you’re going to get a small blurry… thing.

Chapped, cracked and dry. I feel sorry for my boyfriend when he has to kiss me. I’ve been persevering with Vaseline and Nivea Creme for the past couple of weeks, but it’s just not cutting it anymore. I needed something made for dry lips. Unsurprisingly, I was in Tesco and came upon this little packet. And it’s on offer at the moment – only £1.59. Check your local Tesco.

Size matters.
The first thing I thought when I popped open the box was, “is this it?”. I wish I was joking. I knew that it was only going to be a small product, but I underestimated how small. The problem is the applicator takes up a lot of space, giving the illusion of a bigger product.

Look how small that is compared to my hand. And I have small hands, girls. If you don’t believe me, here’s another size comparison picture:

There it is next to my BlackBerry curve with nasty finger prints. It is tiny. I think I’ve for my point across though.

Promises.
”A rich and penetrating formula, combining Shea Butter, Camphor and Allantoin for extremely saturated, refreshed and gorgeous lips."”
It’s not lying. You can smell the Camphor a mile off. It smells so incredibly… menthol that it puts me off a little bit. This also goes on to add a menthol taste should you, heaven forbid, accidentally get some inside your mouth. Which is something you really do not want to do. Thus, the camphor also creates a slight tingling sensation due to it’s likeness to menthol.

Application.
”Use the applicator tip to gently massage all over your lips. Reapply frequently during prolonged exposure to cold or sunny environments – it’s the best way to achieve soft, smooth, gorgeous lips.”
Of course, that really means apply often so you have to buy more since it’s such a small tube. But I digress. The actual product is a white cream that is neither thick nor thin – but it does not look like it should be on the lips. It’s not something I would want to apply in public for fear that I wouldn’t rub it all in properly and would end up walking about with big white blobs on my face. The applicator itself is actually no use whatsoever. It’s plastic, unwilling and due to trying to rub the product in with it I just ended up squeezing more than I needed to out of the tube. On a side note – when the product has been absorbed right it glitters a little bit from being so shiny – definitely not a product to force on the boy.

And?
I bought this product on Saturday and started using it late in the afternoon, applying it every three hours or so that night. I used it all through the day on Saturday and once this morning before I finished writing this post. As with any lip balm, my lips are most certainly softer after I use this cream. However, my lips have been much less dry when I’ve waking up in the morning. I imagine if I keep using this for another week (which I will), that my slight problem will be totally eradicated and I can switch back to normal chap sticks.

So?
I’d give this product 3/5 – points lost today for the smell/taste and the applicator. There is nothing wrong with the effectiveness of the product, I just dislike the smell (and the camphor) as well as the ridiculous applicator. If I had to buy another lip remedy, it probably wouldn’t be this product.

Getting ready to gear up for a New Year.

2009-12-12T15:18:00.001Z

See the full sized image by chanmelmel here.

A New Year, a new you?
2009 is coming to an end, apparently. In fact, it’s less than three weeks away. If I’m honest with myself, that’s a little scary. This year has gone by so quickly and I don’t like it. It’s been a year of up’s and down’s, personally and within the wider world. I’m ready to leave it behind– however, I won’t forget it. Some amazing things have happened this year, and I’ve met some amazing people.

A list.
The fail safe option for me, for anything if you didn’t know by now, is a list. What does this have to do with New Years and 2010? Well, for one, I’m going to make a full list of promises. Not resolutions. Promises are more meaningful than resolutions, I think, and thus I’m much more likely to want to keep them. Secondly, I’m going to actually use 2010 to do the things I want to do and become the person that I want to become.

For me.
2010 is going to be all about me. I’m going to stop trying to please other people and bend to their whims. Everything I do next year is going to be 100% me. This is why, for the next two and a half weeks I’m going to be compiling my list of promises for 2010 to be posted on this blog on the 31st of December 2009. At the end of every month I’m going to look through the list and tick off all the things I’ve done. And let me promise you, this is going to be a long list. Hopefully, by this time next year I’ll have done everything.

I would love to know what you guys are planning to do next year, what you might be promising yourself or even you’re good old fashioned resolutions.

Friday Finds #9

2009-12-11T12:39:00.000Z

YouTube Special!

I can’t believe it’s been a month since I’ve done a FF – I’m very sorry, but I don’t have a lot of time to trawl the internet – I tend to go on my few loved and trusted sites and blogs. This week I’ll be doing a YouTube special on Friday Finds, just to mix it up a bit.

Not the original video, but this one let’s me embed it, which is my criteria. Anyways, I’m sure everyone has actually seen this video by now, but I just wanted to watch it again to be honest! Isn’t it absolutely adorable!

This is actually the first video in a set and will take about an hour to watch, but it’s just so interesting. We’re all slightly fascinated with drags queens (and their make up!), and this video series shows the complete transformation. It’s just absolutely amazing to watch.

I was sneaky with this one and I’m not sure if it’s going to play. Just is case it doesn’t you can click this link and go straight to YouTube. It’s a teaser for Glee which isn’t showing here in the UK for a little while yet, but I’m so excited. Plus, Don’t Stop Believin’ is a bit of a feel good song!

I hope everyone’s feeling well, exams are going well and that you’re all just generally having a good time. Have a nice weekend!

Review: treaclemoon Vanilla Shower Gel and Body Scrub

2009-12-10T14:41:00.001Z

It’s turning into the story of my life – I was in Tesco late after work and felt like treating myself to a little something. This time the little something was treaclemoon that vanilla movement bath and shower gel as well as the body scrub. My Tesco are doing a money off offer at the moment – both products are only £2 each instead of the normal £2.87 or so.

The above is the only photo I have, I’m afraid – I tried to take some pictures of the products on the back of my hands but they were just too blurry to use. I’ll try as best as I can though with what I’ve got.

bath and shower gel
The bath and shower gel is quite lovely. It has a fairly thick consistency and doesn’t try and run off your skin the first chance it gets. It makes up into a nice lather on the skin and smells gorgeously sweet – but I wouldn’t call the smell vanilla. It is really quite nice though. My skin felt quite hydrated as well, which I didn’t expect and there was absolutely no flaking.

body scrub.
I’m a bit picky about my body scrubs and I will admit it. One of my favourite scrubs I’ve used was actually the Pink Grapefruit one from The Body Shop, however I hated the Raspberry one from there. I like a lot of grain so I can actually feel it working. When I initially popped a bit of this on my hand, it looked disappointing – there didn’t seem to be very many grains and I wasn’t expecting very much. But, I was surprised. There must be magic in that scrub, because it was absolutely wonderful. Not too grainy that it hurts, but enough grains that my skin felt really invigorated and fresh and new. However, the smell was once again, not exactly vanilla, but a sweet smell. Maybe it is vanilla and I’m just confused?

Verdict.
I like these products. They’re good value for money, especially the massive 500ml shower gel, and they smell yummy and fresh. The scrub does exactly what it says on the tube and I was pleasantly surprised with the shower gel. I’d probably buy the shower gel again, and the scrub too, unless I can find something even better. You can read more about the products here on the treaclemoon website or pop into your local Tesco.

Book buying.

2009-12-09T13:23:00.001Z

I’ve been buying books again. Even though it’s the run up to Christmas, I was lucky enough to gain enough points through doing online surveys to get £20 worth of Amazon vouchers. Lightspeed Panel is the best site for this, I’ve found. If you can’t see where to join, just Google “lightspeed panel sign up”. I’m going very off topic though. I would rather wait until my books have been delivered before I do this, but I just love talking about books!

The Picture of Dorian Gray
by Oscar Wilde (£2.16)
I never saw the film of this when it was out a couple of months ago, but it doesn’t mean that I’m not interested, which I am. I’m trying to read my way through a few classics as well, so I had to start somewhere.

Dracula
by Bram Stoker (£2.16)
I first read this when I was about 11, I think. I vaguely remember it. As such, it’s about time I go back to the roots of vampire fiction and read about vampires who don’t sparkle in the sunlight or have outed themselves to the world.

Wuthering Heights
by Emily Bronte (£2.16)
It’s the last of the classic must reads I bought. It was a very split second decision, but I suppose as a female I have to read this book?

Tropic of Cancer
by Henry Miller (£4.98)
This is, surprisingly if I’m honest, a book which I don’t think a lot of people my age have heard about. Sure it’s smutty and dirty (if you couldn’t tell from the cover), but it’s got to be some book if it was banned in Britain for ages, right?

The Time Traveler's Wife
by Audrey Niffenegger (£3.82)
I had wanted to see this film when it came out, but had no one to go with, sadly. So I’ll read the book first, while I wait for the DVD to be less than a fiver.

Dead As A Doornail
by Charlaine Harris (£4.37)
I have to admit, I’m quite embarrassed with myself for succumbing to these books. I already have the first four, as I’ve mentioned in previous posts. I read the first three fairly quickly, but I’ve been taking my time with the fourth one due to a lot of work and an exam in a week. I’m buying the fifth one in anticipation, you could say. Though this is most definitely not a classic, I’m still excited to read it and I don’t care what anyone thinks.

