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

"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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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

Sunday Snapshot Instagram Style 013.

One & Two. 

Ralphie's been having a lazy week. In between being naughty and finding things to chew on that he shouldn't be chewing on, he's been taking it easy. He loves laying down and having a little nap underneath his hutch. There's lots of wood to nibble on under there & I think it's super warm!

Three. 

Don't let that cute little face fool you. That's the face he does when he knows he's just done something wrong. It's impossible to tell him off because he looks so adorable, plus it's not like he takes any notice of what I say anyway!

Four. 

I saw this stunning ring somewhere on the internet and fell in love. I adore that it's a little bit unusual and the sapphire colour with the diamonds is just gorgeous!

Five. 

I received some gorgeous Good Things products (♦) from a PR company and they came all wrapped up in a fruit bowl which I thought was an amazing touch! I was confused when I opened the door to the postman clutching a huge box so it really was such a lovely surprise - especially after feeling so rubbish about my blog. Some PR companies really do get it SO right.

Six. 

I also received the September GlossyBox (♦) which was lovely! I know there's been a bit of controversy with GlossyBox and my dashboard has been flooded with posts over the past couple of days. I may give you my thoughts later in the week when I get my first Boudoir Prive box (which I have paid for myself) if anyone still cares by then?

Seven. 

Have I mentioned that I went to see Adele last Tuesday?! I know I sound like a broken record but I don't care. She was amazing. She's one of those people that I really wish was my friend - she'd be such a laugh & I really want to meet her little sausage dog Louis Armstrong! She had some photographs up on a slide show before she came on stage and her doggy is just the cutest thing ever! Ralphie and him could be besties haha!

Eight. 

I had a bit of a fashion crisis because I wanted to dress up to see Adele because I hardly ever get to dress up but I didn't want to be too overdressed because my boyfriend and I were going shopping and for sushi before hand. I settled on this skirt with the help of twitter! Black is my absolute favourite colour to wear but I still love having a little pop of colour too so this skirt is perfect! I got it from Joe Browns ages and ages ago & it's beautiful!

Nine & Ten. 

I've been going through a phase of wearing little to no make up. I think I look like a completely different person without make up. I feel a lot more confident with it on but there's nothing like a lazy day at home with a bare face!

Eleven. 

I've decided to give YouTube a go! I've recorded a 'what's in my bag' video but I'm going to re-do it because I sound super nervous! I'm not the best person at talking and I do want to get better so I thought this would be a good way. I'd love to be a more confident person but it's amazing how awkward it is sitting in a room by yourself with a camera in your face! I've pinched my boyfriends camera - it's SO old that it takes those little mini tapes. Yep, tapes! It's obviously not HD but the quality is quite nice and it focuses nicely when you hold things close to the lens. I think I just need a bit more practise before I upload anything.

Twelve. 

As a complete contrast to my no make up photos, I've also been really enjoying wearing make up too. I don't have a huge collection but it's big enough for me to have started completely ignoring products I used to love because they've slipped to the bottom of my storage. I'm one of those people that needs to be able to see things otherwise I just won't use them so I need to rejig my storage. I've ordered a little lipstick/lipgloss holder so hopefully that will free up a little bit of space in my set of WH Smith drawers!

Thirteen. 

I made a huge batch of chocolate & fudge cookies last Sunday and they're yummy! Big cookies are so much more satisfying that those little ones you get in packets from the supermarket. Shamefully I can easily polish off a packet of shop bought cookies but I find that one of these homemade ones is enough to keep cravings at bay!

Fourteen. 

I also made a veggie roast dinner last Sunday & I'll be doing the same today! It's fast becoming tradition for me to make garlic roast potatoes with onion & carrot gravy and cauliflower and cabbage. Om nom nom.

Fifteen & Sixteen.

The beautiful Kate Louise sent me a lovely surprise parcel full of goodies for Ralphie & I. Ralphie is loving his carrot crunchers & I'm especially loving my new bunny coin purse! It's SO super cute! Thank you so much Kate Louise!

Seventeen & Eighteen. 

Ayden also sent me a little parcel which I love love love! The pink and white scarf is my favourite thing, it has sparkly thread running through it and I've already worn it lots! It looks lovely with an all black outfit with the pale pink as a subtle pop of colour! Thank you so much Ayden!

♥

I hope you have all had a lovely week and are having a lovely weekend! What have you been up to? Have you had any exciting plans? 

