Here it is, a long-time coming beauty on a budget post. I'm sticking with my trusty L'Oreal products of course, and reviewing this lovely BB Power that is part of the Nude Maqigue range (which I am slowly filling my make-up bag with).
This was a risky buy, but so far so good. Mostly I wanted to write this post after this handy little product survived a gruelling 9 hour Sunday in the restaurant, by far the most difficult test for any make-up!
I usually struggle to find powder because I don't like anything too heavy, but the softer and lighter you go, the more fluffy it can make your skin look. This one has a 5 in 1 factor though, and I think it was the combination of all these that won me over when I saw it in Boots, and also perhaps the bargain price (introductory offer of £5.49!) and the fact that I needed to use up some of my advantage card points.
I went for the medium shade, but there was also the option of light. I would usually go for light, but when I did a little test I think the darker shade blended better.
I'm really pleased with this actually. It does all of the things it says it will, and keeps me shine-free which is a problem I had before. Not to mention it seemed less obvious on my skin than my previous powders. It's definitely worth the price, even when the offer ends and it goes back up to £6.99.
What does everyone think? Can anyone recommend a good powder? I don't like to spend a huge amount on make-up (she says, even though I use Benefit primer & make-up brushes), so things like this are a lovely find!
Chet Faker.
I'm a little bit in love. Such a unique and raw voice. His music is really simple but totally mesmerising. No idea how I found him but it's all I can listen to right now. Go listen, I urge you!
Ilam in Derbyshire is my new favourite place! I haven't been as impressed by such gorgeous landscape in ages. Just my sort of place too - the whole place was wild but every now and again there would be an Austen-esq house in the middle of the woods or an old Church on the top of a hill.
I was hoping my terrible attempt at photography would do the talking for this post, Lord knows I don't want to ruin the scenery with blabbering. I will say though, that sometimes it's really lovely to be reminded that the Midlands, for all it's faults and my moaning about it, is actually a very beautiful place to live and I think I'm rather lucky to have this 40 minutes down the road. It's easy to forget where you are when you live there.
Highlight of the day has to be stumbling across a rather battered looking photo frame hanging from a low branch. I have absolutely no clue how long it's been there and why, but I'm always one to embrace a bit of surrealism when it comes my way.
I highly recommend a trip, if you have the wellies and walking coats available. It rained for the entire time we were out. Although I do think we picked the perfect season to visit, the colours and weather made the whole thing even more vivid. It's also given me the bug to find some other areas to get exploring - I've even invested in some Dr Martens (second hand, too poor for new of course) so that next time my lovely biker boots won't get so destroyed.
Has anyone else visited anywhere interesting recently?
Au revoir...
Au revoir! Laurie
This lady is an icon, and an underrated one at that. I wake up most mornings feeling disappointed that firstly, I'm not Stevie Nicks and secondly, there will never again be anyone like Stevie Nicks.
Called the 'Queen of Rock and Roll' by Rolling Stone - I cannot help but adore this woman. She's beautiful, and quirky, and seems to bring everything she possibly can to the table. I know a lot of people won't know who she is - although I'm sure most people know Fleetwood Mac - but she's a very interesting woman who's paved the way for a lot of other female artists as well as overcome personal battles like drug addiction and divorce.
Her inspirations were Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix, she's waited tables so that she could afford to write songs and wore platform boots so that she didn't feel small. She's just too cool. Her style is one I would kill for, although I don't know how she manages to pull it off. I only wish I could wear capes, lace and renaissance berets without looking like I'm too early for Halloween.
Anyway, there it is. Please go and listen to her music! Or buy a Fleetwood Mac album. Believe me, once you hear the intro to Edge of Seventeen you will never be the same again.
Just a quick update, my brother is home for half-term! It's only a few days, but I love having him around. We caught up over lunch at Wagamama's for a few hours this afternoon! Love this place, only topped by Tam PoPo in Manchester - which is where I discovered my love for Vietnamese food. Anything spicy and accompanied by noodles, good conversation and lots of laughter and I'm happy.
...that I often have to remind myself, I'm ONLY 22!
Every morning, at the very moment I open my eyes, I ask myself how I've let my life become so disorganised. And if it really is ok that I still live with my parents, have no money and generally don't leave my bedroom before midday. Generally speaking, these are the 6 things that pop into my head before I've had my cup of tea...
1/ Life is fleeting. Months keep passing me by, and I barely notice.
2/ There are lots of things I'm unsure of, and I don't know how to move on to the next stages of my life.
3/ A lot of my friends seem to have their lives organised - but mine only becomes more chaotic every day.
4/ I'm ambitious. But terrified of not achieving those things I want.
5/ I feel old before I'm meant to be - my idea of fun is tea and book based.
6/ CAREER! CAREER! CAREER!
Number six is the definite clincher.
These things became even more real to me when I cut down my hours at the restaurant - "But what are you going to do with all that time?", my manager said to me. It was a terrifying question. But I told myself, at no other time in my life will I get away with being so disorganised and unreliable, and I have so many years ahead of me to worry about all the other stuff that it would be silly to get bogged down in it now. These are my frivolous years of self discovery.
I recently decided I'm only going to focus on what I enjoy and experiment with all the different things I know I can be good at, and things I have yet to learn to be good at. I've been reading, blogging, watching films, rekindling old friendships (and new!), going to the theatre, hanging out with my younger sister and finding some 'me' time at last. Probably the most important thing is that I have finally committed myself fully to writing a novel, something that's been on the cards since I was a teenager. By my 23rd birthday (March 8th 2014), I want at least half of a book written, if not more! Failing that, I will put it on the back bench and (somehow) find myself a different career. Harsh, but necessary. I won't be admitting defeat, but I will be admitting that it's not right now.
