#BEDN - 10 Things

I wasn't going to do this post as I thought it would be too similar to my 'Introductions' post, but then I thought it would be fun to set myself the challenge of attempting to write 10 things about me. Some of these things I will have mentioned, others I won't have. Here goes; 


1) I am obsessed with 'The Sims'. Not so much Sims 1, but Sims 2 and 3, I have every expansion pack. I've said previously I'm a nerd, so do not say you weren't warned. Next year, Sims 4 comes out and no matter how much it costs, I will be having it. Watch this space. 

2) I love baking - but I am awful at it. I have several cookery books, of which I have probably used less than 5 times. I wish I had more patience and could create beautiful little cupcakes or things with the word 'creme' in them. But I don't and I can't. Sad times. 

3) I'm afraid of pretty much everything; the dark, spiders, the future. Everything.

4) Following on from 3, I have panic attacks in my sleep. I've never had one during awake hours but at night, occasionally the boy has to wake me up because I'm hyperventilating, or punching him in an attempt to get him to wake me up. Not nice.

5) I am the eldest of 3, I have a younger brother and a younger sister. 

6) I am terrible at all sports.

7) Funnily enough, I actually love swimming and the gym. I love running (granted I am awful at it, again proving number 6) but I feel amazing after a good gym work out or swimming session.

8) I love children. Up until the age of about 7 and then I'm pretty sure an evil switch is turned on in their brains. I cannot wait to have my own family and have little Charli's running round. (Oh, God).

9) I'm seriously claustrophobic.

10) Since I started this blog, I have been a much happier, more positive person. Even though not many people may read my posts, I'm enjoying having a place where I can come and write pretty much whatever I feel like writing.  

(One of my all-time favourite films, that reminds me of this post)

10 Things I Hate About You

#BEDN - The Skincare Post;

As most of you know, I'm a newbie to the world of beauty. Well, not a newbie, but I don't have much experience in doing anything other than slapping on a bit of mascara and foundation. If I'm being totally honest, I'm also a newbie to skincare. Apart from make-up wipes, I do nothing for my skin and then I wonder why it's always so awful.

I have combination skin. It gets really, really oily so sometimes I steer clear of products because I'm worried it will make my skin even more greasy. But a lot of the time, my T-Zone is seriously dry and especially in my eyebrows (does anyone else have this problem?! Please let me know!).

So after doing a bit of research and watching a few YouTube skincare routines, I decided to start an evening routine. I have NO time in a morning at the moment to do anything except wipe off the excess make-up that wasn't taken off the night before, so I'm leaving mornings for now.

Simple Moisturising Facial Wash - I have used Simple products before, I have one of their moisturisers that I'm not currently using. I picked this up because my usual 'routine' is; take make-up off with make-up wipes, bed. Occasionally slap on a bit of moisturiser. I don't even wash my face (apart from in the bath/shower), how bad is that?! So I chose this because I have quite sensitive skin and although it's oily, it doesn't take a lot to dry it out, so I wanted something that wouldn't irritate my skin. You're supposed to use this twice a day, but like I say I've only been using it in the evening and to be honest, I think once a day is enough.

The Body Shop, Aloe Calming Facial Cleanser & Aloe Calming Toner- I have never used a cleanser or a toner in my life and there are way too many to choose from. Why can't shops just make it easy for me and either tell me what to use, or just give me a choice of like, 2 things. But anyway, I walked into The Body Shop for a specific make-up remover and came out with these. The lady in the shop helped me out and told me I was supposed to use the cleanser first, followed by the toner (which I did actually know, but I let her ramble on) and that if I have sensitive skin, Aloe would probably be best for me. I haven't heard many people mention The Body Shop, which is a shame because I actually really like their products and they have a HUGE skincare range that I don't think people even know about.

So, those were the 3 products I picked up to start off my evening routine. I didn't want to start applying too many things at once and irritate my skin or make it any worse than it actually is. So I use the face wash, followed by the cleanser and toner and I'm not using a moisturiser at the moment. I'd just like to mention, that I've done this only 3 nights in a row so far and I have already noticed a massive difference. My skin has literally never been so soft, and my spots have started clearing up straight away and I honestly think that is JUST because my make-up is being removed properly, rather than being smeared all over my face with a wipe. I do still use wipes for my eyes because I get a bit funny about putting stuff on or around my eyes.