Lots of Love, 

Jennie & Ralphie. 

xoxo

Five Things I Love Friday 023.

One. Adele.

I'm sure I've included Adele in more than one of my things I love Friday posts but I can't not mention her again after seeing her live on Tuesday night. I'm in a crazy fan girl phase right now and I've thought about it a lot but I just can't find any appropriate words to describe just how incredible she is. She's absolutely gorgeous too! The whole room was just electric and I left feeling more inspired than I've been in a very long time. Someone Like You was even more emotional than you could ever imagine and Rolling in the Deep was epic, everyone was dancing along and there was gold confetti and everything!

Two. The Civil Wars.

Image.

The Civil Wars were one of the support acts for Adele and I just think they're fabulous. The lady is totally gorgeous and has the most amazing voice & the guy looks like a mixture between Jack White & Johnny Depp!

Three. Wonderful blogger ladies!

I received a wonderful surprise parcel full of goodies for me and Ralphie from the ever gorgeous Kate Louise. This girl is the sweetest girl I've ever had the pleasure of knowing, she's so thoughtful! I adore the little bunny coin purse she got for me, it's the cutest! I also received a beautiful scarf, bracelets & a super cute notebook from the beautiful Ayden which made me smile lots too! I had to put the scarf on straight away because it's beautiful & the notebook is going to be my new blogging notebook, yay!

Four. Autumn.

Image Credit.

Although winter is my favourite season, I love love love autumn too because everything is always so beautiful. I love waking up to those crisp mornings where the sun is shining but it's chilly and there's lots of mist and fog. Everything always looks so hazy and the rich autumnal colours are amongst my favourites! 

Five. This cute story!

I love that whenever anyone spots something that's adorable and animal related they send me the link! I love anything lovely to do with animals and this dog is such a cutie pie! I wish my dog and my bunny Ralphie could be in the same room, sadly all my dog would see would be a tasty afternoon snack!

One. Kate Louise. Two. Little Blog of Horrors. Three. From Gem With Love.

Four. Yours Truly, x. Five. Beauty's Bad Habit.

What have you loved a lot this week? Any favourite blogs?

xoxo

What I Wore: Standing on my own two feet.

 Blue Shirt: Joe Browns. 

Leggings: Matalan - £6. 

Cardigan: Boohoo.com - £8. 

Initial Necklace: 16th Birthday Present. 

Nautical Brooch: Present from Lily!

Uncut Ruby Ring: Studio 59 - £40.

This has become my ultimate lazy day outfit, when I'm not wearing pyjamas that is! It took me a long time to jump on the leggings bandwagon but I can finally see what all the fuss was about. Leggings aren't trousers though, I don't want to see your bits and pieces when I'm out shopping, no ta! I wish this shirt was a couple of inches longer, this is my lazing around the house outfit for that reason. I wouldn't even nip to the shops in this to be honest, it needs jeans for that but I talked about my hatred of jeans the other day. I see those body con skirts used quite a bit when wearing a short-ish top and leggings combination but I don't own one and I'm not convinced it would look right with this outfit. Nevermind, this is my absolute favourite shirt, it's flattering but not overly tailored which I really like.

I've had quite a few comments and questions about my hair recently since it's much lighter than it used to be all thanks to the John Frieda Lightening Spray. This stuff is seriously amazing. I've been being quite sporadic with it as in not applying it perfectly all over my hair because I wanted a bit of variation. My hair has never been all one colour, there's always been lighter bits and darker bits and I wanted to keep that. My whole colour has been lifted by 2 or 3 shades I would say & I have some super light parts and some more honey coloured parts which I adore. I've had to use a purple toned shampoo as well because I found my hair went extremely yellow at one point but the shampoo worked a treat & my toned my hair into a slightly more ashy colour. Perfecto. I honestly know nothing about hair & don't really do a lot to it apart from backcomb it too much - oops! I can always pop up a hair care routine if anyone's interested? Let me know! 

Lily from Beauty's Bad Habit popped this vintage ship wheel brooch in the post for me because it's not something she would wear and I'm so happy she thought of me because I LOVE it! Brooches aren't usually my thing because I find them quite hard to style but this one will go with so many things in my wardrobe. It's perfect for giving simple cardigans something a little something extra and since I live in cardigans this beautiful brooch will be getting a lot of wear! Thank you so much Lily!

