sailboat. // UK lifestyle blog.

January GlossyBox.

2012-01-30T15:22:00.004Z

After such a wonderful box last month, I think it was always going to be hard for GlossyBox to improve on that for this months box ♦. I must say, I'm more impressed than I expected to be but I still think last months box was the best so far. I do really love the hot pink box they've used for this special Valentine's theme, I think I even prefer it to the usual soft pink shade of the boxes!

The first item I was drawn towards was the Eyeko Skinny Eyeliner and I received the shade Emerald Green. I can't lie and say I'm overly thrilled with this colour, in all honesty I will never use this and I was secretly hoping I would get the pale pink shade, but nevermind. The packaging of these seems to be a bit deceiving, the pencil looks really long but the pointed silver end doesn't appear to contain any product, making this liner quite a bit shorter than average.

The pencil itself is pigmented, it doesn't drag along the skin in an unpleasant way and it smudges quite easily. To me this feels ever so slightly waxy, but I'm not a huge expert on pencil liners, and it smells quite like crayons. Overall this isn't a product for me, but everyone is different - you may adore this product! The full size pencil retails at £9.50.

The second product that I picked out is the Murad Skin Perfecting Primer and it's promises of a dewy finish are pretty exciting to me because I'm sure everyone knows how much I love the Satin Primer from Illamasqua. This Murad primer is oil free and promises to ignite a radiant glow powered by light-enhancing minerals. This is a product I'm super excited to try out, my only reservation is that it seems to be slightly tinted but I'm hoping that it won't give too much colour to the skin because I am quite pale. The full size 30ml bottle retails for a fairly pricey, £29.

Clarins has always been a brand I've been drawn towards, their products get excellent reviews all the time so I'm not sure why I've never tried anything from the brand before. The Clarins Extra-Firming Day Cream promises to infuse the skin with firming benefits that are immediate and long lasting and I'm really excited to try this out. In my opinion it's never too early to start looking into product that promise to firm!

The Clarins Extra-Firming Night Cream contains an intensive night time skin renewal complex and again, I'm looking forward to giving this a whirl. The only reservations I have with these are that they are for all skin types, so I'm unsure if these will be moisturising enough for my dry skin. Like I mentioned before, I've never really delved into Clarins as a brand so I'm not entirely sure what to expect. A full size 50ml jar of the Day Cream is £46.50 and a full size 50ml jar of the Night Cream is £48. Not cheap, but if they do the job then I'd say it's well worth the investment!

Finally, I've saved my favourite product for last and that is the FAB Gentle Body Wash. This is the only product I've really tried out so far and on first impressions I think this is a wonderful product. It's creamy in texture and doesn't have much of a scent to it making it perfect for sensitive skin. My skin feels especially soft after using this and also very moisturised. I have already been perusing the rest of the range on the Boots website and I feel some purchases are going to be made very soon. This is a brand that appeals to me because they don't include harsh chemicals or known irritants in their products and I'm definitely intrigued by the Anti-Redness Serum and the Facial Radiance Pads! The full size 226g or 8oz Body Wash retails for £10.

Overall, I'm pretty impressed and think there are some really lovely products in this months box. Admittedly I would have liked this Valentine's box to have had a pretty pink lipstick, blush or even nail polish in it because I know those are the kinds of colours I'll be opting for this Valentine's Day and that would have got more love from me than the Eyeko eyeliner!

What do you think of this months GlossyBox? Are you subscribed to any beauty boxes?

xoxo

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Everyday Foundation Routine.

2012-01-29T11:30:00.000Z

Totally forgot to take a proper photograph of my make up, sorry for the video still! Note to self, must try harder!

For the last couple of months I simply haven't been able to start my make up routine without using the Vichy Aqualia Thermal Rich Moisturiser and the Illamasqua Satin Primer. These two products work amazingly well together and my foundation never goes on as smoothly if I skip one of these products!

Foundation wise, the star of the moment is of course, Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum. I'm sure you're all getting sick of me mentioning it all the time but honestly, I'm so in love with it! The coverage is wonderful, it blends so quickly and easily and the colour is pretty perfect for me which is always a good thing! Concealer wise, there are a few I really love. In the video I'm going to embed at the end of this post I use all three of these, Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection, Benefit Boi-ing and Benefit Erase Paste. On the day I filmed my foundation routine video my skin wasn't looking so great, as you will see, but hopefully it gives you a pretty good idea of how well they work!

Another Bourjois product I'm head over heels in love with is the Delice de Poudre bronzing powder and I use the shade 52 which I believe is the middle shade, but don't quote me on that! I use this with an ELF Complexion Brush and I love the way it helps to really sculpt my face without looking too fake and just a bit, well, odd. No one likes looking odd! For my blush that day I opted for MAC Something Special Cream blush which is the perfect peach shade & I popped a little bit of NARS Douceur over the top, because one blusher is never enough for me! I'm pretty obsessed, but obviously my blush shade changes from day to day!

Which products are featured in your current every day foundation routine? I'd love to know what you're reaching for at the moment!

xoxo

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Princess Shoes - A Fairytale Sarenza Competition Entry.

2012-01-26T11:30:00.000Z

Once upon a time in a land not so far from where you're sitting, there was a little, okay not so little, girl named Jennie who dreamt of having her very own pair of Princess shoes. She had spent hours imagining what the perfect pair would look like right down to the very last detail and she was beginning to think she would never find them! They would be a beautiful soft pink shade, a perfect red heart would sit right on the toes and they would have a soft bubblegum scent to them!

Retiring to her bedroom to weep privately for the shoes that existed only in her dreams, Jennie popped on to twitter, her favourite social networking website, and learned that Sarenza were having a competition and she immediately clicked over to have a look at all the wonderful shoes they had to offer. This was too much of a coincidence. Surely her dream Princess shoes couldn't be on that website just waiting for her to stumble across them?

Much to Jennie's surprise, (but I'm sure you could all see this one coming a mile off) there were her dream Princess shoes (these Vivienne Westwood & Melissa Lady Dragon Vii shoes just in case you were wondering!) just sitting there patiently waiting for her to stumble across them. Upon reaching for her purse where her debit card was nestled safely she realised that she had left it in her boyfriend's car...I mean on her boyfriend's, err, horse? Because obviously dating anyone less than a Prince just wouldn't be suitable for a Princess, right? Sighing and flailing her arms in dispair she wondered if she would ever have her magical Princess shoes and promptly decided to enter Sarenza's competition & that is where we leave this story for now, where this particular fairytale ends is still unknown...

xoxo

*This post is my slightly unconventional (I'm not sure I've entirely followed the rules!) entry for the Sarenza ambassador competition. If you'd like to hear more about it you can do so here.

Favourite Products of 2011.

2012-01-20T16:44:00.001Z

2011 was a year of exciting product launches and discovering some really fabulous beauty products that I now can't imagine my collection without! I had hoped to narrow down my top picks to just 11 so that I could do a top 11 of 2011, but in the end I just couldn't decide! I popped up a favourites of 2011 video on my YouTube channel which is a whopping 22 minutes long and I will embed that at the end of this post so that you can watch it if you would like to and in that video I mention all of my favourites from last year. If I were to mention everything individually in this blog post I think I would have been photographing products for hours upon hours so I've decided to just include a selection here!

Last year was the year I discovered some incredible base products, some are fairly high end but there are also some much more affordable options. I'm so happy that I discovered beauty blogs because without them I'd probably still be using some rubbishy foundation completely unaware that there are some lovely products out there. MAC Studio Sculpt foundation is an expensive product but my gosh is it brilliant! The gel based formula makes it lovely for all you dry skinned lovelies, the lightest shade is a perfect match for me and it gives a medium to full coverage depending on how much you build it up. A more inexpensive foundation option is Bourjois Healthy Mix serum. This is also gel based but much thinner in consistency and it gives a light medium coverage.

Concealer wise there is only really one star of the show for me and that's Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer. It has amazing coverage, the lightest shade is a perfect match for me & it costs under £5!

Eyebright from Benefit is a product I discovered quite late in 2011 but it's one that I wouldn't be without now. I absolutely hate the feeling of putting things in my waterline but this is worth it because it really brightens and opens up the eyes which is something I need because I only have tiny eyes! Another Benefit product I absolutely love is the Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in the shade Recess. This is the only thing that keeps my eyeshadow on for longer that 10 minutes which is nothing short of a minor miracle!

I'm not the biggest eyeshadow person, a lot of heavy eye make up really doesn't suit me so I tend to always go for subtle neutral colours. There are two palettes I discovered last year that I'm in love with and they are the MUA Heaven & Earth palette and the infamous Urban Decay Naked Palette.

Somehow I managed to narrow my favourite blushers down to just four, which for a blusher addict is pretty amazing, don't you think? Illamasqua cream blush in the shade Promise is the most perfect warm mid toned pink and it really does look beautiful with so many different make up looks. Another Illamasqua blush I adored last year is their powder blush in the shade Tweak and yes, it really is as bright as it looks! A red toned hot pink, this is quite a tricky shade for someone as pale as me to wear but with a light hand this gives the most beautiful flush of colour. NARS Douceur and NYX Natural are both similar subtle neutral shades that gives a lovely healthy glow to the skin.

Firstly I'm super sorry for including the limited edition Viva Glam Cyndi lipstick but I just absolutely adore it. Other lipsticks that really stand out are Topshop Pillow Talk and of course, Revlon Cherries in the Snow. Last year I wasn't a huge fan of nude lipsticks and since I'm usually a fan of a more natural base I branched out into lipsticks that make a bit more of an impact!

Finally I had to include a couple of stand out hair products the first being the John Frieda Go Blonder Controlled Lightening Spray which really has worked wonders at lighting my hair colour by at least two shades! The conditioner that stands out to me as really helping to make my hair feel and look healthier is the Lee Stafford Treatment For Hair That Never Grows Past A Certain Length. I feel like I get a lot less breakage which is pretty amazing considering I backcomb my hair most days!

As promised I have embedded my favourites of 2011 video in case you would like to watch and hear a few more of my favourite products! Have you tried any of the products I've talked about in this post? What did you think of them?

What were your favourite products of last year? I'd love to know!

xoxo

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Everyday Make Up Look: Cherries in the Snow.

2012-01-18T16:48:00.000Z

Taking a break from YouTube has made me become all awkward again in front of the camera, but hopefully that will pass soon as I make more videos! YouTube is a funny old place, some people seem to disregard all courtesy when commenting and just say whatever they want. I didn't really know how to deal with that when I was making videos last year but I think I'm okay with it now. Not everyone is going to like everyone and that's okay!

When I did my little survey last year (a huge thank you to everyone that took time out of their day to answer my questions!) I asked whether I should embed my videos into blog posts or to carry on blogging as I have been in the past and do a separate blog post along side my videos. The results were pretty mixed so I've decided to go with what I'd like to do and that is to carry on putting together posts as I have been doing with pictures etc. I don't want to lose the feel of my blog by just embedding videos & I love love love taking photographs! Having said that, I think I'll embed the video at the end of this post after the photographs, just incase you'd like to see it!

So, for my first video back I decided to to an everyday make up look featuring my current favourite lipstick which is Revlon Cherries in the Snow!

I really can't say enough good things about Illamasqua's satin primer, I really recommend it if you have dry skin or if you just really love that fresh dewy look! It is quite pricey but it will last you such a long time because you only need the smallest amount. I'm about half way through mine and the moment and will definitely repurchase! I'm so happy that I bought a bottle of Healthy Mix Serum from Bourjois, thank you so much to everyone that raved about it in their videos and on their blogs because I probably wouldn't have bought it otherwise. This is hands down my favourite highstreet foundation, it's such a great quality product and would really recommend this to anyone with dry skin as it doesn't emphasise dry areas!

When I'm wearing a bright pinky-red lipstick I always feel a bit clownish if I go for a pink cheek as well so I've been opting for my favourite neutral blush combination which is NYX Natural cream blush with a light dusting of NARS Douceur over the top. It's such a beautiful and natural combination that gives a real healthy glow to the complexion.

A light application of a champagne eyeshadow all over the lid with the pale highlight shade from the MUA Heaven & Earth palette in the inner corner is perfect for a non-eyeshadow lover like myself. Peep Show mascara from 17 is currently my new favourite affordable mascara. It has lengthening fibres in the formula but I also really like that this is quite a thick mascara that adds a lot of volume and drama to the lashes and mine definitely need all the help they can get!

Finally, Revlon Cherries in the Snow lipstick is the star of this make up look and a small amount of this can completely transform a pretty safe and neutral look into something a little bit more 'wow'!

That's it! A super easy look that really doesn't take a lot of time at all but really makes a statement. I love that cherries in the snow can be worn really boldly or you can also apply a tiny bit with your finger so that it gives more of a red stain to the lips!

What is your go to make up look at the moment? Are you loving statement lips or do you favour a more dramatic eye look?

xoxo

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What I Wore: Breathe Me.

2012-01-16T11:45:00.000Z

This trench coat is one of my favourite Primark finds, I'm not sure when I got it but it must have been a few years ago now. Trench coats are definitely the most flattering style for my body shape and I'm feeling the need to invest in a couple more, I think a nice navy colour would be perfect, especially if it had little touches of gold on it too. Pretty!

Coat: Primark, Dress: Love Label, Cardigan: Boohoo, Tights: Matalan.

Shoes: ASOS, Bag: Disaster Designs Dandy Bag purchased from Yumi.

Necklace: Sailboat, Ahoy! Heart Ring: Scape Jewellery, Ruby Ring: Studio59.

Base: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation & Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer.

Cheeks: Illamasqua Promise Cream Blusher & Bourjois Rose d'Or Powder Blush.

Eyes: 17 Wild Curls Mascara - horrible, don't purchase!

Lips: Revlon Cherries in the Snow Lipstick.

Venturing outside to take outfit photographs is probably one of the best choices I've made regarding the ol' blog but oh my gosh, something embarrassing, silly or just plain ridiculous happens every time! This time as I was merrily posing away an old man walking his dog came up to my boyfriend and said 'ooh no no no, this isn't right, she should be in a bikini and posing in the river. That would look nice that would'. Cue nervous laughter and hello red face & a quick exit. Oh how I hate feeling awkward and that conversation was probably the epitome of awkward. I hope these things happen to other people too...

Just wanted to quickly say a huge thank you to everyone that takes the time to leave a comment! Now that blogger has finally added a reply function making it easier to see my replies, I'm aiming to reply to every single comment, even if it's just to say a simple thank you. I figured that if you take a few seconds to type something to me, it's only right that I do the same!

I hope you're all having a lovely Monday. I'm going to hopefully finally film a new video for my YouTube channel (yay!) & make a start on my next University assignment (not so yay!). Lots of love!

xoxo

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Twenty Five Before Twenty Five.

2012-01-13T12:30:00.000Z

Okay, so it's Friday and this post should be a Five Things I Love Friday but it's not because honestly, I've had one of those weeks where I haven't found much to love and I don't want to try and make up a bunch of stuff because that wouldn't be very real. I'll try harder for next week, things are looking up!

Instead I thought I'd pop up my list of twenty five things I'd like to do or achieve before I'm twenty five years old. I was going to do a thirty before thirty list but we'd be waiting around a pretty long time to see if I actually achieved them. This May I'll be turning twenty three years old so I have a little over two years to see how many things I manage to achieve!

One. Set up a rainy day savings account and regularly pay into it.

Even if I can only manage to pay in a small amount each month, it's better than nothing and you never know when you'll need a few spare pennies in life!

Two. Move in with my boyfriend.

My boyfriend is very fortunate to own his own home and I realise how lucky we are to be in a position where we won't have to rent. There's absolutely nothing wrong with renting, I know it suits so many people perfectly, but it's just not for us. His house was a pretty big renovation project and at every step of the way he's asked my opinion on things which is really lovely because one day this is going to a home for the two of us.

Three. Fully set up my online jewellery and photography stores.

Sailboat, Ahoy is my little online handmade jewellery store and in the coming months I hope to turn it into something really quite wonderful. I'm not someone that's been arty or crafty all my life but I'm certainly enjoying learning as I go along and making new pieces to put into the shop. My next aim is to set up a little online photography based store selling prints, note cards and greetings cards. I'd really love to make these little shops into something special. Fingers crossed that I can!

Four. Get married.

I never thought I'd get married. At school all of my friends had boyfriends and I never really did, I was kind of the chubby kid with unflattering glasses that no boy ever looked at apart from to have a bit of a laugh at. For the most part I was okay with it, having a boyfriend wasn't such a big deal to me. Over the years there were a few boys I went on dates with but no one was really very special until I met Mark. You know when things just feel right? I remember telling my mama that I had just met the man I was going to marry.

Five. Adopt a dog.

From when I was a baby my family have always had a dog and that's something I'd like to continue. Ideally I'd love to adopt a dog from a rescue centre although I know they have strict rules and I'm not sure if our small garden will be large enough. I hope it will be though because I'd love to give a dog that's had a hard time a really lovely home.

Six. Welcome our first baby.

I never thought I'd be in a position where I was saying that I'd like a baby. This is another one of those things that comes with meeting the right person. I'm not quite ready just yet and it's just not quite the right time at the moment. With something as big as this I want everything else to be as perfect as it can be, I'd like to be married, in the position where I can be a stay at home mum and just able to give everything I possibly can to another life. I'm also excited to see what our future child will look like, my boyfriend is half Filipino and I'm as white as can be. Boy or girl I don't mind, I just know it's going to be such an exciting time in our lives.

Seven. Lose around 14lbs and keep it off.

This may be slightly too ambitious, I'd be very happy with just losing 10lbs and I think I'd feel much better for it. I mean I'm okay with how I look right now but I know I'm not as healthy as I could be and that's the aspect that bothers me.

Eight. Finish my degree.

I'm currently studying English Language and Literature with the Open University and I'm not sure if I'll end up doing anything with my degree in terms of employment - I'm twenty two and I still have no idea what I want to be when I grow up! I think a degree is always a wonderful thing to have, even if it's just something that helps you grow personally and not professionally.

Nine. Keep blogging.

Blogging is probably one of the few things I've ever stuck at for a long period of time and it's one of my proudest achievements. Right now I can't imagine not logging on to blogger and typing up a post so I hope I don't give it up for a long time to come & I hope you all stick with me!

Ten. Find a job I really quite like.

It's no secret I'm not the biggest fan of my current job, I essentially work on the tills in a shop and I'm super shy so it's pretty much my worst nightmare having to talk to strangers constantly. I can't lie, it has been good for me to push myself but a quiet office job would suit me down to the ground!

Eleven. Make a homemade lasagne completely from scratch.

This is a bit of a silly one I suppose but lasagne is one of my absolute favourite foods but for some reason I've never made one from scratch by myself before!

Twelve. Learn to drive.

This is something I've been saying since I turned 17 and I've still not got around to learning. I'm a little bit scared I suppose but it's mostly the cost of lessons and then the cost of running a car. Admittedly it would be handy to know how to drive and I wouldn't need to get my own car after. We'll see with this one!

Thirteen. Watch the sun set and the stars come out in the middle of the country.

Living in a large light polluted town most of my life doesn't lend itself to seeing stars as clearly as I could from right in the middle of the countryside so this is something I'd love to do this summer!