This was the book haul I managed to get with £20 worth of vouchers – I had something ridiculous like 35p left over at the end, which I put towards my diary for next year. I ordered my diary separately though, as I actually ordered the books yesterday.

Moleskine Weekly Notebook 2010(£8.80)

I normally take a quick trip into WHSmith for my diary and usually get an A5 sized piece of work. This year though, I’m wanting to really try and get more use out of my diary, so I’ve went for the pocket size, which is slightly more compact. I’ve also chosen to go Moleskine because I really want to see if all the hype is really worth it. Plus, red is a pretty colour. Better than a boring black.

Hopefully all these books will keep me going while I wait to go back to university. My only exam this semester is on the 16th, next week, and then I’m not back in classes again until the middle of February. Ergo, I have a lot of time to fill!

Has anyone else been splashing out on reading material? Or have you got your diary for next year sorted out? I’d love to see it!

The extent of shopping – a full haul.

2009-12-04T17:57:00.001Z

You might remember on Tuesday I made a little collage of things I had bought and how I planned to wear them – now I have pictures of everything I have bought for myself this week… sans the printer of doom which was refusing to work for a while there. I apologise for some of the pictures – flash and me just don’t mix. I’ve tried as best as I can to fix them in PhotoShop first.

This is a beautiful bracelet from Accessorize which cost me only £8. Isn’t it just so sweet and ladylike? I am worried though that it’s going to break if I put too much pressure on any of the joints, so I haven’t actually worn it out of the flat yet.

This is the second bracelet which I bought from Accessorize and it’s on my flash exacerbated pasty white arm. It’s gold link with a creamy white ribbon and it was only £5. This feels a bit stronger so I’ve been wearing this all day today.

My new favourite shoes from Primark. I normally buy nothing but tights in Primark but these caught my eye and I fell in love. They’re very Zooey Deschanel, don’t you think? They were about £12.73 and they are so so so comfy to wear. The shorter heel also means I’m not a giant. I liked them so much in fact…

That I went back and bought them a dusty rose pink today! I really do love them. They come in grey, but I probably won’t get those… probably. Again about £12.73 - £13 on the label (VAT is going back up very soon… as a side note there).

This was the Miso cardigan from Republic which I included in my collage. It was £19.99 and you can see it online in other colours here.

Not even PhotoShop could save this picture. Eeeek. But you can see the ruffle detail sort of. It was £14.40 after student discount (£16 for you not students) and comes in loads of colours. You can see a much better picture here.

Another flash disaster, oh my. Anyways. Here is the dress I have also bought for the staff night out. It shows a lot of boob though. I’m going to have to put a wee tack into the fold over yoke with a needle and thread to try and remedy that though. It was £25 and you can get it on ASOS here.

I’ve spent a lot of money this week – luckily I only have a few more presents to buy for Christmas. And it’s loan day on Monday. Now I’m going to spend the rest of tonight reading about Bonds and Shares – the joys of being an accountancy student! I might post Friday Finds tomorrow – on a Saturday! I hope everyone’s well, has had a good week and have an even better weekend.

Seven uses for baby wipes!

2009-12-03T13:42:00.001Z

That don’t involve babies!

Tesco baby wipes now have little elephants on them instead of that creepy baby
– and they’re still less than £1 for a pack of 80!

Baby wipes are just incredibly versatile. And they’re pretty cheap – excellent for students and young people on a budget when you consider everything you can do with them. A couple of pros about baby wipes before I get into the main list though:

They’re cheaper than face wipes/counter wipes.
They’re much bigger than most face wipes.
They’re pleasant smelling.
They’re kind to skin.

What more can anyone want out of a product? All of this is the answer!:

Take off your make up with them – they’re much bigger than standard face wipes so you only need one.
Clean the screen of your monitor/laptop, they don’t leave any dust residue.
Spilt something on your desk or it's just covered in dust? Baby wipes get rid of stickiness, dust and anything else you’ve thrown on top without the horrible “lemon clean” smell.
Got some mud or dirt on your white running shoes? Take a baby wipe and give it a good rub – I’ve had some shoes come up good as new.
Got a splodge of food dried on your clothes? Give it a good wipe with a baby wipe if you don’t want to put it in the wash. I’ve found this works really well on cheese sauce, ice cream and salsa (on black clothing).
Carefully hang one of your radiator – as it dries a pleasant smell will be released into the room.
Get all that dried make up off your mirror – and like with the monitor suggestion, it doesn’t leave horrible bits of lint or fluff on your mirror.

Have any of you got anything else you use baby wipes for? Please share!

Ins and Outs #1

2009-12-02T13:32:00.001Z

I’ve noticed a few other bloggers doing this kind of thing every now and then, so I think I’ll jump on the bandwagon… and it’s a good way to procrastinate from studying.

Friends – I know a silly thing to start off with, but right now I probably have the best friends I could ever have at work, university and home and it’s making me really cheery.
Christmas offers – Lots of yummy money off savings everywhere thanks to Christmas bonanza! Good way to save on presents too.
Nivea Creme – I got a little tin of this in a goody bag and I’ve been using it as an intense lip cream and moisturiser and it’s fabulous. Plus the tin means it’s quite safe from bashing when it’s in my bag.
Sleek Palettes – I am so tardy to the party with this one. I only have the Original though, and I love it. I do keep underestimating the colours and their pay off though and keep ending up looking like I’m going on a night out when I’m just going into work.

Out

Winter – I hate the cold, wind, rain and the icing up of all flat surfaces. I hate winter.
Leggings as trousers – Stop it. Stop it now. I don’t want to see your hungry bum thanks.
Body Shop prices – I love your stuff, Body Shop, but I don’t want to pay £12.50 for a body scrub, even if it will last me ages.
Christmas Shoppers – Getting in your way, bumping into you and potentially grabbing the last bargain from right under your nose. How annoying. I’ll stick to shopping during the week.

What’s in and out for you girls this week, month or even year?

A small shopping haul.

2009-12-01T12:32:00.001Z

I went out today with the intention of finishing my Christmas shopping, but really I just bought a lot of things for me. Including an outfit for my work’s night out next week. It’s a fairly casual thing, I think. But I’ve got this dress winging it’s way to me, just in case.

Waterfall cardigan £19.99
Navy Ruffle Tunic £16
T-bar court shoes £20
Grey Ribbed tights £8

Except my shoes are navy blue and from Primark, and my tights are also from Primark. I still need to get a bag to go with them.

I bought a few other things, but I’ll wait until I have batteries for my camera before I tell you about them.

Review: AirWick Winter Collection Vanilla Candle

2009-11-30T12:06:00.001Z

Apologies for the bad pictures – had to take them very quickly before the camera battery ran out.

It’s winter.
I think we’re all very much aware of that. It’s gloomy, it’s doomy and it just makes me feel cold and down. Rather than drink or eat myself to happiness, I’m trying something which my mum pushed on me during Autumn. Scents. More specifically candles and oils. Before I moved back to university, I spent much of August and September surround by the fragrance of apples and cinnamon courtesy of my mum’s new found love of oil burners.

Relaxation.
This got me thinking as I left work last night. It had been a horrible day – extremely busy and messy and everyone seemed to have something to complain about. I had intended to got to Tesco and take up their two for £3 Ben and Jerry’s offer, but stopped when I went past the home cleaning aisle. I could smell the candles from about two metres away. The apple and cinnamon oil had been a wonderful compliment to a long day and night, but not exactly my cup of tea.

As I surveyed the candles I found the one which I knew was absolutely perfect for me. It was AirWick’s Winter Collection – Vanilla and Festive Spice. I’m a sucker for anything vanilla smelling or tasting so it went straight into my basket. Thankfully, there was no Ben and Jerry’s left when I got to the freezer aisle so I picked up a carton of Carte D’or Light Vanilla instead. I’m sure my hips will thank me.

The product.
The little box it comes in allows you have a quick smell of it before you buy it to make sure it is something you like. While solid though, the candle obviously has a slightly waxy smell which can be hard to overlook, so go for something you know you do like. The description on the back of the box says “A warm festive blend of spice and vanilla orchid.”, however I definitely do not smell any spice – a plus for me though.

The glass which the candle is actually in is nice and thick and heavy. The tapered bottom of the glass means that if it is accidentally knocked over, providing that it isn’t anywhere near the edge of the surface, it shouldn’t tip completely. However, as always with candles, keep them on a sturdy surface and never leave unattended – this should mean that it has no reason to tip over.

The positives are the smell. I love vanilla. And the smell lingers. I had it lit for about two or three hours on Saturday night and I could still smell it yesterday afternoon at 2pm.

The negatives involve the glass. The rims goes black with smoke so you might want to clean it to keep it looking pretty. The high edges of the glass mean the candle is also quite difficult to light without burning yourself unless you have long matches.

Summary.
I love this candle, and will probably buy it again – even if I do hate the depth of the glass. It smells divine, sweet and most definitely put a smile on my face after a horrible day. Out of 5, I’d give it a 4.5, purely for the need for long matches. You can get it in Tesco for only £3 – and it won’t put any weight on your hips like those two tubs of Ben and Jerry’s will.

How to have a tea party…

2009-11-25T13:15:00.001Z

Or just about any silly themed party!

