Currently // 01

Morning cookies;

This is going to be a regular blog feature because I thought it would be nice to give you mini life updates every now and again!

------------------------------------------------------------------

Reading // Matched by Ally Condie - it's taking me ages to read this because I feel like it's written for really young teenagers and I like a book that you have to think about. However, the story-line is different. It reminds me of Hunger Games, where society is completely different to how it is now and every decision is pretty much made for you. I'm looking forward to seeing how this ends.

Listening to // The Summer Set - This is one of my favourite bands and I have played and played and played their 'Legendary' album. I saw these when they supported Mayday Parade last year and since then I've been hooked. I'm seeing this at the Hit The Deck festival at Rock City in April which I'm too excited about!

Thinking about // Should I jump onto the 3rd year of the Animal Biology degree or finish this year and get a full time job? This is literally all I think about the moment. I have a huge decision to make in the next couple of months, which is going to affect the rest of my life. I'm tired of education, I want to get out there and get myself a job and some experience, but at the same time a full Honours degree could eventually get me an even better job. Arghhhhh! Life is tough. 

Loving // Nandos - I'm not sure what my current obsession with Nandos is at the moment but I went so much throughout January. Which is funny because 1) I'm not a massive chicken fan and 2) I don't like spicy food. Hmm. 

Watching // Desperate Housewives - I sat and downloaded every season of Desperate Housewives on Sky the other week and have sat and watched about 3 episodes a night. Safe to say, Bear is sick of it. I'm just at the end of Season 3 (I think?) and I'm not joking, I cry at every episode. It turns me into an emotion wreck. Anyone else get this? No? Just me then.

Looking forward to // London - This month, eeeeepppppp, I'm going to London with Bear over Valentines weekend :) Our plans are a bit of shopping, Harry Potter Studio Tour and London Zoo. I'm way too excited. I've only been to London once and I adored it. It's such a big place that you can spend days getting lost in it but never being bored! 

What are your currents? :)

- Charli, xo

Birchbox Delivery #3

Morning noggins;

Today we have the January Birchbox. Birchbox is my favourite beauty box by a mile and I've never been disappointed. This month we have a 'Tiny Tweaks' theme and is all about making your big resolutions into smaller bite size ones. I adore the Tiny Tweaks booklet that you get that has 30 little suggestions to start your year off with motivation. Let's get on with it, shall we?

Philip Kingsley - Elasticizer | £27.50
A hair saviour. This mask strengthens, nourishes and prevents breakages. Work through damp hair. Let it sit for 20 minutes, then shampoo and condition.

I'm quite interested to try this. After doing a bit more reading, apparently hair is supposed to stretch? Did not know that! My hair breaks reaaaally easily, so I'm looking forward to seeing if this makes a difference. The only problem is, you have to leave it on for 20 minutes, BEFORE you wash your hair. Weird, huh? What am I supposed to do for 20 minutes?

Benefit - The POREfessional | £24.50
An award-winning primer that magically erases pores and leaves skin velvety. Smooth the lightweight formula over the skin after moisturiser, then blend with fingertips.

Oh my God. I love it. I knew I was getting this in my box, I'm pretty certain everyone got it. And I've wanted to try it for so long but as my Benefit addiction has grown, my bank balance has reduced greatly. I only use this when I'm going somewhere nice as I don't want to use it up too quick! It glides onto your skin like silk, it makes my skin look and feel amazing and when my skin is in good condition I think I could get away with using just this and no foundation. LOVE IT.

Vasanti - Detox Nutrient-Rich Purifying Facial Cleanser | £18.00
Wash away toxins (not to mention every last trace of foundation) with this fresh cleanser. Smooth foam over damp face and lather. Rinse carefully and pat dry.

Well, I've been wanting to try a new cleanser for a while now so this has come at the right time. It's a tiny bottle so I'm not sure if there's enough to actually see a difference? Unless it's THAT good?

Lavera - Basis Sensitive Hand Cream | £4.45
Organic Shea butter and almond oil protects and moisturises parched winter hands. Rub into hands whenever they're in need of nourishment.

What is it with beauty boxes and hand creams? I must of had about 4 now. My hands are not dry guys, my hands are in pretty good condition! This will probably sit in my drawer till it's past it's use by date, although it does smell pretty nice.

Premae - Anatomy Nutrients Instant Renewal Body Oil | £9.50
Moisturise, tone and detoxify skin with this natural, allergy-tested body oil. Apply to clean skin after a bath or a shower to nourish and rehydrate. 

I keep meaning to use this. I take it into the bathroom every time I have a bath, get out, dry myself and slap my PJ's on, completely forgetting it's there. Body oils are all the rave at the moment, so I will eventually get around to using this!

ITSU - Miso Soup | £2.25 (for 3 sachets)
A light, healthy - and tasty! - soup packed full of antioxidants and amino acids. Squeeze the paste into a mug, add hot water and stir.