Fourteen. Go on a real holiday with my boy.

I haven't been on a plane since I was thirteen and honestly I'm not overly keen to get back on one. I've watched far to many movies and documentaries featuring plane crashes than is normal and it's safe to say I've been thoroughly put off. My boyfriend on the other hand is plane obsessed and I know he'd love for us to go on a 'proper' abroad holiday. I've promised him we'll go somewhere nice for our honeymoon, so all he needs to do is marry me. I think that's a fair deal!

Fifteen. Purchase and keep a One Line A Day: Five Year Memory Book.

Keeping a diary and documenting my inner most thoughts has never been my thing, I would always start one on January 1st and from then on I'd just forget. This sweet little book just looks perfect and finding one sentence to summarise your day could be a pretty interesting challenge!

Sixteen. Take on a project 365: take one photograph every day for a year.

This is something I've wanted to do for a long time but I'm always afraid this will be another thing I'll just end up giving up on. I think I'm going to try and rope my boyfriend in on this one and we'll do a joint 365 project starting on the first day I officially move into his house.

Seventeen. Regularly print out our photographs and organise them into albums or scrapbooks.

The digital age has seen most of my photographs staying firmly put on my computer or saved on various external hard drives which to me seems like such a shame! It's my goal to have a bookcase full of photo albums that I can look back on when I'm older. Memories like that are just priceless.

Eighteen. Give blood.

This is one of those things I've been meaning to do for a long time and I'm sure a lot of people feel the same. Blood donations are so important, you never know when you may need to receive blood yourself and this is one goal I'm determined to achieve - hopefully more than once!

Nineteen. Stop biting my nails.

This was something I managed last year but getting a job that doesn't allow me to wear nail polish soon had me biting them again. No nail polish means my nails break so easily which is rubbish but biting them is such a horrible habit and I need to stop!

Twenty. Have a picnic in the countryside in the summer time.

I've got this vision of sitting in a cute field surrounded by flowers and getting homemade sandwiches and cupcakes out of my new picnic basket while sitting on a cute gingham picnic blanket. In reality my picnic blanket will probably get blown away, the sandwiches will be stolen by ants and I'll be chased by a bee. But it'll be fun and that's all that matters!

Twenty One. Make sure date night happens at least once a month.

Since moving closer to my boyfriend we seem to have almost stopped going on proper dates which I really miss. I think going to the cinema or out for dinner once a month is achievable and I also think it'll be a lovely thing to do together.

Twenty Two. Make vegetarian maki at home more often.

Yo! Sushi is the restaurant that first introduced me to the world of sushi and maki is probably one of the easiest things to make but it's also super yummy. We've made it at home a couple of times before but it would be nice to have it more often!

Twenty Three. Find a good quality black eyeliner that actually lasts on my eyes without smudging.

I touched upon this in my last post and although it's quite a trivial goal to have, it's something that's been bugging me for ages. I really love the winged eyeliner look so I'm really hoping I can find a liner that won't smudge on me.

Twenty Four. Plan my meals better and incorporate more healthy foods.

Lately I've found myself filling up on unhealthy snacks and then when it comes to meal times, I never really want anything. I'm aiming to have 5 portions of fruit & vegetables every single day and to start eating breakfast!

Twenty Five. Comment on every single blog post I read.

This is one that sounds simple but I think it's going to be one of the goals I find the most challenging. When I'm on my iPad it won't let me comment on blogs that have the disqus commenting system which is super annoying and it's not often that I browse blogs on my laptop anymore but getting better at leaving comments is something I really need to improve on!

Have you made a similar list of things you'd like to achieve? I'd love if you would let me know in the comments or link me if you have a blog post!

xoxo

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What I Wore: When the evening shadows & the stars appear.

2012-01-12T11:45:00.000Z

This time last year make up was definitely my thing, it was what I was choosing to spend my hard earned pennies on but this year I can sense my tastes have changed and I'm finding myself lusting after more and more clothing items. As someone who is generally more comfortable behind the camera, I'm surprising myself by really enjoying taking photographs for outfit posts. It also makes me proud of my boyfriend, he's such a talented photographer but he hardly ever has a camera in his hands anymore except when I make him do these pictures for me. He loves it really!

Dress: Boohoo, Blazer: Primark, Tights: Matalan,

Shoes: ASOS, Bag: Love Hearts & Crosses.

I really love this dress from Boohoo, I hadn't placed an order with them for a long time and I'm really impressed with the things I got. The quality seems to be quite a bit better than I remember it being. This dress would be perfect if it were a few inches longer, this seems to be a problem I'm having with a lot of dresses on the highstreet at the moment so I'm taking it as a sign that I need to get back on the ol' exercise bike and tone up my legs. It's no secret that I've put on a few pounds lately which I'm now ready to do something about, it's one of my 25 things to do before I'm 25 (a post on that will be coming soon!) and hopefully within a few months of healthier eating and exercise I'll begin to really notice a difference. I don't own a pair of scales or anything, I have a tendency to get a little obsessive if I'm constantly weighing myself so I just judge on how my clothes fit me. I can tell my hips & legs have filled out a little bit, typical pear shape, a big fat nothing ever heads for my two friends - damn!

I'm currently nursing a few scratches on my hands, last night was spent trying to trim Ralphie's nails down and it was an eventful experience. Not quite as difficult as giving him a bath is, but it came pretty close. It's not something I'm keen to repeat too soon.

Last night I asked on twitter if the Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner is better than the MAC fluidline & everyone that replied said yes! Will the Bobbi Brown last longer on my eyes without smudging? I gave up with MAC blacktrack and sold it in a blog sale because it just didn't last very long on me at all. If you have any long wearing black gel or liquid eyeliner recommendations, of any price range please let me know in the comments! I'm really missing winged eyeliner!

xoxo

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Five Things I Love Friday & Five Blogs I Love Friday 027.

2012-01-06T12:30:00.000Z

Back by popular demand are my Five Things I love Friday posts! Hopefully I'll be able to keep these up every week like I used to, sometimes it's hard finding things I love a lot every single week and there is a real issue with photograph copyright - I don't want to get shouted at for using other people's images without their permission. I'll try my best to find my way around that though because I really do miss putting these posts together!

One. These exquisite jewellery pieces from RUST!

Yesterday I saw a post by Estée on her blog featuring the beautiful ring her boyfriend bought her for Christmas from an online jewellery boutique called RUST & I instantly fell in love and had to have a look at every single piece they sell. Gosh, I'm not even sure quite what to say. Everything just looks so elegant and that first ring up there is my absolute favourite piece!

Two. yyellowbird's flickr photo stream!

I've been following Cari's photostream on flickr for probably around four years now and I have absolutely loved watching her talent grow and grow. I'm no longer a regular flickr visitor but I always make sure to have a look at Cari's page every once in a while!

Three. This amazing children's bed.

I have recently been hit, well, pretty much smacked in the face if we're being honest, with an overwhelming feeling of broodiness and I have no idea where it's come from. I'm not overly keen on other people's children so it's not like I'm surrounded by babies or anything like that but I'm finding myself cooing over all things baby. But we won't talk about that anymore, not for a little while anyway! I stumbled across this adorable little bed on Kaelah's blog and it's just the sweetest thing ever. I would have loved a bed like that when I was small!

Four. Winning the battle against flat packed furniture!

Now, I love ikea as much as the next person, the prices are pretty amazing and the restaurant always manages to lure me in for chips and lingonberry juice. I do not however like the flat packed nature of it's lovely furniture. You know it's going to be a big job when something comes in two boxes and you have to pay them £15 to deliver it to your door because you can't make it fit in the car! A little bit of cursing, several cans of coke, a doughnut and two & a half hours later this baby was up. It was worth all the effort because I love it. Yay!

Five. New make up storage!

I had been after some new make up storage for a little while, specifically of the clear acrylic variety. Over the past couple of years I've watched copious amounts of videos and read a lot of blog posts from lovely ladies that had these acrylic drawers of wonder! Leanne tweeted about some drawers that she had found at Homebase a little while back and it must have just stuck in the back of my mind because recently I ventured to a Homebase store and picked up two of their acrylic paper sorters. Now at £20.99 each they're fairly pricey but they do seem to be really good quality and I love them so it's worth it in my eyes!

One. Bones & Lipstick. Two. Sweet days with Elle and Mia. Three. flattery.

Four. goose & button. Five. milk bubble tea.

xoxo

Bloglovin'. // Facebook. // Twitter.

What I Wore: The winds of change are blowing wild and free.

2012-01-03T11:30:00.000Z

A new year brings my pledge to do what I wore posts more often, whether I'll succeed with managing them regularly I'm not sure, but it definitely is a million times easier roping my lovely boyfriend into taking the photographs for me. We also discovered this pretty little spot not too far from where we live that may just become my new outfit of the day background.

Dress: Boohoo, Blazer: Primark, Shoes: ASOS, Belt: Vintage Shop, Bag: Love Hearts & Crosses,

Bracelet: Sailboat, Ahoy! Lipstick: Revlon Cherries in the Snow.

I'm not entirely sure what to say today! I could tell you about that time this morning when I scooped Ralphie up into my arms and danced around the room with him. He wasn't impressed. I can't say I blame him. Or that I managed to spectacularly spill fizzy cherry all down my pyjamas as I walked upstairs earlier. Magically I managed to avoid spilling any on the carpet. Hello miracle. Oh and I may have lost half of my morning to an iPad app called 'the Sheeps'. Yeah.

Taking these photographs I decided to be arty (note: sarcasm!) and put my bracelet on a tree branch to take a photograph of it. As we merrily finished taking photographs we got in the car and left. Cue me, about 4 hours later, snuggled in my slanket editing these pictures realising that I had left my bracelet on the aforementioned tree branch. Silly me. After the boy finished work we drove back, in the dark, in the hope that we could find it again and sure enough there it was, right where I left it. Moral of the story: don't try and be arty!

xoxo

01.01.2012 - A New Year, Sailboat Turns Two & Thank You From The Bottom Of My Heart.

2012-01-01T11:30:00.000Z

Wow, well, hello 2012. I’m not quite sure where 2011 went, Iseem to have blinked and it disappeared. Today marks the beginning of a newyear and today Sailboat turns two years old. This little piece of the internethas turned into so much more than I ever could have hoped for or even dreamedof. Each and every one of you who reads, comments & sends me sweet emailshave contributed to making me infinitely more confident in my own skin andthat’s something that I can never ever say enough thank you’s for.

When I first started writing here two years ago I was pretty much at rockbottom. I had just dropped out of University, I felt like a complete failureand I felt like I had no prospects at all. But that was the point that I decidedthat I wasn’t going to wallow and I wasn’t going to just sit on my bum all dayevery day doing absolutely nothing. That wasn’t the life for me.

2011 was a year of ups and downs, like I’m sure many of youryears were. The start of a new year always brings so much hope and that’ssomething amazing that should be cherished but it’s important not to forgetthat your life is what you make of it. There are always opportunities there forthe taking, sometimes seeing those opportunities is difficult and unfortunatelythey don’t always make themselves noticed. If you’re anything like me you needthings to pretty much come and smack you in the face before you begin to seethem and truly appreciate them. That’s something I need to work on! Sometimesyou have to actively track opportunities down. If there’s something you want todo, you have to believe that there is a way that you can make it happen. And there will be. Where there's a will, there's a way.

I said goodbye to my childhood home on my twenty-secondbirthday last May and although I had so much to look forward to I can’t lie andsay it was an easy situation. Without getting too personal that was also theday that someone left my life forever. Myself and that person didn’t have agood relationship, we hadn’t for a really long time, but the choice to cut allties and stop making contact altogether wasn’t my choice but I’ve accepted itnow, that’s just the way it’s going to be. It kind of hurts, I can’t lie, butit’s made me a stronger person. It’s those difficult situations that help makeus who we are and although something may suck at the time, I believe thatthings always happen for a reason and the only thing that often helps thingsbegin to make sense is time.

I know I used this same photograph in last years post, I'm making it my mission to take more photographs with my boy in 2012!

Although I lost someone, I also gained someone. Even though he’s been in my life for four years now, he had always been far awayuntil last May. 300 miles to 30 seconds down the street was a big change for myboyfriend and I, which is why I made the decision not to move in with himstraight away. I'll never forget the first time he picked me up from my new house and counting the amount of seconds it took for us to reach his house while holding hands tightly. Not living together straight away was 100% the right decision to make and we now have astronger relationship for it. 2012 will see me move house again, but luckilyit’s only a couple of houses down the street this time, which will be mucheasier! Although, I am going to have to learn to live with a boy and he snores sometimes, but shhh, don't tell him I told you that!

Ralphie has been such a sweet constant in my life this year.He has well and truly hit the toddler stage and has become infinitely morecheeky and he pretty much chooses to ignore what I’m saying if I tell him tostop doing something. I wouldn’t have him any other way though, my life wouldbe missing something if he weren’t here. Even though he's just pulled a pile of clean laundry on to the floor and started digging in it, I can't imagine my days without him in them anymore.

In 2012 I’m hopeful that I will be able to leave my currentjob and either be able to entirely support myself through freelance work and mylittle jewellery business or at least find a little part time job that I actuallyenjoy. I have some lovely plans for Sailboat, Ahoy! which is my little shop andI really hope that I can make it into something really wonderful. Sincereceiving such a lovely new camera for Christmas hopefully I’ll be able to dosomething related to photography too, which will always be my first love.That’s the thing that I have no idea where to start with, but I’m going to makesure I give it a good try!

Like last year, I’m not going to make any specificresolutions, just give myself a couple of goals to aim for. I hope to continueto do well with my Open University degree; by next October I will be half waythrough and hopefully, fingers crossed, on the way to gaining a 2:1. Perhaps 2012 will be theyear I actually do manage to start eating a little healthier, I’ve put on a fewpounds in recent months that I’d quite like to say goodbye to but unfortunatelyI’m allergic to exercise. What? That’s not true? Oh okay, I’m just lazy. Mustdo something about that one! And who knows, maybe my boyfriend will become my fiance? Well, a girl can dream, right?

I said this last year but I truly do mean it, I’m sograteful to be able to share life’s little ups and downs with each and everyone of you. My aim is to blog more and most importantly, comment much more thanI have been doing in recent months! I've noticed the number of comments I receive have been dropping off in recent months, I'm not sure whether it's because I've done something wrong or if it's because I haven't been as active online as I used to be? Either way, I'm hoping it's something I can fix because it's all the interaction that makes this extra special for me. This is the first post I've written in a very long time that feels like it reflects me completely. I think that's what Sailboat has been missing these past few months. I just needed time to adjust to my new life, everything is completely different and as a result parts of me are now much different than they were twelve months ago.

Thank you so much for being here for thelast year, through the ups and the downs, and I hope that you’ll stick around so we can face 2012 together!It’ll be more special and all the more wonderful with you all here to sharethings with!

Wishing you all the best, take care & keep safe!

Lots of Love,
Jennie & Ralphie.
xoxo

Monthly Favourites: November & December.

2011-12-30T16:15:00.002Z

Last month I left it a little too late to put up a favourites post but I didn't want to miss out on a month because I've been doing these posts for a super long time now and I think they're amongst my favourite posts to write. So to make up for being so unorganised last month, this may be a bit of a long one...

I shall begin with the one non beauty/skincare item that I just had to include because I'm so in love with it and that is this beautiful Keep Calm & Carry On necklace ♦ from Temporary:Secretary. Sarah sent this to me as a Christmas present and I've pretty much worn it with everything since I opened it because it's so beautiful! I love Sarah and if you haven't checked out her jewellery & accessories shop, Temporary:Secretary, yet then you really should because I know you'll find something on there that you fall in love with!

Last month I decided to go back to using my Neal's Yard Chamomile Cleanser because I felt like what I was using previously wasn't quite cleansing my skin as much as I would like. After I've taken my make up off with a baby wipe I massage this into my skin when it's dry & I then take a hot muslin cloth and gently remove the cleanser. This leaves my skin feeling super clean but not irritated and every last scrap of make up is removed. I adore this cleanser!

Montagne Jeunesse sent me one of their new Very Berry face masks and since then I've gone a bit crazy for them and bought pretty much a zillion more because I loved it so much! This is a mask that's suitable for all skin types & is packed full of yummy ingredients like blueberries, cranberries and aloe vera - just remember not to eat it! Consistency wise this is quite a thick and creamy mask that smells absolutely divine & feels beautiful on the skin because it's super refreshing and soothing. Once I've taken this off my skin feels beautifully cleansed and not dry or tight in any way. I absolutely love this mask and the company, Montagne Jeunesse and completely animal friendly which is always a huge plus in my eyes!

My next favourite probably won't be a huge surprise but I couldn't not include it because I love it so much and it is of course Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum foundation. Now I won't waffle on for too long because I've already done a separate review which you can read here but essentially this foundation is pretty darn special. If you can find a colour match for your skin, I know that Bourjois foundations are more on the yellow side, then I highly recommend giving this a try. It's beautiful.

Concealer brushes have never particularly appealed to me & I never really saw the point because I thought my fingers did a better job of blending until I tried this concealer brush ♦ from Japonesque. Now, I was sent quite a few brushes a little while ago which I will review fully once I've tested them out a bit more and washed them a good few times because they are on the more pricey side and I wouldn't want anyone to rush out and buy a brush because I said I liked it after using it once, you know? If you're investing in a brush you want it to really stand the test of time and also wash really well. All I will say is so far, I'm impressed and this little concealer brush does a brilliant job at blending my under eye concealer and it gives a slightly more opaque coverage than my fingers do. Since my under eye circles are pretty horrendous right now, the more coverage my concealer can give me the better!

For the last few weeks I've been going one of two ways with my lip products - either nude and subtle or bright and bold. If I'm in the mood for a more subdued lip colour I've been reaching for Rumour Has It lipstick from Topshop. It's the perfect dusky rose shade that looks beautiful if you're wearing a bold cheek or a sultry smokey eye.

If I'm feeling more daring the lipstick I've been reaching for is of course Cherries in the Snow from Revlon. What can I say about this lipstick? It's just divine. You can wear it super bold like it looks in the tube or you can dab a little on to your lips and wear it more as a stain. Either way it looks absolutely amazing and I'm so happy I finally managed to track down a tube, it's perfect!

The Rose Ole Special Reserve highlight powder from the MAC ChamPale collection was something that I tried to sell in a blog sale but no one wanted it. I decided to start using it again just out of curiosity mainly and I've fallen back in love with it! It's a really subtle warm highlight shade that's not too much to wear in the daytime and can be built up for a heavier highlight look more appropriate for the night time too. I'm so glad nobody bought this from my blog sale, I've been reaching for it daily ever since!

Eyebright from Benefit had been on my lust list for months and months but for some reason I never bought it until recently. I really have been missing out by not getting this sooner because it really works to brighten up my eyes and make them seem a little bigger which is always a good thing in my opinion! I've been putting this creamy pale pink shade along my waterline & on my inner corner and I'm really impressed with its staying power - on me it lasts a good 4 to 5 hours before I have to apply a touch more. This is a product I just can't be without now and has fast become a staple in my make up routine.