See the full-sized image by sweetkendi at flickr here.

The weather has been absolutely horrible the in the UK over the past week – it really makes me not want to go outside for fear of being blown away in the strong winds. So rather than mope about all day (and to have a break from studying for exams), why don’t you have a tea party? Or a milkshake party? Or just about any kind of party you can thing of!

What you need:
To have a wonderful party you’ll need to ask all of your favourite friends to come, and to also bring something for the party. If, for example, you have a simple tea party have each friend bring their favourite variety of tea bag and some sweet treats or miniature sandwiches. That way there’s something new for everyone to try, but also everyone’s favourites!

The atmosphere:
Don’t just sit about in the lounge – create a beautiful party space. Add table cloth (or go to the charity shop and get a lovely patterned old curtain) to the coffee table and some flowers; blow up balloons and fill the room with them; make your own streamers. The ways you can decorate for your party are numerous – and a majority are cheap and cheerful. Play some of your favourite cheesy music or tune the radio to Classic FM – just make sure to choose some music which fits your party’s theme well!

Here’s a couple of ideas for some different parties:

Milkshake party
Everyone brings a tub of their favourite ice cream and some plain milk. Using a blender, add a cup of milk and a scoop of ice cream. Blend for 30 seconds and you have an instant milkshake. Or, why not make a mixed-up-milkshake? Use two different flavours of ice cream and see what wonderful mixes you can come up with.
Make up party
Everyone brings some make up that they no longer use (nail varnishes and eye shadows are brilliant for this kind of party) and everyone can swap around. This means that make up which is usable, but maybe no long a favourite, gets a new lease of life and a new owner.
Dip party
Get all your friends to make a different dip and bring it to the party. Cut up some celery sticks, break sticks or whatever you want to use to dip into them and feast! You never know which one of your friends might be able to make the most creamy and delicious dip!

Tell me your ideas for parties or if you’ve ever done anything like this – I would love to know that I’m not the only silly person out there.

False lashes: iHeartredcherry.com

2009-11-23T18:20:00.001Z

Nothing completes a good face of make up more than long, striking and full eyelashes. If I could, I’d probably wear them everyday. I think though, that I Heart Red Cherry could make that dream a possibility. They only charge $1.99 for a set of lashes. And they have a lot of lashes.

Natural, dramatic, bottom lashes and even outrageous party lashes – if you need lashes you can probably find the perfect ones there. I haven’t tried them yet, but I’m going to soon. You can get up to about $30 worth of merchandise shipped to the UK for only $6.99. I’m just waiting for the exchange rate to drop in our favour again, or for the website to do another 99c per pair sale like they one they had on back in September.

I’ll definitely be buying lashes 1, 47 and 106 – for less than $6 (which at today's exchange rate is a measly £3.60!) you have three fabulous pairs of lashes. I don’t think I’ve even seen a single pair of lashes for only £3.60 in Boots or Superdrug.

What lashes would you buy?

A little guide to cleaning.

2009-11-21T10:22:00.000Z

See the full sized image by Miss Chien at flickr here.

Spick and span.
I took the afternoon off of university yesterday due to feeling a bit ill and being extremely tired. Rather than lie in bed or watch TV though, I tidied up my room, because it seriously looked like a bomb had hit it. So I’m going to tell you all a few of my top tips for tidying.

Piles.
Piles of stuff, to be more precise. My favourite way to tidy is to first sort the mess into piles. Whether it’s piles of clothes, papers or make up, or if you make piles by where things are stored, it gets everything that goes together, well, together! This means that when you’re hanging clothes back up in the cupboard you can decide which items should have which hangers (depending on the garment), or you can put all that university work into the right order without having to go back when you find a page of notes hiding under the bed.

Realistic targets.
If you’re room is really bad it’s unlikely you’re going to get it all done in one go, so it’s a good idea to make some realistic time targets to work too. Promising yourself one episode of Friends once you’ve tidied up your desk is a good incentive to work quicker!

A tidy room also means there’s nothing for you to procrastinate with if you have an essay due or if you’re supposed to be studying!

I hope everyone has a good weekend. I’m working a full weekend this week to deal with the New Moon crowds. I would avoid your local cinema!

A little shopping…

2009-11-18T12:02:00.001Z

To get me through the next month and a half of Christmas festivities and spending money on everyone else. I was quite disappointed with my trip around town, but I still managed to find some nice little things to pick up.

As usual, I hit New Look and that’s where I got the two clothing purchases from last week. This lovely knitted dress is quite cosy and the rib detailing is a nice point, though hopefully people won’t be staring at my breasts too much… Grey’s such an easy and neutral colour as well – I’ve been wearing it with black tights and a black cardigan, but I think next time I’ll through a little blue into the mix. I don’t have any pictures of this at the moment, but it was £20 (£18 with student discount).

The shoes were a very impulsive buy. I was sick of the shoes I had normally been wearing out and really didn’t want anything with a massive platform as I find it quite difficult to deal with the extra height – my legs are long enough thank you very much. Peep toe and glittery and I love them. Though I probably should have left them as they only had sixes left and they’re about half a size too big for me. I don’t have any pictures of these at the moment either but they were £25 (£22.50 with student discount).

And finally, I succumbed to all the other blog posts about them. I got a Sleek palette – the original one. My Superdrug was quite low on stock of the palettes so they must be flying off the shelf. They only had the Original and Storm in stock, though they did have the tester for the Graphite one. I was so impressed with this. So impressed. I’ve been using one of the pale shimmery pinks (second from the left on the bottom row) and the gold/yellow one from the palette over the weekend and couldn’t believe the staying power it had and the pigmentation (over my Urban Decay Primer Potion, of course). It lasted the 13 hours I’ve had them on for and I’m sure it could have lasted a few more quite easily.

It was about £4.87 – definitely less than a fiver! On an unrelated note, I can’t believe that some of the Graphite palettes are going for close to £30 on eBay, if not more!!! They’re brilliant eye shadows, sure, but come on people - £30!? For more info on the Sleek Palettes have a look at this post at Cosmic Candy.

The rest of today is going to be spent studying, working and maybe sneak peeking New Moon… oh excited!

Review: Derma Intensive 3in1 Fragranced Wipes

2009-11-16T17:42:00.001Z

I’ll admit it. Sometimes I’m really lazy when taking off my make up is concerned. Especially after a night out or if I’ve been working late. I just want to go to bed with a clean face and not worry about if there’s any hot water left to wipe off the remnants of my make up. For a long time I kept a packet of baby wipes in my room for this, not really wanting to fork out more than £1 for something which I’ll be throwing out straight away and with only 20 or 30 wipes per pack. It just seemed wasteful to me.

I was browsing the beauty and toiletries aisle of my rather small Tesco when these wipes caught my eye. Derma Intensive 3in1 Fragranced Wipes – 25 for only 92p. Yes, only 92p. Obviously I was quite dubious when I saw the price, but I thought for less than £1 it was worth the gamble (and my boyfriend might have been grumbling at me to get a move on).

Please excuse the mattress background – I’m half way through tidying my room!

That night I decided I would use the wipes every night for a week to see the real effects of them and pulled the first one out. My first impression was that they were a bit smaller than I expected for face wipes, but I soldiered on. They’re not too thin and not too thick, which means it’s really easy to push them across your face and feel the right pressure for you. I was really impressed by how quickly they took off my eye make up. With only four swipes my liquid eyeliner, mascara and primer-ed eyeshade was completely gone. There was only one downside though, in my opinion.

The smell. I really can’t stand the smell.

It’s not that they smell bad – just a bit too soapy and clinical for my taste, but then I’m used to the soft powdery smell of baby wipes. That’s the only downside I’ve been able to find for them. Obviously, face wipes really aren’t a substitute for washing your face with a good cleanser or scrub, but these work well. I had a slight break out of my forehead when I was using them, but that was more to do with the hat I wear at work than the wipes.

So, I would really recommend these to anyone who wants face wipes for when they come home from a late night out, but the smell is not going to be to everyone’s liking. If I had to give them marks out of 5, I’d give around 3 and a half – one point lost for the smell and the other half point for the size and just being face wipes. At only 92p though, they’re most definitely worth popping in your basket next time you go on your weekly shopping.

Friday Finds #8

2009-11-13T09:54:00.000Z

Another week has came to a close and it’s time for some senseless websites to occupy you’re free time this weekend.

Debenhams Christmas Spectacular Previews
This weekend, Saturday 14th until Monday the 16th you can get an exclusive preview of the Christmas Spectacular at Debenhams and online. Up to 25% off all your favourite Debenhams brands, including 10% off all cosmetics and fragrances. Online, use the code P7WP for 20% off fashion and home and code P6RP for 10% off cosmetics and fragrances. The main Christmas Spectacular event will be taking place on the 18th until the 21st of November.

Make the perfect cocktail.
Have a treat this weekend and make yourself the perfect cocktail. Using inthespirit you can find out how to make your favourite cocktail or search for one with your favourite flavours, spirit or even colour in some cases. Of course, please drink responsibly.

The image used is by rebecca-lily and you can see the full-sized version here.

I hope everyone has a good weekend!

