Review: Good Things Face Mask & Eye Cream.

A few months ago the PR company that represent Naked Bodycare offered to send me a couple of items from the new Good Things skincare range. If you don't know much about Good Things you can read my introduction post here. Knowing how much I love the Naked range & my appreciation for products with natural ingredients they thought this was a range I would really enjoy & they certainly weren't wrong!

At the time my skin care routine was missing an eye cream and a face mask so those were the two products that I was lucky enough to receive. The Five Minute Facial Face Mask appeals to me because as the name suggests, it only takes 5 minutes. What can I say? I'm very impatient! 

The mask claims to make skin clearer, brighter and smoother. The formulation contains green clay and kaolin to draw out impurities, avocado oil to moisturise, goji berry extract to soothe & willow bark extract for radiance. I don't know how it manages to fulfill its claims in just 5 minutes but it really does and I guess that's the most important part - it actually works! It also smells divine which I think is always a bonus & makes me reach for a product more often.

Since it is a clay based mask and will bring any impurities to the surface of the skin I wouldn't recommend using this the night before a big event or a special occasion as you may well end up with a new little (unwelcome) friend on your face! The formula is easy to distribute over your face & you really don't need to use a lot each time which makes it really excellent value for money. I've used mine once or twice a week for around 4 months now and I still have plenty left, although I've already purchased a back up for when I do run out. I wouldn't be without this product now, I think it does a fabulous job.

You can purchase the Five Minute Facial Face Mask from Boots priced at £5.99 for 100ml or you can read more about it here on the Good Things website.

The second product I received is the Bright Eyes Eye Cream which claims to reduce dark circles and puffiness. I know that eye creams aren't an essential part of a skincare routine for everyone & they weren't for me until I turned 21. I know I know, 21 is far from old but my gosh, I feel old right now! I also wear contact lenses on a regular basis so I feel like I tug at my under eye area more than other people and I think that prevention is key!

The eye cream comes in a little squeezable tube with a narrow applicator which makes it very hygienic. The instructions say to apply a small amount of cream around your eye area and gently tap, (don't rub!) the product with your ring fingers until it's fully absorbed.

This is a very light cream as the range is aimed at young skin, so if you feel like you need a lot of extra moisture around your eyes then this probably won't be the product for you. The light consistency means that the cream is absorbed quickly which I always love, especially in the mornings when I don't want to be waiting around for a long time before being able to apply my make up.I have very dark under eye circles that I don't think any product will ever cure, but I can definitely notice a significant difference when I use this in the mornings. My eyes don't look as tired and they feel more refreshed. I think that's pretty impressive for such an inexpensive skin care product!

The tube is deceptively tiny, I can assure you it will last a very long time because you only have to use the smallest amount each time, so again this is excellent value for money! You can purchase the Bright Eyes Eye Cream from Boots, priced at £5.99 for 15ml or you can read more about the products here on the Good Things website.

Have you ever tried anything from the Good Things range? What did you think?
xoxo

Sunday Snapshot 007.

001. Okay, I admit it. This is a bit of a cheat photograph in the sense I didn't take it this week, but I've been so envious of all the pretty snow pictures I've seen over the past few days & I wanted one of my own! This was the first and so far, the only time I've seen proper snow. My boyfriend drove us up to one of the highest peaks in the Derbyshire Dales last year and it was beautiful.

002. Without intending to get to sentimental, I'd really like to thank everyone that leaves a comment, sends me a sweet email or even just simply reads my blog anonymously. I really do appreciate it so so much, more than you could ever imagine probably. I've met some lovely ladies that I would call real friends through blogging & that's something I'm so incredibly grateful for. I sometimes wish the land of blogger were a real place where we could all meet for a natter over a cuppa and spend an afternoon shopping for pretty things. I imagine that would get very expensive, but it'd be so much fun. In all honestly my life is a little bit of a mess at the moment, things are looking up but I really do love having my little piece of the Internet to escape to. Thank you so much for being here. ♥

003. I seem to have a new song obsession every week at the moment & right now it's Someone like You by Adele. I've honestly listened to this pretty much constantly all weekend and I think it's so beautiful. Adele is a gorgeous woman who just has to stand there & sing and she completely captivates me. I adore her.