Lastly I have two blushers to talk about and like my favourite lip products I've either been opting for a subtle cheek colour or a super bold one. Peachy Keen from Eyes Lips Face is a fairly new addition to my make up collection but I'm so glad I have it because I don't have anything else quite like it. This gives a really subtle peachy glow to my cheeks which is really lovely and it's sometimes quite refreshing opting for a light cheek colour since I usually go for something more noticeable.

My bold blush of choice for the last couple of months has been Tweak from Illamasqua and although it looks terrifying in the pan, a light hand gives such a pretty bright pop of red-pink to the cheeks. It's my perfect winter blusher and I think Tweak will always be one of my all time favourite shades!

What were your favourite products of November or December? Have you tried any of these products before? What do you think about them?
xoxo

Outfit details & Cherries in the Snow.

2011-12-28T11:00:00.000Z

Dress: Peacocks.

Necklace: Love Hearts & Crosses. ♦

Bracelet: Sailboat, Ahoy!

Ring: Studio 59.

Lipstick: Revlon Cherries in the Snow.

In one of those 'thinking oh my gosh I've got nothing to wear while throwing the contents of my wardrobe on to the floor' moments I rediscovered this coral-red & white polka dot dress that I had forgotten I owned! Even though I've only had it for a little while I'm already completely head over heels in love with Cherries in the Snow!

xoxo

The most wonderful time of the year!

2011-12-26T15:47:00.001Z

Christmas this year was quiet and just completely wonderful. We ate, we pulled crackers and wore silly paper hats all day. On Christmas Eve I baked vanilla muffins & decorated them to look like cute reindeer with curly wurly's for antlers and cherries for the big shiny red noses. Our beautiful dog absolutely loved ripping the wrapping paper off and revealing her new toys & treats!

It's now Boxing Day and I'm snuggled on the sofa in my new slanket and slipper booties with my donkey hot water bottle & I'm about to enjoy some of yesterdays left over roast potatoes. Yummy! I'm already excited for next year!

I trruly hope you all had a wonderful day yesterday & you spent it with loved ones because after all, that's what Christmas is all about. Family, friends and love. ♥

xoxo

December GlossyBox.

2011-12-24T11:30:00.000Z

Immediately upon opening the outer cardboard box I was struck by the beautiful shiny red box that is this months GlossyBox ♦. I think this was a really lovely festive extra touch and I must admit, it gave me high hopes for the contents hidden within!

Blink+Go Hi-Definition mascara // Jurlique Age Defying Ultra Firm and Lift cream // Deborah Lippmann Razzle Dazzle mini nail polish with a Stripper To Go sachet // Cargo Cosmetics Classic Lip Gloss // Rituals Foaming Shower Gel. - All from the December GlossyBox ♦

This month I would go so far as to say that this is the best box so far because every single one of these products are lovely in their own way and they'll get used, as opposed to some samples being forgotten about after just a couple of days.

My mama has already requested to try out the Jurlique Age Defying Ultra Firm and Lift Cream as well as the Blink+Go Hi Definition Mascara so those two products are making their way on to her dressing table as we speak. The Jurlique moisturiser looks wonderful, feels so lovely on the skin and claims to noticeably firm skin within 6 weeks. Now this sample is only tiny, with the full sized 50ml cream retailing for £48, so I'm not sure how long it will last with regular use but my mama is looking forward to testing it out.

The Blink+Go mascara is actually really lovely, I gave it a quick test run on my lashes, (with my mamas permission of course!), and it held a curl really nicely while offering me a bit of length and a fair bit of volume. It hasn't blown me away but it's nice and I know that mama sailboat will really love it and enjoy using it, which is brilliant!

The other three products all appeal to me in equal measures and for once I can't really pick a single stand out product this month, there are three!

The mini Cargo Cosmetics lipgloss has a really nice formulation and I received the shade Tokyo which is a pretty peachy pink. It's not the most pigmented gloss I've ever tried but that's part of the appeal for me. Adding just a touch of peachy warmth this is the kind of gloss I can keep in my handbag and pop on over almost any lipstick without having to think about it or root around trying to find a mirror.

Having never tried a foaming shower gel before this offering from Rituals called Zensation which contains organic rice milk and cherry blossom is a bit of an intriguing product. When you first spray the product into the palm of your hand it's a gel consistency but after a couple of seconds and contact with water it begins to change into a foam which I really love. The scent is subtle and absolutely divine and it leaves my skin feeling moisturised as well as incredibly clean. This product gets a massive thumbs up from me and I will definitely repurchase when I run out!

Finally we have a Deborah Lippmann nail polish in the shade Razzle Dazzle and a sachet containing one Stripper To Go nail polish remover finger mitt which is supposed to make taking off even the most stubborn of polishes a total breeze. I've yet to try the finger mitt, I'm definitely going to save that for when I next need to remove a stubborn glitter polish!

Razzle Dazzle is a beautiful deep black purple with lots of pink shimmer that just looks incredible in the bottle. In some ways I'm a little disappointed by this, I thought it would be much more vibrant on the nails and it does need a good three coats to look perfect. If I'd had the chance to pick out any Deborah Lippmann polish I wouldn't have chosen this one, I think I would have opted for something super pretty like Some Enchanted Evening, however I'm really pleased to have this in my collection and I just know that it's one that I'll reach for a lot - especially for my toes!

Are you subscribed to any beauty boxes? Which one is your favourite? I'd love to know your thoughts too!
xoxo

Review: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation & An Added Face Of The Day.

2011-12-23T13:30:00.000Z

When I hear a product being talked about a lot in the bloggersphere my instinct is to grab my purse and run out and buy it as soon as possible. That instinct is even stronger if it's an affordable and easily accessible product because lets face it, those things have the ability to make something even more appealing! I must admit it's been a little while since I've seen a product receive so many positive reviews from a lot of different people and there was one aspect to it that had me particularly interested. This product is of course Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum foundation.

Although this has a similar name, I personally think this foundation is quite different to the original Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation. There are also couple of similarities, it almost feels like they've taken the best aspects of Healthy Mix & added some extra magic and come up with Healthy Mix Serum. I'll just start by saying that I have very pale, dry warm toned skin so the yellow undertones that all Bourjois foundations have suit me really well. The lightest shade, 51 Light Vanilla, is a pretty good match for my NC15 skin - it's not perfect because it's a touch too dark but it's pretty close. The packaging is nice, the jar doesn't feel cheap and the pump is a great addition because it just makes everything more hygienic and I don't find myself wasting any product.

The one aspect that stood out to me the most is the fact that this is a gel based foundation. My all time favourite foundation is MAC Studio Sculpt which is also gel based and also quite a bit more expensive than this offering from Bourjois. These two foundations aren't exactly the same, Studio Sculpt from MAC offers me slightly more coverage where as the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum is more of a light-medium coverage. There is definitely enough coverage to even out my skin tone and blur out any imperfections but it's not enough coverage to allow me to skip concealer. The most attractive quality of this foundation is that it just looks like skin, it doesn't look like you're wearing foundation at all and I find that it doesn't need to be powdered either which I love! I can't say I've worn this foundation for 16 hours straight in order to test its 16 hour radiance claims but it easily lasts on me all day long. In terms of the finish it gives me, bearing in mind I apply this over the Satin Primer from Illamasqua, is semi-matte so it's not dewy but it also doesn't look flat at all. It looks like skin!

In comparison to the original Healthy Mix Foundation, I prefer this Serum version so much more. It offers a similar amount of coverage but this one blends into the skin so much easier and this one doesn't cling to any dry areas of my face at all which is just incredible. Interestingly this foundation seems to be loved in equal measures by people with different skin types - Cami from Cami Loves Kiwi has more combination skin and she is loving this right now as well so it could be worth a try if you're on the market for a new foundation.

This wouldn't be a complete review if I didn't include some pictures of how the foundation looks on my skin so here are a couple I took while experimenting with my new camera. My lovely new camera really does pick up every imperfection on my skin, even some that I can't see in a mirror, so this obviously doesn't give me a totally flawless complexion but it does look really natural. Also please excuse my horrendous dark circles - I need to sleep more!

Base: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation & Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer.

Cheeks: Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder & Bourjois Little Round Pot Blush in Rose d'Or.

Eyes: Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara.

Lips: Blistex Relief Cream & Topshop Pillow Talk Lipstick.

For £10.99 you get 30ml of product and I find that one pump easily covers my whole face. This is a really lovely and quite affordable foundation and if you can find a shade that's right for you I would highly recommend giving this one a try!

Have you tried Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum? What's your favourite foundation?
xoxo

What I Wore: Starry Eyed.

2011-12-21T11:30:00.000Z

It feels like forever since I last sat down to write a blog post, the last few weeks have been a little bit hectic in terms of work, my degree and a few bits and bobs to do with life in general. Over the past couple of months I feel like my blog has been stuck in a bit of a rut and that's why I decided to post my blog readers survey last Friday. I want to say a huge thank you to everyone that has taken the time to answer those questions for me, almost 150 of you lovelies have so far and I really do appreciate it! I'm reading every single response and taking everything on board - there are a few things regarding certain answers that I'd like to talk about but I'll do that in a separate post in the new year.

Yesterday afternoon my boyfriend and I drove over to Nottingham to have a little look at the Christmas market. To be honest it was a little disappointing - no ice rink or Ferris Wheel this year & the few stalls that were there were lacking a little bit of Christmas magic. Nevermind though, I had a super yummy sandwich & bowl of chunky chips for lunch in John Lewis and I had the chance to road test my brand new camera which made up for the pretty lack lustre Christmas market. Oh and I also managed to track down a tube of the illusive Revlon Cherries in the Snow lipstick which I'm so happy about!

Yesterday morning my new glasses arrived, I've had the frames for a little while but a change in my prescription meant I needed some new lenses. I was originally quoted £200 to have new lenses fitted by a high street optician, which quite frankly is ridiculous, but luckily I found a wonderful company online who would thin the lenses & pop an anti-glare and anti-scratch coating on for just £40! I'm so pleased to have these new frames, I feel infinitely more confident with these that I did with my previous pair - in fact my old glasses have never made an appearance on my blog because I felt so uncomfortable wearing them. I know when I showed these new glasses a little while ago some people didn't like them but as long as you feel confident in something then it really doesn't matter what other people think - always go for what you like & what will make you happy because that's really important and I think sometimes that's easy to forget!

Dress: ASOS - On sale for £21.50!

Cardigan: George at Asda.

Glasses: Lucky Brand - £99.

Heart Ring: Scape Jewellery - £14.

Uncut Ruby Ring: Studio59 - £35.

With only a couple of days left until Christmas I thought I'd snap a few outfit of the day pictures next to our Christmas tree! This is the dress I featured in my last wish list post & as you can tell I decided to keep it after much umming and ahhing! I really do adore the little white collar and the lace overlay is just beautiful. It's currently on sale for only £21.50 at the moment so if you like it, it's a total bargain! Thankfully I only paid £26 for it, if I'd bought it at full price I'd be pretty miffed right now! The purple cardigan is one I've had for a little while and I just don't wear it often enough - I always end up realising how cute it is whenever I pull it out of my wardrobe but I find myself overlooking it all the time!

Necklace: Temporary Secretary ♦

Bracelet: Sailboat, Ahoy!

This absolutely gorgeous necklace is from Temporary:Secretary and the wonderful lady behind the shop, Sarah, was sweet enough to send me this as a Christmas present. I will always do my best to support Sarah & Temporary:Secretary in any way I can, not only because the shop is an online treasure trove of sparkly goodness but also because I've seen how hard she works every single day and how much love she puts into her business. Good things deserve to happen to good people, it's always lovely to support smaller businesses & I have a sneaky feeling that 2012 is going to be a cracking year for Temporary:Secretary and you wouldn't want to miss out on any of that, would you?!

Oh dear, this turned into a little bit of a long post full of rambles & me getting side tracked - I apologise! Are you looking forward to Christmas? I'm excited for to eat an enormous vegetarian roast dinner and I have a bottle of Hendricks Gin because it's the best kind and well, it's lovely to have a little tipple during the holidays when you don't really drink throughout the year. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it..!

xoxo

I Need You!

2011-12-16T10:30:00.000Z

I first saw the blog reader survey idea over on one of my favourite blogs Selective Potential and I remember thinking it was such a good idea and the perfect way of easily getting feedback on your blog. Since then I've seen surveys pop up on other blogs and I've decided to create one for Sailboat.

I would really appreciate all of your feedback, both positive and negative - please be honest, I really do appreciate any constructive criticism you may have! Feel free to answer as many or as few of the questions as you would like to, none of them are compulsory, but I'd really appreciate and value your opinions! Hopefully my survey should be embedded in this blog post, I'm not 100% sure it'll work because I've been having a total nightmare with the blogger post editor for the past week. If you can't see the survey here or it won't work properly then please click here & you'll be taken directly to the page! <p>Loading...</p>Thank you so much if you take 5 minutes out of your time to give me your opinions, I really do appreciate it! ♥

I hope you're all having a lovely Friday!
xoxo

Christmas Party Outfit.

2011-12-15T19:45:00.000Z

This year I'm not going to any Christmas parties, which to be honest I'm pretty relieved about because I've never been a fan, maybe I've only been invited to rubbishy ones in the past though? The other day I found myself browsing ASOS, as you do when you're supposed to be writing quite an important essay, and I stumbled across a beautiful dress. It was black, had lots of pretty lace on it & it had a peter pan collar - I was sold. The best part about it was that it was in the sale & it let me use my student discount on top of that. So I bought it. I have nowhere to wear it, but I bought it. It arrived yesterday & I'm in love with it, totally head over heels. I did have a slight dilemma over whether to keep or return but everyone that responded on twitter, and there were quite a lot of responses, told me to keep it. So I am. You guys are such enablers but I love you for it! I popped together a little party outfit collage featuring items I own and some that I'd very much like to own for no real reason in particular - you know how it is when essay procrastination sets in!
1. When I think of parties I instantly think of lashes. A pretty pair of lashes that suit you can add that extra little touch of glamour but in a subtle way. The Girls Aloud for Eylure Nicola lashes look so beautiful, they're not too over the top and they feather out really nicely at the outer corners which would work beautifully with winged liner, a pretty blush colour & a statement pink lip.

2. Benefit EyeBright has been on my make up lust list for a really long time, probably over a year and recently I finally caved in and purchased it. I'm so happy that I did because this is a product that really does deliver what it promises. I've been popping a small amount of this on my waterline (I still really hate applying things to my waterline, it tickles!) and it makes such a big difference, I'm really very impressed!

3. Revlon Cherries in the Snow lipstick looks like the perfect red for those who are scared of reds like me! Unfortunately I haven't been able to find anywhere that stocks this shade near me, I really hope it hasn't been discontinued because I'd really love to have this in my collection. I adore Revlon lipsticks, they're probably my favourite lipstick brand right now because the prices are good and the formulations are wonderful. Hopefully I can manage to track down a tube of Cherries in the Snow soon!

4. I'm not usually one for hair accessories but this little gold bow has really caught my eye and I think it's beautiful. Georgie has a blog & her etsy shop Beauxoxo where she sells lots of pretty hair accessories and I think you should all go and have a little look & say hello!

5. A couple of months ago my wonderful boyfriend bought me this bag from Love Hearts & Crosses and it has quickly become my absolute favourite bag. It's small but not too small & the beautiful gold chain handle is reminiscent of the lovely Chanel bags that I will never own! It's one of those bags that just looks classy & cute - the perfect combination!

6. This ASOS Lace Dress with contrast collar is the dress & I just absolutely adore it. The lace detail is beautiful, it's the perfect length for me to wear with leggings and the peter pan collar is just the sweetest thing ever. I've never owned a piece of clothing with a peter pan collar before, for some reason I didn't really think they would suit me, but I think this may just be the beginning of a new obsession!

7. I don't think I really need to say much about this ASOS Gold Bunny Ears ring. It's a bunny. It's SO cute. Look at his little face. It's love! ♥

8. About a year ago I lived in coloured tights, I had a pair in pretty much every single colour and I managed to find a way to wear them with every single outfit. For some reason now I'm a little bit afraid of coloured tights, perhaps it's because I've put on a few pounds and my legs aren't quite as nice as they once were, I don't know. This beautiful bright pinky purple pair are from Tabio & although they're a little on the pricey side, they look like they're really wonderful quality. The colour is amazing too!

9. Along with the dress I also sneakily purchased a pair of the ASOS Leigh T-Bar ballet shoes and I actually had an excuse for this purchase! The only other pair of black shoes I own I wear to work & when I'm not at work I don't want to be wearing the shoes that remind me of work - oh no no. So that is where these pretty shoes come in and I love them. They're really true to size and surprisingly they're pretty comfortable. For some reason I was envisioning having to break these in but I don't think I'll have to worry about that!

What do you think of this dress - should I keep it or return it? Are you going to any Christmas parties this year? What will you be wearing?
xoxo

A week in photographs via instagram.

2011-12-11T17:35:00.000Z

1 & 2. Ralphie has claimed one of my GlossyBox boxes as his own! Initially he was satisfied with ripping up the outer box but now he wants to spend a lot of his time hopping in and out of the actual pink GlossyBox. He's a cutie!

3. I popped up a little blog sale last week, a few items have sold already but there are a few items still left including some Illamasqua lipsticks & some ELF bits. Let me know if you'd like anything - I'm only accepting payment via PayPal though.

4. My 2000 reader giveaway went up last Friday & if you'd like to enter then you can do so here. There are 8 different prizes up for grabs and all accept for the gift vouchers, which are for UK based stores, are open to everyone internationally!

5 & 6. I've been having a bit of a play around with the Enrapture Totem Styler and so far I think it's absolutely amazing. I was completely in love with the Babyliss Waving Wand but I really like how much control this Enrapture styler gives & you really can create so many different looks really easily. They're stocked at quite a few different retailers including Boots - perfect to get those beauty card points!

7. November's GlossyBox goodies were really lovely. My favourite thing turned out to be the Nail Rock nail wraps, I got the stripey design & they're currently making my toes look incredibly pretty. I've had them on for almost 2 weeks now so it'll be interesting to see how much longer they last - they're holding up well so far!

8. The Sleep Cycle app has been my new favourite thing, it's really interesting seeing how often you move around and wake up during the night! I always thought I was such a good sleeper but some nights I'm absolutely terrible & now I know why I wake up feeling so tired sometimes!

9 & 10. It's really starting to feel a lot like Christmas now! I really can't believe it's December already, I'm really not sure where the year has disappeared to! I've just got my Christmas hours at work and apart from 3 hours on Christmas eve, the rest of the holidays is mine to enjoy - yay!

11, 12, 13 & 14. Lastly I wanted to say a huge thank you for all the support regarding my jewellery shop! I'm so pleased with how things are going and if you're in the UK there's still time to order before Christmas! Unfortunately if you live elsewhere the final guaranteed postage dates have passed.

I'm offering 20% off everything in my shop, excluding P&P with the code MERRYCHRISTMAS Simply enter that code at the checkout and your discount will be applied. So if you want to pick up any last minute Christmas pressies or you just want to treat yourself then I hope that little discount will be useful! The code expires on Monday at 3pm GMT.