I actually really like that they've thrown something different into the box, it's just a shame I got the vegetarian version. Gimme the meat! I'm not into trying new foods but I think I'm going to force myself to try this, what harm could it do? Apart from taste vile...

All in all, I really like this box. Maybe that's why I don't like my Glossy's so much? Who knows. Now I'm waiting for next months pretties, hoping they do some sort of Valentines theme! 

What did you get in your boxes guys? I'd love to know!

- Charli, xo

Favourite Folk - January Edition

Ayup pancakes!

It's that time of month, I actually love doing this post! January has been a seriously slow (and cold) month, pay day where are you?! So to pass the time I have followed so many blogs this month, that it's been seriously difficult to pick my favourites! I've only picked 4, because otherwise I'd of been rambling forever and none of us want or need that. This will be a monthly feature from now on, I'm pretty sure I kept missing months last year, but I will make an effort now! 

rubylions

I found this pretty lady after she began following me on Twitter. I nipped on to her blog to have a quick peak and ended up on there for about an hour. Her blog is real easy-reading, which is good for someone with a short attention span, (not me, okay me) and I love the way she writes! She also ALWAYS has literally beautiful nails. Being a nail varnish addict, this is NOT good for me seeing as I just want to buy every single nail varnish she uses. You seriously need to check this girl out.

The Unreal Life

Bit of a lifestyle blog for you here. This girl is hilarious. I love her recent post 'Blogging Bites' where she talks about the times when her writing has gotten her into trouble. I have yet to experience this, but I'm sure I will once more people are reading my babble! Autumn (what a name, swooooon) seems so down to Earth and I look forward to her quirky little posts!

Sian Marie

She's back again guys. Our Sian is probably going to be featured on every Favourite Folk edition because I just love her so much. She'll text me saying 'DONE A NEW POST' but won't tell me what it is, or what it's about, or when she's gonna post it. This leads me to constantly refreshing Bloglovin' cause I'm just so desperate to see what she's typed about. I can see her little space on the internet turning into quite a large space! CHECK HER OUT. Oh, she's also my BFF.

LLYMRS

Lily Melrose. Definitely fancy this lady. She has two blogs, but this is her fashion based one. I've also subscribed to her YouTube channel, you can do that HERE. I'm not going to lie to you, I definitely did go and buy a shed load of stuff from New Look after I'd watched her New Look Haul video. The fact that she's just posted a TopShop Haul video, is ruining me. I adore her style and seeing how gorgeous she looks in bloody everything, makes me want to get up and make myself look presentable, rather than fannying round Uni in a hoody and leggings. One downside; she's too damn pretty.

Do you recommend any blogs?

- Charli, xo

A Lush Review - Prince Charming

Aloha;

 

I don't think I've reviewed anything from Lush that isn't a bath bomb or a bubble bar. Well, what do we have here? A shower gel, you say? A Valentine's special, you say? Yeah, I say. IT'S NEARLY VALENTINES DAY. Not that I'm excited. I'm only going to London for the weekend, after all. Anyway, that's an entirely different post. Babble, babble, babble.

 

What do Lush say?

 

Originally inspired by the Adam and the Ants classic, ‘Prince Charming’, this shower gel has transformed along the way and now it reminds us of the kind of Prince Charming you’d find in a fairy tale...it’s bold and courageous, absolutely gorgeous, and it smells incredible.

 

 

So this is a cute little shower gel from the new Valentines range. As soon as I saw this online, I was like, YOINK. Oh, how I wish I had saved my pennies. I assumed, stupidly maybe, that this pink pretty would smell similar to Snow Fairy. ALAS, it does not. Well, actually it does a teeny bit, but with a twang. I also thought it would smell like marshmallow, like the Mallow Melt. ALAS, it does not. I really don't like the smell of this and I'm so, so gutted. I desperately wanted a nice new Lush shower gel to make myself smell irresistible. Instead I smell like sickly, sugary, tootoo sweet bleughness. Made up a new word for you there. Other than the smell, it does what it says on the tin (bottle). The colour is lovely and it makes my skin feel soft as a baby's bottom. I just can't stand the smell.

 

At £4.65 for a 100ml bottle, I guess it's an average price for Lush. But I won't be purchasing again!

 

Have you tried Prince Charming? What did you think?

 

- Charli, xo

Vivienne Westwood - Oh my!

Morning humans;

 

Can we just, take a moment, to indulge in the beauty of what is below. Words cannot describe. 

 

This is a slight belated post, as I got this pretty off my Bear for Christmas (he's a definite keeper) and I haven't had time to sit and take some decent photos, until now. Just look at it. It has 4 separate compartments, one with a zip, 12 card holder slips which Lord knows I need with all my junk cards. I love whipping this out when I'm paying to get on the bus and I'm like, '£2.50? Oo, let me just check my change, IN MY VIVIENNE WESTWOOD PURSE.' I love to casually flash this around.