Must See Movies.

2009-11-11T09:57:00.000Z

I work in a cinema. I think I’ve mentioned it before. Anyways. I see most of the new films as they’re coming out (though I don’t think I’ll be going to see Jennifer’s Body any time soon if I’m being honest. I could talk about films I’ve seen recently and tell you to go and see them, but I think I’m going to talk about two films which are out in the next week and a half which I am absolutely dying to see.

Harry Brown (out Wednesday)

“Described as a "modern urban western," the titular Harry Brown (Caine) is an elderly widower and former Royal Marine who has lived to see his South London neighbourhood overrun by violent gangs, drugs and crime. When his best friend Leonard (Bradley) is brutally murdered and the gang leader (Plan B) responsible walks free, Harry finds himself snapping. Soon, his desire for revenge leads to the vigilante facing up to the young thugs, with terrifying results.”

The first time I saw this advertised was just before I saw Saw VI for the first time so my mind wasn’t very focused. The second time I watched Saw VI and when I went to see The Men Who Stare At Goats on Monday it was the only trailer that I could actually remember. The little snippet above makes the film sound well… not very good if I’m being honest but you simply must watch the trailer. It looks gritty and real and just absolutely amazing. I’m really looking forward to it. Michael Caine is a wonderful actor.

Twilight: New Moon (out next Friday 00.01am)

I don’t think I need to give a description or explanation. It’s probably going to be just as bad as the first one, but I just have to see it. I can’t not see it. And I’m definitely much more excited than any 19 year old probably should be. I already have my tickets for the midnight showing… do you?

What films are you most looking forward to?

My Christmas Wish List

2009-11-09T10:51:00.001Z

I know, I know – it’s only November. But it’s never hurt anyone to be organised. In fact, I’ve already bought a couple of Christmas presents and have ideas for ones I still need to buy – and with the Postal Strikes cancelled I’m feeling a little bit better about shopping online. My wish list consists of a couple of things that I will be getting, but also a couple of things which I will never be getting in a million years – but I can wish!

The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

I’ve mentioned this book before (where I got the brilliant brownie recipe courtesy of Afeitar and I want a copy for myself. Don’t worry, I’ve already hinted very strongly to my boyfriend who now has this saved in his bookmarks…
Cute Overload Calendar 2010

Another give which has been heavily hinted at. Everyone knows about cuteoverload.com and everyone loves cute animals. Sadly I don’t always have time to check it every single day and some times end up with a back log of posts to look at. With this desktop page a day calendar I can look at a cute animal every single day!
Soul Cal Knitted Dress
I’m obsessed with this dress so much. Isn’t it adorable? The sad thing is it’s only available online in grey in a size 8 and I don’t think there’s any grey in any size left in my local shop. I will have this dress though… somehow.
Lace Block Poplin Dress
It’s so simple and pretty but expensive for what it is and it must be mine. I don’t even know how I would wear this often enough to make it worth while, but I think it’s a brilliant way to be part of the lace trend.
Fragrances:

Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel & Angel by Thierry Mugler

Flower Bomb by Victor and Rolf & Armani Code by Armani
Kitchenaid KSM150BPK Artisan Mixer Pink

Oh imagine all the cookies and cakes and muffins and brownies I could make with this bad boy… girl? I would never ever be out the kitchen.
Billy Book Case
”Eww, white!” I can hear every single one of you say but hear me out. White can be painted. Any colour. With any design. Now you see my drift? I need a book case badly, but I’m not allowed any extra furnishings in the flat where I live at the moment – but as soon as I’m in a new flat I will be getting one. Or maybe someone kind enough will get me one for Christmas…
Tiffany & Co. Crown Key Pendant in White Gold

I only wear white gold – which annoys everyone. People moan that I don’t wear enough acessories/jewellery and now, dear blog readers, you know why. I’m a jewelley snob. I feel sorry for whoever has to buy me an engagement ring… Sadly I think this is a wish wish wish buy as it’s well over £1000…
Tiffany & Co. Double Heart Pendant
Oooh hello hearts and white gold and diamonds… and a £1500+ price tag.
Nintendo Wii
And obviously Guitar Hero, Wii Fit, Mario Kart… I could actually buy one for myself, but I still have some Christmas presents to buy first… and maybe Uggs.

That’s my list. What do you guys all have in mind for your Crimbo swag?

Free with this month’s Glamour: Nails Inc. Polish

2009-11-06T10:30:00.000Z

Magazine Junkie
I know, I know, I need to stop buying magazines, but with offers like this I don’t think I’ll be able to. In the December Glamour (out now) you can get your hands on a full sized Nails Inc. polish in a light pink, hot pink, red or dark purple/black. I choose the light pink. Now all I need to do is stop biting my nails…

Also inside, which was a little bit of a pleasant surprise since it’s not mentioned on the cover, is an interview with Kellan Lutz, Ashley Greene, Nikki Reed and Jackson Rathbone and a couple of cute shots of them – and there’s no reference to Twilight anywhere! Not that I would object…

A quick guide to manners and politeness.

2009-11-05T10:02:00.000Z

See the full sized image by KnitXcorE @ Flickr here.

Mind your P’s and Q’s.
I’ve worked behind a till for three years now in a chemist and a cinema. Very different jobs and very different clientele. Last night, I was sitting having a think about work as I put this weeks hours in my diaries and I realised that while the ill and sick were thankful when I helped and served them in the chemist, the cinema-goers are certainly not. In fact, just two nights ago twenty-something year old man tried to be “subtle” and make me feel stupid under his breath for “forgetting” something he hadn’t actually asked for. Obviously the baseball cap gives me mind reading abilities and lowers my IQ by about 25%. And not once during the whole transaction did him or his partner say please or thank you.

That really gets up my nose.

It’s three simple words which should be second nature to everyone. While it’s possible at home and with friends I’m not always mindful of my manners, I most certainly am in public – shops, restaurants, work and university.

Three simple rules.
It’s not difficult to be polite. It really isn’t. Here’s a list of some of my personal habits and just common sense:

Asking for something? Say please!
”May I have a large coke, please?”
”A return to the uni, please.”
Been given something or have someone performed a service for you? Say thank you!
While getting off a bus - “Thanks!”
When handed change in a shop - “Thank you!”
Bumped into someone or got in their way? Apologise!
”Oops, sorry about that.”
”Excuse me.”
”So sorry.”

It’s just three simple words. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve had to prompt people to say please (and I do it!) because I don’t feel I should be spoken at – I should be spoken to. Just because someone’s scanning tins in Tesco or serving McFries in McDonalds does not necessarily mean they are stupid and it most certainly does not make them less than a person.

Tell me about some of your manner pet peeves or a time someone was inherently rude to you – it’s good to get it out your system!

Ps. I just had to show you this picture I found when I was searching flickr – it gave me a good giggle alright.

Brand Love: Miso @ Republic

2009-11-04T12:46:00.001Z

I don’t know what it is about them. The lace, the florals, the pretty designs or the very fair prices. All I know if that I love Miso. Available at Republic, I had to stop myself just yesterday from going in and buying something when I was meant to be getting a new umbrella. Here’s some of my favourite pieces from the first couple of pages on the website (some that I would sadly never fit into properly, but some that I may buy soon…):

1. Photo Floral Top £16.99
2. Waterfall Cardigan £19.99

3. Lace Tunic £22.95
4. Racer Vest Top £19.99

5. Bow Cotton Dress £24.99
6. Sleeveless Shrug £16.99

7. New Vintage Cardigan £24.99
8. Lace Bow Dress £24.99

I have very nearly bought the floral tops twice now and I’ll be hunting out the Lace Bow Dress next time I’m in store to try it on and see if my boobies will fit into it! Isn’t it just gorgeous!?

Baking and wanting and missing, oh my.

2009-11-03T14:11:00.001Z

This is going to be one picture heavy post. Let me warn you now. It’s been a week and a half, ladies, and I want to apologise. I was actually off university last week on my mid semester break and had wonderful plans to fill my time with blogging and studying and generally having a nice relaxing time. However I ended up being in work from Friday until Monday with Tuesday off, then Wednesday to Friday with Saturday off and now Sunday until tonight when I’m working quite late. But I have a lot of short snappy posts planned to get me back into the swing of things so hopefully you can forgive me!

As I said, I had Saturday off my work and, of course, Saturday was Halloween. I was alone in my flat, but luckily I had been invited to a party by some work friends so I spent the day baking so I would have something to take with me. I made cakes, brownies and cookies but I only have pictures of the brownies! Lots of making of pictures, actually.

The recipe I used was from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook but I actually found it on Helen’s blog. However after loving how these brownies turn out I have asked my boyfriend to get me it for Christmas, obviously with lots of smiling and batting of my eyelashes. So here are the pictures. Lots of them, as I keep saying. I’m just trying to warn you!

You can actually see everything I bought there from my new square pan to the cookie mix I bought (more on that later).

Mmm, butter and dark chocolate. My thighs were not happy with me.

Hello sugar on my cheap scales.

Lumpy flour. Yum. Apparently it was organic though, because that’s all Sainsbury’s had.