Have you had a lovely weekend?
xoxo

2000 Reader Giveaway!

2011-12-09T16:00:00.000Z

Firstly I just wanted to start this post with a huge thank you to everyone that has been so supportive over the past (almost) two years! When I nervously hit the publish button on my very first post I had no idea that this little piece of the internet would take over so much of my life, in the best way possible! Would I still blog if you lovelies weren't reading, probably, but it would be nowhere near as wonderful as it is without you. So, thank you. I really truly appreciate every single one of you! I've been planning this giveaway for a little while now & I hope that you like it!

The Rules:

- Giveaway closes on Saturday 31st December at midnight GMT.
- You must be a follower of my blog because this is a giveaway for my readers!
- If you're under 18 you must have your parent or guardian's permission because I will need your postal address if you win.
- It is international, if I can ship to your country then I will!
- The prizes will be numbered 1 - 8 & in your comment I'd like you to leave the numbers for the prizes you would like to win. This is because some of the prizes are store vouchers & I know not everyone will have access to those particular stores.
- If you would like to be entered for every prize simply leave a comment saying something along the lines of 'please enter me for everything'.
- Leave your email address in your comment too so I can get in contact with you if you win!
- For an extra entry simply tweet "jennie from @sailorjennie is having a 2000 reader giveaway over at http://www.sailorjennie.com/2011/12/2000-reader-giveaway.html xo" Don't forget to let me know in the comments that you've also tweeted so I can count your extra entry!

I've got 8 prizes to giveaway so there will be 8 different winners! Now, on to the prizes!

Prize No. 1 - A signed copy of Fairy Tales by Viktor & Rolf.

A truly magical and charming book with some really beautiful illustrations that any lover of all things fairy tale will absolutely adore!

Prize No. 2 - A selection of face masks from Montagne Jeunesse.

A huge selection of some of the best face masks from Montagne Jeunesse including Very Berry, Hot Chocolate, Iced Crystal and lots more!

Prize No. 3 - A £20 gift voucher to spend in Matalan.

Matalan have really stepped up their game in recent months and they currently have a lot of really beautiful clothes, shoes, accessories and lovely home ware items available! Please bear in mind these are to be spent in store only & are not redeemable online.

Prize No. 4 - A beautiful antique lace brooch/hair accessory from i am hand made & a winter owl necklace from sailboat, ahoy!

i am handmade is a wonderful little online shop run by an even more wonderful girl, skye who also blogs here. This delightful brooch/hair accessory is made from vintage lace & a vintage button so you know you're getting something truly unique and full of history! I have also included the Winter Owl necklace from my little online jewellery store, Sailboat, Ahoy!

Prize No. 5 - A £25 gift voucher to spend in Peacocks.

Prize No. 6 - A £25 gift voucher to spend in Peacocks.

Two winners will each receive a £25 gift voucher to spend in Peacocks. With a huge selection of clothes & accessories you're sure to find something that you really love! Please bear in mind that these are to be spent in store only & not online.

Prize No. 7 - A selection of beauty products.

I thought it would be nice to include some of my beauty favourites that I have discovered through being lucky enough to win other bloggers giveaways. These are obviously brand new products & purchased with my own money! Prize includes, an ELF nail polish in Twinkle, an ELF nail polish in Golden Goddess, VO5 miracle concentrate (which smells amazing!), 50ml Soap & Glory Scrub 'em and Leave 'em body buff (which is my new favourite scrub after discovering it from the lovely Kim!), a 50ml Soap & Glory Hand Food hand cream, a 17 fast finish nail polish in Revenge, an ELF Shimmer Pencil in Plum Passion and an ELF mineral foundation brush.

Prize No. 8 - A sweet love heart ring and flower hair accessories from Blanche & Lola and an adorable ice cream necklace from Wired Jewellery!

Blanche & Lola is a wonderful online handmade vintage jewellery shop that has something for absolutely everyone and they have been kind enough to giveaway this super cute love ring which is adjustable & these adorable flower hair accessories. The lovely lady behind Wired Jewellery, which is an online jewellery store that sells a whole range of fun accessories has been kind enough to give away this amazing ice cream necklace (it looks exactly like a Mr Whippy with a flake!) which would make a super cute addition to any outfit!

I hope there's at least one prize that you would absolutely love to win! Don't forget to mention in your comment the numbers of the prizes you would like to be entered for! Let me know if you've tweeted & leave a link to your twitter account so I can count your extra entry! Also please leave an email address or twitter link so I can contact you easily if you win!

Good Luck!
xoxo

Monday Lust List 014.

2011-12-05T18:56:00.000Z

I do these frivolous wish list posts almost every week and include things I think are cute and things that I would very much like to own. Why I want to own all these things I don't know, I mean they're not going to make my life any more worthwhile and most of the time they'll be my new favourite thing for a week and then I'll promptly forget about them. Maybe this is something that comes with age, but I've definitely learned to not make impulsive purchases but instead take the time to think about whether I need something or if I just want it for no real reason. In many respect these wishlist posts have helped me with that, if I'm coveting something I'll pop it in a post and more often than not, I won't end up purchasing. This week, with Christmas fast approaching & a mama nagging me to decide what I would like as a gift, I decided to put together a little wishlist of items that I really would like for a reason. Well, I've mostly stuck to that, there's a bit of a frivolous item or two included in this weeks wishlist - can you spot them?

1. A Canon 600D is the one item I'm currently coveting the most & it's the item from this little list that I will be lucky enough to receive. Christmas this year is going to be a quiet affair, it's just my mama & I and between us we're not exactly being weighed down with all the cash in our purses but that's okay because that's not what Christmas is about. I'm twenty two years old now and if there's something I'd really like then I'll save up and buy it for myself which is what I'll be doing with this beauty - with a little bit of help from my boyfriend and my mama. My current DSLR is almost 6 years old so I'm very overdue for an upgrade & I'm excited to start making better quality YouTube videos & hopefully selling some of my prints one day!

2 & 3. Please excuse the shoddy photoshop job I did here while compiling this list - I find removing a background really difficult sometimes! I imagine that I don't need to go into too much detail as to why I adore this sterling silver bunny ring & sterling silver bunny stud earrings from a very talented jewellery maker, Studio 59 on Folksy. The bunnies have one straight ear & one lop ear which reminds me SO much of Ralphie! If I'm lucky enough to receive a few pennies from family members this year I know what I'll be spending them on!

4. This wine sleeveless lace 'Frankie' dress from Chiara Fashion is the dress I would love to wear on Christmas Day. It's festive but not over the top at all, a really flattering shape and I'm still loving all things lace! I can't believe it's under £15!

5. I received my first bottle of Stella by Stella McCartney perfume for my birthday in May & I'm just starting to run a little too low for my liking. I could probably make the bottle last until my next birthday but I really don't want to run out because it smells absolutely beautiful!

6. This is my one ridiculously frivolous addition to this wish list but I couldn't resist. This knitted reindeer jumper is from Topshop and it costs an absolutely obscene £50! There is no way I would pay that amount of money, or ask anyone to buy it for me, but I can look and lust over it until my hearts content! Although is it just me or does it look like they've given a potato a nose, antlers & eyes?

7. My other favourite perfume is Eternity by Calvin Klein & I've worn this since I was about 15 - I still adore it 7 years later! I will never not love receiving this as a gift because it's my favourite scent ever.

8. Lastly the Vichy Aqualia Thermal Rich moisturiser is my all time favourite and since I'm such a skincare geek opening this as a gift would be amazing! I think this will be the other item I purchase if I'm lucky enough to get a little bit of Christmas money this year, it just feels so beautiful on the skin - worth every single penny!

Do you have anything in mind that you'd like for Christmas this year?
xoxo

Holidays are coming!

2011-12-02T18:00:00.000Z

This is my most favourite time of the year. Everyone is putting up pretty lights, the weather is getting colder and yummy mince pies & other treats are making their way into the shops. I popped up the Christmas tree in my mums house one day early on the 30th November because I just couldn't wait any longer! This year I decided to go with a 'chuck every decoration we own on to the tree without worrying what it'll look like' theme and I just love it! I've never been one to co-ordinate colours with what's already in the room - the more eclectic and shiny and glittery the better!

Brace yourselves for another post like this one - my boyfriend and I are putting up the Christmas tree in his house tonight and I'm so excited! I made him buy glittery reindeer decorations & a huge gold star tree topper yesterday - he loves it really!

Do you celebrate Christmas, have you put your tree up yet? What's your favourite holiday?
xoxo

A bit of a milestone: 300 posts!

2011-11-29T16:21:00.001Z

Today feels right to just sit down and have a bit of a chat because that's not something I've really done in quite a long time. It's been a gloomy, windy and rainy day here so I've been sat with a mug of hot chocolate and my cosiest pair of slippers! I know I've not been as present in the blogging community lately which I can only apologise for and I wish I could devote more time to reading other blogs and most importantly commenting on other blogs. When I first started Sailboat I had just dropped out of University and was struggling to find a job in the height of a recession. I had a lot of time on my hands and I was so eager to do something productive and not just fall into a life of daytime telly and junk food.

Since relocating to a different county, finding a part time job & starting an English degree with The Open University I've had less spare time to spend in blogger land. I miss it, I really do miss it so much and hopefully with better planning of my time I'll be able to devote more time to it again. I've set myself a little goal of commenting on every single blog post I read, I've not quite managed it just yet, but I'm getting a lot better. So I apologise for being a bit absent and not being such a regular contributor to the community, I hope you understand & you haven't all forgotten me just yet.

Some of you may know that I recently started making YouTube videos and I've been wanting to improve the quality of my videos over the last week. I invested in a new camcorder but it just doesn't give me the results I had hoped that it would so I've decided to return it and invest in a new DSLR. When I was at University I studied photography and it's probably the one thing that I'm good at. I believe that everyone has at least one talent, one ability that just comes naturally, sometimes it's hard to find what that one thing is but photography is mine and I'm kicking myself for just giving up on it. My current DSLR, a Nikon D50, is something I've had for many years and it's getting to the stage where it's unable to achieve the results that I'd like it to. I'm looking at a couple of different options at the moment but mostly the Canon 550D and the Canon 600D. Now I am a Nikon girl at heart, they just feel better in my hands than a Canon does however my boyfriend already has a Canon 50mm 1.8 lens so it seems silly not to take advantage of that. Do you have a DSLR, if so which one do you have?

I also wanted to take the time today to say a huge thank you to anyone that has purchased an item from my little online jewellery store; Sailboat, Ahoy! I'm so happy with how things are going and I'm so grateful to every single one of you that has sent well wishes and good luck. I just popped up two new necklaces that I'm incredibly proud of. They're simple but cute and a good reflection of the things that I really love right now.

Lastly I'd just like to say thank you for all the support over the last couple of years. Sailboat wouldn't be what it is today without every single one of you and I honestly can't express how happy you've made me. I'm working on a 2000 reader giveaway that should be up really soon, and although I'm not quite at 2000 just yet, I'm hoping to get there before Christmas! I can't believe this is my 300th post, it felt right to just make it into a little chat post since it's quite a milestone and I'm beyond proud!

Thank you so much for sticking with me. I appreciate it more than you could ever possibly know!

With Love,

Jennie May & Ralphie!

xoxo

Monday Lust List 013.

2011-11-28T13:16:00.000Z

1. How perfect is this White Bunny Rabbit Necklace from Love Hearts & Crosses? I think she's absolutely adorable from her cute whiskers to her pretty pink bow. I love her so much!

2. I've got quite a few MAC blushers on my wishlist at the moment but top of the pile has to be Ladyblush Cremeblend Blush! It looks like the perfect neutral cream blusher that would go with any make up look and I really love the formulation of this range!

3. As I keep saying, Matalan have some absolutely stunning pieces in this season which I wasn't expecting but I am absolutely loving it! The Be Beau Angel Sleeve Lace Dress is a new addition to the website and I am in love with it! I'm still completely in love with lace and the sleeves on this dress are just stunning!

4. Laurenella tweeted me a link to this Anchor Tank from Topshop and I think it's amazing for obvious reasons! I would make a sneaky online purchase but sadly it's only available in a size 8 online and I am far from a size 8. I think I would feel a little strange walking around in a top that's pretty much identical to my most used online background but a part of me would love it too!

5 & 6. I've been lusting over the YSL Rouge Volupte & Volupte Sheer Candy lipsticks for absolutely ages, I think ever since I first saw someone talking about them on YouTube. The packaging is undeniably gorgeous and I'd feel extra special pulling one of these out of my make up bag to touch up with during the day! I have no idea which colour I'd pick if I were to get one, I imagine it would take me hours to choose because they're all bloomin' beautiful!

7. Meet Peaches the Poodle! I love her, I think I'd have to change her name from Peaches though, and I know she's for children but I don't care! I love poodles!

8. Last but definitely not least, I just had to mention Herbert the Hedgehog from Temporary:Secretary again because even though I've included him before he wasn't available then. He is on the website now & I know a lot of you really loved him when I talked about him before so if you want to give a Herbert a home, now's the time to go and snap him up!

What are you lusting over at the moment?
xoxo

November GlossyBox.

2011-11-25T17:49:00.000Z

This month the November GlossyBox♦ was delivered by my postman at the most perfect time. I've just caught yet another cold, (seriously, if there's an illness going around I'll end up catching it - what's up with that immune system?!) and this month's contents have been perfect for giving myself a little pamper session which has been a much needed pick me up!

The star product for me is the Philip Kingsley Elasticizer, it's something I've wanted to try for a little while and I wasn't disappointed! The Dead Sea Spa Magik bath salts are lovely and left my skin feeling amazing which is always good when you're feeling less than your best. The Arbonne FC5 Ultra Hydrating Hand Creme is another lovely product, I'm always on the look out for a nice hand cream now that my hands seem to get so grubby and horrible at work!

The perfume samples aren't my thing at all, I stand by my previous comments about perfume samples and I really don't think I'll ever like receiving them. I'm extremely picky when it comes to scents, I have two that I absolutely love and nothing else ever seems to come close to those. The Nail Rock nail wraps are an interesting addition, I've not tried them yet but I think I'll pop them on my toes this weekend. I'm never usually very good at applying things like this but I'll give it a go!

Do you subscribe to GlossyBox? What did you think of the November box?
xoxo

What I Wore: Date Night.

2011-11-23T13:30:00.000Z

It had been way too long since my boyfriend and I both had an evening off work together so we decided to make the most of it last night and go out for dinner! We had super yummy yorkshire puddings, veggies & gravy and we left our local pub extra happy and with very full tummies! It wasn't really a dressing up sort of occasion but I decided to make a little extra effort anyway, just because! I'm a serial over-dresser anyway, the only places I ever look super 'meh' is at work because my uniform sucks & when I'm having duvet days at home!

Vest Top: Primark.

Cardigan: H&M.

Skirt: Primark.

Tights: Matalan.

Shoes: Very.co.uk
Ring: Scape Jewellery.

Necklace: Sailboat, Ahoy!

Bracelet: Sailboat, Ahoy!

This skirt is from good ol' Primarni absolutely yonks ago & I hardly ever wear it because although I absolutely adore it, it's not the most flattering piece of clothing for my hips! I decided to pair it with an all black outfit and I actually really quite liked the way it looked. Granted it's still not super flattering but I liked it and that's all that matters! I've had all of these items for a little while so I'm really sorry that I haven't been able to find direct links for them all! The cardigan is one of my favourite versatile pieces, it's just a H&M basic but I wear it all the time & it's lasted and washed really well!

The little acorn & owl necklace will be up in my shop, Sailboat, Ahoy! (if it's not there already) really soon. It's the latest little design I've come up with and I really love the little acorn charms, they're actually quite heavy so they're super good quality! I've just popped up this Rocking Horse Charm Bracelet in my shop and I only have a couple so they're super limited edition. I couldn't resist keeping one for myself, well, I seem to be keeping one of everything for myself which I told myself I wouldn't - oopsie!

xoxo

Monday Lust List 012.

2011-11-21T13:30:00.000Z

1. It's been a little while since I've lusted over a make up item this much, I guess I've just been pretty happy with the stuff I have, but the NARS Danmari All About Cheeks Palette has really caught my eye! It's got 6 of the best selling powder blushers from NARS and at only £45 I think that's quite a good deal!

2. I'm not a huge shirt person, they often remind me of work or school but I really adore the print on this Long Sleeve Contrast Collar Deer Print Blouse from Matalan. I think it would look really cute tucked into a grey high waisted skirt with a woolly cardigan over the top!

3. Glitter nail polishes are my absolute favourites, I really really hate that I'm not allowed to wear nail polish to work because I just want to have glitter on my nails at all times! This Pop Nail Glam Trio has the perfect shades for the festive season!

4. This Pearl Lowe Lace Panel Dress from Peacocks is my absolute favourite from the collection and I'm super sad that it's sold out! Everything about this screams elegance and I love all the subtle details so much! I wish I'd purchased this when I had the chance, silly me!

5. I am absolutely loving anything lace right now and this River Island Lace Shift Dress is no exception! The collar detail is super lovely and although I know it would be way too short for me I'll keep lusting over it until I get to try it on.

6. Every time I peruse the make up section on ASOS I find myself looking at the Jemma Kidd Classic Couture Lip Colour but for some reason I've never purchased one before. I really love the look of all of the shades but I think that Minx looks especially pretty and really wearable.

7 & 8. Continuing with the 'omgzzz I love glitter' theme I am majorly lusting over Gone Gonzo & Rainbow Connection from the O.P.I Christmas Glitter Collection. These are going straight on my Christmas list & I hope they don't sell out super quickly!

9 & 10. I've never really experimented with false lashes before but I'm especially lusting over the Eylure Girls Aloud Nicola lashes & the Eylure Upper & Lower Lash Set. I have no idea if they'll suit me but I would love my lashes to be super fluttery and pretty sometimes and my natural lashes are a bit rubbishy!

Are you lusting over anything at the moment?
xoxo

Instagram Snapshot 004.

2011-11-20T19:11:00.001Z

One & Two.

Ralphie's new favourite place to sit is in the dustpan. I have no idea why, but it seems to be the perfect size for him. The only thing that tempts him out is a seed bar, om nom nom!

Three, Four, Five & Six.

My boyfriend and I went on a trip to Matalan to get some super cute home things for his house. We found lots of lovely things for the bathroom including a little boat and some adorable shell pictures!

Seven.

After much searching, we finally came across the big clock that we wanted for our new dining room. We found this beauty at a garden centre, and although I think it's technically an outside clock, it looks really lovely on our purple wall.

Eight.

I finally got my hands on the River Island bunny jumper and I love it every bit as much as I thought I would. It would be perfect if it wasn't green, but the bunny more than makes up for that and the moustache is perfect for movember!

Nine.

I've been gathering together prizes for my upcoming 2000 reader giveaway and some wonderful companies have been really generous with the prizes they have donated. I'm excited to launch the giveaway already even though I'm not quite at 2000 readers yet.

Ten.

I've been packaging up some orders I've received for my shop, and I'd like to say a huge thank you to anyone that's purchased anything already! I didn't expect to sell anything at all just yet so I really am over the moon! Thank you so much!

Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen & Fourteen.

I've been a busy bee making some new pieces for the shop (http://www.sailboatahoy.bigcartel.com/), the little birdie pendant with the blue beads is my absolute favourite I think although I'm also especially happy with the rocking horse bracelets! I hope you love them as much as I do!

