Taking a Break

Hello my lovelies; 

So, I've tried my very hardest to keep up with blogging over the Christmas period and it clearly just isn't happening. This week I am working 9 days in a row and they aren't short days either. Add in that I have TONS and I mean tons of Uni work to finish, plus the fact that I'm feeling constantly poorly, plus the fact I'm not feeling great mentally and I'm constantly worrying about the smallest thing, I just need a break. Otherwise I'm gonna stop enjoying blogging and that's the last thing I want to happen.

I have SO much planned for next year, blog-wise and life-wise and I will be sharing it all with you, I promise. But for now I'm going to take a step back and enjoy a Christmas break with my family and I will be back on top form come January. 

Please bear with me guys <3 

Charli, xo

Birchbox Delivery #2

It's that time again! Last week I received my December Birchbox and after my second Glossybox being such a let down, I expected this to do the same and boy, was I wrong! I squealed with excitement, once again, after opening this! What can I say? Simple things.

(My Daddy let me use his big fancy camera, he's a keeper)

 

Number 4 Non-Aerosol Hairspray | £18.50

 

'Humidity resistant formula' what more could I need? I don't really use hairspray as it tends to make my hair frizzy or 'crisp' as this describes, but at £18.50 a bottle, I reckon I could give this a go!

 

Nail Rock - Nail Velvet | £6.99

 

My nails are a bit crappy at the moment, sad face :( but they're slowly growing back! One hand always seems to grow better than the other, anyone else find that? Let me know. I cannot wait to try this out, I love Nail Rock products and I got the deep purple velvet colour which looks like it's going to be stunning!

 

Twistband | £10 for a pack of 6

 

Random?! Apparently this is a repeat product that everyone seems to be raving about?! I love that this months Birchbox came with a hair tutorial card including this band, I think that's a really thought out part of the box. I'm SO bored of my hair at the moment and can't wait to get it re-done in the new year, but until then, I'm up for trying new hairstyles! I'll be trying this very soon so keep your eyes peeled!

 

Jane Iredale - Cheek & Lip Stain | £20.95

 

I've only every used one lip and cheek tint before, from my Glossybox. It smelt disgusting and was a liquid based one which I'm not afraid to say, I had no idea how to use. This however, smells like CANDY. IT SMELLS LIKE DAMN CANDY. Beautiful. And it comes in a stick which you just apply and then blend in with your fingers! Easy peasy :)

 

Lipsy London - Glam Fragrance | From £18

 

Damn you Birchbox. Stop sending me stunning fragrances. My purse cannot take the strain! This smells amazing. No other words. Watch out for a Fragrance Friday post.

 

Alima Pure - Luminous Shimmer Eyeshadow | £12.50

 

What a pretty little pot of angelness. That's not a word, Charli. Pfft. This is a cute little shimmer pot that would be lovely for an all over base colour! Definitely can't wait to try this.

 

BeeKind - Body Lotion | £12.95

 

Weirdly, this is my favourite product, other than that amazing perfume. Now, we all know the bees are in decline and I know it's boring guys, but it does actually matter, it affects a lot of different things. And me being the animal princess I am, I love products that dedicate their time to situations like this. A portion of the proceeds of every purchase is donated towards bee research! And to top it all off, it smells BEEautiful.. see what I did there ;)

 

SO. Overall guys, I'm just as excited about this box, as the last one! I realise I haven't actually reviewed anything from my last box yet, this is because I only received it 2 weeks prior to this one and I'm been working my little bum off doing some overtime! Keep your eyes peeled folks!

 

Have you joined Birchbox? What do you think?

 

- Charli, xo



The Week #2

BFF's in Edinburgh | Trampy | Cupcake made by Ellla

Cloudy Lemonade and Writing | Dead rats stink | Milk before bed

Christmas party face | Kasper baby | Ella's new magnet earrings

Fragrance Friday - English Laundry

So I haven't done a Fragrance Friday in a while, even though I've got several I want to review! This weeks product is; English Laundry - Signature for Her. I received this in my first Birchbox and I've fallen in love with it! So here are my thoughts;

As you know, I'm awful at describing scents but I thought I'd give it a go anyway. Now, what do Birchbox say?

