Shopping At The Bullring.

As much as I love to shop in Nottingham it's very much outdoors, not great when its raining, and plus I get a little bored of the shops, so yesterday Freddie and I decided to go to Birmingham for the day and do a spot of shopping in the Bullring.

When it comes to going shopping I want an outfit that's quick and easy to get in and out of and that requires minimal pulling over the head. I also hate getting hot and don't want to be lugging around a jacket with all my shopping bags, luckily most of the shops in Birmingham are all inside the Bullring so I could wear what I wanted despite the horrible wind and rain.

On Saturday whilst doing a food shop in Tesco I came across this lovely simple black dress for just £10. What I love about this dress is that it's short at the front showing off a nice bit of leg but longer at the back so that you don't need to worry about it riding up as you're walking or everyone being able to see up it as you're going up the stairs. Of course I bought it and was desperate to wear it, but I needed to make it weather appropriate so I teamed it with my thigh high boots.

Now this dress isn't fitted at all so requires a belt to give it some shape and for this occasion I decided just a plain black skinny belt would do the trick. Of course that meant the outfit was very much one colour and as much as I love black it needed brightening up so I simply added this gorgeous grey elephant scarf which I think makes the outfit that little bit girlier and also makes it look slightly more summery.

I accessorised with my black H&M hobo bag, silver Marc Jacobs watch, silver bracelets and my engraved silver necklaces from etsy.

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Dress - Same here, £10
Scarf - Similar here, £6.99
Boots - Same here, £159
Belt - Similar here, £8
Bag - Similar here, £7.99
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I had a great day shopping in Birmingham and got some wonderful bits which I cant wait to share with you. We finished off our day with a delicious calzone from Pizza Express and just before we left remembered to take some pictures for the blog as we'd just been having too much fun to take them before..

So please excuse the messy, damp hair!

Clean Eat Oat Cookies #JTH

How yummy do these look? Not only do they look and taste good they're also super healthy too with a very quick, simple and cheap recipe.

I love to bake cakes and cookies but when I'm trying to be healthy I tend not to as I'm guaranteed to eat the majority of them, so this recipe not only lets me bake but it also satisfies my sweet tooth and allows me to eat the whole batch without feeling guilty!

You will need...

1 Banana

Rolled Oats

Handblender or Normal Blender

 Optional, but seriously scrumptious...

Honey

Cinnamon

Raisins

Ginger Root

Unhealthy but oops...

I added too much ginger so used some galaxy chocolate to sweeten them up.

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#step 1

Blend one banana and then add enough oats so that the mixture sticks together and isn't runny

#step 2

I halved by mixture and added a drop of honey, half a teaspoon of cinnamon and a handful of raisins to one and then added honey and just over half a teaspoon of grated ginger root to the other (was slightly too strong even for me so would advise using less)

#step 3

Add heaped tablespoons of the mixture to a greased or non stick tray and flatten. Bake in the oven till lightly golden and hard(ish) to the touch. Approx 15/20 minutes gas mark 6/7.

This recipe is so quick and easy and leaves you with delicious chewy cookies, which don't taste like banana by the way. I always have these ingredients in meaning I can bake them whenever I fancy. Other ingredients I have added include blueberries, raspberries and dark choc chips, but cinnamon and raisins are by far my favourite.

What flavour do you think I should try next?

Mothers Day Dinner & Drinks.

Last weekend I went out for a lovely meal in West Bridgford with my boyfriend and his family followed by a few drinks just me and him so I wanted an outfit that was smart and family appropriate yet still looked dressy for the drinks afterwards.. after all it was a Saturday night.

I love shirts, and this fitted blue one from Newlook is one of my favourites, it's very smart but if styled correctly can take you from work, to day, to night. For this particular occassion I chose to only fasten two of the buttons so that it hung at the bottom and wasn't buttoned up to high which would have made it look officey. Of course I didn't want it to be to revealing so I added a lace bralet underneath wearing that as actually part of the outfit not just my underwear.

To dress up the shirt I wore this gorgeous silver collar necklace which I picked up from a charity shop and then wore my black coated skinny jeans and black strappy heeled sandals.

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Shirt - Similar Ones Here

Bralet - Similar Ones Here

Skinnies - Same Here, £22.99

Shoes - Similar Here, £39

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What do you wear when with the other halves family?

