Sunday 30 September 2012

The Secret

I know this is a beauty blog and it normally involves lipsticks, skin care and a bit of fashion but sometimes it's nice to throw in something different and a bit more personal.
I'll start by saying I'm a major book geek! I read a book or 2 a week and I just find reading really relaxing and a great way to have a bit of 'me' time. Running around after a toddler all day is non stop craziness and there's nothing I like better than to spend my evening getting into a good book : ) told you I was a geek!

This post is all about a book I read a couple of months ago called The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. To say this book has inspired me would be an understatement, it has single handedly changed the way I think about life and how I react to every day situations.



The Message behind this book is positivity. I won't go into too much detail, you can read the book for that! But basically it's the law of attraction. What we project into the universe through our thoughts, feelings, actions and what we say out loud bounces back to us and affects our lives. So putting it simply, if you have negative thoughts or you see the worst in situations, you'll get nothing but negativity back. The opposite is also true, embrace positivity, think positively about everything you do, visualise where you want to be in life and project these positive images from your mind and into the universe, and you'll only get positive outcomes in return.




We're in control of our own destiny, we choose whether to go through life and be grateful for what we have, find the positives in everything we experience, or worry, get angry and think negative thoughts, the choice is ours.

Thats the basis of the book, but you really need to read it to understand The Secret. I know I sound like a crazy hippy the way I'm explaining it! But really it's common sense. Love yourself, love life, don't get involved in petty arguments, be thankful for every little thing you have and never let negative thoughts or negative people influence you. This book made me realise that all that matters is my son's health & happiness and mine.

My son Milan

I've always been a bit of a worrier, over thinking things and imagining the most negative outcome but I can honestly say after reading this book my whole thought process has changed. I'm positive about almost everything I experience on a day to day basis (not 100% but it takes a lot of practise to get rid of negative thoughts completely), I no longer have negative people in my life, only supportive family and friends who truly have my best interests at heart. The most important thing I've learnt is to think before I speak! And although this will make me sound crazy, I visualise every. single. day. Without fail! It's so important to create an image in your head of where you see yourself, whether it's skinny, extremely wealthy, married to the man of your dreams, totally healthy... Whatever your dream is you have to imagine you're already living it and I do that all the time : )




It's amazing how your life changes when you have nothing but positive energy around you, nothing can upset you for too long, you can take angry feelings and turn them into positive feelings. With practise and 100% belief in what The Secret teaches you, you can basically be a better person.
I know this is pretty deep for a blog post so I'll leave it there and share some of my favourite positive quotes, I have these saved on my phone so that whenever I feel down, angry or frustrated about anything in my life I can look at these and honestly they clear my mind and help me to focus on what's really important.










            "DO SOMETHING TODAY, THAT YOUR FUTURE SELF WILL
                                          THANK YOU FOR"


Friday 28 September 2012

Weekly Wishlist #1

I've decided to start a new weekly series of wishlists... On a daily basis I come across beauty products and gorgeous items of clothing that I add to my wishlist on my iphone or I just rip the photos out of magazines (yes I'm that girl...) and needless to say my ultimate wishlist is huge!

So I thought I'd share a weekly list of a few items that have made it to the top of my list.... Hopefully I'll get to own some of them : )


Topshop charcoal fluffy knit jumper £42
Revlon Photoready cream blush in Flushed £7.99
Philosophy Microdelivery exfoliating wash £22
OPI 'Don't talk Bach to me' £11
Nars pore refining primer £24 

Thursday 27 September 2012

Tag: How Much Is My Face Worth?

I've seen this tag everywhere in blogosphere and it looked like fun so I thought I'd give it a go :) 

For those that aren't familiar with it, it's about getting all your everyday makeup products together and adding up how much they're worth! I know alot of bloggers have been pretty surprised at the total and I have a feeling I will be too....









Mary Kay Oil Mattifying Primer £13.99
MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NW20 £20.50
Ebay Concealer Palette £2.72
MAC Mineralise Skin Finish In Medium Plus £21
Bodyshop Bronzer £13
Ebay Blush Palette £3.62
Benefit High Beam £18.50
Mary Kay Eyebrow Pencil in Blonde £9.99
Lancome Hypnose Mascara £21
Revlon Lip Butter in Strawberry Shortcake £7.99 

Total £132.31


Definately surprised! I thought it'd be less, although the MAC products are bound to bump the total up... thank goodness this isn't for evening makeup, with my Chanel Soleil bronzer and my Naked palette that'd add another £60 straight away!

As you can see though I use some budget products on a daily basis like the ebay concealer and blusher palettes (I'll do a seperate review on these as they really are amazing value for money). And I've included the full price for Lancome Hypnose whereas I'm actually only using a sample of this at the moment.

All I can say is, I'm glad this doesnt involve skincare as that would really make me cringe at the cost!

Wednesday 26 September 2012

Chanel Lip Palette

I love a good ebay bargain it has to be said! I buy and sell quite a bit on ebay (it's pretty addictive once you get into the swing of it...) I rarely buy make up though as it's difficult to know whether it's legitimate or not. I had a bad experience with a 'MAC' mascara which I bought on ebay a few months ago, it made my eyes itch and was just obviously a fake, so you definately have to be vigilant.