'English Laundry tap into the very essence of an English country garden with this beautifully fresh fragrance. Envelop yourself in top notes of rose geranium and creamy white flowers set against its backdrop of woody spicy and musky notes.'

Well, if I'm being honest, I do not think this smells flowery! At all. I do however think it is an extremely sweet smell and as soon as I opened my Birchbox, even before having my first spray, it was ALL I could smell and it was beautiful. Because of the name and the bottle I assumed that this was going to be a very adult smell, not sure how to explain that, but I thought it was going to be something my Gran would wear. Maybe she would wear it, I don't know, but it definitely isn't a 'granny' kind of smell. I think it's a very sexy, young scent and I'm thinking this might be my next perfume purchase. 

Birchbox Shop - 50ml £47.00

Have any of you tried this perfume? What did you think?

- Charli, xo

Lord of Misrule

(Kasper was desperate to get involved - ain't he a cutie)

Hii guys;

So I've been wanting to try Lord of Misrule for a loooooong time and I'm pretty sure originally it was only available online. But I wandered into Derby with the mother last weekend and grabbed it as soon as I saw it!

What Lush say;

This bath bomb, named after the ruler of the Pagan Feast of Fools, has a strange and magnificent fragrance created by Gorilla Perfumer Simon Constantine. This bomb will slowly dissolve to reveal a wine coloured centre, with the added sweetness of the world’s first fair trade vanilla absolute, perfectly balanced by the earthy scents of black pepper and patchouli oil.

What I say;

This is a very fresh smelling bath bomb, and three days later, my bathroom still smells like this strange scent. I loved using this, I love the bombs that give you loads of bubbles. Lord of Misrule dissolved reaaaaaally slowly, possibly the slowest dissolving bomb I've used? Which I LOVED. Usually they're over and done with in less than a couple of minutes, but this one was going for a good 10 minutes! After popping it into my bath it sent my water a sea green colour and which I expected, seeing the colour of the bomb but then, my friends, IT WENT RED. Now, after reading the description, I should of expected that, but I didn't, so I was amazed. Simple things really. It also made my skin feel super, super soft which is always a plus! I recommend this bomb 100% and will definitely be purchasing myself another one! Also, at £3.30 it isn't one of their more expensive ones and it's a pretty big bomb! Good value for money!

Have you guys tried this? What did you think?

- Charli, xo

Sunshine Award.

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine,

You make me happy when skies are grey.

You'll never know, dear, how much I love you,

Please don't take my sunshine away.

 

Yesterday I found out I have been nomiated by the lovely Claire over at somewhere beyond the sea to participate in the 'Sunshine Award'. For those of you who are unsure what this is (as was I before yesterday) it's where you share a few random facts about yourself, answer a few questions that the blogger which nominated you has asked and then nominate others to do the same. I quite like the idea, I think it's a good way to meet new people! Which I'm always up for.

Okay, let's get on with it, shall we?

 

Here are my 11 random facts;

 

1) I work in a Pawnbrokers. And before you jump to conclusions, it is not a back alley shop. It's pretty much like the show 'Pawn Stars' except much posher and we only deal in jewellery.

 

2) I'm an avid list-maker. I write one at least once a day; jobs lists, to-do lists, to-buy lists, you name it. I work better that way.

 

3) I have THEE strangest dreams. And I'm not even exaggerating. It's got to the point where I don't tell people my dreams anymore because they will probably commit me.

 

4) TGIF's is my favourite restaurant ever, I would eat there every day if I was a millionaire.

 

5) If I was a millionaire I would; travel to every single place in the world, own every animal I have ever wanted, set up a rescue centre or have lots of land where my many cats could roam.

 

6) I mentioned travel; to travel is my major dream. To work abroad is my life goal. But I'm too scared to start that journey.

 

7) I regret nothing and I strongly believe every little thing happens for a reason.

 

8) I love Christmas.

 

9) December 31st is my anniversary with the man. 3 years this time.

 

10) When I move into my own house, my first purchase will be a Bosc Monitor lizard.

 

11) I moan that I'm lonely, but I would much rather sit in bed with a book than go out with my friends... Unless it's to TGIF.

 

Okay, so the next thing I'm supposed to do, is answer the questions Claire chose;

 

When and why did you start blogging?