004. I'm a little bit excited for the X Factor tonight, yep, I'm a geek. It's a double kicking off tonight which always seems so much more exciting! I'm thinking Cher, Mary & Katie might be in a bit of trouble, what do you think?

Have you seen any snow where you live yet
xoxo

Born & Raised in a Summer Haze & a Mini ASOS Loot.

If you follow me on Twitter I'm sure you'll have seen my impatient tweets yesterday as I was waiting for the Parcelforce man to deliver my ASOS parcel. The free next day delivery & 20% off ASOS own brand suckered me in & I just had to make an order. It was totally out of my control, honest!

Lately I've been lusting after pretty rings. I go through phases with rings, sometimes I love the look of wearing lots of them at once, but other times I think that looks so silly on me & just wear one or two simple ones. At the moment, the tackier they are the better! I love peace symbols so I'm unable to resist them and I just had to have that red beauty. It's truly tack-tastic but I adore it!

I've found myself looking at the Dainty Doll make up range a lot since it launched on ASOS. It's no secret I am super pale so perhaps that's why this range appeals so much. It's creator, Nicola Roberts from Girls Aloud fame, truly embraces her pale skin tone & she looks completely gorgeous. The blushers are £13 which may seem expensive to some, but after seeing the quality of the product and the packaging, I'm more than happy to pay that.

The packaging is sleek and very grown-up looking, you definitely wouldn't be embarrassed pulling this out of your bag for an on-the-go touch up. You get a huge mirror which I really like to have in a compact like this and there's no need to carry an extra mirror with you, this is more than sufficient.

This particular colour stood out to me for two reasons, firstly it's called Hippy Shake (you really can't escape those Wagner memories!) and secondly to me it looked like quite an unusual shade. The pigmentation when you run your finger lightly over the powder is amazing, if not a little scary. However when you blend the product into your skin you're left with a beautiful lavender sheen which I love.

The list of dresses I'm lusting over is ridiculously long but this shirt dress is one I just had to have right now.

On the website they described this colour as simply 'purple' but in real life it's the most beautiful warm mulberry colour that's so perfect for the current season. Everything about it is lovely, it fits perfectly & it's the exact length I like my dresses to be. I'm 5'8
& on me it sits about 4 or 5 inches above my knee.


I dusted my new Dainty Doll blush over Illamasqua Promise today & I think it looks super pretty. The lavender sheen is subtle but when the light hits your face it gives another dimension to the cheek. Please excuse me, I am such a blush geek! I've also been loving the Naked palette, if you can get hold of this you really should, it's wonderful!

Did you get sucked in by the ASOS discount? I'm debating purchasing the navy version of this dress, should I?  
xoxo

PS. Yes, my hair is no longer pink, it's violet & I ♥ it!

Share The Love/Follow Friday 002.

I really enjoyed writing my last share the love/follow friday post a few weeks ago so I thought it was about time for another one! Again, I hope the following ladies don't mind me borrowing one of their lovely photographs for this post, I will of course change it if you would like me to! ♥ 

Lauren from Noir Nouvelle is completely gorgeous and I love seeing a new post from her pop up in my google reader. Every single one of her outfits is just perfect & I would really quite like to have pretty hair like hers! If you're not already following Lauren then you're definitely missing out and you should pop over to her blog and click the follow button. She's nothing but lovely!

Kim's blog, Dottie K is one that I've been following for a long time & continue to absolutely adore. Kim has amazing reviews for a whole range of beauty products and even more fabulous nail art posts. Her nail polish collection must be incredible and if you're not already following you really should be!

The lovely Gem has two fabulous blogs that I've recently stumbled across. From Gem with Love is a blog all about her life, her likes, dislikes and I adore it! She's such a lovely person and her personality really shows through in her posts. Gem is also a talented photographer and Gemma Johnson Photography is a new blog that showcases her work. Without even knowing it she's inspired me to pick up my camera and start taking proper photographs again, thank you Gem, I appreciate that more than you'll ever know!