I'm not actually a big brand person, I refuse to spend money on something just for the name - however, if someone else wants to splurge on me, then who am I to stop them?!

Anyway, this was just a quick post, to well, basically brag :)

 

What's been your biggest splurge over the years?

 

- Charli, xo

Glossybox - January

Gooooood morning;

Here we have, January's Glossybox. I waited (not-so) patiently all month for this. I hurried home after Uni on Tuesday to find it sitting on the steps looking all perfect in it's little box, I quickly ripped it open, took a peek inside and... MEH. BLOODY MEH. Vaseline?! Seriously Glossybox? Bloody Vaseline?! Cheese and rice, what a shit box, in my opinion anyway. Excuse the French.

Okay, so what exactly do we have?

Yu-Be Moisturising Skin Cream - This multi-use cult moisturising cream from Japan revamps your skin, enriching it with vitamin E, vitamin B2, camphor and uniquely high glycerin content. It is essential for all skin care regimes.

I'd love to know why I needed two of these? Surely they could of replaced one of these for something different and better? I'll probably use this, it seems like it'll do my skin some good.

Balance Me Super Toning Body Wash - With a blend of juniper, bergamot, geranium and lavender essential oils, Balance Me's Super Toning Body Wash is the best way to start your day!

So it looks like you can use this in the shower or add a capful into your bath. Quite interested in using this, I quite like the smell, although I can't describe it. I'm not sure what 'toning' is meant to me though, maybe I'll use this on my bum and see if it tones it up so I can give up doing squats everyday.. A girl can dream, right?

The Vintage Cosmetic Company Floral Slanted Tweezers - Get rid of boring brows with these pretty floral tweezers by The Vintage Cosmetic Company. These high quality, stainless steel must-haves are the perfect accompaniment for every vintage doll's make-up bag.

Okay, so I actually got quite excited about these. I love pretty, patterned tweezers and these are just to die for. Not literally. I've actually lost my good FCUK tweezers so these have come at the perfect time!

Anatomicals Puffy The Eye Bag Slayer Wake-Up Under Eye Patches - Looking like the walking dead? These under eye patches by Anatomicals will help reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and revitalise the delicate skin around your eyes.

I'm 22. I do not have wrinkles. Don't tell me I have wrinkles, it is not a war you want to start! However, I do have big, black bags from lack of sleep lately, so maybe I should give these a whirl? You're supposed to leave it on for 30 minutes. I cannot sit still for that long, so this is definitely a job for bath time.

Vaseline Essential Moisture Lotion - Is your skin weathering the elements? If so, then you need the Essential Moisture Lotion from Vaseline. It's non-greasy formulation and multi-layer complex absorbs quickly leaving your skin silky smooth and looking healthy.

Ugh, Vaseline. I feel so let down Glossybox! I know some of you will be virtually screaming at me that Vaseline is a gift from above and I agree, it's an ALRIGHT product, but do I really want to see it in my Glossybox? No. I'm not a lover of Vaseline tbh, but I'm going to give the product a go, just to use it up.

Well, Glossybox. I have not enjoyed my January box! I have not enjoyed the majority of my last few boxes! I'm seriously considering cancelling my subscription and finding another beauty box to delve into. What do you guys think? Do you have any recommendations? I'm already a Birchbox subscriber!

- Charli, xo

A Lush Review - The Comforter

Ello pretties;

 

Today we have a little Lush review! I keep meaning to do more of these, but I get too excited about using the products and forget to take pictures - and I feel like I'm cheating if I steal the photos from the website! This is 'The Comforter' and it is one of my favourite Lush products.

Look at me trying to be all artistic with my little candles.

 

What do Lush say?

 

This bar is supersized, so you’ll only need to crumble half a bar under your tap to make enough fruity bubbles for a long, comforting soak. Cassis Absolute gives The Comforter its distinctive blackcurrant fragrance, while bergamot adds an uplifting note and calming cypress oil brings a fresh, earthy base note.

 

I'm not a massive fan of the bubble bars and I have no idea why because I love bubbles. Maybe it's because you have to sit there and hold it under the tap, (well you don't, but I find that gives you the most bubbles) whereas with a bomb you can just chuck it in and watch it disappear. However, I do love this. It smells amazing. Sweet so sweet. With a blackcurrant hint. It smells like candy to me, which let's not lie, is what we all want in our baths. I actually got a HUGE one of these in the Lush box that Bear brought me for Christmas, which has all gone because he used it. Yes, I'm giving you dead eye, Bear. You get at least two baths out of one this size and if you like pink water, this is the one for you.

 

Anyway, at £4.50 this is quite steep, but it is bigger than the other bubble bars!

 

Have you tried The Comforter?

 

- Charli, xo