It's a Sunday #02

Hello, it's been a while hasn't it? What a busy past few weeks I've had.

Before I went out to dinner with the boyf, I look slightly weird and fake... Oh well.

I went on holiday to Norfolk last week, it was lush. I've been holidaying in Norfolk for as long as I can remember. Sooo many memories there, we stayed in the center of Holt if any of you know the area?

I also went out for a lovely meal with the boyfriend and his family and their friends, it was such and good night and the food was amaaazing. Nom.

At Cromer, the waves were splashing up over the walls, see the person hiding in the hood? That's me... Getting wet. Useless coat.



This past week ssomething pretty momentous happened in my life. I started sixth form. This may seem like a normal thing to most people, but not to me. I haven't mentioned much about my life on this blog, but here's some info on me. For the past 5/6 years I've been ill and trying to recover from M.E. M.E is a really crappy illness. Everyone who has it, has different symptoms and suffers differently. I can't say 'when you have M.E you get this, this and this'. It doesn't work that way, I can only speak from my experiences. I started getting symptoms in year 3/4 of primary school, I kept getting tonsillitis (all the time, literally), my ligaments would tear for no reason, I'd get so freakishly tired, stuff like that. When I got into year 7 everything took a big turn for the worse, to cut a long story short, I ended up bedridden for pretty much a whole 2 years. I lost all contact with friends, my family kind of forgot I was there, I never took part in anything. I just sat in my room, in the dark, on my own. I could barely talk, move or eat. Now, the good thing about M.E is it wont kill you and it can go away. Which thankfully mine has, mostly anyway. But no, the shittyness doesn't stop there. I may be well again, but I missed my entire secondary school education and all the socialising that comes with being a teenager. Brilliant. Fortunately, I found that all the school worky stuff came quite easily to me. I managed to get all C's and a B which I am immensely proud of! But the big struggle I've been having is the social side of things. Being out of the loop for 2 weeks is bad enough let alone 5 years. My confidence with people is shot to bits. But I'm working on that. I really hope this doesn't sound like i'm moaning, cos I'm not. I feel so lucky to have gotten better.

Ooh also, as a reward for my exam results, I got the Naked palette... I'm in love to say the least! Can't believe it took me so long to get it!

How's your week been? :)

Thanks for reading.

Jess xx

MAC and Origins haul :)

Yesterday I said I had some shopping planned and well, here it is :). Let's start with my little Origins purchase...

I heard about this product ages ago and contemplated buying it, but didn't actually get it. When I watched Tanya Burr's skincare routine video the other day I decided to bite the bullet and get it. The reason I couldn't decide for so long was because of the price, £20.00 a pop isn't a bargain.

It says it is a refreshing eye cream to brighten and depuff. Sounds great to me. On the box it says the product was formulated without: Parabens, Phthalates, Propylene glycol, Mineral oil, PABA, Petrolatum, Paraffin, DEA, Synthetic frangrance and animal ingredients.

After my little splurge on the eye cream I went and had a bigger splurge at the MAC counter and the CCO. .. Hehe.

I got two eyeshadows from the MAC counter - Woodwinked and Mulch.

Woodwinked is a 'warm antiqued gold'. Such a gorgeous colour. Make's my green eyes really stand out. Looks gorgeous on its own or paired with another shadow. LOVE this!

Mulch is a 'red brown colour with a bronze pearl'. It's really beautiful. Looks lovely smudged into the lash line with espresso over the lid. It is darker than in the photo.




Then I stopped off at the CCO and raided their MAC stand. I got two eyeshadows, one pigment and a cream colour base.

The first eyeshadow I picked up was Kid, a 'beige cashmere' colour. It's similar to Omega but is slightly darker and warmer.



Then, I grabbed Scene, a 'muted blue-grey' colour. I'm gonna used it to create a wearable day to night smokey eye.

 All the eyeshadows cost me £9.50.

L-R Kid, Woodwinked, Mulch, Scene (with primer)

In the middle of my little eyeshadow frenzy, I spotted Vanilla pigment - so of course, I had to get that too!

Vanilla is a 'soft ivory white' colour and it's gorgeous! It's shimmery and just lovely :).

It would look divine on the brow bone as a highlight or in the inner corner :)

It cost me £15.50.

L-R not blended, blended  (with primer)

Last thing I got was a cream colour base in Shell, a 'soft shimmery pink-beige' colour.

 

It would look amazing as a highlight if you had a tan!

It cost me £13.50.

Thanks for reading!

Jess xx

It's a Sunday #01

My blonde is coming back...

So, this past week's been a bit manic.

We've had a Russian student staying with us for the past six weeks, I promised her that before she went home, I'd do her makeup for her. So I did.