Woah, this was longer than I wanted it to be! I will be giving you an update in about a month to let you know whether these worked long-term or whether I'm wanting to try something else! Or add something else!

What skincare products do you use/recommend?

- Charli, xo

#BEDN - Bonfire Night

So, we are only five days into November, but I can already say this month is going to be one of my favourite months of 2013, if not the best. I have so much planned, I literally don't think I'm going to have a chance to just stop and take it all in. 

As you all know, tonight is Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes Night, whichever you prefer to call it. Basically it is the night where the sky is filled with beautiful lights and the air smells like toffee apples and burning bonfires. It is one of my all time favourite 'holidays' but unfortunately this year, as with Halloween, I will be sat at home in my pyjamas  This is probably the first year in a great number that I have done nothing for Bonfire Night. But there just isn't much happening round here! 

So I am going to make the most of having a moment to stop and think, sit at home and watch the fireworks from my window and make plans for next year. 

(I did not take any of these pictures)

I hope you all have a wonderful evening.

#BEDN - Lush - The Melting Snowman

 (I did have pictures by my Iphone is playing up) 

I was going to save this guy till after Christmas, seeing as he's a 'melting' snowman and would be a good last Christmas Lush post, but he's too cute and I just had to try him out. I've actually only used one bath melt before which was the 'Mmmelting Marshmallow Moment' which I adored because it smelt like, well, marshmallows. Beautiful. So anyway, I gave this little guy a go this evening.

What Lush say; 

Exquisitely fragranced with Hot Toddy, a favourite blend from Christmas past containing cinnamon, clove, patchouli, benzoin, lime and sweet wild orange oils. But if it isn’t enough to smell of one of our most popular Christmas fragrance - he’s also got a body made of water softening bicarb of soda, cocoa butter and Shea butter. All these wonderful butters melt into your bath water, leaving you soft and moisturised. His legacy is your great skin, which means he lives on in the memory of all who knew him.

Okay, so this was a bit of a let down. For a Lush product, it is seriously boring. It smells like cinnamon, which I usually like, but this smelt a bit strange. Like gone off cinnamon, if that's even possible.It does smell better once it's in the bath, but initially I wasn't a fan. I'd read a few reviews on this guy, saying that he added a LOT of moisture to your bath water, more so than other bath melts, so I decided to only use his head... Poor guy. It was just the right amount of added moisture, only using a small part of the melt and it did make my skin feel silky smooth, so that is a positive. This is going to sound really stupid, but I wanted the melt to float.. Ridiculous I know but in my mind I just.. Expected it to?! Alas, it didn't and Mr. Snowman's head floated to the bottom of my bath. 

I won't be repurchasing this and to be honest, I probably won't use the rest of the melt, which is a shame. Maybe I'll give it to my sister and just tell her I lost his head... Do you think she'll fall for that? 

Anyway, if you like that little bit of extra moisture in your bath to leave you feeling sexy smooth, then by all means, give a try, I do now have goddess-like legs, but it was just a bit too boring for me, although I'm not much of a bath melt fan anyway!

Have you tried this guy? What's your favourite bath melt?

- Charli, xo

#BEDN - O.P.I Nail Envy

Oh my Lord, this product is a God send. If you have read previous nail posts on here, you'll know that from being 16 up until about 6 months ago, I was a dedicated falsie wearer. I had my nails done at least once a month and never, ever gave them a break. When I decided that I couldn't afford the habit, I had them taken off (okay, I ripped them off) and attempted to grow my ruined nails. Errrrrrm, no. It was not happening.

A friend of mine reccommended Sally Henson Nail Strengthener and another suggested O.P.I Nail Envy, both of which are usually around £18 in drug stores but I found them online for under £10. I opted for the O.P.I selection and it was honestly one of the best purchases I have ever made.

As you can imagine my nails were vile. They were constantly peeling, snapping, breaking, bending, you name it. They had been destroyed by 6 years of false nails. I was sceptical when I brought Nail Envy but it didn't take long for me to change my mind.
What you do is; apply two coats, then every other day for a week apply one coat, then after a week, start again. They say do it for about 4-6 weeks, but I literally noticed huge differences within a week. If you're not a fan of bare nails, you can also use this as a base coat under other varnishes, or even as a top coat.