Slightly blurry picture of melting butter and chocolate. I normally would have chucked this in the microwave, but I think I’ll stick to melting things over the hob now.

Lots of eggs whisked up in a measuring cup. This is because I had to bake the brownies in two batches and the recipe called for three eggs.

I did have pictures of the mixture after adding each ingredient but I want to save a bit of time here now. That’s the final mixture with everything above in it. It’s quite thick and looks quite grainy.

And my buttered pan. This was a 19cm by 19cm square cake tin from Sainsbury’s and cost me £2.99. I’ve scratched it already while trying to cut the brownies, but I don’t think that has made it any worse off. It’s a nice sized pan and is perfect for this recipe if you want to bake in two batches.

And the finished product. The top and edges were lovely and crispy while the inside was moist and soft. Someone did comment that it was like chocolate flavoured butter, so I might cut down on the butter a but next time. I cut each tin into 12 smallish pieces, but a small portion is really all you need.

The cookie mix I used was a white chocolate one from Betty Crocker and I was so disappointed with it. I tend to use the Asda/Tesco cookie mixes if I don’t have time to bake my own from scratch. While I only paid about 83p for the Betty mix (it was on offer in Sainsbury’s) I think I’ll stick with the Asda/Tesco mixes as they’re a little bit cheaper but ten times better. The Betty mix was just too crunchy though I’d taken them out a bit earlier than the pack said to.

Finally, this was the first time I had actually baked brownies and I’m so pleased with how they turned out. Tell me ladies, have you ever cooked anything which you thought turned out extremely well?

Disappearance.

2009-10-24T12:45:00.001+01:00

I’m sorry I disappeared in the middle of the week there – I was packed full or work and uni stuff and will be at work from pretty much now until tomorrow night so there probably won’t be any posts on Monday. I’ll get something up.

I went and seen Saw VI before work last night. Awfully gory and icky. It was ok though – better than the fifth one.

No pictures or anything today. I’ve not done anything at all this week. I will be going shopping at some point next week though. Exciting!

I hope everyone’s well and has a good weekend.

Review: Dead Until Dark and Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris.

2009-10-20T12:40:00.001+01:00

I mentioned that I bought these books a couple of weeks ago and finished both of them quite quickly – the first one within two or three days and the other one within the week since I was working and at university a lot. I don’t normally do book reviews, but I wanted to get my thoughts on these books out there – none of my flatmates have read them yet and it just needs to get out my head.

I’ve read Twilight. But then I’ve also read Interview With The Vampire. So it’s safe to say I know, and like, my vampire fiction – good and bad. I’m not going to get into my thoughts on Twilight in this post (good story, poor writer) or Interview (good story, amazing writer). This post is all about Dead Until Dark and Living Dead in Dallas – the newest vampire darlings, or TrueBlood.

I’m going to be honest – I was expecting something better. A lot better. There’s about 300 pages in each of the books but the font size is rather large – I could probably read a whole book in about 3 or 4 hours if I didn’t have other things to do. And the writing itself… well I can understand that Harris was trying to accurately portray the mind of a deep south waitress who can read minds. I really understand that. I don’t understand how she managed to get a 10 book deal with it though – I honestly think it’s worse than Stephanie Meyer’s writing.

The writing could also do with a bit more description and the story could do with being fleshed out a bit. Everything really happens quite quickly and there’s no explanation for it – one minute they meet and the next they’re boyfriend and girlfriend. There’s no in-between except for a poorly written sex scene.

But, and I hate myself for this, the story is good. It’s unique. The general public know about vampires and, to an extent, accept them. Add in a little bit of murder, mystery, synthetic blood and some action and you’ve got a story. The main character of Sookie is also a normal person who has normal worries – minus the mind reading thing obviously. You can relate to her in a strange way.

Would I recommend the books? Probably not unless you wanted a trashy read. I will admit that I’ve bought the next two and I’ve just finished the third one…

Has anyone else read them yet? Tell me what you think about them.

How to manage your time better.

2009-10-19T10:38:00.001+01:00

See the original by fullofbliss @ Flickr here.

A million and one things to do.
It’s about a month into the semester at most universities now – maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less for some. It’s at this point that tutors think “hey, let’s start handing out lots of essays!” and of course, they all think it at once. I have lots of university work to do without essays, never mind fitting in my actual work to make pennies and it can all get to me sometimes. I’m sure it can get to everyone. But it doesn’t need to. With a little bit of forward planning (and a bit of patience) you can make this buy time at university much more easy for yourself.

It’s gonna feel a little bit like high school…
Because in a way, you’ll be making a timetable for yourself. One that goes along with your university timetable, work rota and whatever else you have to fit in. Some of you will be able to only have to do this once a semester, or once a month. For people like me who get different shifts at work every week, I need to do this every seven days. So before we start, grab a pen and a piece of paper or open a new word processing document – whatever works best for you!

Back to the old lists.
I know, I know – whenever we do something like this I’m always saying make a list. For whatever time period your working within write down how many hours you’ll be a work (plus actual times), same for university classes and lectures and then all the assignments, essays and reading you’ll be doing. Obviously, with the university work it’s a bit of a guess for how many hours it’s going to take, but hopefully by now you know how long it’ll take you to write a 1500 word essay or read 50 pages of a book. Now make a second list of all the things you like to do and how long you tend to do them for, like reading, blogging, watching TV.

Put it all together.
We’re going to get a little picture happy here, but bare with me. Now’s the time for you to open up your spreadsheet programme or get out the ruler and felt tip pens. Create a grid with all seven days of the week along the top and then the hours you would realistically be able to give towards work, university and studying. For me that’s between 9am and 8pm before I finally lose focus. Then pop in all your solid commitments from the first list we made, the serious list – e.g. class times and when you will be at your work. It should look a little bit like this:

I’ve coloured mine to make it a bit easier to understand, but you don’t have to do this. So from this, we can see that the theoretical me has Monday afternoon and evenings free, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings free, Thursday mornings free, most of the morning and afternoon free on Friday and all day Sunday free. That’s a lot of time to fill.

Let’s say for my weekly tutorials I’ve been set

a small 1000 word essay to complete for the Monday morning
ten questions for the Wednesday afternoon
two sides of notes to be shared with the class on a Friday morning.

From the serious list, I have my guesstimates of

three hours for the essay writing (plus one hour in the library finding relevant books and journals)
an hour for the questions
two hours for the notes.
I will also need to do a combined total of five hours reading for all of my classes.

Let’s put all of these in what I think would be the best place for me:

Lots of new purple squares added there.You may have noticed that for the three separate assignments two of them are pencilled in for quite early in the morning. This is because that once you’re awake and had your breakfast and a nice cleansing shower you’ll do your best work. I don’t really know why it is, but I know I do better on my DS Brain Training earlier in the morning than later in the afternoon. Another point to note is that the essay has been split up. This is allow you to have another look at it after a break with a new perspective. You might find things to change when you’re finishing it up in that final hour – I know I do. Finally, I’ve spaced all the reading out because it’s easier to absorb when it’s in smaller chunks!

Remember that not so serious list of stuff we made? And see all those white spots up there? That’s where everything on the list goes. You don’t have to slot it in, I just brought it up to remind you that university isn’t all study, study, study – you have to do fun things too!

But how does this help me?!
Well ideally, once the hour is up, you stop reading, writing or whatever else you are doing. This only really works if you have your guesses right in the first place. But by setting yourself a realistic time limit, and working within them, you’ll be working yourself to your full potential and also more efficiently. Plus all the big white gaps can act as a good reminder that you have plenty of left over time in case you do need to give something that extra hour or two.

Hopefully this will help someone a little bit with the massive workload they feel they have, or maybe even help one of you work to your full potential. Please let me know how you all get on with this!

Friday Finds #7

2009-10-16T12:34:00.001+01:00

Has another week really passed us by already? I can barely believe it – I’m shattered and more than ready for a relaxing weekend – I’m going to begin it by having a gander at these lovely sites all related to Halloween…

It’s ALIVE!
Halloween is really just around the corner now – it’s just over two weeks away! While I’ll probably be working over the spooky evening a lot of you won’t be, I’m sure. I’m also sure that most of us are too old for trick or treating – but everyone deserves a treat on Halloween so why not have a look at these disgustingly amazing Zombie Halloween Cupcakes! Don’t they look amazing? Why not try and whip up some of your own or another sweet Halloween treat and take them to a All Hallows’ Eve party and give everyone a sweet, but shocking, treat!

The perfect recipe…
For fake blood that is! I might have to dress up for work on Halloween and I’ve been racking my brain thinking of something which would allow me to move easily and not cause any knicker flashing moments. Of course the easiest way to go then would to be a zombie or murder victim or something similar in just normal clothes but with lots of blood. I Googled and found what looks to be a wonderfully gory looking recipe for your own home made fake blood here. I will probably end up adding a few more drops of black food colouring as it’s still a little bit too red for my liking. You can find glucose syrup in the home baking section of super markets – my normal sized Tesco definitely has it and it’s TINY compared to the superstores.

Halloween is coming! I hope everyone’s planning for it already – whether that’s scary film marathons or a party. Have a good weekend!

