Let's Talk Hair

Hey Everyone!

A while ago I posted about how I wanted long locks à la Kendall Jenner and I thought I'd give you all a little update. So far, my hair has grown a lot. I'm aiming for my hair to be 

about a hand length longer than my chin when its in a high pony. My hair grows pretty quickly so I think that will be around autumn/ winter of this year. 

You may also remember this post before Christmas about my subtle ombre. Well, at the weekend I had that again, so now its like subtle x2 lol. Its still not very noticeable unless you're looking for it, its as if its been lightened by the sun. I was however impressed with how long the original lasted, in fact it seemed to get a bit lighter as time went on. I'm now about 3/4 shades lighter at the bottom than the top, but I don't want to go any further as I think I will enter ginger territory (no offence, that's just my undertones).

I hope this post hasn't been too boring for you, I felt like I've kind of just droned on and on, maybe you were wise and just had a quick look at the picutures- I just hope you weren't too scared by my makeupless face!

What length do you like your hair and why?

I'm posting everyday at 6.00pm this week: let me know in the comments if you would like me to post at set times like this more often :)

FOTD: Something Different

Hey Everyone!

After shopping my stash (Monday's post), I decided to get out of my daily makeup rut (can it be called a rut if you like what your using?) and switch up my FOTD on Saturday. I did something I never do and used products I have either given up on or forgotten about and tried to make them work.

Products:

Clinique Almost Makeup

This was the first foundation I ever got and wore it everyday for ages. I thought if I loved it then, maybe I can still love it? WRONG. First thing I didn't like- it didn't sink into my skin very well using a brush and I had to revert to my hands which I don't like doing. Another problem was the orange face white neck situation- eek. It has quite a nice smell but that's about the only think I liked.

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

10/10 as always- I don't use any other concealer.

MUA Cream Blush in Dolly

I got this for Christmas and can't believe how long its taken me to try it! I'm not going to say a lot as I'll do a full review soon but I really like the colour and it blends well. 

You may also notice a pearly eyeshadow- its from Accessorize and I used it as a highlighter. It didn't show up very well- I think it should stick to its day job.

Fearne Day Compact Eyeshadow

A kind of meh product. It will do if there's nothing else but its not very pigmented.

Clinique Cream Shaper for Eyes

Using this had completely confirmed my hate for pencil eyeliners. In general they're just so much effort for a bland result.

MUA Extreme Felt Liner

This saved the day for this FOTD, but it isn't as 'juicy' or black as I'd like it to be- I think I'll just stick to my usual liquid liner.

Clinique High Lengths Mascara

The whole face was worth it for rediscovering this one product! I LOVE THIS! It apply's so easily- literally a few strokes gives luscious lashes. It gives great length as well as volume and the shape of the wand is so convenient. And it comes off so easily :) I think this is my second favourite mascara (first is still They're Real!)

MaxFactor Silk Gloss

I am really not a lip gloss fan, but this one is an exception. The smell makes it worth it. I am hopeless at describing smells but its just really sweet and yummy! It gives a slight pink tint and a whole lot of shine.

I'm overall really glad I done this mix-it-up FOTD. Its allowed me to discover products I forgot about: MUA Cream Blush, Clinique High Lengths Mascara and MaxFactor Silk Gloss as well as reminding me why I don't use some products like Clinique Almost Makeup and pencil eyeliners. Its also made me appreciate my everyday products and makes me think I've actually got a great selection at the moment.

I'm posting everyday at 6.00pm this week: let me know in the comments if you would like me to post at set times like this more often :)

My Go To Hairstyle: Voluminous High Ponytail (Ft. My Onesie!)

Hey Everyone!

Of my whole presentation, my hair is the thing I spent least time on, as its probably what I enjoy doing least. I'm forever on the hunt for quick, easy dos that look as if I've put in a bit of effort. Inspired by Zoella's second signature barnet (the first being a messy bun), I have been wearing this a lot lately. I can't even begin to express how easy this is- it takes under a minute. 

