Pre-Wedding Pampering.

With a special occasion such as this wedding coming up I've been indulging in lots of pampering to get me feeling and looking my best, so I decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to share with you some of my favourite pampering products, both old and new.

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First of all, leading up to any big occasion my skin is my top priority, so I go to extra lengths to prevent breakouts by drinking more water, eating more fruit and veg and getting more sleep but I also like to give my skin that extra bit of T.L.C.

For me, my skins ultimate savior has been the Balance Me Pure Skin Face Wash which has seen my number of breakouts reduce and my skin tone improve, a fantastic product for sensitive skin. To provide my face with a deeper cleanse every other day when using my face wash I use this Massaging Face Brush from Avon which leaves my skin looking brighter and firmer. At the start of the week I like to relax with my Mankua Doctor ApiNourish Rejuvenating Face Mask which helps my skin recover from the weekend, I then use it the day of the event as I can relax with it on for half an hour sknowing it is hydrating my skin, not drying it out. Whilst relaxing with my face mask on I wear my Gel Eye Mask which was just £1 from Primark and makes a nice change from tea bags! This eye mask helps to reduce puffiness and the appearance of dark rings.

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When it comes to my body, I can't stand having dry skin, unfortunately we all have those problem areas and for me its my knees and feet caused by working with small children and going to the gym. Over the years I have tried lots of different products to get results that last and I now think I've found them.

For my birthday I received my first ever Lush set, which included the incredible Rub, Rub, Rub, Shower Scrub. This product is a fantastic exfoliator that leaves skin feeling soft and refreshed, it also smells amazing! I go on to use my Molton Brown Body Wash, which I am currently using in Pink Pepperpod, followed by the Molton Brown Nourishing Body Lotion, which keeps my skin, including my knees, looking and feeling hydrated all day.

For my feet I purchased The Body Shop's Peppermint Soothing Foot Scrub and Intensive Foot Rescue cream.Though the foot scrub has a brilliant cooling and hydrating feel it doesn't seem to do much, however the Foot Rescue Cream is amazing and I noticed results after just two days! I have used this every day this week and my feet feel fantastic. Of course I will not be using it today as moisturising feet before wearing heels is never a good idea unless you want blisters!

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Finally, my favourite part of getting ready for a special occasion is painting my nails. Pretty hands are a must  which is why it is so important to make sure your cuticles are pushed back before you paint your nails, you can do this easily and gently using an Orange Stick. For the wedding I am wearing gold jewellery so to get the perfect nail varnish colour I will be applying Revlon Gold Coin first which has great coverage and sparkle, but is a few shades too light, followed by a coat of No7 Hot To Trot, which is dark but not very thick.


I'm now off to apply my face mask and put my feet up before getting ready for the wedding this afternoon.


Have a lovely bank holiday weekend.

What's In My Bag?

A couple of years ago I used to have a different handbag for almost every outfit and was always misplacing my keys, purse and everything else, but as I've got older I've narrowed it down to two, a black bag and a brown bag. Sorted.

Since blogging I have become a lot more organised and I know where pretty much everything is and now that I have just two bags it's a lot easier to sort out what I need to take with me. Now of course some of these products do change depending on the weather, where I'm going and what I'm doing but here is a look in to the general bits and bobs that you would find in my handbag if you were to sneak a peak.

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The Essentials

So first of all I won't be going anywhere without my keys. Now these are just my house keys and for the purpose of a nice photo I removed my three photo keyrings, my cuddly unicorn and turtle key ring and my work keys. I have so many keyrings as they are all special to me and also because it makes finding my keys much easier.

Second is my purse, of course this is another must as without it I won't be going very far. When it comes to my purses I like them to be bright and have lots of different pockets so I was extremely happy when I was able to buy this Ralph Lauren one for just £30.

Right! I cannot state just how important it is to drink plenty of water throughout the day, especially when you're on the go. When I don't drink enough I get headaches and feel yucky which is why I always carry a bottle with me.

Eating regularly is also important and for me I like it to be something healthy and enjoyable which is why I love these nakd bars. I always make sure that I have one to eat in my bag as I get rather peckish when I'm out and if I don't eat I get very grumpy and begin to feel nauseous. 

I've always loved taking photos but since becoming a blogger I find it essential to have some form of camera in my hand at all times and well lets face it, iPhone cameras aren't the best and their storage is a joke which is why I like to take my Samsung digital camera with me wherever I go. It takes lovely photos whilst being small and light enough to go in most my bags. 