Finally I'd like to mention the beautiful Milly from Fashion Launderette. I love love love Milly's outfit posts, she has a unique and wonderful sense of style that's just so completely her & it was Milly's beautiful pink hair that first got me thinking about whacking out the coloured hair dye! She really is super lovely & her blog is packed full of pretty things that I'm sure you'll love as much as I do! ♥

As always, if you have any favourite blogs I'm missing out on, please link them below! 
xoxo

What I Wore: Hippy Hippy Shake.

If you watched the UK version of the X Factor last Saturday I'm sure hearing the words hippy hippy shake will make you immediately think of Wagner & his interesting Beatles medley. I definitely do & it's really not the nicest of thoughts! Sorry Wagner!

Black Cardigan: Boohoo.

Dress: Boohoo.

Tights: Asda.

I always refer to this as my hippie dress and I absolutely love it. It's very different from my usual soft florals and cinched in waist but I think a bit of a change is good every now and again. I don't think it suits me as much as some of my other dresses but that's okay, I still really enjoy wearing it & that's what fashion is all about for me.

I've washed out the majority of my pink ombre in preparation for a new colour. After much deliberation I've settled on violet by Directions which left on for just a couple of minutes gives me the prettiest lilac coloured hair. I'm definitely not ready to say goodbye to my coloured ombre just yet, I feel really plain without it, even if it does limit my make up options!

Do you have an item of clothing that you love but doesn't fit in with your usual style? Also do you have any colour recommendations for my next ombre? I'm still contemplating blue but it's a little scary!
xoxo

Sunday Snapshot 006 & Announcing the Winner.

001. The beach in the winter time is my absolute favourite place, ever. This is the beach at Hengistbury Head in Dorset & it really is just perfect.
002. My giveaway closed yesterday & today I picked the winners name out of a hat. It took forever to write out all the names, if you got 2 entries for already being a follower then you name went into the hat twice.

After folding all the pieces of paper up I popped them into the only hat I own, my teal beret that absolutely love! I do wish I owned a top hat, purely for moments like this, but the beret had to do!

And the winner is....

Emma Jade. 

Congratulations lovely! Let me know if it's still Resist Lipstick that you would like & I'll get your prize all sent off asap! ♥ 

Hopefully I'll have another little giveaway up sometime very very soon!

xoxo

Urban Decay Naked Palette.

Everyone and their Grandma's brother's donkey probably has the Naked Palette from Urban Decay. What can I say? I was late on this bandwagon but I'm so glad I finally caught on. At full retail price this palette is £27, which when you consider exactly what you're getting, I think it's a good price. However, I'm cheap so I was a bit hesitant to part with that much money, but, when I saw this pop up on ASOS I knew I had to make it mine. At the time they were still offering 20% discount with an NUS card, it accidentally found its way into my basket & I have a feeling this is the start of a beautiful relationship. As I'm not a massive lover of eyeshadow it's now safe to say that I have everything I need right here in a lovely palette.

The mini Primer Potion is so cute, I've never tried it before so I'm excited to see what it's like in comparison with my Eyes Lips Face mineral eye primer. They look and feel exactly the same so I'm intrigued as to whether they perform the same! The Primer Potion packaging is gorgeous, definitely not convenient for reaching the last scraps of product, but it's pretty!

The double ended eyeliner has both Zero, a black & Whiskey, a deep brown which is fabulous. For someone like me, who isn't a fan of lots of colour on the eye, this really is perfect. I'm still kicking myself for not picking this up sooner, I mean look at it, it's beautiful! Every single shadow is buttery smooth and they blend like an absolute dream, I can absolutely see why people spend a little bit more on shadows from brands like MAC and Urban Decay & even I could be tempted to go a little nuts on the MAC website.