1. Sleep with your hair in double looped pony bun. I tend to do this if I haven't washed my hair that night. I do a double looped pony bun (tie as if putting a pony in then only pull half the loop through then twist and half that) because I have naturally straight hair, if you have curly hair already you don't need to do this.

2. This is what my hair looks like after sleeping in the top knot- yours may be different but its about working with your natural hair.

3. I brush my hair through so its not too crazy.

4. Flip over and gather your hair at the top of the back of your head.

5. Tie with a bobble (I use the ones without the metal bits as they break your hair).

6. Use a comb to sleek back flyaways and stop your hair going that 'bitty' way if its not been washed.

7. You might want to slightly tease the base of the pony tail.

8. & 9. The finished result!

This is my go to, roll out of bed and out the door style. It actually takes less time than wearing natural hair down, which is super quick. 

Let me know if you like these kind of tutorials, the messy bun one I done months ago seemed to be quite popular. 

P.S Hope you don't mind the onesie and no makeup- it was a lazy day :P

I'm posting everyday at 6.00pm this week: let me know in the comments if you would like me to post at set times like this more often :)

Shopping the Stash

Hey Everyone!

In this post I talked about how I sorted through all my make up and chucked out the stuff I don't need/ use any more. As I was doing that, I found a selection of products that were hiding at the bottom of my makeup bag which I had forgotten about and deserved more love. Instead of going out and buying new products, I have delved into what I already have. 

Clinique Cream Shaper for Eyes

MaxFactor Limited Edition Silk Gloss

Clinique High Lengths Mascara

MUA Extreme Felt Liner

MUA Lip Gloss

These products have been rotated into my everyday makeup stand and I'm excited to see how I get on. I like shopping my stash because you get similar excitement of new stuff but it doesn't cost and you rediscover things you had forgotten. 

Have you shopped your stash lately?

I'm posting everyday at 6.00pm this week: let me know in the comments if you would like me to post at set times like this more often :)

The Sunday Post #5

Hey Everyone!

My Life

Well I've been back at school which is not the most fun thing in the world. I have heaps to do already. I'm pretty stuck for ideas for a creative/ reflective piece I've to write for Monday so I think I'll be spending a fair amount of time on that today. I had a quiet weekend, just got my hair done (see upcoming post) and watched some Saturday night tv (Ant & Dec Saturday Night Takeaway is back YAYYY!). 

Update

I've been loving the consistency of posting everyday at 6pm so much that I'm going to extend it into this week too- yay! I've actually got pretty organised on my blog lately- I've taken all my pictures, came up with ideas and written a good chunk of posts at the weekend then just finish them off through the week. I've also been regularly contributing to the #bbloggers chats which I love as I get to talk to heaps of lovely bloggers as well as getting Julz' Obsessions 'out there'. 

Weekly Favourite

I have gained an unhealthy obsession with One Direction. I am honestly head over heels! Its safe to say my friends and family alike judge me, but I don't care- they're great. I've listened to their new song for literally hours, just playing it over and over again. I'll embed the video so you can watch it if you haven't :)

How has your week been? Who is your favourite in One Direction? Mine is Zayn *swoons* then Louis.

Out With The Old...

I'm posting everyday at 6.00pm this week: let me know in the comments if you would like me to post at set times like this more often :)

Hey Everyone!

With spring just around the corner (kind of), its time for reorganisation and clear outs. Having tackled my wardrobe, I thought it would be fun to go through all my makeup: cleaning, rotating and chucking! I shopped my stash and have rediscovered products that have been hiding at the bottom of my makeup bag, gave everything a good clean and parted with the products that I don't like and will never use or are finished. I am quite a hoarder with makeup, adopting the 'I'll use it one day' mentality but since my collection is growing I want to ensure I like and use everything I have. I thought that today I would show you what I let go and the reason I did so! 