I started blogging around 3 months ago? I've attempted it twice before and failed within a week! I decided to try again as my BFF over at Sian Marie's Beauty Blog inspired me!

 

What's your No.1 blogging tip to new aspiring bloggers?

Be patient and don't think about things too much.

 

Favourite blog?

Oo, I change this all the time, but the first blog I ever started reading was a girl named Bicky who have become rather good friends with - Tastes Like Glitter

 

Favourite motivational quote?

'Failures are finger posts on the way to achievements.' - C. S. Lewis

 

Favourite Christmas tradition?

This year will be the first Christmas Eve that my sister and I have not spent in the same bed. Every year we would climb into my bed and talk until the early hours of the morning, but this year the man will be sleeping with me.

 

Your signature dish?

Okay, I don't cook. So I'm going to say spaghetti bolagnase. But I use Quorn, and I put cheese in the sauce :) mmm.

 

Biggest disaster in the kitchen?

Uhh, I haven't really had any? I tried to make a pasta bake once, it didn't work.

 

What artist/song are you currently listening to?

So I'm a huge Taylor Swift fan and currently I can't stop listening to all of her older albums.

 

Favourite person and why?

I'm discounting family from this because I would never be able to choose. So being the soppy soandso I am, my favourite person is the man. For the pure fact I am a God awful girlfriend and he's still here.

 

Addicted to?

Nail varnish. Spending money. Books. Chocolate. Cats. Ugly Betty.

 

Finish this sentence; On a regular Friday night, you will find me..

At my mum's house. I always stay home on a Friday night so I can get a lift to work on Saturday, cheeky cheeky! So the man comes with me, we sit and eat takeaway till we're too full to move and usually slap a film on.

 

 

Here are the 8 (sorry, I couldn't think of 11 that I thought would actually do it) people I am nominating to participate in the 'Sunshine Award';

 

Sian at Sian Marie's Beauty Blog

Bicky at Tastes Like Glitter

Kerry at Your Own Disaster

Stacie at Life is Worth the Fight

Bonnie at The Life of Bon

Sophia at Tattooed Tealady

Hannah at Student Life

Amy-Louise at Making Our Own Way

 

And here are your questions;

 

Who is your favourite author and why?

What is your favourite book?

What was the happiest moment of your life, so far?

Who has been your biggest influence in your life?

What is your dream?

Where is your favourite place to be?

What's your favourite dessert?

If you were going to write a book, what would you call it and what would it be about?

What's the scariest thing you've ever done?

What did you always want to be when your grew up?

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

 

Annnnd finally, woah long post, the rules;

 

Acknowledge the blogger who nominated you

Share 11 random facts about yourself

Answer 11 questions the nominating blogger has created for you

List 11 bloggers

Post 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate and let them know they have been nominated

Well, I really enjoyed that guys! Thank you if you've read all the way to the end, sorry it was a bit of a long one!

 

- Charli, xo

The Week #1

I'm a bit behind on my Instaweek posts - so these pictures are mostly from Edinburgh and just before. 

My poorly Kasper after his operation | BFFs on tour | I have acquired some rings |

BF and BFF | I got married | Urbcan Decay, Mac, Benefit|

Pretty light | BFFs on tour | I love you

Favourite Folk - December Edition

Last month as part of BEDN (Blog Every Day in November) I posted Favourite Folk, talking about my favourite blogs at the time. I've decided to make this a permanent feature that will be posted at the start of every month, featuring blogs that I was loving in the previous month. Does that make sense? No? Never mind. You'll catch up. Anyway, let's crack on;

Miss Budget Beauty

Why do I love this lady? Because it's budget beauty and I am on, you guessed it, a budget. She reviews a lot of MUA and Seventeen which are both upcoming brands that are quickly making a name for themselves. She's also posted quite a few Christmas Gift Guides which have been EXTREMELY helpful seeing as I'm rubbish at buying presents. I also subscribed to her YouTube channel so I can gaze at her pretty face, which you can find here; YouTube!