Affordable Fashion #6

2009-10-14T11:05:00.001+01:00

Decisions
I can’t decide if I love or hate this skirt. It’s black, which I like. It’s not super mini, which I like. It’s slightly high waisted, I can deal with that. It’s a pencil skirt with ruche-ing around the hip area; I cannot deal with that personally. My bum is big enough as it is thank you.

However
There will be some of you who are super skinny or have the perfect bum to body ratio to wear this skirt and wear it well. I like that it’s really versatile – plain enough to wear during the day to work with a jacket, but at night tuck in a vest and add some fancy accessories and you can go straight to the bar or club.

Details
This skirt is from Dorothy Perkins and it rings in at a fairy even £25 – though if you have a student card you can get 10% off, bringing this down to £22.50. If the hip detailing puts you off, check out the rest of their skirts – there’s definitely a black pencil skirt there to suit everyone’s tastes.

A rant about jeans shopping.

2009-10-13T12:55:00.001+01:00

Image courtesy of riverisland.com

I know it can’t just be me.
Most females I know, of all ages, hate going shopping for a new pair of jeans – my self included. I hate it; I dread it; I probably have nightmares about it! Whether you’re tall, short, fat, skinny or just plain average it’s impossible to find a pair of jeans which fit. I wish that this was the ultimate guide to finding the perfect jeans for you, but it’s not – it’s my rant about jeans shopping.

I’m not a freak.
I’m about 5’6, maybe 5’7 if I don’t slouch. I’m not hugely fat – I wear clothes in 10, 12 and the occasional 14. I do have a slightly larger than average bust – but this doesn’t effect my jeans. What does though, is my inseam. All my height is from my legs – they have a 34.5 inch measurement barefooted from crotch to the floor. Add on a pair of normal flat shoes and I need a 35 inch inseam, at the least, to not look like a leper. Heaven forbid if I want to wear jeans with heels.

No solution.
I know a lot of you will just think “buy long jeans then!” or “buy from the internet!” and I wish it was truly that easy. Most high street shops long length jeans are 33 inches or 34 inches. The occasional shop claims to have a 36 inch long length jean in their tall section but most of the time it’s lucky if it’s longer than 34 inches – I’m looking at you New Look. River Island’s long length is long – most definitely about 35 inches, and I can wear them fine – some even with heels if I really wanted to. But in my local River Island (in a middle sized city, no less) I have never ever seen a long length pair of jeans. This is where buying on the internet is a hassle – not all size 10/12s are going to be the same – some will be bigger, some will be smaller. Even with in the same size there can be huge differences; isn’t that so TopShop?

The final rant.
I don’t want to have to get on a train and sit for 45 minutes while I go to Edinburgh or Glasgow to just get jeans. I don’t want to have to order online just to find they don’t fit and then have the hassle of returning them. I want to be able to go into the shop like all any normal woman, pick up a few pairs of jeans in my sizes and in long length and then be able to try them on. It’s infuriating not being able to have the simple human right of buying jeans quickly and easily, let me tell you!

How does everyone else cope with buying jeans? Or, do you have some sort of other item of clothing that you just have to try on to make sure it fits?

Film Review: Up.

2009-10-12T09:32:00.001+01:00

Disney-Pixar have done it again.
Remember when Toy Story, Monsters Inc. and Finding Nemo came out and each time everyone got so excited and proclaimed it was the best film they had ever seen? That is exactly what the newest offering for the Digital Animation company is. They really have done it again.

It’s a TALKING dog!
I don’t want to give too much away because, really, everyone is going to have to go and see this film. Think back to the trailer – it was funny, light-hearted and laugh-worthy. While the film retains most of these traits it does have a much more emotional and grief stricken undertone. It’s about old age, loss, death and grief. Take tissues. Lots of them. I was actually very surprised at how adult some of the themes covered where.

Blurlupupup.
It’s going to make you laugh. It’s going to make you cry. It’s going to make you gasp and hide behind your hands. And the new short at the start of the film will have you feeling all gushy and going “awwwww” repeatedly. The detail to each screen is amazing – the animators have really outdone themselves. I only saw the film in 2D, but I personally feel that if I had seen it in 3D I wouldn’t have enough it as much.

The end.
I know I haven’t really said much about the film – but I really don’t want to spoil it. Just go and see it. I promise that you will not be disappointed. It’s probably the best film of the year – yes, even better than Harry Potter.

Week in words.

2009-10-11T11:17:00.001+01:00

It’s been another busy week for me – of course it’s only going to get busier. It’s half term were I live which means I have to go to work a lot more, even though it’s not my mid-semester break. Go figure.

I’m actually spending today writing an essay for Politics (random module to do when I’m doing an accounting degree, I know.), and I have about a third of it done already. Just finding it hard to get relevant quotes from books – politics is all about the now and present and old books don’t help! I would much rather be reading my new books.

I finally succumbed and bought the first two TrueBlood books; Dead Until Dark and Living Dead In Dallas. So far I’ve read about half the first one (since they arrived yesterday!) and I dunno. I wasn’t impressed with the first dozen pages or so and had to text my friend who recommended them and ask if they got any better. Now that I’m so far in, I’m not sure if I’m reading because I’m captivated by the story or if I just feel that I have to finish it? I’m not all that impressed with the writing style either, but then most of the books I read to relax are trash anyways. One annoyance I have though is they’ve stuck massive round “TrueBlood on FX!” stickers to the front of the books and I bite my nails. I’m going to have to wait for my boyfriend to come home and peel them off for me.

Some of you might remember that I mentioned on Friday that I was going to see Up! on Saturday… what a confusing sentence. Anyways – I did go and see it, but I’m actually writing a post on that for tomorrow so I shan’t say anymore here. Don’t want to spoil it!

And finally – I bought the first part of the giveaway which will be happening during an extra special week some time in the near future. Follow me on Twitter (@notso_fab) and listen to me occasionally ramble about the super secret project – the first of it’s kind for Not So Fabulous!

I hope everyone had a good weekend!

Friday Finds #6

2009-10-09T15:24:00.001+01:00

Not much I’m afraid this week – it’s been helluva busy and I’m so sleepy. And ill.

The Daily Puppy.
Do you love puppies? Do you love seeing cute puppies every single day?! I know I do, which is why I’m glad I found The Daily Puppy website. The name should say it all, but if it doesn’t – it’s a website which updates once a day with a picture of an extremely cute puppy and tells you a little bit about the critter. How adorable!

So long boys!
I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve been waiting for this film to come out for a very very very long time! It’s Disney Pixar’s Up! And today is the day it’s released in the UK in standard and Disney Digital 3D screens! I’m working tonight so can’t go and see it (though I had the chance to on Wednesday but was too ill), but I’ll be going tomorrow night, so I’ll have a little write up about it on Monday or Tuesday!

I hope everyone’s feeling much better than I am. Have a good weekend everyone!

Save, Spend, Splurge #2

2009-10-07T10:54:00.001+01:00

I apologise for this first post of the week being made so late! Time has been running away from me again!

For this SSS I’ve decided to avoid clothes and head into the territory of face powders. I have tired both the Save and Spend in this category, but I’ll be leaving my opinions out of this one I think – you really need to try make up for yourself to see what you like, especially when it comes to anything that involves base make up.

Save
The “save” face powder is the British staple of Rimmel. It’s one of the first make up brands a lot of girls use and it’s even a favourite amongst the older generations. I still use certain Rimmel products now, mixed in with my high end items. The product I’m using for today’s SSS on face powders is, of course, Stay Matte Pressed Powder. It’s available in 6 different shades from Boots, Superdrug and most other chain chemists. At the moment it’s priced at £3.81 in most places, however, from the looks of the Boots website they’re bringing out a new formula, package design and upping the price to £3.99, so look out for it in the near future.

Spend
I’m afraid this is the best picture I could find of my choice for the “spend” face powder, so please forgive me. For simplicity’s sake, it’s Boots No7 Perfect Light Pressed Powder. According to the Boots website it comes in four shades, however it does till up at a mid range price of £11.50. It does trump the Rimmel powder and made the price slightly more bearable when you remember that it comes in a compact with a mirror and face puff (though I don’t know anyone who still uses a face puff to apply powder…?), making it a good on the move powder and much more useful.

Splurge
The last product in our line up is our “splurge” and girls - it’s a splurge. It’s the Chanel Poudre Douce Soft Pressed Powder. And it’s a splurge item because it’s going to cost you in the region of £30, maybe even a bit more. I’m not too sure how many shades it is available in – the official Chanel website is only showing three different shades, where as the Debenhams website is showing me six. I’m sure that if you go to your local Chanel counter in your choice of department store they will have a shade to suit you. This powder is, like the No7, a compact as well as a powder and has a mirror for on the go touch ups.

So whatever your budget, you’ll be able to find a powder which is right for you and won’t break your bank. I think I might do my next Save, Spend, Splurge on biscuits though…

This week…

2009-10-04T13:46:00.001+01:00

In my personal life has been so busy. I felt like I haven’t left my work for more than 12 hours at a time (though it was slightly more yesterday – closer to maybe 18) and that there’s always something niggling the back of my mind. And there is – it’s this very large pile of university work which is building up and I’ll need to tackle today and tomorrow. I’ve also not been sleeping very well, so that definitely hasn’t helped. a little bit of retail therapy always helps though.