Sleek Make Up - Summer Ready Skin.

As I've got older my skin has become much clearer, scars I had from my teens have almost vanished and I'm much more confident when it comes to my skin and only wear makeup if  I'm going out. With that said I do still get breakouts occasionally.

I'm sure many of you can agree that with the warmer weather comes clearer skin and the need for foundation lessens. With summer approaching fast I decided I wanted to find a lighter wear foundation that still provided  some coverage, in case of a breakout. I'm pleased to say I found it.

Having olive skin I have always found getting the right foundation very difficult so always stuck to my Rimmel one but it's rather heavy and I was desperate for something lighter. I decided it was time to do a thorough investigation into the foundations available in Boots and was dissapointed by the lack of choices, the darker ones would have left me looking orange whilst the lighter foundations suddenly become very pink. I am so glad Boots now stock Sleek Make-Up.

I've been using the Sleek Make-Up brow palette for several months now and I honestly couldn't live without it, it's amazing. I also own the lip palette which has four gorgeous long lasting and moistursing colours so I decided it was time to buy some more of their products and I'm so glad I did.

The foundations go on brilliantly. They're light, smooth and blend so well, meaning you can highlight and contour without any lines and also mix the two colours to create the perfect shade. This foundation left my skin looking so dewy yet flawless and lasted all day without going greasy. As it isn't very thick the cover obviously is fantastic but it evened out the skin, covered small blemishes and for any imperfections that weren't covered by the foundation I simply used concealer.

After applying my foundation I used the contour kit. Not a lot of powder is needed on the brushes as it's visible almost immediately meaning you don't end up looking caked up and powdery. First I used the darker powder for contouring, it is fairly dark so be careful, for best results I apply my powder last so that my foundation has fully soaked in meaning I don't end up with a dark patch where my brush first touched my face.

Next I highlighted. This powder is almost translucent which is great as it doesn't effect the colour of your foundation, however it does have quite a bit of shine so just a very light dusting will do. I highlight last as I can then dust over the edge of my contouring to create an even more subtle merging and remove any harsh lines.

Foundations, £8.99 - Shell & Praline

Contour Kit, £6.49 - Light

Brow Kit, £8.49 - Dark

Lip Palette, £8.99 - Ballet

Sleek Make-Up really is amazing and I can't wait to buy some more of their products. This foundation is definitely my new favourite and I wouldn't be able to live without my brow kit. All their products are at fantastic prices and not only work great but look great too. The "sleek" black packaging is just my style and each foldable piece has it's own mirror! I have been taking my essentials out with me in this gorgeous makeup bag from Next, it's the perfect size and I love the colour.

Have you tried any Sleek products yet?

Suit Up.

If you watch How I Met Your Mother, you'll get the title of my post. Anyway here is what I wore last weekend to the wedding reception that gave me the worst hangover of my life.

Despite my love of fashion and makeup I am far from a girly girl, I would rather go watch a football match or do some sort of climbing activity than spend a day at a spa, so when it comes to weddings or formal events I sometimes find choosing an outfit hard as I don't particularly like wearing "girly" or "pretty" dresses, I would much rather wear something trendy with an element of sexiness.

Once again this isn't the greatest photo, it was very dark outside, I was using my iPhone and we was rushing to leave, but I love this outfit and got so many compliments on how nice and different it was that I of course wanted to share it with you all.

I was so comfortable in these trousers the other week I decided I wanted to wear them again, then I thought to my self why not make it a suit, so out came my trusty Primark blazer. Now that's two dark pieces of clothing that are both loose fitted so I needed to add something bright and what is brighter than white. Also the top needed to be tight in order to give me some shape, so I got out this lovely little Miss Selfridges racer back crop top. Now, I don't usually wear crop tops unless I'm wearing them with something high waisted, luckily these trousers are fairly high waisted and the crop top is rather long.

I glammed up my top with this gorgeous statement necklace from Primark that adds a nice touch of sparkle to my outfit, plus the grey colours work brilliantly with the black and white.

Keeping with the monochrome theme I chose to wear my white Carvella block heeled sandals to keep my outfit from looking to officey and my white Stressed But Well Dressed Zara clutch.

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Trousers - Similar here, £25
Top - Similar here, £6
Blazer - Similar here, £35
Necklace - Similar here, £15
Shoes - Similar here, £30
Clutch - Similar here, £12.99
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What do you think to girls wearing suits?