Before                                 After

Bad quality photo's, but you get the idea. She wasn't used to wearing makeup, she looked so different :O. She went home today, It's gonna be so weird without her here, I'd gotten used to her!

Also, this week my dog had a hair cut. He looks such a cutie. He's had a super relaxing week bless him!

Could you get a more chilled out dog?

I've been so tired this week. Too much stress! I'm meant to be on my holidays! I've got lots of shopping planned for the next couple of weeks to take my mind off the dreaded exam results. I know I'm going to do terribly. I'd be happy to just pass to be honest!

How was your week?

Thanks for reading!

Jess xx

Material lovin'...

I've been loving blazers recently. This one from Topshop is gorgeous. I orded it off the website the other day and since i've got it, we've been inseperable.

Isn't it a beauty? I've been wearing it with leather panelled leggings and a black tank top or a ditsy dress with a skinny brown belt. It looks so cute, the colour is lush! I was inspired by Frankie Sandford, she's often seen wearing blazers.



What's your latest fashion staple?

Thanks for reading :)

Jess xx

July Favourites!

I've been a bit MIA on the blogging front recently, been very busy with my family. My Great Nan unfortunately passed away last week, at the grand age of 97. Her birthday was in September, she was so close to 98! I'm so proud of her, she was the center of our family, she'll always be remembered for her grace, her love for her family and how she always smelt of lavender :).

On a cheerier note, I have also been tinkering about with makeup as usual and fallen have in love with a few products this month. First off the beauty products...

Last month, I was addicted to using Clinique's Bottom Lash Mascara. The wand is sooo tiny and makes your bottom lashes appear super long and defined. It lasts for ages without smudging too! Mine is in Black. It cost me £10.00 - bargain for what it is, i think!

Next up, is Jemma Kidd's Hi-Shine Silk Touch Lipgloss in Coral. I really love this lipgloss, its soft, smooth and just plain lovely. The colour is perfect for summer and the packaging is gorgeous. And to top it all off? I got it free in Red magazine a little while ago. It retails at £14.00.

I've been loving pastel nail polishes for while now but last month I became hooked. Especially to this one, Barry M's Nail Paint in Mint Green. It looks so summery and pretty. It cost me £2 :).

  

VO5's give me texture instant oomph powder is amazing. I have been LOVING this. My hair is naturally poker straight, thin and pretty lifeless. But, one shake of this product into my roots and a quick ruffle - my hair is volumized and poofy. One downside to this product, once you've used it you can definitely feel the product in your hair. Personally I couldn't leave my hair for a day or two without a wash if I could feel product in my hair. So, for those of you who wash your hair every few days, I wouldn't recommend it. But it's perfect for adding oompf for a night out. It cost me £4.00.

Now for some non-beauty favourites...

Bookwise, i've been loving Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I decided to re-read it before the film came out, which leads me to my favourite film of July... I freaking loved Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2!!!! I love all the Harry Potter books and films, to be truly honest, I have a bit of an obsession with them :).

Musicwise, i've been listening to quite a lot lately but mainly Ten Thousand Voices. They're seriously awesome. I'm a bit of a metal head so they're maybe not to everyone's taste but their talent is obvious :) My boyfriend happens to be part of this band (he's one of the guitarists), i'm sure they'd all be very grateful if you'd take a look... http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Ten-Thousand-Voices/208001005903700

Foodwise, i've been munching on Party Rings. Probably too much, but oh well.

Thank you for reading!

Jess xx

The reason I was absent... :)

Thought I would just do a quick post to show you my holiday :) I went to Devon with my boyfriend and his family :). Here are a few snaps...

There was lots of sheep at the place we were staying, they were sooo cute! Noisy neighbours though!

Relaxing in the pool :) this is the bikini I featured in a previous haul :)

We went to the beach for the day and James (my beau) went surfing. This photo makes me laugh, looks like he's posing.

The weather was gorgeous but I got horrible sunburn :(

  

James having a nice cold beer :)

We also went clay pigeon shooting but I wasn't very good. The guns were so heavy!

It was so nice to relax and do nothing after all my exams, I kept having midday naps for a few hours a day, I was so tired. Now I'm back in the swing of things and I've got more time on my hands to spend on my blog :) Thank you for everyone who 'followed' me while I was away. I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who has followed me, I'm so close to 100 followers and I thought I might get 10 or so! Blimey. I'm so grateful to all of you :).

Thank you for reading :)

Jess xx

FOTN: At the races...

I'm  sorry for not blogging this past couple of weeks, I've been really busy! I finally finished my exams!!! I also went on holiday :). Anyway, as a celebration of my year group finishing our exams, our school took us to the races because we don't get a prom. This is the makeup I did for it...