Since I won’t get paid from my work until the end of October and my next loan payment won’t be in my account until later this week or early next week I have been buying little things. Yesterday I received Slumdog Millionaire in the post, as well as The Da Vinci Code. I’ve not had time to watch them yet, but I’ll probably pop on Slumdog later on after dinner. I’ve got a few other little things I plan to buy, but I’m waiting on an Amazon voucher being delivered into my inbox before I do.

I apologise for the lack of pictures, but I really haven’t done anything this week except working, going to classes and studying. And writing blog posts of course. I’ve been slowly, but surely, working away on the secret blog posts, though I don’t have a set date for them yet. However I will be doing a giveaway when I do finally post the series, so keep an eye for it.

I hope everyone’s feeling well!

Friday Finds #5

2009-10-02T15:22:00.001+01:00

Pantene Challenge.
Just do a short survey and pop in a few details for your chance to trial a 200ml bottle of the new Pantene Pro-V Repair and Protect conditioner! Simple and quick – and everyone loves a freebie! You can click here to be taken to the site. I haven’t heard back yet, but I’m hopeful! My hair’s been awfully dry recently and I’d love to try a new conditioner to see if it would do any good.

mairuru.
I stumbled across this blog by accident yesterday afternoon when I was just wasting time on the internet. It’s a Japanese woman’s craft blog (but it’s in English!) with lots of step by step photos and just general cuteness. The picture on the right is a little origami book make from one piece of square paper – isn’t it just adorable. I might try it out later on!

That’s it for this week, ladies. I hope everyone’s had a good week and has an even better weekend.

Simple but Tasty #1

2009-10-01T13:44:00.001+01:00

Something new! But it will be fairly infrequent. I just made the best sandwich and I had to share it with everyone. It’s healthy, tasty, cheap and so easy to make that anyone could do it.

Tuna and veggie mayo sandwich
You will need:
Two slices of bread (your choice)
One tin of tuna chunks
A cucumber portion
A small tin of sweetcorn
Some iceberg lettuce
Low-fat mayonnaise

What you do:
1. Open and drain your tin of tuna. Put it in medium sized tub or bowl and use a fork to break up the chunks.
2. Add a few spoons of sweetcorn – I use quite a lot, but it’s personal preference.
3. Chop up some cucumber into small cubes. Again it’s personal preference, but I use two or three thick slices.
4. Add the sweetcorn and cucumber to the bowl and mix it around a bit.
5. Add your mayo. I use a lot of mayo as I like everything to stick together – but it’s your lunch so use as much as you like. Mix it all together.
6. Break up some of the lettuce into strips and place it on either slice of bread. Spoon on some of your tuna mix and then sandwich everything together.
7. Eat!

I love how the cucumber and lettuce give a bit of crunch and refreshment to an otherwise boring sandwich. I could seriously eat all of the mix in one go, it’s so yummy. Sadly, I don’t have a picture of my finished sandwich, but I’m sure you can imagine how it looks. Enjoy!

Books. Lots of books.

2009-09-30T12:12:00.001+01:00

See the full sized image by Katey Nicosia @ Flickr here.

I used to read. A lot. While I’m working on my time management skills at the moment , I don’t seem to have as much time to read as I want to . I’ve made a promise to myself though that I won’t buy any new books until I’ve finished the ones I have on my shelf. I found this meme on Nicola’s blog, who in turn found it somewhere else.

Do you snack while you read? If so, favourite reading snack?
I try not to – I’ll just make a mess otherwise. Normally when I’m reading a book for fun I’m in my bed and I never eat or drink in bed for the fear of spilling something. When I’m reading and working on university things at a table or my desk I usually have a drink of some sort and Snack-a-Jack crisp things – they’re like mini rice cakes! Salt and vinegar flavour, of course.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read them, or does the idea of writing on your books horrify you?
I think I’ve only ever written on a book once – it was the Catcher in the Rye and I was going to write an essay on it. I read the book once, discovered that I didn’t really like it much and wouldn’t read it again so went to town with highlighters and pens. Except for that, I’ve never ever written in a book. I would never dream of writing in a textbook either – it would become unsellable.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog ears? Leaving the book open flat?
I have a terrible habit of lying them open flat and ruining the spine. I’m trying to stop doing this so I’m using a folded up post it note as a bookmark until I get something a little more permanent.

Fiction, Non-Fiction or both?
At the moment I’m preferring fiction books because I don’t want to feel like I’m learning anything else than what I have to for my modules. That said, I plan on buying a few non-fiction books when I do finish my backlog.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point?
Both! If it’s a “complicated” book I have to read to the end of a chapter or I end up confusing myself, however if it’s a fairly simple and fluffy book I can just stop at the end of a paragraph and pick up where I left off later on.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?
If I’m reading in the same room as my boyfriend then I’ll normally ask him what it means, otherwise I’ll just guess it from the context of the sentence and hope for the best.

What are you currently reading?
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown and The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. I also started reading Schindler’s Ark by Thomas Keneally and The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice, but I’ll have to start again with them.

What is the last book you bought?
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown in Tesco for £7.

Are you the type of person who can only read one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time?
As you can tell from above, I can read more than one book at a time, but I probably shouldn’t since I confuse myself so much doing simple things.

Do you prefer series or stand alone books?
To be honest, I really have no preference at all – I read both, though I think I slightly prefer series if I’m being totally honest with myself. Series of books allow you to feel as though you know the character and drags you into the story a little bit more.

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?
Not really. I tell people to read Anne Rice and Stephen King a lot as they’re modern classics that a lot of people my age never read. They just don’t know what they’re missing out on.

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)
At the moment there’s no real organisation. The bookshelf I have is really small and I can really only just fit my books and magazines onto it. I have big books first in no particular order, then the smaller books (because books only seem to come in two sizes?!). There’s no order except for series being placed together and then in order. Like my Anne Rice books are all together in the right order since it’s the first four books of the Vampire Chronicles.

What is everyone else reading at the moment? Textbooks don’t count!

What’s on your face?

2009-09-29T10:53:00.001+01:00

Or more politely titled, “What make up are you wearing today?”.

Blend blend blend!
This is one of my favourite things to do when I’m on the internet – looking inside other peoples handbags, purses and bedrooms because I’m just a nosy person in general. So I thought I would show everyone what make up I wear on a day to day bases. The first picture just above this paragraph is everything together and all laid out very nicely and neatly – sadly it doesn’t look like that when I’ve got it stored. I put my make up on in the morning and my morning facial care routine is a exfoliation using a Avon scrub and moisturise with Nivea Soft cream. I normally let my moisturiser soak in for about 15 or 20 minutes before I start on my make up.

Face.

The first thing I put on is my DiorSkin Nude liquid foundation in shade 010. You can read my review of it here. I don’t use a brush or sponge for liquid foundation – I prefer to use my clean fingers. I then pop on a little bit of Rimmel’s Hide The Blemish Concealer in shade 103 Soft Honey over any marks/spots and a little bit under each eye to hide the bags – I use a brush for spots (not pictured) and just a finger for the eye area. My next step is to apply a little bit of Lily Lolo Mineral Foundation in shade Candy Cane (which is actually a little bit too pinky for me) over my whole face to minimise my pores. I use the longer power brush for that.

What I do next step is probably going to sound a bit strange to everyone, but bare with me. I apply some Bourjois Blush in shade 54 Rose Frisson to my cheeks and then using the large kabuki brush I swipe Rimmel’s Stay Matte Pressed Powder in shade 005 Silky Beige over my entire face, blending the blusher as I do so. I don’t know why I do this – I just find it works a whole lot better for me and makes my blush look really smoothly blended. I carry the kabuki brush and Rimmel powder with me in my bag for day time touch ups.

Eyes.

After I’ve done my base, I move onto my eye make up. I apply some Urban Decay Primer Potion of my lid area and while I wait for that to dry I curl my lashes for the first time. I then use the eye shadow brush pictured and apply the top shade from the Eyeko 5 in 1Eyeshadow Cake in shade Pretty Eyes. It’s a pretty and subtle sparkly gold colour and works really well for day time. I then curl my lashes again before apply a lot of BADgal Lash Mascara in black – you can read my review of it here. I don’t tend to use eyeliner during the day, but prefer to save it for night time and when I want to feel extra glamorous. Saying that, I do go through stages where I like to wear eyeliner every day – when I do wear it I use Avon Glimmer sticks in shade Blackest Black.

Lips.

This is the dreadfully boring section I’m afraid. I burnt my lip and the skin just above it about three weeks ago on a too hot Cuppasoup and it’s still healing – being near my mouth isn’t helping obviously. So while it’s still quite dry and unsmooth I’ve been avoiding lipsticks and coloured glosses to try and avoid people looking at the hideous mess that it is. So I give my lips a quick swipe of Cherry Chapstick for a subtle colour and then go over it in Avon Plump Pout lip gloss in shade Pink Pucker, which is mostly clear.