Fifteen & Sixteen.

For some reason there are always pictures of my face in these posts! I've been really loving two lip combinations this week, the first is Viva Glam Cyndi lipstick & ELF Daring Mineral Lipgloss and the second is Topshop Pillow Talk Lipstick and Revlon Wild About Violet Lipgloss!

How are you lovelies? Have you had a nice weekend?
xoxo

Five Things I Love Friday & Five Blogs I Love Friday 026.

2011-11-18T15:44:00.000Z

One. The John Lewis Christmas Advert.

John Lewis have done it again. They're known for their beautiful Christmas adverts, every year they seem to go one better and this year is no exception. Every time I see it I get a little teary eyed, I know some people are with me on that and I know that others don't understand why I get so emotional at it. It's just lovely and I hope that one day my future child is even more excited about giving gifts than they are at receiving gifts.

Two. Pearl Lowe Christmas Collection at Peacocks.

One. Two.

I'm absolutely loving the dresses from the new Pearl Lowe Christmas Collection at Peacocks! The first Lace Panel Dress is my absolute favourite, it looks so flattering and beautiful with a little edge of sexiness. Love! ♥

Three. My New Video Camera.

I invested in a new video camera because I've really been loving making YouTube videos and I wanted to be able to make them more easily by myself rather than relying on my boyfriend for his camera and editing skills! I just popped up my Skincare Routine Video and I used my new camera & edited it all by myself *proud face*! Even though I shouldn't be proud because I didn't export it at the right settings so it's not available in full HD - huge fail! But now I know how to do it properly you should see a huge difference in quality - I hope! It was super dark the day I filmed it but the quality is still much better than my old videos and it focuses when I hold something up to the lens - yay!

Four. My New Shop Sailboat, Ahoy! opening!

My little online shop opened officially this week and I'd like to say a huge thank you to anyone that's popped by to have a look & anyone that's purchased something. I wasn't expecting to sell anything in the first few weeks at all, so I'm over the moon that I've had to make a couple of post office trips already! If you'd like to come and have a look you can find me over here at sailboatahoy.bigcartel.com.

Five. River Island Bunny Jumper.

I saw this bunny jumper a couple of weeks ago on the River Island website (I'm sorry I can't seem to see it there anymore!) but I waited it out and hoped that it would pop on on ASOS because they offer student discount & free delivery - what can I say, I'm a cheapskate! My eyes lit up when I saw the words River Island Moustache Rabbit Top & a picture of the jumper on ASOS and I immediately snapped it up. For £18 I'm so happy with it, I'd love it more if it wasn't a green colour, but the bunny more than makes up for it! For reference, I went a size up because I wanted it to fit a little loosely and I adore it!

One. Lips So Facto. Two. Bubby and Bean. Three. Essie Button.

Four. A Little Ones Adventures. Five. VIPXO.

Please pop over the the 5 blogs above, they're all amazing in their own way! And go and say hi to Victoria over at VIPXO because she's ridiculously close to reaching 3000 google friend connect readers and that's an amazing milestone!

How are you all? I hope you've had a lovely week! Have you got any exciting weekend plans?

xoxo

Sailboat, Ahoy!

2011-11-16T19:33:00.000Z

Opening a little online shop has been a dream of mine for probably a little over a year now and I've had a lot of fun planning and figuring out which direction I'd like to go in. Like my blog, I hope that in time my shop will become a little mish-mash of everything - at the moment I have some jewellery pieces up but my next big dream is to make some greetings cards and perhaps some other things from my photographs. Photography will always be my first love and it would mean the world to me to actually be able to do something with it. Sailboat, Ahoy! is born! ♥

I know there are a lot of online shops stocking these rings and for that reason, I won't be restocking mine when they're gone. It's not my intention at all to step on anyone's toes, so I really hope no one takes it like that. I've had these sitting in my little craft case for a few months now and I'd like to see them go to people that will wear them because they are really lovely!

The latest additions to my shop are two autumn/winter inspired necklaces. I found these beautiful charms and knew I just had to make something with them. As soon as I saw the little bird pendant I thought some tiny blue beads would look super cute and I'm really pleased with the outcome. I know these pieces won't be to everyone's taste and that's okay, life is all about diversity!

Thank you so much for all the support over the last couple of years, and especially over the last few months. I really appreciate it and I never ever take it for granted!

If you'd like to pop over to my shop and have a look you can find it here: Sailboat, Ahoy!
xoxo

What I Wore: Party Season Style!

2011-11-11T13:48:00.001Z

Okay so this isn't my outfit of today, in fact what I'm wearing now (my boyfriend's hoodie, fluffy pyjama bottoms with bears all over them & slipper boots with my hair resembling a pineapple) is a far cry from the outfit I'm wearing in these photographs! Sadly after I've written this I have to go and attempt to write an English Lit essay on a topic I don't understand so I've opted for comfy clothes!

A couple of weeks ago I was asked by Matalan if I'd like to take part in one of their Monthly Style Projects and I absolutely jumped at the chance because it sounded like so much fun. This months theme was Party Season Style & I was given a £50 gift voucher with which I had to pick out an entire outfit and this is what I chose!

Be Beau Jade & Black Lace Butterfly Bow Dress - £22.

200 Denier Black Thermal Tights - £5.

Dome Shaped Ring - £3.

Metal Detail Platform Shoes - £20.

As the theme was party season style I knew instantly that I wanted to pick out a dress and as soon as I tried the Jade & Black Lace Butterfly Bow Dress on I absolutely fell in love with it! It is quite short on me, I'm around 5'9 & in an ideal world I would have preferred this dress to be a couple of inches longer as I'm the first to admit that my thighs aren't my best feature! Because of that & I wouldn't want to be freezing cold at a Christmas party I opted for a pair of thermal tights & these are incredible. They're wonderfully thick & they keep you super warm so I'm planning on investing in a couple more pairs of these for sure!

I didn't want to go overboard with the accessories because I wanted to keep the dress as the statement of this outfit but I saw the ring in the sale section (I'm sorry I can't seem to find it online anymore!) and thought it would be a nice little extra touch.

Finally, it wouldn't have been a party outfit without a pair of beautiful heels and as soon as I saw the Metal Detail Platform Shoes I knew they would be perfect with the dress. These heels are SO high, I must be about 6'4 or something when I'm wearing them & honestly, I can't walk in them at all - actually I can only just about stand in one place with them on! I have no idea how you beautiful ladies walk in heels this high, I have a new found admiration for you! So even though I'll probably never wear these shoes again, I'm going to keep them in my wardrobe and look at them fondly every now and again because they really are beautiful! And I'll probably sneakily wear them around the house because they're too pretty not to be loved!

You can vote for your favourite outfit in this months Matalan Style Project over on the Matalan Blog here. If you would like to vote for me that would be absolutely amazing & it would make my day! All you have to do is leave a comment over on the Matalan blog here saying 'Sailor Jennie'. Super duper easy, but of course vote for your favourite outfit & if your favourite isn't mine then that's totally fine!

Have you got your party season outfit all picked out yet? I'd love to know what you're going to be wearing to your Christmas parties! Let me know in the comments below! ♥
xoxo

October GlossyBox.

2011-11-10T11:30:00.000Z

October’s GlossyBox marked 6 months since it’s launch & and because of that they wanted to make it extra special. I don’t think this box is super duper amazing but I do really like it & I prefer it to the September box. As always a pretty pink box is delivered by the postman & the black tissue paper and pink ribbon inside makes it feel like a little box of luxury.

The Robert Piguet perfume samples were not to my taste at all & honestly, I’m still not a fan of those little vials inside a piece of folded cardboard. I’m incredibly fussy with my fragrance choices though, so I image people more open to trying different scents would really like receiving something different like this. The Stila eyeliner, although a lovely product, was again not what I would have chosen for myself. I’m not the biggest eyeliner person so I probably don’t appreciate how lovely this is to receive in a box. The shade is called Moray which is a really unusual olive gold taupe colour. The Leighton Denny nail polish in the shade Sex Kitten is a really beautiful icy metallic blue that takes about 2 coats to achieve the colour in the bottle. It dries really quickly and doesn’t chip easily which I absolutely love. I had never tried a Leighton Denny polish until now and I have to say I’m really impressed.

The last three products are my absolute favourites & they’re the reason I’m so happy with this box. If you’re not really into skincare products then I can totally see why you wouldn’t be all that impressed. The Dermalogica multivitamin thermafoliant is brilliant even if the scent in the tube does remind me slightly of the dentist. It’s not overly abrasive but it does enough that I really notice a positive difference in the texture of my skin after. The Dermalogica multivitamin power recovery masque is another fabulous product that I’ve fallen a little bit in love with. This leaves my skin feeling nourished, hydrated and beautifully soft. I’m making the most of this little tube because the full size is eye wateringly expensive! The final Dermalogica is a super mini sample of the Renewal Lip Complex and this really reminds me of strawberry jam for some reason. It’s quite thick and a little bit sticky but this leaves my lips feeling absolutely amazing. Again the full size of this is pretty pricey but I’m currently debating whether to purchase one!

Overall I think this was a really lovely box if you’re quite interested in skincare & wanted to try some products from Dermalogica. The Stila eyeliner is a nice addition if you like wearing unusual liner shades & the Leighton Denny nail polish is a welcome addition to my collection.

Did you receive the October GlossyBox? What were your thoughts on it?
xoxo

P.S. If you’d like to see my October Glossy Box video you can do so here!

Monthly Favourites: October 2011.

2011-11-09T13:45:00.002Z

I am so excited that it's November already! I just adore that beautiful build up to Christmas; all the decorations that are finding their way into shops on the highstreet, that distinct chill in the air that haves you reaching for your favourite winter coat, visiting endless shops in search of that perfect Christmas gift for a loved one and snuggling up beside a warm fireplace with a mug of hot chocolate are all complete perfection.

My first favourite from October won't be much of a surprise & it's MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation. I was always hesitant to try MAC foundations, sometimes they get glowing reviews, other times they get such negative reviews and my indecisiveness paired with not living close to a MAC counter resulted in me opting for other brands. Last month I just decided to go crazy and order online & I'm so happy I did because I just absolutely adore this foundation. It's the perfect colour, I use NC15, it blends so easily with my Eyes Lips Face Studio Powder Brush & it gives the perfect medium coverage. At £23 it's not the most affordable of foundations but to me, it's worth every single penny.

It's no secret that I, along with many others, am completely head over heels in love with Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer and during October my love only increased. My usual shade is number 1 which is the very lightest but I was lucky enough to win Kim's giveaway recently and included in the prize was this concealer in shade number 2. Now although this is too dark for using on blemishes I have found that it's perfect for correcting my under eye circles before popping a tiny amount of the lighter shade on top. Loving these a lot!

I have talked about the Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner in the shade Recess so many times before but I just adore it & found myself reaching for it almost every day during October so I had to include it in this post! It's the perfect neutral base for so many different eyeshadow looks & it ensures that they stay in place for a super long time, even on my oily eyelids!

I'm constantly on the search for the perfect pharmacy mascara that lengthens, volumises, doesn't smudge and most importantly, is super affordable. I think that mascaras are slowly getting so expensive that I begrudge purchasing a £12 tube every three months so I've been trying out some of the more inexpensive brands to see what they have to offer in terms of mascara. I've tried and love the Collection 2000 Big Fake Lash mascara so I decided to try their latest offering which is called Pump Up The Volume Loud Lash Mascara. The wand is slightly curved which I quite like & the formulation of this is quite a bit wetter than the Big Fake which again, I also quite like because so far this hasn't dried up as quickly! At only a few pounds I think this is a nice mascara, it's not my absolute favourite in the world but I would repurchase again.

Another thing I was lucky enough to win in Kim's giveaway is the MUA Heaven & Earth eyeshadow palette. This palette is just beautiful, there are 12 really lovely warm toned neutral shadows that you can create a multitude of looks with. The shades are all easy to blend & there are a range of highlights, lid colours & deeper tones for the crease. I can honestly say I will use & love every single one of these shadows which is rare for me because usually there's at least one shade I'll never reach for in a palette. I highly recommend these shadows, they're lovely!

I was in Boots having a little look around, as you do, and I spotted this Revlon Nail Polish in the shade Lilac Pastelle and I just had to have it. It's the perfect baby pink shade with a touch of lilac and although it takes around three coats to achieve full opacity, I think it's worth it!

My next favourite is another product I've mentioned many times before & it's the Collection 2000 Cream Puff Moisturising Lip Cream in the shade Fairy Cake. I have three of the shades and this is my favourite at the moment. It's a lovely bright but wearable pinky coral that smells like vanilla cupcakes. Yummy! I don't find these moisturising at all but with a lot of lip balm on underneath these are really lovely matte lip creams that don't sit in the lines of my lips & they last a really good amount of time.

My two current favourite lipsticks are both by Topshop & they are Pillow Talk and Rumour Has It. They're both from the Autumn/Winter Smoke & Mirrors Collection and they are both beautiful. Rumour Has It is the perfect dusty rose colour that looks so effortless and Pillow Talk is the perfect baby pink that looks lovely with almost anything. Both lipsticks have a lovely sheen to them which makes them so easy to wear. Love them!

My last favourite is my new phone cover and I'm sure you can all tell why I opted for this one! Yep, it's a bunny! My justification was that if I have to have a rubbish blackberry phone that doesn't work, then I'm going to have an obnoxiously cute case for it to live in. I love this so much I think it's my favourite favourite of last month!

What were your favourites during October?
xoxo

Monday Lust List 011 Featuring Chiara Fashion.

2011-11-07T17:42:00.000Z

Seriously, why did no one tell me about Chiara Fashion before now? I've been missing out for too long! There are some beautiful pieces hiding on that website just waiting to be found and the prices are definitely purse friendly!

1. I adore lace, it's so feminine and girly and it can look so elegant if done right. This Black Lace 'Frankie' Dress is so beautiful and I just love it. I'm not a huge fan of the belt around the middle, I think it would look better with a black belt but I'm sure that could be easily changed. The shape is perfect, cinched in at the waist and flowy over the hips - it's just gorgeous. At under £15 I think it would fit in my wardrobe very nicely!

2. Finding knitwear that I really like for an affordable price has been a real struggle for me this season which is surprising because usually there's an array of cardigans and jumpers that I just fall in love with. I have my grey boyfriend cardigan from Matalan that was only £20 and I've worn that so much that I've been searching for something similar in a different colour. This Wine Cable Knitted Grandad Cardigan with pockets is exactly what I've been looking for! The colour is perfect, the shape is perfect and most importantly, the price is perfect - under £18, a complete bargain!

3. This style of cardigan is so versatile and perfect for layering that I've accumulated quite an array of colours already. This teal blue shade is perfect for the autumn and winter seasons & makes a really nice alternative to black or grey. For £7 it's difficult to say no! The jersey material ensures that it also hangs really nicely & they're so flattering!

4. As soon as I saw this adorable little Orange Fairisle Patterned Crop Jumper I completely fell in love. Prints like these for some reason instantly remind me of Christmas & the holiday season, I'm not sure why, there's just something festive about them. Surprisingly I also really love this colour, it's not something I really tend to go for, I'm big into my neutrals and dusky shades but this might just be the little pop of colour my wardrobe needs! It does also come in a beige colour which is so lovely! For under £15 each I think I could justify purchasing both!

5. There have been so many variations of this Wine 'Frankie' Skater Dress on the highstreet & online if recent weeks and I've found myself lusting over this one the most. Perhaps it's the appealing £14.95 price tag that's luring me in, but I also really love this deepened red shade. This is the shape of dress I tend to gravitate towards because it cinches in at the waist and then skims over the hips which is my widest part so I don't like anything too clingy around the bottom!

6. This Cable Knitted Grandad Style Cream Cardigan is so my style it's untrue! I can picture this looking so sweet over a pretty tea dress with the buttons left undone. The pockets add that extra little bit of detail which I love because so often this style of cardigan comes without pockets. Although I never seem to pop anything in my pockets, I just find they add that extra bit of cuteness to a piece. This is only £17.95 as well which I think is an absolutely fabulous price for a piece of knitwear.

7. This Belted Skater Skirt looks like one of those pieces that I would end up wearing again and again because it would look so lovely with tights, boots, a pretty shirt tucked in and a chunky knit layered over it. The deep red/berry shade is perfect for winter as it's got that slight festive feel about it I love the flattering shape & the belt detailing too!

Have you ever shopped with Chiara? What do you think of their pieces?
xoxo

Instagram Snapshot 003.

2011-11-06T10:30:00.000Z

One. Ralphie's found a new favourite spot in his cage and he always looks so comfy when he's in his little nest. I've stopped using just hay all over his cage because he's getting messier and it wasn't very nice. Instead I've switched to wood shavings & bedding and I've just been popping in huge handfuls of hay in certain places for him to munch away on! I'm working on a post all about bunnies, it'll hopefully be up soon!

Two. I'm so in love with my new phone case, it's so ridiculously cute, even though my boyfriend hates it! If I have to have this rubbish blackberry phone, I'm going to have an obnoxiously cute case to go on it!

Three. Whilst on one of my many trips to ikea I spotted & fell in love with this Picasso print and I had to have it. I just love the little sausage dog in the middle! I have no idea where I'm going to put it yet but I couldn't leave without it!

Four. This was what I received in the October GlossyBox and although I wasn't amazed, I do think it's a really great box if you love skincare. The perfume samples aren't my thing at all, the stila eyeliner in nice but I'm not that into eyeliner so the stand out products were the Dermalogica samples & the Leighton Denny nail polish which is a really unusual icy blue colour. I popped up a quick video about my thoughts on last months box and I think I'll have a blog post up soonish too!

Five & Six. My boyfriends house is really coming together now. We purchased this red metal side table thingy from ikea that will eventually be a place to put the television & the xbox that my boyfriend wants me to get him for Christmas. I hate when he tells me what he wants because now he'll be expecting it and it won't be a surprise. Hopefully if I play it cool enough he won't realise that it's probably what I actually am going to get him, I've never bought him anything super duper expensive like this before. He really wants an iPad but I don't think my wages will stretch quite that far yet.

Seven & Eight. I went to a little garden centre that had a Christmas shop and I spotted so many super cute lights and decorations! I absolutely love Christmas so much, all the lights are magical and you get to snuggle up in warm coats and drink hot chocolate!

Nine & Ten. This is George the reindeer and my boyfriend bought him for me from the Christmas shop and I love him. Yes I'm twenty two years old but I still love little sentimental gifts like this especially because it's going to be mine and my boyfriend's first Christmas where we can actually be together and not 200 miles apart!

Eleven. This is what my face looked like this week. I've fallen head over heels in love with MAC Studio Sculpt foundation & Topshop Pillow Talk lipstick.

Twelve. I made an autumn inspired necklace this week & I think I'll be popping something similar up in my shop very soon. I've got a few things up at the moment, I know they all say coming soon but if there's anything that particularly catches your eye then you're welcome to send me a quick email & I can post it out to you before the shop properly opens!

MeMeMe Pink Best Seller Gift Set.