 Firstly, Stila powder and tinted moisturiser. You may remember the crazy time a few months ago when every blogger and their mum was running out to Poundland because for a short time they stocked Stila. I later found out on a channel 4 documentary that Stila had no knowledge of Poundland selling their cosmetics and the products were at least 8 years old. Eek. They lay in my drawer for ages and I finally said to myself I was never going to use them because of the scandal and they weren't the right colour anyway.

Along the same lines is the Chit Chat Juicy Lipstick which I actually quite liked but I'm chucking as I'm now pretty cautious of Poundland makeup altogether.

The Bourjois Flower Perfection Foundation, Tea Tree Stick, Rimmel Stick Concealer, Sweet Jelly Lipgloss and Clinique Face Wash are all either so old they must be growing new life or are just finished.

I was actually preparing for another round of L'Oreal Telescopic in my current makeup but it smelled really funny so I thought it was time to say bye.

Finally, the MUA primer and MUA stick concealer were only used once or twice but in my opinion did nothing for me and there is no point hanging onto them if I'm never going to use them.

So there we have it! I think its really important not to hoard makeup for months and months (or maybe even years eek!) as it does have a shelf life (although I myself am often guilty of using a product longer than I should). Not only does it free up room in your makeup bag, but decreases the guilt that comes with that new purchase!

I Love Stationery!

I'm posting everyday at 6.00pm this week: let me know in the comments if you would like me to post at set times like this more often :)

Hey Everyone!

In keeping with expanding my blog themes, I thought I'd tell you about another obsession I have: stationery! During the #bbloggers twitter chat on Sunday I was very inspired by @_noire by her love for notebooks. She said how she always has a notebook to hand to scribble down ideas and I think this is lovely and I would quite like to try something similar. The pretty notebooks above are currently written in very little (anyone else do that- start one and never finish it?). My plan is to use the spotty one for lists, which I began doing in summer but never continued it and the bird cage one as a journal. The other two I'm not quite sure about yet, any ideas?

I also love stationery for the fact that it can be just as cute and pretty as makeup and decor. Take the rainbow pens in the first picture for example- these look amazing on display and they're amazing for mind maps. Also, how cute is this mini pink essentials kit? 

I realise this is an extremely random post, but I sometimes think its important to appreciate the small things in life, and wanted to share with you one of those!

What sort of creative, inspiring, wonderful things do you write down?

FOTD: Purple/Grey Smokey Eye & Rose Lips

I'm posting everyday at 6.00pm this week: let me know in the comments if you would like me to post at set times like this more often :)

Hey Everyone!

When the stress of studying hits, one of the most enjoyable parts of the day becomes doing my makeup (is that sad?) This is one of my favourite makeup looks at the minute: a subtle smokey eye and muted pink lips.

What I'm wearing:

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation

Bourjois Rose D'Or Blush

MUA Undressed Eyeshadow Palette

No7 Amazing Eyes Liquid Liner

L'Oreal Telescopic Waterproof Mascara

MAC Plumful Lipstick

MUA Shade 9 Lipstick

This look is pretty simple but I think its really nice and is the beginnings of my winter makeup turning into spring. 

What kind of makeup look have you been wearing lately?

DIY Personalised Storage Box

I'm posting everyday at 6.00pm this week: let me know in the comments if you would like me to post at set times like this more often :)

Hey Everyone!

I'm a bit of a magazine hoarder, I still had all the magazines I'd bought in 2012 in my drawer, continuously telling myself one day I might read them again. A few nights ago, while watching Bridget Jones Diary, I decided to be creative and cut out pictures I liked and make a collage box using an old shoe box.

I went for anything I liked the look of really, focusing mainly on makeup, celebs and fashion, with other bits and bobs in there too (including Mean Girls because let's face it, when you know the movie off by heart you can't not include it). I also used a few quotes and made my name. I glued each image to the box covering the entire surface area then at the end I went over everything with sellotape to make sure edges were secured.