BengalCatWorld

Now this is a weird one, I understand it isn't beauty related whatsoever. But I did point out that I would sometimes be posting animal related thingys and I think it's nice to spice things up abit! I love BengalCatWorld and I love that it's written as if it is Spot himself speaking. Also; having a stumpy little Bengal myself, I love reading about what other peoples kitties get up to. This month the blog is doing a World Advent Calender where they're investing different 'cat' quotes and sayings. Whether you find that interesting or not is entirely your choice, but I love it! Go have a read.

Student Life (The Diary of a NotSo Secret) Poor Girl

I have fallen in love with this blog! Being a student myself it's awesome knowing that someone else is going through what I am, and writing about it. Sharing tips, sharing thoughts, I just love it. The way Hannah writes shows off her bubbly, HILARIOUS personality and I love reading her posts. She writes a lot about becoming an adult which is something I love to read as I'm pretty much one foot into the world of adulthood and her little posts give me a nice lift when I'm feeling like I'm the only person struggling in the world. 

Life is Worth the Fight

I have a friend going through a very similar situation to Stacie; who is weirdly called Stacey! This is actually a really emotional blog where she talks about her illness openly which I think is such a brave thing to write about. She is currently waiting for a heart and lung transplant and writes about her false alarms and the ups and downs of living with her condition. I think she is an amazingly brave person to go what she is going through and still come out smiling and living her life and I constantly look forward to her inspiring posts. 

Somewhere Beyond the Sea

During #BEDN I met a lovely woman who goes by the name of Claire. She is all the kinds of woman I want to be. She has travelled pretty much everywhere and reading her blog makes me want to constantly globe trot. My favourite post of hers is the beautiful story of how she fell in love with her partner. I love her blog because it's different, it's inspiring, it's magical. The places she has been make me want to jump in her backpack and go along with her to the next one. You definitely need to check her out if travelling the world is your idea of heaven. 

Okay guys, so those are my 5 favourite folk from November. Only one beauty related which is quite strange for me, but as we know, there is more to life than make-up. I really think you should give all 5 a read as they're all completely different and I love them all for different reasons.

Thanks for reading guys.

Any new blog suggestions for me to have a look at?!

- Charli, xo

The Unintentional Haul

Hello there;

So, yesterday I went shopping with my lady, Sian for a few of my Secret Santa presents. This did not go to plan and the majority of what I ended up buying, was for myself. 

Models Own Lip Crayon | Models Own Velvet Gothic | Models Own Splash | Models Own Glitter Kit | Benefit Brow Kit

I went into Debenhams with the intention of buying some novelty socks for the man; I never even ventured into the sock department. I was struck by the Benefit sale in which I purchased an eyebrow kit. I don't even do anything to my eyebrows, so why did I purchase this? Someone please tell me, why I felt the need to buy expensive make-up, that I will not use. What is wrong with me?! Weak willed. 

I also ventured into Boots, for Secret Santa presents. The only thing in this picture that is for someone other than me, is the Models Own Splash. The rest is mine. Even the free glitter kit that was originally going to be for someone else, I have now claimed. I need to sit down and give myself a serious slap. What is my obsession with spending?!

Anyway - this was my unintentional haul and there will be reviews to follow! Including the brow kit as I'm determined to get use out of it! 

Does anyone else have a spending issue?!

- Charli, xo

Birchbox Delivery #1

Hii guys;

So I joined Birchbox! Recently Glossybox has really, I've felt, been a let down. I get way too excited about the pink box being delivered and then when I open it, I seem to keep being really disappointed, sad face :( so in a moment of weakness last week, after being sent an email offering three free products if I signed up... I crumbled. And boy, am I glad I did.

(Kasper snoozing in the background)

Look at all these amazing goodies!

Weleda Citrus Creamy Body Wash | £7.95

I've never heard of this brand but it smells lovely! Definitely something to use in a morning to wake yourself up a bit. It also says there are no artificial foaming agents used, I guess that's a good thing, right?

Laura Mercier Body Body | £26

OHMYGOD. I finally have something from Laura Mercier.. Been dying to get my hands on something from this brand for such a long time! This smells beautiful and I cannot wait to trial it. It's also quite a nice size so looks as though it might last me a while, which is always a good thing!

Beauty Protector - Protect and Detangle | £15

£15 is a bit excessive for a detangling spray, so this product better work! I'm going to let you into a little secret.. I do not brush my hair. The only time my 'orrible locks get a brush, is straight out of the shower and it's always a rate mission, so this seems like a sign to brush my hair more.