2011-11-04T14:46:00.000Z

With Christmas fast approaching, (seriously where has the year gone?!) I'm on the lookout for possible gift ideas absolutely everywhere. Thankfully I don't have too many people to buy for, currently my boyfriend is proving to be a tricky customer but I have a sneaky feeling an xbox might just keep him occupied for a super long time, at least that's what he's assured me. I keep asking if he's sure that he'll actually use it for longer than 6 months, he says he will and he'd blimmin' better do! Anyway, I'm going off on one of my ever increasing tangents. I was offered the chance to test out the MeMeMe Pink Best Seller Gift Set ♦ from Find Me A Gift & I'm actually really impressed by it and I think it would make such a lovely Christmas gift for anyone that loves make up.

The first think that I noticed when I saw it was the beautiful packaging. The hexagonal shaped box makes a lovely change from the usual square & rectangles and if you don't want to throw it away, both the box & its lid are fabulous for make up storage. If you're anything like me then if you can't see your make up, you won't really reach for it & you'll end up getting stuck in a make up rut. I've popped my absolute favourite lip glosses in the MeMeMe box & I've stood some of my favourite lipsticks up in the lid. I'll have to do a separate post on my make up storage for that to make sense, let me know if you'd like that!

In this pink set you get three pink products, all of which I'm impressed by and I think they're wonderful quality. I'll start with my least favourite of the three which is the nail polish & it's only my least favourite because I can't wear it even though I desperately want to. My new job doesn't allow nail polish which is pretty rubbish so this is one I can only admire in the bottle for the time being. This didn't stop be giving it a quick road test though! The shade is called Ambitious and it's one of those really easy to wear nude pink colours that only takes one thick coat or two thin ones to achieve the opacity of the colour in the bottle.

The second product you get is a Light Me Up High Shine Lipgloss in the shade Illuminate which is a beautiful classic baby pink shade with some added pinky-gold shimmer. I adore the packaging of these, they have the usual doe foot applicator but the wand has little lights inside & there's a little mirror on the side of the tube so you can easily reapply your lipgloss when you're on the go if you so desire. These glosses have a lovely minty scent which I absolutely love but it's not overpowering which I think is also important. The gloss is smooth and most importantly, not super sticky!

I've saved my favourite product for last & it is of course a blusher. In this set you get a Blush Me! boxed blusher in the shade pink which is a beautiful warm baby pink with a touch of shimmer that gives your cheeks a lovely sheen that's not overly glittery. I love the Benefit-esque packaging of these, they're made of cardboard so they probably won't be super durable but you also get a little mirror in the lid and a brush which I haven't used but it feels so soft. This is really nicely pigmented, it's not one of those I have to be super careful with which I like because sometimes it's nice not to have to worry about looking like a clown!

There are lots of other MeMeMe little gift sets on the Find Me A Gift website including the same gift set as this one but in bronze, coral & rouge so there really is something for everyone! I personally think this is one of the best gift websites around at the moment, I could quite literally get lost looking at all the different items and I'm not just saying that because they gave me this to review! At £15.49 I think this would be the perfect gift for absolutely anyone that loves make up, they're affordable & they look really lovely when you open the box!

Have you tried one of these MeMeMe sets before? What do you think of Find Me A Gift?
xoxo

Monthly Favourites: September 2011.

2011-10-30T19:19:00.000Z

Do you ever have those posts planned where you've taken all the photographs but you never get around to actually sitting down to write the content? This is what happened with my September favourites but since I've been doing my monthly favourites posts for over a year, I really didn't want to skip a month. I popped up my September favourites video about a week ago so if you'd prefer to watch rather than read then you're more than welcome to pop over there!

I've talked about the Illamasqua Satin Primer many times before over the past year or so and I still absolutely love it. If you have dry skin and have a problem with your foundation clinging to dry patches no matter how amazingly well you moisturise then I guarantee that you need this product in your life. It smells slightly like cake which is nice, but I would prefer if it were scentless, and you only need a super small amount in order to give your skin a beautiful dewy glow. It's pricey at £19.50 but it's such a wonderful investment.

Another brilliant product if you have dry or dehydrated skin is Weleda Skin Food ♦. I predominantly use this on particularly dry areas of my face such as my nose, cheeks & forehead both morning and evening. Occasionally however I will pop a thin layer all over my face and neck before I go to sleep & when I wake up my skin is hydrated and healthy looking. This is a thick cream so I wouldn't recommend it for your face unless your skin is super dry but this is one of those multi purpose creams that can be used anywhere you have dry skin.

I go through phases with my nails, sometimes I love nothing more than picking out a pretty nail polish to wear & a few days later taking it all off and popping a different colour on. Most of the time though I'm not hugely fussy and the polish I always find myself reaching for is Barry M Blue Glitter. It's easy to apply, a couple of coats gives you super sparkly nails, it dries pretty quickly & it doesn't chip easily. Of course like all glitter it's a pain in the you-know-what to take off but I'm willing to overlook that because it's so pretty!

It's no secret that Good Things is my absolute favourite brand for body scrubs & butters and their latest Soothing Body Butter ♦ offering is probably my absolute favourite item from the range. This body butter is rich and beautifully moisturising with a fruity scent that is just addictive! The matching Good Things Soothing Exfoliating scrub ♦ is also fabulous so if you're in the market for some new body products then I highly recommend Good Things!

My blusher combination for the month of September was Illamasqua Promise Cream blush & Bourjois Rose d'Or powder blusher. I won't ramble on here because I've talked about both of these many times before, but together they give the perfect warm pink slightly sparkly flush to the cheeks that lasts all day long without fading.

For the longest time I had the Eyes Lips Face Studio Angled Contour Brush sitting in my brush pot & I had no idea what to use it for. It's a funny little brush but surprisingly it has many uses! I mainly use it for popping a wash of colour over my lids and blending out slightly at the edges & it's the perfect brush for that. You could also use the tip to create definition in the crease & after a few suggestions from people commenting on my YouTube video, it's also a fabulous little concealer brush!

The Collection 2000 Cream Puff Moisturising Lip Creams intrigued me for the longest time before I decided to purchase a couple and the first shade I gravitated towards was Cotton Candy. This shade isn't the pretty baby pink I was expecting, instead it's a far more unusual bright yet deep pink that's surprisingly easy to wear. I don't find these moisturising at all despite their name, but with a good slick of lip balm underneath these are wonderful and at £2.99 each you can't go wrong! Expect a different shade to be popping up in my October favourites!

On the other end of the spectrum are two lipsticks that made up my perfect nude lip for September. It's not often I go for a nude lip, I'm not sure why, it's just not really my thing. I was rummaging through my lip drawer and came across the infamous GOSH Velvet Touch Darling lipstick and decided to give it a second chance. On it's own, Darling is so unwearable for me it's ridiculous - it washes me out and the formulation is super unforgiving. I decided to mix it with a little bit of 17 Mirror Shine On Lipstick in Beehive and they're the most perfect combination. Love them.

Finally this is the palette that needs absolutely no introduction, the Urban Decay Naked Palette. Again this is another product I've mentioned about a million times before but I just adore it. The shade Half Baked is the perfect colour if you have blue eyes, Sin is the perfect champagne & Naked is the perfect shade for me to use to blend out other colours & soften the look. It's pricey, but I honestly think it's worth every penny!

What were your September favourites? I'll be popping up my October favourites super soon - sorry to overload you with favourites posts!
xoxo

Five Things I Love Friday & Five Blogs I Love Friday 025.

2011-10-28T15:07:00.000+01:00

One. My new Autumn/Winter Coat.

After featuring the Matalan Faux Fur Coat in my last Monday Lust List post I decided to take the plunge and order one because I loved it so much. I know it's not going to be one I can wear on those rainy Autumn/Winter days but for those super cold, crisp, misty days that I love so much, I'm sure I'll be grateful to have this furry number wrapped around me! I know a lot of you guys loved the coat too & if you're umming and ahhing over whether to get it or not, I say go for it!

Two. Christmas Decorations!

I know it's only October but all the Christmas presents and decorations have well and truly hit the highstreet already and I'm loving it! I absolutely adore Christmas. The fairy lights, the mulled wine, the Christmas markets, the festive music. I love it all! I'm especially looking forward to this Christmas because it's the first time my boyfriend and I will actually get to be together. I don't think we'll be living together by Christmas, I'm desperate not to rush into anything in that respect, but to be able to exchange presents in person this year will be wonderful! These super cute decorations are from Matalan!

Three. Hot Chocolate!

As soon as the evenings start getting colder I hit the hot chocolate, I swear I'm addicted to the stuff. I was sent these three samples and oh my gosh, they're just lovely. Knowing that they're not packed full of calories is an added bonus, it means I can add as much whipped cream, marshmallows and chocolate flakes as I like, right?!

Four. My Ikea Picasso.

Many trips to Ikea have been made of late with my boyfriend getting to the furnishing stage of his house renovation and on one trip I spotted this picture and I had to have it. The little sausage dog in the middle is my absolute favourite!

Five. Planning my 2000 reader giveaway!

I'm a fair way off hitting 2000 google friend connect readers but I'd really love to celebrate by holding a mega giveaway for all of you that have supported me over the past few years - you all mean the world to me! ♥

One. It Seems Pretty Obvious. Two. Where is Harriet? Three. Little Glitter.

Four. Charlestown. Five. Give Me More.

xoxo

P.S. Thank you to everyone that helped on twitter recommending new blogs to me today! If you have a favourite blog please email/tweet/leave a comment with the link. Choosing five blogs every week for this feature is getting super difficult as I read & follow so many! Thank you! ♥

Monday Lust List 010.

2011-10-24T15:22:00.000+01:00

It's been a couple of weeks since I did my last Monday Lust List post so this one is way overdue! I'm constantly online window shopping and I have a ridiculous amount of pretty stuff in my lust list folder all the time, I hope I'm not the only one that does that! Eep!

1. It's been super cold over the last few days where I live, I'm used to mild winters on the south coast of England and I'm pretty sure that the midlands is going to get its fair share of snow this year so I'm going to need to stock up on winter warmers and thick coats which I've never really had to do before. Top of my list is a good pair of earmuffs, I'm going to have to visit a few shops and try some pairs on because I seem to have a massive head or something and sometimes some styles just don't fit properly! These brown faux fur earmuffs are from River Island and at £13 they're a little pricey but they just look so cosy & I love the colours!

2. I know I talk about Temporary:Secretary a lot but seriously, every time I pop on to have a look at all the pretty jewellery I see something that I've missed before and fall in love. That website is just a treasure trove of beautiful & truly unique jewellery and I know that lots of you think the same! I absolutely adore this Temporary:Secretary Cuckoo Clock Necklace and at £14 I think it's a total bargain!

3. Love Hearts and Crosses is another website I mention a lot but again, there's always new jewellery and accessories sitting on the website waiting to be found and lusted over! This Love Hearts and Crosses Mock Croc Satchel Fold Over Flap Bag is the latest thing to catch my eye and I just adore it! Satchel bags with long straps will probably always be my favourite style of bag because they're so roomy and they look so stylish with almost any outfit. I don't own a black satchel bag & I think I need this one in my life!

4. This Matalan Be Beau Belted Fur Coat has just stolen my heart & even though I know it won't be practical in the rain, I just love it so much. I'm not usually the biggest fan of faux fur, I hugely detest the real fur industry and sometimes faux fur just feels too close to that for comfort. This coat however is clearly faux fur and it just looks so snuggly & warm. I really like the belt detail, I'm a huge fan of cinching in at the waist and I think I may have to make this beauty mine!

5. This gorgeous glittery pot of prettiness is Gone Gonzo nail polish by OPI and as soon as I spied this on ASOS I fell in love. It's blue, it's sparkly, it's glittery and I just need to have it! I haven't even googled swatches of it, I don't care if the formula is a total let down, I just love it and I think it would look so pretty sat on my dressing table. Yes I am that shallow.

6. I was watching one of Lisa Eldridge's videos the other day and she was wearing this completely amazing shirt and after a little bit of comment stalking I learned that she got it from Topshop. My heart did sink a little bit because I instantly knew it was going to be super pricey & I was right, this Dog Print Blouse by Unique is a whopping £110 so it's safe to say I will never own this beauty but I shall continue to admire it from afar!

7. If I weren't so bloomin' tall I would have snapped these Matalan Multi Layer Occasion Platforms up the second I saw them because they're gorgeous! I love the gold, silver & black colours together and these are pretty much the perfect shoe for the upcoming party season if you want something that will make a statement but not be all up in everyone's faces. They're only £18 as well, what a steal!

8. Benefit's boxed blushers have always intrigued me, just not quite enough to shell out £23.50 for one - they seem so crazy expensive! I do however love that Benefit bring out these little sets and this year Benefit PowdaWowza has caught my attention because it contains the three powders I'd love to try the most; Coralista, Bella Bamba & Hoola. Need need need!

9. I have officially found the best slippers in the world - and I don't even really like cats that much (don't kill me!)! I was casually browsing Topshop, as you do, and I stumbled across these ESME Velvet Cat Slippers & I think they're nothing short of amazing! Sure, they probably wouldn't keep my feet super warm & cosy but who the heck cares about that, look at them! They're SO cute! They come in green to & I can't lie, I'd be tempted to sneakily pick up both colours!

What are you currently lusting over? Do you always have lots of things on your lust list or is that just me?!
xoxo

Topshop Make Up Smoke & Mirrors Collection: Rumour Has It Lipstick & Pillow Talk Lipstick.

2011-10-20T19:35:00.002+01:00

Ever since the limited edition A/W Smoke & Mirrors make up collection went up on the Topshop website I've been umming and ahhing over whether to purchase the two lipsticks. A few days ago I finally thought 'sod it' and made a little order which is something I don't do often, partly because Topshop is slightly out of my price range and the £4 standard delivery charge is quite frankly daylight robbery. I begrudge paying for delivery at the best of times but I did get 10% student discount so I guess I can't complain too much!

Not being able to decide between the two lipstick shades I decided to just get them both because I knew I'd get a lot of use out of both of them! I absolutely adore the packaging from this collection, I think I love it more than the regular Topshop make up packaging. There's a very vintage 1970s glamour feel to the whole collection and I can't ever fault Topshop's attention to detail.

Topshop Rumour Has It lipstick is described on the website as a dusty rose colour and I'd agree with that. I may or may not have bought this purely because of the name, (yes I am still obsessed with Adele!) and in all honesty I didn't really expect this to be a shade that would suit me. It's a little different to the shades that I usually go for but it's one of those nudes that instantly adds a little bit of sultry glamour to any make up look but especially compliments a soft brown smokey eye & neutral blush.

Topshop Pillow Talk lipstick is a classic baby pink colour and I can never have enough of these in my collection. It's not too cool or too warm toned which makes it so incredibly wearable and I think this is a shade that would suit so many different people. I've been especially enjoying wearing this with a soft taupe eyeshadow, lashings of mascara & a pop of Illamasqua Promise cream blusher on the cheeks. I think fresh looking make up is going to be one of my staple looks this autumn and winter!

I absolutely adore the formulation of these lipsticks, they have a beautifully glossy finish & they last surprisingly well on the lips as well. At £9 I know some think that they're slightly overpriced but I think they have a pretty reasonable price point for the quality. They're around £5 cheaper than MAC lipsticks and minus the lovely vanilla scent I think they're of a really similar quality!

Have you tried either of these lipsticks? What do you think of Topshop's make up?
xoxo

Haircare Routine.

2011-10-19T19:52:00.000+01:00

I popped up a video on my YouTube channel a few days ago talking through my haircare routine because it had been requested quite a few times! I know not everyone who reads my blog is subscribed to my YouTube channel (which is totally okay!) and I know that not everyone likes watching videos as much as they like reading blogs which I totally get so I thought I'd just pop up a quick post on here. I won't go into too much detail about each product because I ramble for long enough in my video so think of this as more of a little blog overview!

In terms of shampoo & conditioner I'm not super fussy on which ones I use. I tend to stick to ones that promise volume and body, although I've learned not to expect a lot because they don't usually deliver. However I find that these types of shampoo & conditioner don't weigh my hair down as much as others.

I bought The Body Shop Banana Shampoo purely because it smells like those foam banana sweeties I used to eat by the bucket load when I was little. I remember stopping off at the local shop after school once a week with my Mama and she would let me pick out a couple of penny sweeties to eat after dinner so I guess I bought this shampoo purely for nostalgia.

I've had the Phil Smith Big It Up shampoo(♦) & Big It Up conditioner(♦) for a little while now and although I don't think they're anything special I do really like them. The scent isn't anything incredible but they leave my hair feeling clean and not weighed down or limp.

I'm quite new to Lee Stafford's products but I have really enjoyed using every product I've tried so far. My Big Fat Healthy Hair and the Bleach Blondes shampoos are both brilliant products that seem to just work for my hair. Bleach Blondes shampoo is amazing at taking out any brassy tones from blonde hair & My Big Fat Healthy Hair shampoo leaves my hair feeling thoroughly cleansed of any oils and dirt while not stripping it and leaving it feeling limp. I absolutely hate the use uppercase and lowercase writing on the packaging though, it makes me shudder a little bit looking at it!

Superstar shampoo & conditioner from Tigi Bed Head are some of my all time favourite hair products. I believe they have been revamped & renamed 'Styleshots Epic Volume' but I have been reliably informed that they still have the same yummy strawberry sweeties scent which I adore. I've had these two 750ml bottles for a long time and they're only just starting to run out but I'll definitely be repurchasing very soon!

The only other conditioner I reach for is another Lee Stafford Product and it is the Treatment For Hair That Never Grows Past A Certain Length. I really do love this little pot of goodness and although I haven't noticed a dramatic difference in the length of my hair, it has dramatically improved in condition and strength which I believe is really what this product is for anyway. I've got 4 more tubs of this to get through, that's how much I love it!

The John Frieda Go Blonder Controlled Lightening Spray is a product that I don't think I will be without for as long as they keep making it. When I bought it I honestly didn't have high expectations but it transforms the colour of my hair super easily - it's foolproof!

The only other product I reach for fairly often is the Phil Smith Xtreme Style Xpanding Thickening Cream(♦). This does make a difference to the volume of my hair if I rub a small amount in before blow drying my hair upside down so I'll use this if I'm washing my hair in the morning and fancy a little bit of extra volume for the day.

I do try to keep my hair routine as basic as possible and other than the products I've mentioned all I do is backcomb my hair. A lot. I don't have the secret to voluminous hair, I don't have the patience to blow dry my hair with a round brush or to faff around with heated rollers. It's backcombing all the way for me, oops! So the only other product I reach for is a light hold hairspray, any one will do, I'm not fussy at all! I opt for a light hold because it's a million times easier to brush out - and yep I know you're not supposed to brush it out either, again oopsie!

As I'm sure you can tell I'm not a hair expert at all, but I hope that this helped a little and given you a little insight into the products that I like to use. I'd love it if you would like to watch my haircare routine video, it's probably the video where I'm most myself and not as nervous talking to a camera as I have been in previous videos!

What are some of your favourite hair products? I'd love to know!
xoxo

Instagram Snapshot 002.

2011-10-16T16:52:00.000+01:00

One & Two.