So I'm going to be a bit poor from now on, and I'll probably end up living with my parents a little longer. But it's ok if I like putting my pyjamas on at 7pm, can only afford to buy all of my clothes off of EBay and my idea of a career is writing character outlines and plot summaries from my bed, because after all, I'm only 22.
So, here I am. A self-certified, happy-as-larry, twenty something mess. And I
love it.
The seasons are changing, and so once more is my wardrobe. I'm very good at changing my style with the weather. It's exciting really, the new colours and silhouettes and the different things that people start wearing. Anyway, this wish list pretty much sums up what I'm loving so far this Autumn. Midi lengths, cable knits, breton stripes and vintage florals with boyish chelsea boots to make it a bit more casual. I particularly like these items because they seem very versatile - I can imagine myself wearing these things layered up, or with skinny jeans that I already own.
My newest venture is to try and create a capsule wardrobe, so hopefully these key items will feature!
Also, must remember to buy lots of woollen tights and a boyfriend coat. It's definitely a 1940's meets 1920's feel for me this year.
What do you all think? Have you seen anything quirky in the shops this season?
Topshop has a few gems at the moment. Not usually a high street girl but they've won me over of course.
After having serious doubts about this new BBC Two Mini series, I've completely surprised myself. Peaky Blinders has had me absolutely gripped from the moment I started watching. In fact, I may even watch it again. I don't know if it's the stellar performance of every cast member, or the interesting setting and scenarios - but whatever it is, it's working. I'm won over whole heartedly.
It's focussed on the real-life Birmingham based Shelby family, also a notorious gang of the 1920's known as the 'Peaky blinders' - so called for the razor blades hidden beneath the peaks of their flat caps. Hooked yet?
When a truck load of guns and ammunition go missing, Detective Campbell (Sam Neil, whose Irish accent is phenomenal) is sent to Birmingham, a hotspot for Communists and IRA sympathisers, in an effort to retrieve the stolen weapons. This is bad news for the Shelby's - top dogs in their neighbourhood, with every copper on their payroll. They were once content to be illegal bookmakers, but since the war, they are suddenly finding their fingers in every pie.
There's Thomas Shelby (Murphy), the middle brother, with ambitions for his family, and dangerous schemes to keep them safe and to keep them together. Naturally things don't go his way, and this is only catalysed by his own haunting and emotionally crippling experiences in the trenches - experiences that he carries around constantly.
He is joined by a hardy band of characters; there is brawny Arthur Shelby , the eldest brother, feisty Aunt Polly, mysterious Irish barmaid Grace, wanted Communist Freddie Thorne and of course, our brutal Police Detective, Chester Campbell.
Ultimately this is a story about family, and hard men living in hard times in one of Britain's Industrial centres. 24 hours a day, hammers and smoke.
It makes for very interesting television - but hints at a dangerous era in British history; when political revolution really was on our doorstep, pre-marital pregnancy was social suicide and gang warfare was real, and necessary for survival. As entertaining as it is informative, it leaves a lingering feeling after every episode.
Don't get me wrong, there are moments where it's so ridiculous 'BBC-esq' that I want to punch the writers. Maybe a few too many mentions of 'when we were in France...' and some very stereotypical examples of sexism. But you get over it. Especially when you hear Cillian Murphy's Brummy accent and see his very convincing portrayal of family man and disturbed soldier. I've always been a fan of his, he has a way of interpreting every role he is in that I can't think he is anybody but the person he's meant to be. And yet, there's something so unique about him. Maybe it's those eyes, I'm a sucker for big eyes...
I truly recommend this. It has appeared on our screens quite suddenly and is ending already, so that I worry lots of people will have bypassed it completely! It's honest, and brutal, and very very vivid.
Oh and did I mention that the soundtrack is an amalgamation of pretty much every band Jack White has ever played guitar for? Yeah, this whole thing just got cooler.
So this is the view from my new room. I have ascended one more floor up into the attic room of the house, and get to look at this every morning (although this was taken in the evening, but you know what I mean). I could pretend that moving into the new room has taken up all of my time, hence the long wait for a new post on here, but that would be a lie. The answer is an easy one, I'm lazy. We all know it! I mean to do things, but it takes a long long time before they get done.
Anyway, less of the negative stuff. Here's a few more snaps of things now all my stuff is moved in...
It took me three coats of Jasmine White to cover the bright pink and blue my younger sister had done it, but finally, I got it all finished.
My bed has been squeezed into the corner under the window. With my wardrobe beside it in the only tall enough part of the room. There's a cube unit in an alcove about 2 metres deep and my bookshelf at the end of my bed.
I do so much here now, which is probably not too healthy. I've hung up fairy lights along the diagonal wall and pinned up some photos and quotes that make me think and give me a bit of well needed inspiration when I'm feeling empty. It's just perfect. I mean, I've banged my head a couple of times, but what's that compared with the ideal sleeping/working/living space?
It's absolutely great up here. I feel like I disappear into my own little place and don't have to worry at all about what's going on in the rest of the house. With the sloping ceilings and quirky shape, it's quiet and hidden and the perfect place for me to write!
I have to admit, it is a little bit cluttered - but that is probably owed to my inability to organise things rather than the size. I've managed to get everything put away though, and my bookshelf is alphabetised neatly (OCD?) and decorated with a few vintage books and my old typewriter (as shown in pictures).
I think I'll leave it at that now. Hopefully there'll be another post from me shortly, making up for lost time and all!
