August Favourties

I can't believe its already the end of August! This summer has been jam packed with things for me to do so I'm afraid I sort of abandoned my favourites in order to keep up with everything else. As a result of this I have found lots of things to write about so this is more of a Summer Favourites even though most are from August.



Pad of paper with cool design on it-doing exams and having tonnes of revision to do has been chaos. This pad of square paper has been a life saver. Its perfect for writing little notes or memos and the cool design on the side is really eye catching so ill never lose it.

Soap & Glory Thick & Fast mascara-One of the best mascaras I have ever used. Also a must have in my makeup bag (POST)





Superdrug Tea Tree Lemon Facial Wash- has really helped to clear my skin and it leaves a lovely lemony fresh scent.



Avon Bb cream in Ivory- It matches my skin tone perfectly and leaves a lovely smooth finish to my skin.

Pretty Little Liars- I'm still hooked on this after 6 series and after every episode I can't wait to see what happens next. If you haven't watch PLL yet I strongly recommend it. I can't wait until the next half of the series comes out!

(source)

Alfie & Bruno-My Auntie lives in London and came up to visit us and she brought her dogs too. They are absolutely adorable and I wish they could have stayed for longer.

Headphones-When writing posts I like to listen to music so I never have a blank mind and this way I don't get stuck with what to write. I don't know if it would work for anyone else but it seems to work for me.

tinc. splitter- has a great sound and colour (I got the light blue one) and it is perfect for sharing music and videos with friends.

This New Look bag- I absolutely love the colour and it is the perfect size for going shopping or visiting friends.

Playsuits-I bought a lot recently from new look and I think I'm in love with them!

What have you been loving this month?

Fiona xx

What's in My Makeup Bag?

This seems to be one of the most popular posts to be done by bloggers and recently I read it on Cant Makeup My Mind. Many of my favourite bloggers have done this post at least once so I decided to jump on the band waggon and join them.

My makeup bag was a gift from my sister for Christmas. Its from Primark (Atmosphere) and is white and gold. The white is cutout into a pretty pattern so the gold can be seen through it and it has snap fastenings on each side to give it its shape.

Brushes
At the moment I'm using the Body Shop brushes to apply my makeup and I love how soft they feel on my skin! I was gifted these recently and I've used no other brushes since, they are great for blending and everything I need them to do. :D
I have: face & body brush, blusher brush, lip/concealer brush (I use it for concealer), foundation brush, eyeshadow brush, slanted brush and eyebrow & lash comb in my set.


Base Products
As it is Summer now (how is it already July???) for my base I like to go for light bb creams or tinted moisturisers and tend to steer clear of heavy foundations. I don't know why or if it has any benefits at all but its just what I've always done.
I've been using Avon's Clearasil Tinted Moisturiser (review- HERE) a lot lately and it's probably my favourite face product this year. Inside my makeup bag I also have 3 bb creams: Maybelline Dream Fresh 8-in-1 Bb Cream (colour-light) which is almost empty and will definitely need replacing this month, and 2 Avon Ideal Flawless Bb skin loving beauty balm (one in nude and the other in ivory) because I'm between these shade so I have to mix them in order to get the shade which suits my skin tone (does anyone else have this problem?).
As well as these I also have translucent No.7 perfect light pressed powder which helps when I have shiny days or when I need to set my makeup in place. No.7 natural blush tint powder in Soft Damson is also an essential in my makeup bag for those days when I lack colour in my cheeks.

Lips
Being someone whose lips crack very easily in both winter and summer I take a lot of care of my lips and I feel like most of the makeup or skin products I have are for my lips.
Boots original lip balm is great!!! It is clear but it gives a slight shine and after a couple of hours my lips are incredibly smooth (amazing value for only £1!). I also use the Body Shop 'born lippy' raspberry lip balm (review of strawberry flavour - HERE).
Moving on to lip colour before I bore you with lip balms.
No.7 high shine gloss in tangerine twist looks orange-ish in the tube but on, it is more of a coral colour and it suits me very well. For a more glittery option I use Avon's glaze wear dazzle lip gloss in pink radiance. It is slightly pinker than my lips and the 'dazzle' in it is great for parties but not so good for everyday use like the no.7 high shine gloss. A lip gloss which I haven't used much and its quite a new addition to my makeup bag is colour ultimate lip gloss in a pinky colour (sorry there was no shade name on the packaging).