I'm really pleased with the final result I can't believe one of my DIYs have actually been successful! I think I'm going to make it a memory box but you could really use it for anything.

What do you think? Will you be giving it a go?

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation Review

Hey Everyone!

I'm sure you've already read a lot about Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation, but since I got this for Christmas and have been using it more or less everyday since, I thought I'd throw in my tuppence. 

I actually tried this months ago as a sample came free with ELLE magazine and I had a pretty bad experience. A colour that was way too dark + an extremely generous sample = disaster. I was firmly put off. However, now I have Ivory - shade 100 which I think is the lightest available. The fact that it actually matches my skin gives me a much better judgement of how good it is! 

Firstly, I really like the bottle as its glass rather than plastic which gives it a more expensive feel and really sharp and eye catching with the orange lid. The consistency is really smooth and pretty liquidy (liquidy isn't a word but you know what I mean!) and gives a light coverage. I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting with the name 'Wake Me Up', but thankfully it doesn't scream and pour freezing cold water on you at 6am but leaves your face noticeably radiant. It's very brightening and perfect for early mornings. 

What I was most concerned about when trying this foundation was the glitter flecks through it. I was relieved to discover that you can only see slight shimmer if a really bright light is shining on your face. For this reason, I would recommend it as an ideal winter foundation, though I'm not sure how well it would fare in summer (in Scotland it would probably work all year round!)

Something which is annoying about this foundation is that is doesn't stay in place all day. It transfers quite easily (hello glittery hands) and tends to gather in some areas of my face by the end of the day. I have went back to Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation on the odd day and I notice how well it stays in place compared to Wake Me Up, although it isn't as brightening.

Overall, for the price and visible complexion enhancing payoff, I would say this foundation is definitely worth a go, though I think I will revert to Lasting Finish when this runs out!

The (Belated) Sunday Post #4

I'm posting everyday at 6.00pm this week: let me know in the comments if you would like me to post at set times like this more often :)

Hey Everyone!

My Life

I never got around to doing a Sunday post yesterday but I thought I'd still do it despite the fact its Monday. So what's been going on with me? Well I've basically had the whole of the last week relaxing which has been amazing. Today is where all the hard work starts again *cry*. 

Update

I'm thinking the old blog header needs a bit of a revamp. I was thinking about changing the whole layout but at this stage I've messed around with the HTML so much that there is no return. 

I'd also like to say hello to my 8 new followers *waves*. I've been loving the #bbloggers chats on twitter (I've actually had time to join both of them this week)- they're so inspiring and you get chatting to lots of like minded people as well as discovering heaps of new blogs. Although last night I couldn't tweet for an hour because apparently I went over my daily tweet limit- thanks for that twitter.

Weekly Favourite

On Saturday I had a little catch up day with two friends and we went to Costa and I discovered a delicious new drink which is going to be this week's favourite. Its called Iced Lemonade and you can also get strawberry but I prefer the original! It was really nice and cosy having a chat there- although something extremely weird happened- a guy over in another table was drawing me -  what the heck?!

How has your week been?

My First MAC Purchase! Lustre Lipstick in Plumful

I finally done it- I finally got something from MAC- wooo! Despite the never ending recommendations I read in posts or get on twitter, I actually went in completely clueless. All I knew was I wanted a lipstick. I spoke to a woman (I am actually getting worse at speaking to women at makeup counters as time goes on!) and asked her to recommend a few shades that were non-drying, added colour to lips but were still wearable on an everyday basis and had tones to match my colouring and not make my teeth look yellow. Haha I didn't ask for much! From the shades she selected for me, I was immediately drawn to Plumful- a muted crimson. I tried it on after she sanitised it (I was pretty impressed that they do that!) and I decided I really liked it. It came in at £14 - which compared to my usual £1-a-pop MUA lipsticks, was extortionate. However, I think the price is completely justifiable given the amazing quality.