After two to three weeks, my nails were the strongest they have ever been. They had stopped peeling, they had stopped breaking and I was no long ashamed of them. They grew so long that I was constantly having to file them down!

Unfortunately, I stopped using it for about 3 months and my nails started to break again and so I brought another bottle (I lost the previous one on holiday) and started again. I've been doing it for two weeks now and they're already looking brilliant.

If you're having nail troubles, I cannot recommend this product enough. It literally saved my nails and I will never go for another product knowing how amazing Nail Envy is. It also comes in a normal sized bottle, rather than a tiny one so it's excellent value for money.

Amazon - O.P.I Nail Envy

#BEDN - Daisy Faith Mason - One Month Old

Today Daisy turns one month old! If this is the first post you've read on this little beauty, this is Daisy and she is my dearest friend Sami's little girl so I've taken it upon myself to become her Auntie.

Honestly, where has this month gone?! How time flies. Last week I got the awesome oppertunity to actually see her awake, (all she does is eat and sleep, oh what a life) and she has thee most beautiful, bright blue eyes I think I have ever seen. This month she's met a lot of faces and had a lot of 'firsts'! The big one being, first Halloween! I can't wait for her first Christmas so I can spoil her rotten.

Here are my favourite snaps from her first month;

 

 

The next Daisy update will be once she turns 3 months old! Isn't she perfect?!

#BEDN - Introductions

Welcome to November!

Blog Every Day in November is a challenge I found on a lovely little blog - Rosalilium. I thought it would be a really nice way of getting used to blogging more, coming up with more post ideas and meeting other bloggers who have taken up the challenge. I also hope it will inspire me to write more interesting and varied posts and also take more pictures (I'm sooo picture lazy!). If you're interested in taking part, it's not too late! Just pop over to her site and the instructions are right there :) there is also a calender of topics so if you struggle with writers block like I do, they can start you off.

So today's topic is 'Introductions'. I realised that I haven't actually introduced myself on here and my about me section is pretty boring and doesn't tell you much at all, so I'm going to take this time to tell you a few pointless facts!

Okay, so, I am Charli, (Charlotte, yuck!) and this is me..

(Not the best picture, but it is the most recent!)

 

- I am 22 years young & just in case you were wondering, my birthday is on the 19th March and I'm a present lover. Not that I'm hinting or anything.

 

- I am currently studying a degree in Animal Science, I already have a Diploma in Animal Management and I have a huge interest in Conservation. I am literally animal mad, which is probably why I'm not much (not at all) of a people person.

 

- On the subject of animals, at my parents house we have a variety of animals, it's more like a zoo than a home but once I moved in with the boy, we brought ourselves a little Bengal and named him Kasper. Everybody has a 'love' and mine, is my cat.

 

(I tried to make this picture bigger, but blogger wasn't having any of it.)

 

- I am a massive nerd and I could happily sit and read for 24 hours a day. I adore fantasy books, (let's be honest, fantasy worlds are a whole lot better than this one) but I will pretty much read anything. I have completely ran out of space in my house for books, yet I keep on buying. People say 'buy a Kindle?!' but it's really not the same as holding a brand new, or favourite old book. The smell is just, I can't even. Yeah, I'm weird.

 

- I have a boyfriend, he's the love of my life, aww soppy. We've been together almost 3 years now and although I do nothing but moan at him, I wouldn't change him for the world. Maybe for Daryll from Walking Dead, but only maybe.

 

- You've probably noticed, or maybe you haven't, but I'm a real, real negative person. It is something I'm working on, but I'm probably always going to be grumpy and miserable and I will end up being that old lady shouting at folk for no apparent reason other than the fact I couldn't find matching socks that morning.

 

- I have 5 tattoos. 4 on my feet, 1 on my Achilles heel, which is dedicated to a favourite book series of mine. Nerd alert! (Told you.) I have plans for more. I'm a massive tattoo lover and I cannot get my head round people that find them offensive. But that is a subject for another post, OOO inspiration! If I had the guts, I would be covered, but I'm just too fussy.

 

 

So there you go, 7 boring facts about me for you. To be honest, I'm not an exciting person. Going to Tesco for a big food shop is about as brilliant as my life gets at the moment. There is an adventurer in me, it is just yet to appear.

 

First post of November done! Are you doing the challenge? Let me know! I'm also posting on Twitter a lot at the moment! Click my button!