Face
Estée Lauder double wear foundation
MAC studio finish concealer
Sleek blush in rose gold
Bourjois Delice de Poudre bronzer
MAC mineralize skinfinish in soft and gentle

Eyes
Urban Decay primer potion
MAC omega eyeshadow
Dark brown colour from Sleek Chaos palette
Light pink glitter
Girls Aloud 'Kimberly' lashes cut in half
Benefit bad gal mascara
MAC smoulder eye kohl
MAC espresso (to fill in my brows)

Lips
MAC hue lipstick
Topshop lip glaze in frostbitten

Me and my boyf  all glammed up!

Thank you for reading :)

Jess xx

What shall I do with my hair?!

I'm having a problem. My hair is horrible. It's in terrible condition from me bleaching and dying it. I'm going to sixth form in September and I feel my hair needs a change. Here are some photos of my previous hair styles... (some of these photos are really old by the way).

My natural hair colour... I think. This photo was taken about 3-4 years ago.

Next was my bleaching stage. Well, this killed my hair. Originally the underneath of my hair was black but then faded to brown. At the time I loved it, looking back I think it looks horrible on me!

   

Then I went red. The photo doesn't show how red I really was. It was like a rich red colour but in the light it looked bright red. The colour was beautiful but I didn't keep dying it as I knew i'd be going to sixth form and the sixth form i'm going to doesn't allow extreme hair styles/colours.

The most recent photo of me. Please excuse the makeup, was playing about recreating the Geordie Shore look for a laugh. As you can see my hair is not red anymore but has slight reddish tones. I haven't dyed my hair at all since I went red so the colour I have now is a mixture of faded red and platinum blonde.

Also, my hairstyle has stayed pretty consitent through the years. I have fine hair and hardly any of it. It's also naturally straight, so getting volume in my hair is a bit of a pain. It's also damaged from me bleaching my hair for a year.

What do you guys think? What should I do with my mop. As I already said, the sixth form I will be attending in September doesnt allow extreme hair styles or colours. Im stuck in hair hell!

Thank you for reading :)

P.S sorry for my lack of posts, I have more posts planned for the next few days!

Jess xx

MAC Haul :)

So, yesterday I went to my local MAC counter and had a bit of a splurge. MAC is expensive but worth it. You pay more for a better product (generally), better packaging (usually) and better costumer service (hopefully). Don't get me wrong, I love a bargain but I also love the high end make up because I feel you generally get what you pay for. And anyway, Nars is more expensive that MAC... (i'm making excuses to try and make myself feel better about my devilish shopping spree). Enough with my ramblings, this is what I got :) 

 First off I brought 4 new eyeshadow pans and a quad palette.

Top row L-R: Vanilla, Omega.

Bottom row L-R Soba, Espresso.

Each eyeshadow was £9.50 and the palette was £6.50.

I chose these colours so I can create natural, subtle eyes for sixth form. Omega on the lid, Soba in the crease, Espresso in the outer corner & in the brows and Vanilla in the inner corner and on the brow bone as a highlight.

L-R Vanilla, Omega, Soba, Espresso.

I also got Hue lipstick and Love Nectar lustreglass.

Hue is a pretty soft pale pinkish colour, It's a glaze finish which means it is very sheer. It was £13.50 which really isnt a bad price for a high end lipstick.

L-R Hue lipstick, Love Nectar lustreglass.

Love Nectar is a soft apricot pink with gold flecks in it. It is such a beautiful colour and looks gorgeous over Hue lipstick, It cost me £12.50.

The applicator is a small brush, It works well for precise application.

Finally, I got the 217 brush. This is by far the best blending brush I own, It's fluffy but quite flat so it sits nicely in the crease. Works wonders with creating a cut crease look :)

It cost me £15.00.





I hope you like my haul, thank you for reading :)

Jess xx

Free benefit products with Glamour magazine!

 Glamour magazine are giving away a selection of three sample size benefit products with every magazine this month! Each mag either contains bene tint, posie tint or high beam. I went on a mission to find any that were left, I managed to grab one of each. The packaging's a little damaged but that didn't bother me! As you can see, each mag is worth £2, I don't think that's bad for a magazine with a high end sample size beauty product included! The only downside, to get all three you have to buy the same magazine three times. But oh well, I'm sure mums, sisters or friends wouldn't mind a free magazine!

Highbeam luminescent complexion enhancer

Full size price - £18.50

Benetint rose tinted lip and cheek stain

Full size price - £24.50

Posietint poppy pink tinter lip and cheek stain
Full size price - £24.50

In this photo I have mixed posietint and benetint for my lip colour, I used posietint on my cheeks and I used highbeam to highlight my cheek bones :)

So go and check your newsagents to see if theres any left!

Thank you for reading!

Jess xx