Firstly, the packaging is so high quality- classic MAC- black with silver sparkles, a rounded top and MAC written in silver. There is something all-too-satisfying about the 'click' the lid makes. It has a strong vanilla smell, something which I'm not completely in love with, but it reminds me of traditional ladies' lipsticks from when I was younger, so I can live with it.

I think the actual stick of product looks darker than how it applies which is a dark rose with slight purple/brown tones. It has a very smooth application, and has quite a balmy, satin texture. In hindsight I'm so glad I got the Lustre finish as it isn't at all drying yet I still get good colour pay off. Lasting power isn't great though- maybe a few hours.

I absolutely love this lipstick. Its the perfect wear-with-anything lipstick. Its neutral enough to wear on a day to day basis but bold enough so its obvious you have something on your lips.

I have also found that it pairs really well with a few of my other lip products. It becomes more metallic and rose brown with MUA shade 9 over the top (featuring in an upcoming FOTD post) and gives a shiny hot pink pay off with Sexy Mother Pucker over the top.

MAC Plumful with S&G Sexy Mother Pucker over the top.

Overall I'm really glad I bought this and I'm excited to get lots of wear out of it!

Have you tried Plumful?

Life's Little Luxuries... Pip Studio @ Amara.co.uk

Hey Everyone!

This evening I'd like to introduce you to a wonderful online gift and home accessories store- amara.co.uk. If like me you are a sucker for luxury items and unique designs, you may kick yourself (as I did) for not discovering it sooner. 

Amara was created in 2005 by Interior Designer Sam Hood and sells an array of designer brands including Missoni, Cath Kidston, Ralph Lauren and much more, meaning you'll never fail to find the perfect gift. 

When I was contacted about featuring one of their brands 'PiP studio' on Julz' Obsessions, of course I was delighted. The day after my parcel was sent out, I had a knock at the door (never leaped out of bed quicker!) from DPD courier service. This is the best online delivery I've experienced to date- I even got a text to let me know when it would arrive.

Its safe to say that the PiP studio range is every girly girl's dream. Its a vintage-inspired explosion of pretty florals, bright colours. With a motto like 'Happy products for happy people,' its hard not to like it! What's even better is that because the brand isn't that widely known (to my knowledge), its unique, and you can be that one person who has the amazing home decor that no one else does- a theme that runs with most of Amara's brands. 

Firstly, I received Flowers in the Mix Filler Cushion*. I think we should just take a moment to appreciate how darn pretty it is. This cushion instantly fuses a vintage chic style into a room. Its really sturdy (exactly as a cushion should be) and is great quality- from the stitching to the material. The main colours are pink and green which coordinate with my room perfectly yet the aqua and yellow harmonise with it beautifully also. I really like the contrasting rim- I'm actually tempted to draw it in a notebook or something-its so creative. To be honest I never realised how such different designs would work so well together.

Next is the Flowers in the Mix Bolster Cushion*. This is a longer, more 'pillowy' cushion. It is the snuggliest thing ever- it just moulds around you and you sink into it. It is the same lovely fabric as the filler cushion and again, I think the bold, contrasting fabrics really compliment each other. Also, weird observation- the drawstring side will make it really easy to wash. I am currently sitting on my bed with my back against this cushion and it is so comfy- it will definitely be my travelling accompaniment from now on.

I think the cushions look amazing against both plain background and with clashing florals. Who would have though two simple cushions could improve my bed in such a way? If your looking to revamp your room but aren't up for a full decor change, add a few of these gorgeous cushions and taadaa- room transformed. 

I think these cushions are gorgeous additions to my room, even if I do say so myself, and I have definitely discovered a new obsession with PiP studio @ Amara! Even my mum is head over heels- I have already had to take them back after she sneaked them into her own room, which makes me think- Amara really have succeeded in stocking the perfect gifts- Mother's day is soon after all!

Do you have anything from PiP studio or Amara? Aren't these cushions just the prettiest things you've ever seen?