This said, if you have a good search on there and only buy from sellers with lots of positive feedback (preferably in the UK) then now again you can find some real gems! As I recently have : )







I came across this Chanel lip compact and instantly loved it. It was brand new in it's original box, I think the seller was having a makeup clearout so it was a legitimate product. The first thing I liked was how the lipstick shades were shaped into the Chanel logo, it just looks so pretty! Yes I'm a salesman's dream...



I won it for £10 so it was just a total bargain for such a high end product! Especially as it has 6 different shades from nude, to pink, to red. Something for every occassion ; ) I think this palette is from a 2010 collection so it isn't exactly up to date but it's a great compact to add to my lipstick collection.


My favourite colour is the dark rose pink on the left in the picture above. It really suits my skin tone and is a great day time shade. All the colours are matt, although they look slightly shimmery in the photos but as usual that's just my crappy camera : (

I haven't had a chance to try any of the red shades yet but the next time I'm going out for dinner or drinks and I reach for a bright red lippy, it'll be one of these! What can make you feel more classy than gorgeous red Chanel lips?



Do you have any favourite Chanel products? Or have you recently found any high end beauty bargains on ebay?

Friday 21 September 2012

Blog Sale - MAC, Lush, Revlon Lip Butters & More

Hi guys!

I've just cleared out a few makeup, skin care, hair products that I no longer use.. Most of them have only been used once or twice so they all have a lot more life left in them! Take a look and see of anything takes your fancy :)

RULES -

- First come first served.

- Leave a comment stating the item you want plus your PayPal email address so I can invoice you.

- If item says pending, this means someone has asked for it but the sale is yet to be completed. Sold means it's unavailable.

- I will only accept PayPal payments Which must be completed within 48 hours.

- Postage is £2 (trying to keep it low for you guys) this is for 2nd class. Each additional item is 25p. If you would like recorded delivery state it in your comment, it'll be an extra £2.

- Returns aren't accepted and I cannot take responsibility for the item once it has been posted. I will keep all proof of postage receipts but any lost or damaged items are the buyers responsibility.

REVLON LIP BUTTERS






Sweet Tart (left) used once £3.50 SOLD
Tutti Frutti used once £3.50 SOLD


Raspberry Pie (left) swatched only (tiny chunk missing, did it while setting up for a photo!) £3 SOLD
Berry Smoothie swatched only £3.50 SOLD



Pink Truffle swatched only £3.50 SOLD
Lollipop worn once £3.50 SOLD



MAC Viva Glam Nicki Minaj Lipstick swatched only £9 SOLD



MUA BB Cream in Medium 3/4 full £1



Benefit Posie Tint 4ml sample used 1-2 times £2
Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer no.53 dark radiance, used once £2





Body Shop cheek colour in no.10 used a couple of times £3.50
Bourjois Blush in no.3 used a couple of times £3.50



TanOrganic self tan, over half left £8 (RRP £20)



Umberto Giannini Backcomb In A Bottle, 3/4 left £3



Simple Toner (amount shown) £1.50





Sanctuary Body Butter 3/4 left £3





Lush Enzymion over half left £5





Nude peep toe platforms with red soles from AX Paris, worn once, excellent condition. £27 includes postage! Comes with box.

THANKS GUYS! :)



Saturday 15 September 2012

Redken Radiant 10 Treatment Spray

Every now and then I'll receive a sample in a beauty box that I end up falling for and therefore purchase the full size. It doesn't happen that often (normally because the products I love end up costing a crazy amount!)

This is exactly what happened with Redken's colour extend radiant-10 treatment spray. I got a small sample size from a beauty box, for the life of me I can't remember which one but I'm pretty sure it was She Said Beauty... It's a multi benefit spray and by multi I mean a staggering 10 benefits for colour treated hair (that's got to result in a good hair day right?)

1. Strengthens the fiber
2. Shields from environmental aggressors
3. Provides long lasting moisture
4. Detangles
5. Softens
6. Nourishes dry ends
7. Restores vibrancy
8. Improves manageability
9. Reduces frizz and fly-aways
10. Infuses shine




I was definately excited to see the results so I started using it straight away. I sprayed it onto damp hair, every other day (that's my personal preference). And after the first use I already noticed it detangled my hair straight away and my hair was shinier (something I strive for having blonde hair which can sometimes look dry and dull).

However, the 2 main benefits for me were softness and nourished ends. I couldn't believe how soft my hair was even after just one use! After using it for about a week and a half (that's how long my sample lasted me), my hair was so silky I couldn't stop touching it :) but the amazing result for me was my ends. The best way I can describe it... my hair looked as though it'd been freshly cut. To be honest I've never used a product that has made such a difference to my dry ends, so when it came to considering whether or not to purchase the full size, it was a no brainer.

I bought a 170ml bottle from Feel Unique for £16.99 with free delivery. I can see it lasting quite a while as I use about 8 sprays on my hair each time.

All in all, a great find! This is why I love beauty boxes and believe they're definately worth subscribing to, they give you a chance to try out new products, some you may never have thought to try but end up being part of your every day routine :)

Tuesday 4 September 2012

NOTD: Luxe Nails

Just a quickie to share a nail look with you guys :)

If you've followed my blog for a little while you'll know how much I love anything to do with nail polish! I love trying new looks and I saw something similar to this in a magazine last week so thought I'd try it out... Metallic is a huge trend right now and anything super luxe is big news so I wanted to wear a shade I don't normally use on my nails, gold. I love this look and would love to know what you think!

Gold and deep purple luxe nails using 'Hot to Trot' & 'Violetta' by No7.

 
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