Virgin is the perfect highlight and looks like it would brighten up the inner corners of the eyes beautifully to instantly make you look more awake. I can tell this is going to be one of my most frequently used shadows.
Sin is a pretty champagne with a hint of pink that will be so pretty all over the lid with a bit of liner for a quick yet put together looking eye. We all need that super quick look that we can rely on to give the illusion that we've put in more effort than we actually have!
Naked is a matte nude coloured shadow that I think I'll use a lot for blending out other colours for a neutral daytime look. It's not the prettiest shadow in the palette but I have a feeling it's going to be one of the most useful!
Sidecar is a beautiful bronze with a golden sheen, I absolutely adore this colour and I think it's going to be my most worn!


Buck is a warmer and slightly darker version of Naked which I think would be really pretty blended into the socket for a warm & defined neutral eye.
Half Baked is the perfect light bronze with a hint of gold that for some reason makes me think of Christmas every time I look at it! This is another shade that I can see myself wearing all over the lid with just a touch of liner and lots of mascara.
Smog is a much deeper bronze with a hint of gold that's equally beautiful. I think the combination of Half Baked, Smog & something like Creep would be so pretty!
Darkhorse is a deep almost chocolate brown that can be used in so many different looks. I think that black looks too harsh on my pale skin so a deep brown like this is the perfect alternative.


Toasted is a medium toned brown with a really pretty pink sheen making it quite an unusual but really quite striking colour in my opinion.
Hustle is similar to Darkhorse but with a beautiful deep plum undertone. Hustle and Toasted would make such a beautiful and unusual subtle smoky eye - lovely!
Creep is a smoky grey with a deep blue-green undertone and some subtle gold glitter. A touch of this blended into the socket and outer corner would give the most perfect daytime smoky eye look that's so perfect for the winter season.
Gunmetal is a deep grey with a stunning blue sheen to it. This is probably the most beautiful shadow to look at and is the perfect shade to add to the outer corner to take any make up look from day to night.

There really is something for everyone in this palette & I agree with everyone that's said this is a must have for any neutral shadow lovers. Do you have the Naked palette? What do you think of it?
xoxo

Updated Skin Care Routine.

Maintaining a good skincare routine is something that’s really important to me. Having had acne in the past and turning 21 this year are the two things that have made me really consider the products I use on my face.

My absolute favourite cleanser, which I’m sure you’ve seen me talk about many times before, is the Chamomile Cleanser from Neal’s Yard. I use this at night, massaging it into dry skin and removing it with a warm muslin cloth. This takes off all my make up, even waterproof mascara, and leaves my skin feeling super clean.

After cleansing I like to use a face wash and there are three different ones I really like. If I feel like my skin needs a little extra gentle exfoliation then I’ll use the Gentle Exfoliating Face Wash from Naked Bodycare which has little beads in it that burst as you massage it into your skin. If my skin doesn’t need that then I’ll use either the Softening Face Wash from Naked Bodycare or the Daily Care Face Wash from Organic Surge. They’re both rose scented which I really like and they leave my skin feeling really soft and not tight in any way.

After patting my skin dry I soak a cotton pad in a little distilled witch hazel and gently wipe it all over my face. This has really improved the tone of my skin and it feels really cooling and soothing which is lovely. If I have any spots then I will apply a little witch hazel gel on to them and by the morning they will have significantly reduced in size.

My favourite night time moisturiser is the Vitamin E & Avocado Night Cream from Neal’s Yard. This is quite a rich cream but it’s not at all greasy and sinks into the skin so quickly. I definitely couldn’t be without this product, especially in the winter time because my skin is beautifully moisturised when I wake up in the mornings.

After moisturising I like to apply my eye cream. The Bright Eyes Eye Cream from Good Things is a lovely one because it’s so light and can be used morning and night. Maybe I’m imagining it but I feel as though my dark circles aren’t as bad as they were before I started using this and at the very least I feel like I’m doing something to help my under eye area. I wear contact lenses so I feel like I tug at that delicate area more than most people so applying an eye cream makes me feel better!

In the mornings I don’t tend to do a lot, if my skin is feeling oily I will use one of my rose face washes or I’ll run a little distilled witch hazel over my face. If my skin feels fine then I’ll apply my daily moisturiser. In the summer I’ll just use the Almond Moisturiser from Neal’s Yard, which I find is really light and sinks in instantly. In the winter I find my skin needs something a little bit extra so I use a little of the Nourishing Orange Flower Daily Moisture from Neal’s Yard as well. The combination of both creams provides a really lovely smooth base for my make up.