I took the plunge and did what you should probably never do & that was purchase a foundation online having never seen it in person. I decided to go for MAC Studio Sculpt foundation & although I've never been colour matched at MAC I guessed and went for NC15. I'm really happy with the shade, it seems to be the best match I've ever had in a foundation & I'm also really getting along with the formula. You only need the smallest amount (less than a pea size) to get a medium to full coverage which I've been loving on bad skin days!

Three.

I keep visiting the Apple website and adding an iPhone 4S to my basket, for reference I'd go for the 16GB black version, but right now I just can't justify going through the checkout. I know I could go and get a contract but I'd rather purchase the phone outright & get a SIM through Giff Gaff because you get such a good deal with them for £10 a month! This method would work out ever so slightly cheaper in the long run too. Part of me wants to wait for the iPhone 5 to come out because I like odd numbers better than I like even numbers. And yes, that's my only reason!

Four.

I finally got around to renewing my NUS Extra card. I wasn't going to for a while but then I realised I was being an idiot & I should make the most of student discount while I can! I'm with the Open Uni so I don't get a student card like you do at brick Uni's so it's worth the £11 for an Extra card to make the most of discounts where I can!

Five.

I was in Pets at Home spending a small fortune on things for Ralphie (bunnies are expensive!) this little guy in one of the hutches caught my eye. I've never seen a bunny like that in Pets at Home before, they usually only have lops and I thought he was so unusual. He looks more like a hare than a bunny & his ears were amazing! If I could have given him a home I absolutely would have but I don't think Ralphie would be too happy if I brought home another bunny. Ralphie's too spoilt to want to share the attention!

Six.

The past few days have been dedicated to giving my boyfriends house a good clean now that all of the decorating has been done! It's been a lot of hard work but it's finally paying off and he should be all moved in in a couple of weeks time! As far as hoovers go, Henry's are the cutest!

Seven, Eight, Nine & Ten.

While in Pets at Home one of the things I picked up for Ralphie was a little harness and to my complete surprise he actually quite likes wearing it! Now I won't be taking him for walks down the street or anything but it's nice to have if he wants to explore other places other than my bedroom.

Eleven & Twelve.

I've been getting back into make up recently and dug out some products I once loved & had been neglecting as well as ones I wasn't so keen on and trying out new ways of using them to make them work for me. I was thinking about doing some more make up related blog posts, maybe some mini reviews of products like the MUA Heaven & Earth palette post I popped up yesterday. Let me know if that's something you'd like to see or not!

Have you had a lovely weekend? Have you had any exciting plans?
xoxo

MUA Heaven and Earth Palette.

2011-10-15T16:23:00.000+01:00

After seeing so many blog posts and videos talking about the MUA Make Up Academy Heaven & Earth palette it instantly found its way on to my beauty wishlist (it's currently a ridiculously long list!) but it wasn't easily accessible to me because my local Superdrug is absolutely pants! The beautiful Kim who blogs over at Dottie K came to my rescue when I won this palette along with lots of other goodies in her recent giveaway & I really can't thank her enough!

If you already own the Urban Decay Naked Palette and you've been 'umming' and 'ahhing' over picking this one up too then I'd definitely say you should go for it! They are similar but I think they're still different enough to justify having both, the most notable difference being the Heaven and Earth shades are more warm toned which actually makes them much easier for me to wear.

The shadows themselves are buttery soft, super easy to blend & the shades are all beautiful. I personally love that there are no super dark shades because I don't reach for them very often at all and I can honestly say that I would use every single colour in this palette which doesn't happen very often! There are lovely highlight shades, shimmery lid colours & slightly deeper colours that define the eyes perfectly. The colours are all shimmery and that's probably my only criticism, a couple of matte shades would have made this palette pretty much perfect although with a good base underneath (Urban Decay Primer Potion, MAC Paint Pots, Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadows, whatever works for you!) there is minimal fallout & the shadows last all day. I do also wish that the colours had individual names but I think my favourites are the four colours on the right hand side because they make a perfect warm bronze brown soft smokey eye that's perfect for the daytime.

Do you have the MUA Heaven and Earth palette in your collection?
xoxo

Instagram Snapshot 001.

2011-10-09T14:23:00.000+01:00

I'm going to start switching up my features a little bit, my instagram posts might not be up every week & they may not always be on a Sunday so I've decided to change the feature name for this one. I'm a little sad to say goodbye to Sunday Snapshot & maybe I'll come back to it at some point, but it has been pinched a couple of times so I don't feel like it's really mine anymore. Not saying it was a totally original idea but I've seen too many people's original feature ideas stolen without credit and that makes me kinda sad. But anyway, I think that's just one of the negative aspects of blogging right now.

One & Two.

I baked some chocolate cupcakes with blue vanilla icing & sprinkles because I wanted to try out my new icing/piping bag. They're far from perfect but I didn't think it was bad for a first attempt! I also made a classic Victoria Sponge with lots & lots of strawberry jam in the middle. Yum!

Three & Four.

Ralphie has been a total cutie pie all week with only a couple of naughty spells! His lionhead mane is growing super quickly since I last gave him a little hair cut & this time it's not falling into his eyes which is always good. I love him with his tufty hair so I'm not going to cut it until he starts having trouble seeing!

Five & Six.

I got the Love Hearts & Crosses bag I had been lusting over as a gift from my boyfriend and I absolutely adore it, it's super elegant and classy! Conny the lovely lady behind the shop popped in this chasing bunny necklace as a little surprise extra present for me and I was SO so excited when I opened it. I wore them both to a job interview the day after I got them! Don't forget you can enter my little giveaway to win a pair of swallow earrings here!

Seven & Eight.

This was my interview choice of clothing & I added a black blazer, my bunny necklace and my new bag to complete the look. Those things obviously brought me some luck because the next day I found out I got the job! I have to say a huge thank you to everyone that wished me good luck and then congratulations - I've got a lot of love for you guys!

Nine, Ten & Eleven.

My boyfriend's house is almost done which is quite exciting. I'm so proud of him for purchasing his first house and I absolutely know how lucky we are not having to rent. Of course there's nothing wrong with renting, but my one big dream in life has always been to own my own home.

Twelve.

I received these Matalan lookbooks through the post and I'm so impressed with how lovely the Autumn Winter fashion items are and also they have some wonderful Christmas decorations too! I'll have to do a blog post showing some of my favourite things!

Thirteen & Fourteen.

Ralphie ate his first vegetable, finally! I gave him a little bit of cabbage and he absolutely loved it! He still doesn't like carrots, I think I'm going to have to give up on that one. I'm not sure what to try him with next, but I think I might go for spinach. I'm hoping to find at least one other vegetable that he likes!

Fifteen & Sixteen.

I filmed and uploaded an everyday make up routine & my first haul video for my YouTube channel. I've surprised myself with how much I'm enjoying making videos, I don't know for sure if I'll carry on for a long time but I'm loving it for the time being!

Seventeen & Eighteen.

I caught such a bad cold last week and it was horrible! If there's a cold going around I almost always catch it, my immune system must be a little bit on the rubbish side but nevermind! I stocked up on cough sweets & kept this little bottle of menthol goodness close by and I felt better after a couple of days!

Nineteen.

I've been using my Glossy Box as storage for my everyday essentials which has made getting ready in the mornings much easier and quicker! I also found a little pot to pop my favourite lipglosses in & I love my new little acrylic lipstick holder too!

Twenty.

The new instagram filters are lovely, I was so excited to play around with them! I've also found myself reaching for the eyeliner quite a bit lately which is a bit of a change for me! This is Blacktrack Fluid Line from MAC, I still don't love it though, it doesn't stay put all day like I was hoping it would!

Twenty One & Twenty Two.

I've already figured out what to get Ralphie for Christmas. Yes I am one of those crazy people that will buy presents for my pets, I know he won't know it's Christmas but I love buying him presents!

Finally it didn't seen right to do an instagram post with pictures I've taken on my iPad without mentioning the passing of Steve Jobs. It's not really something I've ever spoken about before but Steve has been a constant source of inspiration since my second year of college. You truly can do anything you want to do, please don't let anyone hold you back. It's your life, don't throw it away.

Sailor Jennie Does YouTube!

2011-10-08T15:43:00.001+01:00

I know I've mentioned it about a million times already & I'm sure most of you know, but in case you don't I thought I'd pop a little post up letting you know that I've recently started making YouTube videos! My blog is my baby, it's always going to be my number one priority because I love it so much but I thought I'd give YouTube a go as well because it looked like fun (& it is!) and I'm hoping that it will make me a little bit more confident as a person. I'm terrible at talking and putting my thoughts & feelings into spoken words but hopefully I'll get a bit better with more videos I make. I'll always be a shy person, I'm never going to be a complete extrovert or the life & soul of the party but I think that's okay!

I've tried my best to design my channel to compliment my blog layout and hopefully with a little bit of time my videos will start complimenting my written posts. Sometimes it's easier to show things via video and sometimes it's easier via photographs so now I've branched out into both, hopefully there will be a bit of something for everyone! I'm no make up guru so I don't think I'll be doing any complicated make up tutorials or anything like that and although some think it's unnecessary I will probably do a video and a blog post for things like monthly favourites because not everyone will want to watch a video & not everyone will want to read through one of my blog posts full of rambles and pointless information!

But anyway, before I start going off on a tangent I'm going to pop off and perhaps bake some cookies. It would mean the world if you would like to subscribe to my YouTube channel, you're continued support of me & Sailboat is just wonderful and I really can't thank you enough! I hope you're having a wonderful weekend whatever you're doing & keep safe!

Lots of Love,

Jennie

xoxo

What I Wore: You Think Your Dreams Are The Same As Mine.

2011-10-07T16:11:00.000+01:00

Today I'm doing a happy dance because I just found out I got the job I went for an interview for yesterday morning. It will be so lovely to have a few extra pennies coming in each month as I've been on a bit of a spending cut back these past few months. I feel like treating myself to something lovely but I'm not entirely sure what just yet, I'm thinking perhaps a new foundation but I'm still undecided on which to go for!

Cardigan: Matalan - £20.

Dress: Very.co.uk a long time ago!

Leggings: Matalan - £6.

Necklace: A Gift.

Nail Polish: Barry M Blue Glitter ♦

This Heritage Boyfriend Cardigan from Matalan has fast become a staple piece in my wardrobe, it's super cosy which is perfect as the weather has just got much cooler & it somehow manages to go with anything! This dress is another of my wardrobe staples. The material is quite thick which makes it perfect for the colder weather and that also ensures that it hangs really nicely and is super flattering. The colour is beautiful, I absolutely adore wearing blue shades & I think they compliment my skin tone quite well. The print is also super cute!

Base: Witch Anti-Blemish concealer, MAC Face & Body and Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer.

Cheeks: Bourjois Chocolate Bronzer, Illamasqua Promise Cream Blush & MAC Semi Precious Rose Quartz msf.

Eyes: Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Recess, Revlon ColorStay eyeshadow quad in Sunrise, Sunset & MAC Haute & Naughty Lash mascara.

Lips: Revlon Pink Pout Lipstick & Barry M Toffee lipgloss ♦

I've really been getting into the swing of YouTube over the past week or so. I'm still not entirely comfortable or confident in front of the camera but I think I'm getting much better. I popped up an everyday make up routine video a couple of days ago & just thought I'd give it a quick mention here in case you'd like to know which products I'm reaching for a lot at the moment.

xoxo

P.S. Don't forget to enter my little Love Hearts & Crosses earrings giveaway here!

Love Hearts & Crosses & A Little Giveaway.

2011-10-05T18:31:00.000+01:00

This morning the postman brought me a box full of goodies & it really brightened up my day! There's something about opening parcels, even if you know what's inside, that is just so lovely - yay for online shopping!

My wonderful boyfriend bought me this gorgeous bag and I'm just so in love with it! Until now I didn't have a nice bag that would instantly smarten up and really complete an outfit. I have a scary interview tomorrow that I'm super nervous about & I'll definitely be carrying this bag to go with my dark grey shift dress & black blazer.

The gold hardware is really lovely and it really adds that little extra something. Inside there are 2 open compartments with a zipped pocket in the middle. It's not one of those bags that will fit a lot inside but there's definitely room for all your essentials! I opted for the black version but I have a feeling I may have to purchase another in either cream, pink or tan! At £25 I think this is a complete bargain & I love it a lot!

Conny, the beautiful lady behind Love Hearts & Crosses, also popped in a sneaky little extra present for me because I've mentioned the shop a couple of times on my blog. This was so unbelievably sweet of her, she totally didn't have to but she picked out the perfect item - a bunny necklace! How sweet is this necklace? I had to put it on straight away!

My boyfriend found a code for free delivery & a free pair of earrings, which is where the little giveaway part comes in. These swallow earrings are too lovely not to be worn all the time so I'd love to pass them on to someone who will give them lots of love!

♥ If you'd like the chance to win these beauties then just pop over to the Love Hearts & Crosses website, pick out your favourite item and then let me know what it is in the comments of this blog post. You must also be a follower of my blog! I'll pick out the winner in one weeks time! ♥

Have you ever purchased anything from Love Hearts & Crosses before? Don't forget to enter the giveaway if you'd like to win those adorable swallow earrings!
xoxo

What I Wore: The Morning Rain.

2011-10-04T17:33:00.000+01:00

I apologise for how pants the quality of these images are, it's SO ridiculously dark here. I love this outfit so much, it's super warm and cosy while being really flattering too - a winning combination! Please excuse my obnoxiously bright turquoise penguin dressing gown in the background there!

Butterfly Shirt: Matalan - £7 ♦

Grey Cardigan: Matalan - £20.

Skirt & Belt: Vero Moda.

I was so excited to pick up this cardigan a couple of weeks ago because it's exactly what I've been looking for for ages. I got it in a couple of sizes bigger because they didn't have my size but I actually like that it's oversized - it makes it feel more cosy. The best part is that it only cost £20 which in comparison to Topshop prices makes it a complete steal!

I popped up a video on my YouTube channel featuring this outfit & I'd love it if you would pop over and have a look. Filming outfit of the day videos is super difficult, it would be much easier if I could tilt the camera on its side but hey ho - I tried! I'm going to try and figure out a better way to do outfit of the days because I always love watching other peoples!

I hope you're all having a wonderful day! If you have any video or blog post requests then please let me know either in the comments here or over on my YouTube channel. I'm going to try my best to film every single request!
xoxo

Monday Lust List 009.

2011-10-03T16:46:00.000+01:00

1. I have loved these Keep Calm And Carry On necklaces from Temporary:Secretary since I first saw them. I mean, just look at them, they're gorgeous with a capital G! I wish it was my birthday so I could pop one on my wishlist because I would be thrilled to unwrap one of these lovelies as a gift! There are so many colours to pick from & I think I'd go for the Vintage Pink with its gold chain and pretty floral design. Which design would you pick out?

2. I was having one of my weekly browsing sessions on ASOS, as you do, and stumbled across the NARS Calanque Trio Eyeshadow Palette and I think it's just gorgeous. It was reduced to £26.50 a couple of days ago but I know that I don't need it & it doesn't have the best reviews online so I talked myself out of it and now it's back to its full price of £33. I own the Urban Decay Naked palette so my collection doesn't need more neutral shadows but this would be super handy to just pop into my bag whereas the Naked palette isn't. However, I think that this will be one of those items that remains on my lust list and never makes it in to my collection.

3. I'm currently experiencing a slight obsession with Sausage Dogs and I'm not entirely sure why. I spotted this Sausage Dog Print Blouse from Yumi & I fell in lust because it's just SO cute! I adore the print, the three quarter length sleeves and the peter pan collar! It also has an adorable little bow detail on the back which is what I love about Yumi, their attention to detail is incredible! At £35 I think its a little on the pricey side but because it's so adorable it would be worth every penny!

4. Considering how pricey clothes from Topshop are, I'm pleasantly surprised at how affordable the make up is! This Topshop Lipstick from the Smoke & Mirrors Collection called Pillow Talk looks like the perfect, wearable baby pink. At £9 it's a little more expensive than the permanent lipstick line but the packaging is so beautiful I'd happily pay the extra pound. I also really love the shade Rumour Has It but that may just be because it's an Adele song. I think I may treat myself to both shades, after all, a new tube of lipstick is much cheaper than a new outfit & I think both do similar things at refreshing your look.

5. Matalan recently popped their Autumn/Winter lookbook in the post for me to have a look through and I just about fell in love with everything. Until a few weeks ago Matalan wasn't even on my clothing radar but now they're up there as one of my current favourite shops. This Sequin Dress has fast become the item I'm lusting over the most, even though I have nowhere to wear it, but I'm not one to worry about a little thing like that. I'd probably wear it everywhere, nipping to the post office, buying a pint of milk, or even just around the house because it makes me feel good! Joking aside, this is the perfect little winter dress. Pair it with beautiful black heels, a dark smokey eye, nude lip & big hair and you'll be the belle of the ball. At £28 it's a complete steal too! *wants*

6. I'm on the lookout for a new foundation. I'd like one with medium to full coverage, not matte, shades to match fair skinned people like myself and that won't accentuate dry skin. HELP! I love the sound of NARS Sheer Glow but I'm not sure that it's quite what I'm looking for but I have NO idea where to start! I probably would have bought sheer glow from ASOS but they don't cater for my shade - I've guessed that I'd be Gobi but honestly I have no idea. I'm scared of make up counters and I live in the middle of nowhere now so I don't have any make up counters to visit!

7. Eeeeee, Bunny! Pretty much the only shop in the centre of my little village is Dorothy Perkins and when I was in there last I spotted this Blonde Rabbit Hottie. How cute is he with his little stripey ears! I love him.

8. Yep, more sausage dogs! I've seen this ASOS Double Finger Sausage Dog Ring everywhere and I just love it although I know I wouldn't wear it very often. I think that's why I've never bought it. At only £8 it's super affordable but I know it would just sit in my jewellery box unworn and what's the point in that?

Are you lusting over any similar items?
xoxo

Beauty Subscription Boxes: Glossy Box & Boudoir Prive.

2011-10-01T15:29:00.000+01:00

I know, I know this subject has been done to death on blogger in the last week or two but I did just want to add my 2 cents in & I've made a rambley video so you don't have to read a super rambley blog post! So I won't go into all of the products in detail here because I did that in my video which you can see here!

If you subscribe to Glossy Box, for £12.95(♦) each month you will receive a super pretty pale pink box filled with 5 miniature beauty products for you to try out. The packaging is beautiful & I have already recycled my box and popped my every day make up products inside so I don't have to rummage around in my bigger make up storage for the products I want to use.

You receive a little card explaining each of the products & also a discount code (which I've blurred out in the above picture because I don't know if I should pop them on the internet!) should you wish to purchase a full sized product after trying out the mini sample. For me this month there were three really great products that I was excited to receive; the HD brows kit, the Neal & Wolf Shine Spray & The Dead Sea Spa Magik Salt Brushing.

I got the brow kit in the shade Foxy which is for brunettes and although I've tried to make the shades work for my brows, unfortunately they're a bit too strong and bold. The colours are all incredibly pigmented however so they can be used as eyeshadows as well which I'll be doing. I'm not a huge brow person so I wouldn't necessarily rush out to purchase the palette in my shade but I'll certainly use the one I have to create a warm brown smokey eye.