Now I never used to keep a hairbrush in my bag but as my hairs got longer it needs brushing that little bit more often especially on windy days so I now make sure I have a one in my bag at all times. This no tangles is my favourite as it gets the knots out quick and easy without damaging your hair.

Garlic, onion, salami.. possibly three of my favourite foods that seem to be in most of the meals I eat which is why I would be lost without my chewing gum. Garlic breath? No thanks!

Finally, after probably far to many years, I decided it was time to keep a pen with me at all times and now I don't know how I ever managed without one. Perhaps I should have listened to my Mum sooner.

My Makeup Bag

Being a girl the contents of my make up bag changes regularly but for me there are some things that are just a must. First is lipstick, an item which I am never without. My current favourite is Mac Cosmo as it goes with everything and keeps my lips looking hydrated all day. However, on some days my lips need that extra bit of moisture which is why I have Vaseline in almost every bag and coat pocket. Cocoa butter is my favourite! 

Next is my Rimmel bronzer and Elizabeth Arden blusher brush. I have used Rimmels bronzer since I have worn makeup and I love it just as much now as I did then. It's the perfect colour for me and I love that it's not to sparkly so it always looks natural making it suitable to be worn on bare skin and on top of foundation.

Since blogging I have started taking much better care of my skin and now I cannot be without a hand lotion and nail file. This particular hand lotion is by Molton Brown, it's a fantastic product and the bottle is just the size for my makeup bag.

Now I don't know about you, but I cannot think of anything worse than smelling which is why I take a miniature perfume with me wherever I go. At the minute I have been using this bottle of Marc Jacobs Daisy as it has such a lovely spring/summer scent.

Last but not least are bobbles and hair grips just because you never know when you're going to need them. I always make sure I have two bobbles and then just a few grips for any unruly pieces of hair.

This makeup bag is the perfect size for my things and was just £8 from next.

If We're Lucky

Living in England sunshine is not guaranteed, not even in summer, but on those days we're lucky enough to have even a minute of sun I will be there with my sunglasses! These ones are by Ralph Lauren and are probably my favourite as I don't think you can beat a tortoise shell frame.

What things do you keep in your bag?

Project: Organised.

Working, blogging, doing an NVQ, learning to drive, going to the gym, partaking in Zumba, seeing my family, friends and partner and getting some 'me time' is a lot to get done and though I do manage to juggle it all reasonably well, I decided it was time for me to get a bit more organised and stop flapping around in my 'organised chaos'.

This simple yet cute A4 notebook was just £5 from Tesco and they also have an A5 one for £4, I opted for A4 as I HATE having to fold nice crisp pieces of white paper. Grrr, one of my many niggles. This notebook caught my eye with it's bold title. I love the simplicity of the black and white with just that little pop of colour provided by the dividers, it's very me. I also love the fact that its a binder as it makes mistakes easy to remove, one pull and the page is gone. That's another thing I dislike, mistakes in my work! 

This notebook has a plastic front and back keeping it clean, tidy and free from tears and bends, it also has an elasticated fastening to keep everything together. It is divided in to 5 sections and each divider has a pouch so that you can keep any loose sheets in it as well. There is a good amount of lined paper in each section and at the back of the notebook is a plastic wallet with a zip where you could keep smaller pieces of paper, paper clips, post-it notes and perhaps your pen.

This is a fantastic notebook and I only have one complaint, and that is that the little cards that they provide you with keep moving around and look as though I may end up loosing them.

 If you want to stay organised and you like things neat and tidy this Project Notebook is definitely for you, I love it and am already finding it so handy. You can order yours online here.

How do you stay organised?

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?

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?

The Script ft Tinie Tempah.

Please excuse the terrible photo! It was freezing, windy, dull and well the iPhone 4 camera is pretty shocking haha, but not to worry you can still see what I'm wearing.

I absolutely love concerts and for me standing tickets are a must as I think you get the best atmosphere, unfortunately for me when I go in standing I get really hot so I have to dress like it's the middle of summer, not great when you're queuing for 45 minutes in the bitter cold wind. 

Ok, so this isn't a dress but when you're as short as me you can put a tube dress under almost any long top and your done. This particular dress/top is from ASOS and I just love the boxy boyfriend fit whilst the blouse like material allows for a sexier look. The black and white block colouring helps keep it smart-casual and also stops it looking too drab. 