Left to right: No.7 High shine gloss, Avon's glazewear dazzle lip gloss x2 and ultimate lip gloss

Eyes & Eyebrows
A good but cheap palette for eyeshadow is the Revlon redemption palette iconic 2 which has only had a few uses but none the less it hasn't failed to impress me every time.This is the only eyeshadow product that I have because I don't really do a lot with my eye makeup, I just depend on a good mascara and eye liner.
The best mascara that I have used this year is definitely Soap & Glory Thick & Fast super volume mascara. My eye lashes look visibly longer and thicker and it really helps to widen my eyes.
The pencil eyeliner that I occasionally use is the Body Shop eye definer in black and the liquid eyeliner that I use is the Rimmel London Professional liquid eyeliner. I prefer to use the pencil eyeliner even though the liquid has a bolder colour because the liquid eyeliner is difficult to apply and it only sometimes goes 100% correct. I usually keep my Miss Sporty mini me eyeliners in my bag but lately I haven't had time to top up through the day so at the moment they are living in my makeup bag. I have them in white and black. I use the white on my water line to open up my eyes and I use the black as regular eyeliner.

 

If you haven't already done a 'What's in my makeup bag?' post, try it! It was so fun to write and super easy too.
If you have any suggestions of new products I could invest in please let me know in the comments below.
Fiona xx

Clearskin® Blemish Clearing Oil-Free Tinted Moisturiser - REVIEW

Lately I've found that my skin had been quite clear, so I wanted to find a super lightweight product which I could wear in the summer instead of a foundation or bb/cc cream. I wanted minimum coverage but something that would even out my, occasionally, uneven skin tone.

That's when I discovered Avon's Clearskin® Blemish Clearing Oil-Free Tinted Moisturiser (buy/order from your local Avon representative or online here).

On the back of the packaging it says: "This lightweight tinted moisturiser helps to minimize the look of redness, blemishes and large pores. TO USE: Cleanse skin thoroughly. Apply a thin layer to face, in an outward and upward motion. Can be applied up to twice a day."

I originally read this and thought it was too good to be true, but I tried it out anyway and I was so pleased with the results. It looks as if you aren't wearing any makeup if you use a thin layer and it is easily blendable. This tinted moisturiser is great if you have good-ish skin or only a few small blemishes but it lacks the ability to cover larger blemishes and marks.

I use the 'fair' shade but a 'medium' shade is also available for darker skin. Having fairly pale skin I always worry when buying makeup for my face in case it is too dark but this moisturiser is light enough for my skin and it can also be built up by adding more layers to suit lots of different skin shades. Overall this moisturiser not only adds moisture to your skin but it also gives clear skin a slight airbrush affect and reduces small impurities.

My recommendation is to use Avon's Clearskin® Blemish Clearing Oil-Free Tinted Moisturiser if you don't wear a lot of makeup usually/want to wear less makeup. The price is usually £5.50 but Avon sometimes has deals so it can go down to around £3 which makes this product even more amazing!!!!

Let me know of anything else to include in future reviews in the comments :)
Fiona xx

RECIPE: Raspberry and Blueberry Muffins

I love to bake but I always tend to stick to the chocolate, cake and cookies.

Having never really been a fan of fruit in cakes, I was hesitant to make and try these but I must admit I was pleasantly surprised. They were quick and easy to make and tasted really nice too. I will definitely be making these a lot through the summer as, unlike chocolate, they won't melt in the heat.

These Raspberry and Blueberry muffins are a healthier option to most other cakes and because they have fruit in, I find I don't feel as guilty for eating them while trying to get fitter.

This recipe makes 12 Muffins or 24 cupcakes.
Ingredients:
Plain Flour-300g
Baking Powder-3 teaspoons
Caster Sugar-125g
Butter-50g
Eggs-3
Sunflower Oil-4 tablespoons
Vanilla Essence-1 ½ teaspoons
Natural Yogurt-150g
Fresh Raspberries-100g
Fresh Blueberries-100g

You can change which berries you use as long as it is about 100g.

Method:
Pre-heat your oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6.
1. Separate muffin cases and put one into each hole of a 12-hole deep muffin tin.
2. Put the flour, sugar and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Stir together using a fork.
3. Melt the butter-in a saucepan on the hob or in a microwave-proof bowl in the microwave on full power for around 30 seconds.
4. Pour the melted butter into the large bowl (which already has the flour mixture in).
5. Add the eggs, vanilla essence, yogurt and oil to the mixture and mix with a fork until it is all mixed.
6. Stir in the berries carefully.
7. Divide the mixture between the 12 cases (using 2 spoons can help with this).
8. Bake in the oven for 12-18 mins until the muffins are well risen, golden brown and the tops have cracked.