The shine spray from Neal & Wolf is lovely, it smells like an expensive product & it works wonderfully at reducing static in my hair and also making it much shinier but not greasy. I can't find this product on the Neal & Wolf website but I spotted it on Fragrance Direct for £7.95 & I believe the actual retail price is £11.95.

The Spa Magik Salt Brushing was also a brilliant product, I'm always on the look out for a great exfoliator and this one is lovely. It also smells lemony which is beautiful! It's a paraben free product which is always a good thing in my opinion and it left my skin feeling soft, smooth and refreshed. A 500g tub of this is £13.30 which I think is quite a good price and I would consider purchasing the full size.

Now, if you choose to subscribe to Boudoir Prive for the slighly cheaper price of £10 per month you will receive a similar beautiful pale pink box filled with 5 - 6 deluxe beauty samples. Again I can't fault the packaging & I'll be using this box to store some more of my make up and you get a little leaflet explaining each of the products.

There was only one stand out product from this months box for me and that was the Zoya nail polish which is a beautiful purple with gold shimmer that I will be using a lot this autumn and winter. Whilst I do like the other products I'm not sure that I like them enough for £10 a month if that makes sense. I've passed the hair oil on to my mum who seems to really like it & I'll definitely use up the eye cream but I can't say I'd purchase the full sized because it's super pricey!

Boudoir Prive strikes me as being more high end and Glossy Box feels like a good all-rounder with brands that I have either already heard of before or brands that I feel appeal to me, at twenty two a bit more. I know there are teething problems with Glossy Box i.e. not receiving a brow palette that's the correct shade for your hair colour which I agree isn't great but I do still think that out of these two boxes, Glossy Box is my current favourite.

What do you think about beauty boxes? Have you tried Boudoir Prive or Glossy Box, and do they appeal to you? Let me know if you've tried boxes from any other companies too, I'd love to hear about the Feel Unique boxes!

xoxo

P.S. Don't forget if you'd like to watch my YouTube video you can do that here.

Ralphie's Diary: #3 The Best Toy in the World!

2011-09-30T17:23:00.000+01:00

"Mama is constantly coming home with new toys for me but most of the time I think they're pretty rubbish and I just ignore them. One day though, she came home with this and it's the best toy ever! It took her a little while to figure out how to put it together, she's not the most practical of Mama's but that's okay, I love her all the same and once it was all put together I couldn't wait to rub my chin all over it so everyone knows that it's mine! Chewing on it is pretty fun too, but I only like to chew the purple bits because they taste the best!"

"Sometimes I do ignore this toy though, even though it is the best, because Mama's got this amazing wicker basket that just tastes SO good and whenever she's not looking I love to hop over and bite a bit more off. I get told off when I chew on it though but it's okay because Mama can never stay mad at me for long! I've nearly bitten a hole through one of the corners - I hope there's something amazing inside that I can chew on too!"

xoxo

Face of Today & my Venture into YouTube.

2011-09-29T17:57:00.000+01:00

Forgive me if I look a bit...well, rough. If you haven't seen my almost constant whiney tweets already then I have a cold and I don't like it one bit. Almost any other illness I can cope with but when I get a cold I turn into a complete nightmare! :(

Base: Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer, MAC Face & Body Foundation & Eyes Lips Face HD Powder.

Cheeks: Illamasqua Promise Cream Blush & The Body Shop Cool Dusk Powder Blush Trio.

Eyes: Benefit Recess Creaseless Cream Shadow, Urban Decay Sin Eyeshadow, MAC Blacktrack Fluidline & Collection 2000 Big Fake Mascara.

Lips: Blistex Relief Cream, MAC Viva Glam Gaga Lipstick & Natural Collection Sherbet Fizz Lipgloss.

I also just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone that's supported my venture into YouTube so far! I've only got a couple of videos up at the moment but I think I'm getting better & a little less nervous each time I film. I'm super super shy in real life so I'm really hoping that making these videos might help with that a little bit! I would absolutely love it if you would like to subscribe to my channel & if you have any video requests then please to leave me a comment here or on one of my videos! I can't believe how many of you lovely lot have subscribed already so, thank you so much!

xoxo

Jennie Makes: A Rainbow Cake.

2011-09-28T16:49:00.000+01:00

I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to post my rainbow cake recipe. Thank you to everyone that has reminded me! I used a basic Victoria sponge recipe for the basis of the cake and for this I followed this recipe here by Mary Berry who I think is fabulous! I just adapted it slightly to create a third layer and to get the rainbow effect.

If you want to make a classic two layer cake you will need:

225g / 8oz caster sugar.

225g / 8oz self-raising flour.

225g / 8oz butter or margerine. This recipe works well with either in my opinion!

2 tsp baking powder.

4 free range eggs.

Gel Food Colouring.

Strawberry or Raspberry Jam.

Icing (optional!)

If it’s a cake for a special occasion and you want to make a third layer you will need:

338g / 12oz caster sugar

338g / 12oz self-raising flour.

338g / 12oz butter or margerine.

3 tsp baking powder.

6 free range eggs.

Gel Food Colouring.

Strawberry or Raspberry Jam.

Icing (optional)

Step One. Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / Gas Mark 4.

Step Two. Grease and line two or three (depending on your choice of cake) 8 or 9 inch sandwich tins. Use baking paper to line the bottom of the tins and butter or margerine to grease the sides.

Step Three. Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl and add the sugar, flour, baking powder and butter.

Step Four. Mix everything together until it’s all combined. You can use a wooden spoon for this, it’ll just take a bit longer so it’s easier to use an electric hand whisk. The mixture should be a soft dropping consistency.

Step Five. Divide the mixture equally between six bowls and add a small amount of each of your food colouring colours into each bowl. Mix it thoroughly together until each colour is as bright as you’d like it to be. I used red, yellow, green, orange, blue and purple food colouring.

Step Six. Now it’s time to pop the mixture into the sandwich tins for baking. Each tin will have every colour mixture in it. You will need to use more mixture for the first colour in the tin to ensure that everything doesn’t mix together too quickly.

For example for the tin in the top picture (just above) I used:

One tablespoon of purple
Two tablespoons of blue
Three tablespoons of green
Four tablespoons of yellow
Five tablespoons of orange
Six tablespoons of red

For the tin in the second picture I used:

One tablespoon of yellow
Two tablespoons of orange
Three tablespoons of red
Four tablespoons of green
Five tablespoons of blue
Six tablespoons of purple.

I hope that’s clear enough, I’ve found describing what I did super difficult – I should have filmed myself baking it because that would have been easier!

Step Seven. Bake your layers on the middle shelf of the oven (you may need to to this in stages especially if you’re doing three layers) for around 25 minutes. I tend to check on them after 20 minutes. They should be springy to the touch.

Step Eight. Let the cakes cool for a while before running a knife gently round the edges and turning the cakes out on to a cooling rack. You will have something that looks like these.

Step Nine. When all your layers have cooled completely you can begin to assemble them. You can use whatever you want between the layers, I opted for a small amount of icing and some strawberry jam. You can use whipped cream instead of icing, or anything you’d like.

Step Ten. You can then leave it like that with the rainbow colours on show. I was baking this cake as a birthday cake and wanted it to be a surprise so I decided to completely ice the outside. Now I cheated and my icing came from a pot thanks to Betty Crocker but you can of course make your own with butter and icing sugar. I opted to colour the white icing blue because my boyfriend likes blue but you obviously don’t have to or you could opt for another colour. The easiest way I found to ice the cake was to put little splodges all over and then smooth it over with a blunt knife.

And there you go, one finished cake! This isn’t a cake I’d recommend baking all the time or eating a lot of purely because of all that food colouring. But it’s fun and definitely makes a birthday cake that will leave people talking!

When you cut it open you can see it in all its colourful glory and I was super proud of how mine turned out especially because this was the first time I’d ever attempted to make a rainbow cake!

Have you ever made a rainbow cake before? Do you think you'll give this a go one day?
xoxo

P.S. I got my gel food colouring from ebay for about £12 for 6 colours. I find gel colouring to be more intense than liquid!

Five Things I Love Friday 024 featuring The Fairy Hob Mother!

2011-09-23T14:33:00.000+01:00

One. Youtube.

I've ~~pinched~~ borrowed my boyfriends super old camera to give making YouTube videos a go! This is my second attempt at making a video, the first one was horrendously awkward and to be honest, this one is still a bit awkward but I'm sure a lot of peoples first ever videos were too. I'm terrible at talking, I'm super shy, but I'm hoping this will help a little bit and hopefully I didn't make too much of a fool of myself! I'd love it if you would pop over to my YouTube channel and have a look & maybe subscribe if you'd like to! I'm also open to video requests so if you have anything you'd like to see then please let me know! My YouTube name is sailorjennie. ♥

Two. Make Up Organisation.

My make up has been sitting in the same set of drawers for ages and I just wasn't using the products that had fallen to the bottom so I've had a bit of a storage re-jig. I would really love a set of clear acrylic drawers from Muji but although they're not super expensive, they're a bit out of my price range at the moment. So instead I purchased an acrylic lipstick holder from Amazon & I've put my most used lipsticks in there, I found a little glass pot for my most used lipglosses & I've been using my Glossy Box to store my most reached for face products. I've been getting a lot more use out of the make up I own & I've had a little bit of a down size too. There was a point where I was super jealous of everyone that had a huge collection of make up but I forget about products I love now, even though my collection is relatively small!

Three. Lemon Sorbet.

I spotted this in Tesco a couple of days ago and I had to get it because I'm addicted to sorbet. I could quite easily sit and eat this entire tub in an evening but I probably shouldn't. Anyway it tastes incredible and I think I'll always have a tub of this in my freezer!

Four. The X Factor.

I promised myself that I wouldn't get addicted to the X Factor this year, in fact I thought it would be rubbish because the judges are all different but I was wrong - I actually think this is the best series yet. For some reason I wasn't expecting to like Tulisa but I think she's amazing and I've loved her make up on every show so far!

Five. The Fairy Hob Mother!

Yesterday the Fairy Hob Mother visited me after I posted my wish on Gem's post here. I received a £50 Amazon voucher which I'm going to use to get my boyfriend something nice, so that's super exciting! If you're not sure who the Fairy Hob Mother is, well, he's David from Appliances Online who visits blogs granting wishes & sharing gifts along the way. How lovely is that?! What's even more lovely is if you leave a comment on this post with your wish then the Fairy Hob Mother may just pay you a visit!

One. Louise joy b. Two. Ramble, Ramble, Ramble. Three. Bambina.

Four. The Pampered Sparrow. Five. Skunkboy Creatures.

What have you loved this week?
Don't forget to leave your wish in the comments below for the chance to have your wish granted by The Fairy Hob Mother!
xoxo

Monthly Favourites: August '11.

2011-09-22T14:36:00.000+01:00

I always tend to be ~~fashionably~~ late with my monthly favourites posts even though I don't think they need to be posted on the first of every month, but this time I'm just stupidly late. We're closer to October than August - oops! But better late than never, right?

Pale blue is my absolute favourite colour to wear on my nails, there's something about that bluetack-esque shade that manages to look so right with my skin tone. Unfortunately I've yet to find one that doesn't chip on my nails ridiculously quickly but Bloo Boo from Models Own is the best one I've found to date. The colour is perfect but I don't feel the formula lives up to the hype the brand gets, in my opinion. The brush is a bit too thin for my liking but it's not bad and for some reason I really love the bottle - is that weird? I'm glad I didn't splurge on Models Own polishes when they had the 50% off discount but I'm happy to have Bloo Boo in my collection. If anyone has any recommendations for pale blue nail polishes that don't chip super easily I'd love to know; I've already tried Essie Borrowed & Blue and that chips within a few hours of application which is SO annoying!

As the days get cooler my skin just gets drier and drier so I've been on the lookout for moisturising skincare that's gentle and won't break me out and I think I've found two real gems. The Vichy Aqualia Thermal Fortifying & Soothing Hydrating Concentrate is a serum that I apply before my moisturiser if I'm having an exceptionally dry skin day. This bottle was gifted to me by the gorgeous Kate from Ghost Parties who has a wealth of skincare knowledge and I think she may just have single handedly saved my skin this Autumn/Winter! Vichy is fast becoming one of my favourite skincare brands along with Avene. I've heard a few people rave about the Avene Rich Hydrating Cream and they were spot on with the amount of praise they were giving this product, it's fabulous! It's intensively moisturising without being greasy and I find it really soothing and calming too. I've been using this at night recently but I think this will soon become my day time moisturiser with another incredible product I have recently discovered becoming my evening moisturiser of choice. I'll pop a post up about my current skincare really soon because it's been requested a lot recently!

Blusher wise I've been alternating between two during the whole month of August which is a little bit silly considering I have so many sitting unloved! Some mornings I wake up and fancy going for a fresh peachy make up look so I reach for the MAC Something Special cremeblend blush. This is the perfect peach colour that looks so natural and manages to instantly brighten and lift my complexion. I had been after the new peachy Illamasqua cream pigment but I have been reliably informed that it's incredibly similar to this & I adore the MAC cream blusher formulation so I'll stick with this one! On days I feel like going for a more neutral look I reach for my trusty NARS Douceur powder blush. I've raved about this countless times before and it has quickly become a staple product in my make up collection. It goes with absolutely any look, if I feel like wearing a lot of eyeliner or a statement lip then this is the blush I use so I don't look too overdone!

I have been loving lipsticks that have a sheen to them recently. They're much easier to wear than matte formulations and there's no need for a gloss as well! Revlon ColorBurst Peach Lipstick is exactly what the name suggests, it's a beautiful peach shade. This looks beautiful with MAC Something Special blush, it might be a bit matchy matchy but I love it! Revlon Baby Pink & MAC Viva Glam Gaga are lipsticks that I think a quite similar to each other which is perfect because I adore the colour of the Gaga lipstick (even though I'm not sure how well it suits me) but it's now discontinued! The Revlon is a tiny bit more sheer but they're both beautiful and I reach for them both all of the time.

This Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow is fabulous because it allows me to wear eye make up without it slipping off 30 minutes later - it's a miracle! I like this infinitely more than my MAC Paint Pot, I think it does a much better job and I got this for a bargain price from Cheap Smells. The packaging is beautiful and the shade Recess is a perfect neutral base for any look - Sin eyeshadow from Urban Decay looks especially beautiful over this. I really can't say enough good things about this, I'm really impressed!

My last two favourites from August are two of the new products from Good Things, I was lucky enough to receive some more of the new products which I'm sure will pop up in future favourites posts because the products really are divine. I've repurchased the Five Minute Facial Mask & the Bright Eyes Eye Cream and I will absolutely be repurchasing these too. The Good Things Ultra Rich Creamy Scrub (♦) is my new favourite shower product since Naked discontinued a bunch of my favourite products! If you love fruity smelling products then you need this in your life! The 'scrubby bits' are gentle but not too gentle and your skin is left feeling squeaky clean and super smooth. The Good Things Ultra Rich Body Butter (♦) is equally gorgeous and it smells divine. Again if you're a lover of fruity smells then you need this! I prefer this to The Body Shop body butters and that really is saying something because those are a cult favourite! The tub is enormous & will last you a super long time which is always a good thing - aha get it, good thing...Good Things?! Ohh I really am the least funny person ever! But yes, gorgeous products that I thoroughly recommend to everyone!

Those were my favourite products during the month of August! What were yours?
Have you tried any of these products before, did you love them?
xoxo

What I Wore: Would have been gone like a wayward wind if it hadn't been for love.

2011-09-21T13:58:00.001+01:00

Black Tunic: H&M

Cardigan: Boohoo.com

Leggings: Matalan.

Belt: Vintage.

Slipper Boots: Primark.

Excuse the slipper boots, I forgot to take them off before taking these photographs! I think I'm going to introduce more black into my wardrobe again because it's just so ridiculously flattering to wear. This outfit makes me look at least one size smaller than I actually am which is always a winner. Pass me that slice of cake after all!

Scarf: Gift from Ayden!

Necklace: Birthday present.

Bracelets: Gift from Ayden.

Base: Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer & MAC Face & Body foundation.

Eyes: Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in the shade Recess, Urban Decay Virgin eyeshadow, Urban Decay Sin eyeshadow & Collection 2000 Big Fake mascara.

Cheeks: NYX Natural cream blush & NARS Douceur powder blush.

Lips: Barry M Toffee lipgloss ♦.

I had such a terrible day yesterday so I decided to do what I always do when I'm feeling upset: spend the night tidying and organising while having a little blub along to Adele. The bonus to this is waking up to a super tidy room & for once I actually know where everything is!

Do you like wearing black a lot or are you more of a colour person?

xoxo

Monday Lust List 008.

2011-09-19T13:58:00.000+01:00

1. As soon as I saw this Croc Satchel Turn Lock Box Bag from Love Hearts & Crosses I instantly fell in love. I've been on the lookout for a nice bag with a chain strap that can be worn long across the body or shortened to wear on the shoulder & I think this is the nicest one I've seen in a long time! I'm not sure which colour to opt for though; the pink is lovely but I'm not sure it would go with everything I'd like it to, I'd be too scared of getting the cream one dirty & the tan is gorgeous but I wear more black so I think the black bag would be the best option. I'm terrible at making decisions, I'd buy one of each if I could!

2. Yes I do visit clothing websites and type bunny or rabbit into the little search boxes. I'm not ashamed because bunnies are cute. And this ASOS Bunny Ears Ring is SO adorable! His little face is super cute, I think he looks like he should be called Arthur. Yes I also like to name things, I'm silly like that!

3. I don't want to speak too soon & jinx it but I think I've solved my not being able to wear eye make up because it melts off in less than an hour problem! I recently got my first Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner and I'm in love. I got the shade Recess which I believe is discontinued from Cheap Smells for a bargainous price! The next shade on my wish list is Bunny Hop, not entirely for the name but mostly!

4. Why is Topshop so expensive?! I'm totally in love with this Pleated Peter Pan Smock Dress (although I'd love it even more if it were black!) but there's absolutely no way I would spend £50 on it!

5. Matalan has really upped its game in recent months hasn't it? This Lace Dress is completely gorgeous & it looks like it would be super flattering on so many different people! The website says this is perfect for dressy occasions but I'd totally wear this in the daytime! I'm forever an over-dresser though!

6. It's not often I look at the River Island website, for some reason it's just not really on my fashion radar however I saw this Cream Chelsea Girl Hedgehog Jumper & thought it was super cute and perfect for autumn! If I were to purchase I think I'd go for a few sizes bigger than I am so it's extra cosy.

7. Lots of things caught my eye from the recent Illamasqua collection but the Cream Pigment in the shade Androgen looks especially beautiful. I think it would give the cheeks the perfect coral flush for the autumn - I love wearing warm tones with my make up when it's colder outside.

8. It has recently come to my attention, mostly thanks to my boyfriend making fun of me, that I have no comfortable or practical shoes. I really do need to change this sometime very soon. These Tassel Front Loafers from Matalan look fairly practical and most importantly, they look cute! I can imagine wearing these with super thick tights, a pretty dress and snuggly cardigan in the autumn and winter.

What's on your current lust list? If you do similar posts make sure to link me in the comments, I'd love to have a read!
xoxo