Being short also means I have to wear heels so that I can actually see the stage and not just peoples backs, though to be honest I don't really mind. I love heels and because I tend to were dresses to concerts heels are a must for lengthening my legs. These heels are fantastic as they make me 6 inches taller whilst feeling like i'm only in 4 inch heels. This is due to the large platform and also the block heel, making these shoes great for dancing in. I finished off my outfit with my black tassel clutch, silver jewellery and softly curled hair that was guarenteed to last all night.

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Similar Dresses Here:

ASOS

Dorothy Perkins

Vero Moda @ ASOS

Mango @ ASOS

River Island

Similar Shoes Here:

River Island

ASOS

Daisy Street @ ASOS

Exact Bag Here:

NEXT

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This is the second time I have seen The Script in concert and once again they were fantastic, as was Tinie Tempah. I had an amazing time and will definitely be seeing them again.

Who do you like going to see in concert?

Hollywood Glamour.

Katy Perry Lovely Lolita Lashes, Boots£5.95 - Maybelline Rocket Volum' Express Mascara, Boots £7.99 - L'Oreal Super Liner, Boots £6.49 - 17 Brow Sculpting Pencil, Boots £2.89 - Sleek Make-up Brow Kit in Dark, Boots £8.49 - Old Mascara Brush - Versace Cystal Noir Miniture, Gift - Rimmel Stay Matte Primer, Boots £5.99 - Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation in 303 & 400, Boots £7.99 each - Rimmel Natural Bronzer, Boots £5.99 - Elizabeth Arden Brush & Other Brush, Prices Unknown - 17 Plum Puff Blusher, Discontinued - Rodial Stemcell Superfood Lipbalm, Debenhams £17 - Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+, Boots £29 - Elizabeth Arden Lip Pencil in Bare, Gift - MAC Lipstick in YASH, Mac Store, £15.50.

So tonight is my beautiful friend and work colleagues 30th birthday party and for this special occasion she is hosting an Oscar Awards Night themed party! That means beautiful dresses, stunning hair, glamorous make up and best of all, my boyfriend in a suit! I cannot wait!

When it comes to my hair I am very much a creature of habbit, scraped up or down naturally, not very glam! So for tonight I have treated myself to a french plait done at the hairdressers, that way I can have my hair off my face how I like it, but looking perfect for the theme of tonight.

For me, an up-do requires beautifully bold eyes, a slightly bronzed cheek and that perfect shade of nude lipstick.

My Routine For Tonight

I will first use the Clinique moisturizer on any areas of dry skin, only a small dot is needed as it spreads along way. I will then apply the Rimmel primer to my T-zone and eyelids. Now we're ready for the foundation. I use these two shades of Rimmels 25hour stay foundation so that I can highlight and contour (see image below). This long lasting foundation is brilliant if you're going to be out all night dancing as it doesn't budge! However, for young supple skin this foundation is perfect, it covers spots without that caked up look you might expect from a thick foundation yet stays quite dewy, unfortunately if you have very dry skin or in the words of my mum "old wrinkly skin" you may find this foundation to be too thick.

Eyes next. Create a bold, winged line with L'Oreals Super Eyeliner on your top lid (see image below for different styles to practice, I tend to do a mix of  1 & 5). This liner lasts all night and drys pretty fast. Once it's dry take the glue from Katy Perrys Lashes, included in pack, and apply to the line of the fasle eyelashes. Wait 20-30 seconds, for the glue to become sticky, then starting out the outside stick them down as close to the lash line as possible. I use a hair grip to help me press the corners down. I'm not one for dark kohl eyeliner on my bottom lashes so instead I use Rimmels brow pencil. I then use my Maybelline mascara to coat both my top and bottom lashes.

Only very recently have I started using Sleek Makeups Brow Kit and I am already in love. I start my brows by brushing them up and out with an old mascara brush, I then pluck any stray hairs with the mini tweezers. Next use the angled brush to line the bottom (and top if you desire) of your eyebrows from inside to out using the coloured wax, next give your brows a sweeping of the wax to fix them in place and then using the other brush dust over the coloured powder. For perfect shaped brows see the photo below.

Kissable lips. I apply a tiny bit of Rodial Stemcell Lipbalm to make my lips look softer and fuller, as well as moisturizing them, which in this weather is a must. Then using Elizabeth Ardens Lip Pencil in Bare, I line my lips to make them look fuller, fill in with MACs lipstick in Yash, kiss a tissue and my lips are done.

Finally, a sweep of Rimmels bronzer, where we used the darker foundation, a slight touch of 17 blush on my cheek bones for a natural rosy look and a spritz of Versace Crystal Noir and I'm ready to go!

I hope this was helpful. What are your favourite beauty products/tips?