My lips get so dry it’s ridiculous. I know that most people swear by Carmex but for some reason that makes my lips even worse. My all time favourite lip balm is the Shea Lip Butter from The Body Shop, it’s so moisturising and it smells gorgeous! On days where my lips are exceptionally chapped I will use the Blistex Intensive Moisturiser under another lip balm for that extra layer of moisture. My newest favourite is the Nivea Pearly shine which is again, really moisturising & it adds a touch of frosty pink colour to the lips which is really pretty.

The last product I'm going to talk about it the Five Minute Facial Face Mask from Good Things. I use this once a week, sometimes more if my skin needs extra help, as a mini treatment. This does really draw out impurities so I wouldn't use this the day before an important event or you may well find a new unwanted little friend setting up home on your face. My skin is visibly brighter and refreshed after using this mask and I wouldn't want to be without this product in my routine now.

Do you have a skin care routine you stick to? What are your favourite skin care products?
xoxo

Sunday Snapshot 005.

001. It's been way too dark in my room this past week to get a nice photograph of Ralphie. Low light and his reluctance to sit still is not a good combination. So, this is a little video of him I took today. He's grown so much since I first brought him home, he's 18 weeks old now and his lion head mane is getting SO long. If you listen carefully you can hear old school Location Location Location on the TV in the background, I'm so cool. Ha!

002. I've had the nicest weekend that's been filled with cute films, bunny cuddles and snoozing. Ralphie has been so cuddly these past few days and he actually sat on my lap during pretty much the whole of Sleepless in Seattle. What a cutie!

003. They don't make films like they used to at all, in my opinion! With the exception of a few, I'm not into all these action packed films full of special effects and fancy pants editing. Give me a cute story and a lovely soundtrack and I'm totally enthralled. It's the simple things I love!

004. I can't seem to stop myself searching for gorgeous tattoos on sites like weheartit. The episode of LA ink where the girl gets a tattoo of an open book with a tree coming out of it & a few scattered pages with lines from Little Miss Muffet on them from Kim is probably one of the most beautiful tattoos I've seen & seeing it again has reignited my love.

005. My boyfriend says I'm one of the most difficult people to buy gifts for & I can totally see why. He asked me to put together a Christmas wish list kind of thing so he can pick one or two things from it that he knows I'm going to love, but it would still be a surprise because I won't know what he's picked. Does that make sense? Anyway, I'm totally clueless as to what to put on the list. How is he's supposed to know what I'd like when I don't even know myself?! What's on your Christmas list this year?

006. If there's ever anything you'd like to know you can ask me anything on my formspring page. I'll answer pretty much anything, so ask away if you would like to. I also have a twitter account, I need to get better at following people back on there. I fell out of love with Twitter but I really do think it's a fabulous way of getting to know people!

007. I'm planning an ombre re-vamp at the moment. I love having pink hair, I've had people come up to me and say 'Oh no, your hair was so nice. What have you done?' & I've had total strangers stopping me and telling me they love it. It's totally not at all, but I really feel like I'm indulging my rebellious side. Anyway, since the dye I use washes out super quickly I figured I could start experimenting with a few different colours. There's a gorgeous bright blue that I'm contemplating, I've secretly always wanted blue hair but it's a bit scary. For some reason pink hair seems very tame compared to blue. What do you think?

008. Have you seen the John Lewis Christmas advert? It is just too adorable for words, and yes, I even watched the making of because things like that fascinate me. When I had just started College I remember wanting to go down a cinematography career path, I'm not sure what stopped me, I probably convinced myself I'd never make it. I think still images are more my thing, but maybe I'll stop talking myself out of things and start talking myself into things! I've totally gone off on a tangent here, I was going to say how lovely is Ellie Goulding's version of Your Song? You should totally watch the video if you haven't already because it's lovely. Ellie is so so pretty and I'd quite like to be able to sing like her, please?