ModelCo. Party Proof Lipstick | £15.50 (for a set of 3)

Hmm. I don't really like this shade. Boo hoo :( being a lip junkie I'm really disappointed that I don't like the shade! Although.. I haven't actually tried it yet. It's a dark nude and just looks really... grown up. Maybe this will go to my mum.

English Laundry - Signature for Her Eau de Parfum | From £16

Oh darling, this smells awesome. From £16?! That's well cheap! I've never heard of this brand before, I love it when beauty boxes send you brands you've never heard of.. Although it usually makes me wanna go out and buy the full size of everything! I really like this!

Pukka Herbs - Selection of Teas | £2.29

Don't like tea. Soz. Going to my friend. - Although, I LOVE that they include little things like this!

THE FREEBIES

Aromatherapy Associates Revive Body Gel

This smells delish, (talking a lot about smells today, weirdo). This is definately something to use to wake yourself up in a morning. It even says on the back, USE IN THE MORNING. Or something like that. Shame all I do is roll out of bed in a morning.

LAQA&CO 

This is a mini lip crayon and I LOVE it :) it's a pale pink, which is very me & I'm a lip product hoarder so can't wait to trial this!

theBALM Blusher

Even though I don't own anything by theBALM - it's one of my favourite brands. Yeah, that's weird, how can I say that? COS IT'S PRETTY AND I DON'T NEED A REASON. I'm craving one of their eyeshadows palettes for the pure reason it has naked ladies on it.. What else do you need in an eyeshadow palette?

So guys, that was a not so quick summary of what I recieved this month. I also got a sharpener as a 'goodie' which is cool as I've recently lost mine! I WILL  be reviewing each of these, I know I always say that and then I never do, but I will, I promise.

That's all folks! 

- Charli, xo

Giving up is easy.

Hello there;

Lately I've been slowly slipping back in the hole I was in a few months ago, I've been feeling pretty down in the dumps and I struggle to find the motivation to get out of bed in the morning. I think it's mostly because I'm finding University so hard at the moment. I knew it wouldn't be easy, even my first year was tough, but I honestly didn't think it would be so hard. Last week I came close to throwing the towel in, so I went home, had a shower and gave myself a good, long talking to. Does anyone else do that in the shower? No? Just me then. There's no way I can give up now when I've come this far. I've pretty much finished my first term of my second year, I'd achieve nothing by quitting now. That said, deciding not to give up hasn't made my feel any better.

So because I'm feeling shitty, my blog is suffering. I sit down and I write posts, then I delete them because I don't think they're good enough. I do this pretty much everyday, if this post makes it to publishing, I'll be surprised. I found myself trying to write like other people to make myself sound better, but that's not how I want to be. I constantly compare myself to other people and other blogs and ask myself why I'm not as good as that. I guess it's also because, you can spend ages writing a post and then no one reads it. It's kind of disheartening. To be honest, I never expected anyone to read what I write but it turns out, a handful of people actually do. I just feel like my life isn't exciting enough to put into a blog. I don't do anything. I don't go anywhere. I sit at home in my pyjamas avoiding University work and watch Walking Dead instead.

I've never been good at creative writing. I've never been good at taking pictures. I've never been good at making things look awesome. Last week, when thinking about leaving Uni, I also thought about shutting the blog down. But again, what would that achieve? I'd have even less excitement in my life. I've come to the decision that for now, I'm just going to blog three to four times a week and I'm not going to think so much about it. I need to get into the habit of writing whatever I feel like, if people like it, they will read it. If they don't, they won't. And that isn't the end of the world.

Hopefully by the New Year, I'll of gotten some University work out of the way and I can become more focused on getting this little blog off the ground, maybe even get myself a few new followers.

If anyone has any tips then I'm more than interested in listening. That means tips in blogging or just tips in dealing with life in general. I'm a bit of a drama queen so I'd quite like someone to bring me back down to Earth and slap me. I apologise for letting the people down who do actually read my blog, stick with me and I promise I'll give you some brilliant, amazing, posh worded posts... Maybe. Just bear with me guys. I'm doing my best.

-Charli, xo