Done.
The whole routine takes me about ten minutes now – I’ve got it down to a very fine art. So now I’m interested – what do all of you wear on your face make up wise on a normal day? What do you wear on a night out if you want to look extra glamorous and sexy? Leave a comment or do your own blog post and link me to it!

Affordable Fashion #5

2009-09-28T09:32:00.001+01:00

I can’t believe that I haven’t done this since July! This is one of my favourite mini series I do, so I hope you all still enjoy it.

Image courtesy of ASOS.com

Embellishment!
While I’m personally not a massive fan of gladiator and caged heels, they still seem to be in fashion and it doesn’t look like they’re going to be going away any time soon. With all of this in mind I thought it was time to a) feature a pair of shoes; and b) cover something which is actually “fashionable”. These gladiator heels stick out from the crowd for having a unique weave detail over the entire shoe, as well as it being in metallic colours which will no doubt be making a comeback for the Christmas and New Years parties.

The deets?
You can get these from asos.com for a wonderfully low £25 and they also come in “Pewter” and “Snakeskin” as well as the black shown above.

My latest purchases.

2009-09-25T11:23:00.002+01:00

And now I have about £5 to last me two weeks. Brilliant. I regret nothing. I want to apologise now for these photos – first time I’ve used the flash on my camera and so far… I need more practise.

Vintage rose skirt from New Look - £18.

I actually bought this last week, but it still counts. It’s high waist-ed and elasticised so super comfy. And the first high waist skirt I’ve bought. I got it in the size I normally buy for trousers, forgetting that my waist is actually a size smaller (I am not in proportion) so it doesn’t really stretch all that much, which I think is a good thing – no unsightly bulges and plenty of room for tucking in a vest. I wore it with a white vest and a long black boyfriend cardigan the other day – it was lovely. I actually have a little shock when I got it home – I hadn’t realised it was two layered and had lace edging, which you can see here:

But I think it just adds to it quite nicely. Though in the wind I’ve been having a few… Marilyn Monroe moments.

“Wool” colour block skirt - £12.72

This is quite thick and, as you can see, lined. The camera helped out a bit here actually to show that it is in fact grey with blue and black stripes at the bottom. Another high waist baby here, but it’s still got quite a nice bit of length on it, which I like since I have long legs. It’s also quite… regal and sophisticated, while at the same time having enough of a kick in it to not be something your gran would wear. I think I’ll probably wear this with a black vest and a blue cardigan, because I’m quite matchy matchy. I’ll have to take it in a wee bit first – I bought it in my normal size again and it doesn’t have an ounce of give so it is about an inch too big. Now I just need a twin set, some tweed and a string of pearls…

Shirt dress – £10.77

Are these in? I’m not sure, but it’s light and comfy, which I’m finding I need these days. It’s just so unseasonably warm where I am, but at the same time windy, so layers are an absolute must. Though the picture doesn’t show it, the shirt is actually white and blue strips, not grey. You might be able to see it larger with a click of your mouse? I’m not sure. I plan to wear this with some full length black leggings, maybe a black waist belt and probably a black cardigan. I may undo the bottom button though as it’s quite tight around the thigh area when I walk.

Pinafore bubble hem dress - £8.81

I’m undecided about this – I’ll have to take it in under the arms as it’s a bit too loose. I’m not even sure what I would wear this with? Any ideas?

The above were all from Primark, if the crazy prices weren’t a giveaway. I also got some bulk packs of tights and a pair of slippers because I live in a manky student flat with a not very clean floor. The final buy of today. Well:

Skirted Mac trench from New Look - ~~£28~~ £22.40

My local New Look are doing a 20% student discount until the 18th of October and so I assume most others are as well, hot foot it down there now. This is a very bad picture. Possibly the worst photo I could have ever taken, so here’s a link to it on the website. It’s supposed to be an arctic blue colour, but to my eye it looks more purple – I think it depends on the lighting? I feel a bit like a spy when I wear it though, it’s fun. It’s obviously not a thick mac, and not made out of wool – which I prefer. Wool is not fun to try and dry and I tend to get quite hot walking to places so this is PERFECT.

Sadly, my only other recent purchase has been a TV license. Not glamorous. Not nice. What has everyone else been buying?

Revisiting BADgal Mascara

2009-09-24T10:00:00.001+01:00

Image courtesy of the Benefit website.

Cast your mind back to June.
You might remember that in the middle of June (when it was still sunny!) I did a review on BADgal Lash Mascara and that I wasn’t all that impressed with it. You may also notice that at the bottom of that post I mentioned that leaving mascara alone for a few weeks after first opening it helps out with the formula – I find it makes it thicker and just better to use. I know there’s a bit of a difference between a couple of weeks and three months, but my DiorShow Iconic has finally and truly bit the dust and it’s time to move on. I have no worries about bacteria growing on my mascaras, eye lash curlers etc. as I regularly clean all my tools and check for dodgy smells in my products.

Afterthoughts?
I was completely wrong and right about BADgal. This is the result from the first use back in June:

A little bit of length, but fairly lacklustre and certainly not fit for someone who wants to be glamorous and fab. This was after two applications and layers. So here we go with the new “test”:

No mascara, just curled – for some reason the ends of my lashes have gone ridiculously blonde. I also got a fringe, if anyone’s wondering why there is suddenly a lot of hair in the shot. AND this is the first picture taken for this blog using my new camera that I mentioned previously. I wish I could show you what it could really do! Anyways, back to the point. And with the newly thickened mascara:

I will admit that it doesn’t look all that impressive… until I tell you that this is after just one swipe of a mascara wand! One quick swipe. I was only nipping to Tesco for the newspaper so I wasn’t going all out, but I was incredibly impressed. I used it last night when I was heading out to the bar and did a few coats of short sharp strokes and WOW. I’ll probably take a picture the next time I put on make up properly and show you gals.

So?
Get this mascara when you feel you’re getting at the end of a tube, open it, apply once and then leave until your other mascara finishes – you won’t be disappointed.

I will be back.

2009-09-23T13:53:00.001+01:00

Very soon! I promise. I have a few posts almost done and now that I’m all settled back in, things can become more regular now.

I’m back at uni, for those of you who have forgotten. I also managed to get my job back in the cinema, and I start on Fridayish. While I’m only at uni six hours a week and my contract is 8 hours a week, that does not mean I have a lot of free time – my 6 hour uni work load is added onto from studying (which I need to do a lot of for one subject in particular! Something ridiculous like 8 hours a week!) and the 8 hour contracted hours at work will probably be at least 12 hours a week. So I have some free time, but not much.

This will alllll lead to a post about time management soon, I’m sure. Expect a short post tomorrow on Benefit’s BADgal mascara (again! I know, but it’s good!) and then a post on Monday, probably a Save, Spend, Splurge!

I hope everyone’s well and settled into university well!

Things I bought today!

2009-09-07T15:42:00.001+01:00

I did a quick back to uni shop today, just for a few bits and pieces, mostly something to wear on a night out. I’ve not really had much luck and even now I’m not really pleased with what I even bought – it’s quite rubbish in the shops at the moment.

River Island Shimmer Vest Dress £14.99

I don’t have my own pictures at the moment since I’m just in, but this looks a lot better in real life, I think so at least. It obviously follows the shapes of your body and doesn’t curve back into your lack of bottom legs. It’s also a lot more shimmery and sparkly in real life – though maybe a bit see through. I plan on wearing it with some black leggings or tights and maybe a pop of colour through my shoes.

New Look Boyfriend Cardigan - £20

Oh look, an identical long cardigan to the black one I bought last week. I really liked the fit and length and had to get another, though the colour of mine is certainly not as rich as this picture shows.

New Look Padded Pump - £14

The ones I got were actually a cream colour, but I couldn’t find them on the website, so the black ones will do! I just wanted a nice little casual pair of shoes in a non-black colour just for quick trips about the town. My mother does say that they’re old lady shoes!

New Look Twist Lock Bag - £22

I think this is the bag I got, I don’t really remember, but it looks so much better in person. I got this just because I like it. It’s nice a big though.

The reason I got sooo much New Look today was because I had a 20% off voucher, so that made the dent on my overdraft much more bearable. Though I still need leggings and some basic vests.

What has everyone else been buying for back to uni?

One busy week.

2009-09-06T15:20:00.001+01:00

One week from now I will be back in my university town. Excellent. I still have a lot of buying and packing to do, and I need to dye my hair, but that can all wait. It’s been a long week and an even longer weekend. I’m taking the rest of today off to have a bit of a relax.

Again, a reminder that I won’t be posting regularly for a wee while yet. Definitely not for at least another two weeks, so I apologise now for the sporadic posting and the lack of posting as well. I’ll just apologise for everything!

I hope you are all doing well and have had a good week.

If you need something to do, go and watch some of Blance Babcock on YouTube – a wonderful drag queen. You can easily watch his full drag make up tutorial (which is about an hour long) without feeling like it’s been a long time. It’s completely fascinating.

I’m back!

2009-08-31T14:31:00.001+01:00

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!

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:

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!

This week without pictures.

2009-08-23T13:06:00.001+01:00

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!

I’m going to try Crest Whitestrips.

2009-08-19T12:51:00.001+01:00

Picture 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.