009. Okay, I've rambled on for long enough now. To think I was thinking of quitting my Sunday Snapshot series because I felt like I never had anything to say. Just goes to show, a little bit of effort pays off dramatically.

xoxo

P.S. Just a little reminder that you have until 11:59pm on Saturday enter my little giveaway if you would like to! I will be drawing the winner one week today and hopefully that person won't have too long to wait until they get their prize!

P.P.S. I switched over to a .com a couple of days ago so I think it's still in the transition stages. Hopefully my posts still show up on your dashboard and everything should be fully sorted very soon!

Share The Love/Follow Friday 001.

Share the love or Follow Friday blog posts are among my favourite posts to read because I've ended up finding some gorgeous people through them. I know lots of people do Follow Friday's on Twitter every week & I always find new people through that, but there's something about the layout of a blog that is easier to navigate and, I don't know, I guess it's more personal & I like that element. I really hope the following lovelies don't mind me pilfering one of their lovely photographs to use, but these are all ladies that I think are fabulous & I know you will too!

Nic from Magic's in the Make Up was one of the first ladies I ever came across when I stumbled across the beauty community. I remember I was lucky enough to win one of her giveaways after embarrassingly admitting I had a string of silly dance moves  to Barbie Girl by Aqua that I have been known to break out at karaoke sessions. Oh dear! I absolutely love Nic, not only does she have a fabulous blog, she's also absolutely gorgeous and a beautiful beautiful person. I'm sure you'll end up loving her as much as I do!

♥

Lauren's blog The Details in the Fabric is just so lovely and it's a real pleasure to read. You can tell she has a wonderful sense of style and I'm always eager to see more outfit posts from her! Not limiting her blog to just fashion she also likes to write about her life, her gorgeous horse & her other interests. She absolutely deserves many more lovely readers because I'm sure you'll love her blog as much as I do!

♥

I've only very recently discovered the lovely Emma Jade from Oh Really? but I'm already jealous of her amazing wardrobe. There isn't an outfit she's posted that hasn't looked absolutely gorgeous, her make up is always flawless & she also posts recipes for some yummy looking treats! I love her and I'm certain you will too!

♥

Beth from Anchor Rose is stunning, seriously stunning! Her beautiful blog is just bursting with personality, perfectly styled outfits and scatterings of nautical loveliness. You absolutely need her blog in your life, you will not regret clicking that follow button because she's just lovely!

♥

Last but by no means least I'd like to mention Alyse from Integrating Alyse. I'm not sure how I first came across her blog but I'm so glad I did because it's definitely one of my absolute favourites. Alyse is so ridiculously gorgeous and she has an amazing sense of style. She's also super lovely so if you're not following her already then you're definitely missing out!

Do you have any favourite blogs? Let me know, I'd love to discover some new reads!
xoxo

Anchor Necklace from Stars & Scars Jewellery.

I was on twitter the other day complaining, my favourite thing to do, about how much I wanted a glitter name necklace but they were all too expensive. Vicky from _StarsnScars came to my rescue and said she could design me my very own name necklace, in any shape I wanted, including glitter for way cheaper. I wasn't really sure what I wanted but Vicky said she had an idea and did a little sketch for me to look at & I loved it! A few days later it was on its way to me in the post and it arrived, beautifully packaged, a couple of days ago. I'm so so excited about it & I haven't taken it off since.

I'm in love with the blue glitter and the way she drew the lettering. I also love that it's all hand made which makes it unique and more personal. There are some amazing jewellery designers on sites like Etsy and Folksy who deserve all the success in the world and Vicky is absolutely one of them.

She even added a cute little blue star to the end of the chain which is a lovely touch. I'm so happy with the design and it cost £12 which is far cheaper than the one I was thinking of purchasing. Plus, this is an anchor which instantly makes it amazing!

I would recommend Vicky and her designs to everyone! Please do have a look at her Folksy, Etsy and Facebook pages, she makes some wonderful pieces & I'm sure she'll be more than willing to work with you to create a unique piece of jewellery if you pop her an email!

Do you like purchasing pieces from smaller jewellery companies or do you tend to stick to the highstreet?
xoxo