9. Remove the muffins from the tin (if they have stuck, use a round bladed knife to loosen the edges.
10. Leave to cool on a wire rack for about 15 mins before eating.

These muffins can be eaten both warm and cold but they are slightly better if eaten warm. Best on the day of making them.

If you make these comment below or tweet me (Fiona240400) if you like them or not.

Fiona xx

It's Finally Over!!!!

Wow! I can't quite believe that it is actually over...

The past few weeks of my life have been filled with pure dread, stress and panic. Most nights I could barely sleep with worry of the exams which were to come the next day. I felt physically and mentally drained 24/7 and all I wanted to do was sleep (my brain wouldn't let me :/ ) but there was always some sort of revision to do.

Being one of the world's biggest procrastinators I found it hard to focus on revising and nearly always found something else I 'needed' to do. However after a lot of willpower and encouragement from my friends and family I managed to revise effectively. Now all I have to do is wait a few months to receive my results (hopefully good ones).

(source)

Anyway now its all over and I can finally go back to using my time to do things that I enjoy and actually want to do. I'm planning to decorate my room and write more posts for this blog and my second one. Relaxing in the sun is also something I will be looking forward to... when England finally decides that it is actually summer!!!

Some big changes will be happening soon and I'm just glad that I no longer have to stress about exams or (most) of the deadlines for my work. At the moment though I just want to focus on getting my life back on track and carrying on with all of the things I had to put on hold because of extra work.

Have you had a stressful month or a relaxing one?
Comment below any ways you have found which help to de-stress you.
Fiona xx

April & May Favourites

April & May were very busy months for me (with Easter and my Birthday as well as the start of my exams) but I still managed to find a few favourites.

Food

Smarties Easter Egg-A gift from my grandparents for Easter which didn't last very long.

Cadbury Bunny-An Easter gift from my Auntie.

Celebrations-A whole box of great types of chocolate:What's not to love? (I'm not too keen on the bounty and snickers though :/)

Frozen Cadbury Caramel-Freezing this makes it so much more enjoyable; it lasts a lot longer and still tastes great.

I think its safe to say that I like chocolate.

Blackcurrant flavour Soothers - I don't think it actually counts as food but I've been using these a lot over May because I was really ill.

Hair

Trevor Sorbie Frizz-Free Smoothing spray-I sometimes suffer with fairly frizzy hair and when I found this I fell in love. <3 You spray it on to your hair after you have washed it and then blow dry it and the frizz isn't there, only lovely smooth hair.

Make up

No.7 Lipstick 'Soft Berry 690'-Having really pale skin can be a huge problem when it comes to make up but I've found that this lipstick has a strong colour but it doesn't overpower my whole face.

Nails

Avon Colour Trend Nail Enamel 'Vixen'- Avon don't sell this shade of nail varnish anymore but the red/purple colour really suits my skin tone and the colour is one of my favourite Colour Trend ones.

Clothes & Jewellery

Silver statement Necklace- My sister gave me a lovely necklace for my birthday and it goes with everything!!! I've barely taken it off since the end of April.

Off the shoulder dress from New Look-I wore this dress for my birthday after buying it about a week before.

Films

Insurgent- I went to see this for my birthday, OMG I can't wait for Allegiant to come out!

Stationary

<=This (middle) Stabilo BOSS highlighter- It may look like a normal highlighter but trust me, the colour is amazing!!! It isn't quite pink but it isn't orange, its sort of just a mix which looks amazing. A lot of my revision notes are now this colour and I couldn't be happier.

Music

OMI-Cheerleader

Jason Derulo-Want to Want Me

Let me know what you think in the comments
Fiona x

Birthday Celebrations!!!

It was my birthday 2 weeks ago!!!

I had a really good time with family and friends and really enjoyed celebrating it this year.
On the Thursday I went to watch the 'Russian Ice Stars' perform Snow White on Ice with my mam, sister and best friend. The skaters were amazing and the whole performance was phenomenal!!! If you ever get the chance to see them, I'd say go. :)
On the Friday we had grandparents over for a 'party' with all of my favourite foods and people around me.
On the Saturday I went to Pizza Hut and the to the cinema to see Insurgent with 3 of my friends. After seeing Divergent I couldn't wait to see Insurgent and I don't think it could have been any better.
Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday. Below are some of the presents I got from friends and family.

A River Island make up bag, Soap & Glory hand cream and Marc Jacobs Daisy perfume.

Chocolate is always a great gift for me!

Frozen tissues.

Some lovely bracelets from my sister.

More bracelets from my sister.

Fiona x