Some Much Needed Me Time.

Work, play and not a lot of sleep, it's safe to say the past week has caught up on me big time. At the weekend I went to a wedding reception and drank a little too much and this week I have been working none stop with very little sleep. 

All this combined has resulted in me becoming run down, so finding these little goodies on my trip to Tesco was just what I needed to make me realise some "me time" was desperately needed.

This gorgeous glass bistro mug was what I spotted first. It's perfect for my delicious cup of hot lemon and ginger water in the morning, the best drink to kick start your day as it's refreshing and great for boosting the immune system, just what you need when you're feeling under the weather. Oh and it aids weight loss, just in case you needed another reason to try it!

This lovely dusky pink mug was just too cute to resist once it had caught my eye, I've been using it for a cheeky hot chocolate at night time whilst sat in bed with this delicately scented candle beside me. I know it's very simple but the colour matches my room and for a £1 I wasn't going to say no. Anyway it isn't simple anymore as a bit of lace and some double sided sticky tape fixed that.

Last but not least are these super adorable sleepy lamb slippers which I saw on my way to the till. They are so comfy and snug and I just couldn't resist them, I mean lambs are just the cutest right?! These slippers have been a life saver these cold early mornings on my tiled kitchen floor!

It's Thursday now and I'm feeling much better from taking this week off to just relax in bed watching netflix under my fairy lights.

How do you like to unwind?

Glamour Magazine Balance Me Freebies.

So this happened. 

I very rarely buy magazines unless an article or a freebie entices me as I struggle to find the time to read them. In this particular instance four freebies caught my eye, so of course I had to get them all. I'm in no means saying that this is a bad thing., four products worth £41 for just £8, what's bad about that? It's just I now have four magazines, exactly the same, which does looks kind of odd, but hey who cares?!

Now GLAMOUR is by far my favourite magazine to read whenever I do decide to buy one. It's great value for money, has fantastic reads from fashion and health, to relationships and careers, plus it has some amazing free gifts.

Last year I used the Balance Me Super Toning Body Wash, also free from a magazine, and I remembered how much I loved it so I was eager to try all four of the products that were up for grabs this time. Available this month with GLAMOUR for just £2 is the Super Moisturising Body Wash, Pure Skin Face Wash, Radiance Face Mask and Shine On Tinted Lip Salve in Sheer Red.

I AM IN LOVE! All four of these products are amazing and I am very happy to be sharing this review with you guys!

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The Body Wash
This gel like product has a natural scent to it that is really refreshing and it lathers up well so you don't need to use a lot. It's really sensitive and soothing on the skin and after using it my skin felt really soft and clean. Over the past few days of using it I've notice my skin doesn't appear as dry. All in all a really good product. Buy Online Here, £9

The Face Wash
This face wash is a white cream with a similar scent to the body wash. It's a lovely product that spreads well meaning you only need a really small amount as it goes a long way. I have sensitive skin and this product was so gentle and soothing upon use and afterwards didn't leave my skin feeling tight or dry. Being a contact wearer I also have to be careful with products near my eyes but this caused no irritation or discomfort at all. I've used this product for five days now and my skin feels very smooth and I've had no outbreaks. A great skin soother. Buy Online Here, £16

The Face Mask
As I've mentioned in the past I very rarely use face masks but I'd had a slight breakoutbreak after last weekends nightout so I decided to see if this would help at all. This facemask is an exfoliating cream that doesn't dry, it simply soaks in to your skin slightly and then upon removal the ground walnut shell particles gently massage and exfoliate the skin leaving it with a fresh healthy glow. My pores appeared less visible and my skin felt smoother and not as oily. The next day my spots had dried up and were clearly less visible. A five minute miracle worker. Buy Online Here, £18

The Lip Salve
I never wear lip glosses but this little beauty has been in my bag everyday now since purchase. The red colouring is only a shade darker than my natural lip once on so looks very natural whilst still adding that hint of colour. It soaks in leaving the lips feeling and looking moisturised without that sticky or wet look you get with other glosses. It has a lovely minty taste and makes the lips look fuller, A handbag must have. Buy Online Here, £12

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Now here is the part where I would usually tell you which product is the best and which one you should pick up but I just can't, for £8 seriously just buy them all if you can!

Have you tried any Balance Me products?