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

Cheeks: NARS Douceur Blusher & MAC Rose Ole Highlight Powder. 

Eyes: Collection 2000 Big Fake Mascara. 

Lips: Blistex Relief Cream & MAC Viva Glam Gaga Lipstick.

Since I love the Collection 2000 concealer so much I had a look at the matching foundation in boots yesterday & the lightest shade seemed to be pretty orange, I was super disappointed although maybe it had just been sitting out for ages! Has anyone tried it before? I really struggle to find foundations that are light enough! I may have to fight my fear of make up counters & visit a couple to see if anyone has the perfect foundation - I want pale, medium coverage & a dewy non-drying formula. Is that too much to ask? 

My make up collection is outgrowing its storage & I'm forgetting about products I used to love! I don't think Viva Glam Gaga lipstick suits me that much anymore even though I loved it when I first got it. I was thinking about getting an acrylic lipstick holder but I don't want to spend a fortune. eBay doesn't have many so I'm not sure where else to look. 

What did you wear today? 

xoxo

P.S. Adele was AMAZING last night but I'm sure I'll bore you all with that later in the week! I will say if you get the chance to see her live, definitely go! She's an absolute babe and even more gorgeous in real life! She has achieved so much and she's only one year older than I am. Even though I'm never going to sell 10 million albums (no one should ever have to hear me sing!) I can do something with my life. And I will. I will achieve something, I'm more determined than ever.

What I Wore: This is how the story went, I met someone by accident.

 Oversized Blazer: H&M - £20ish. 

Bunny Dress: Missguided - £22.99.

Black Leggings: Matalan - £6. 

Uncut Ruby Ring: Studio 59 - £40. 

Necklace: Handmade.

My bunny dress from Missguided is probably my favourite ever dress. It's obviously not the most flattering dress for my figure but you know, it's blue and it's got bunnies on it so it doesn't matter! It would be infinitely more flattering if I paired it with a pair of jeans instead of leggings but even though I've really tried to like jeans & find a pair that fit me well, it's just not happening. Jeans are possibly one of the most uncomfortable things I've tried to wear and none of them fit right; to accommodate my hips they're massive on the legs. No. Do not like. 

 Base: Witch Anti Blemish Liquid concealer shade 01, MAC Face & Body foundation shade C1, Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer shade fair & Eyes Lips Face High Definition Powder.

Cheeks: NYX Cream Blush in the shade Natural & NARS Douceur Powder Blush.  

Eyes: Collection 2000 Big Fake Mascara. 

Lips: MAC Viva Glam Cyndi Lipstick.

I hadn't listened to Adele's cover of Hiding My Heart away for ages but when Craig Colton sang it on the X Factor a couple of weeks ago I was reminded of how much I love it. Craig is one of my favourite people on the X Factor this year! Usually I'm not overly fussed about who makes it through to the live shows but I really hope he makes it!

I'm going to see Adele tomorrow evening in Leicester and I'm so far beyond excited it's silly. Is anyone else going? I know she's not been well so has postponed a lot of shows so far so I'm super happy that she's better now! If you know me you'll know I'm not a huge music person at all. I like it & will pop on almost anything in the car but the only artists I really listen to are Adele, Sia & Zero 7. What can I say, I like downbeat music! I think my boyfriend and I are going to out for dinner before, hopefully for sushi, which is something we don't get to do often enough.

Thank you so much for your truly wonderful comments on my last post. I really try not to let things get me down, especially about blogging, but sometimes it gets too much. I'm going to keep on doing what I'm doing & not let things bother me. Who cares if I don't get as many monthly hits as someone else, it's completely irrelevant. What is important is getting as much support as I did from you guys even when I was being a moaning minnie! Thank you, so so much!

What did you wear today?
xoxo

P.S. If you have any recommendations for the best long wearing black eyeliner (liquid or gel) and the best under eye concealer for dark circles that make you look like you've been punched in the face please let me know in the comments! My circles are getting worse as I get older! Eww.

I'm sorry that I'm not perfect.

Sometimes blogging really hurts. Sometimes it feels like it takes more out of me that it gives. You’ll have to forgive me for this post, I don’t know where it’s going, I don’t know if I’ll ever hit the publish button but I just feel I have to let some things out.

Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in thinking about the number of people subscribed to your blog through whatever platform or the amount of hits you get per month and wondering why you don’t get as many view or comments as X does. I don’t get hundreds of thousands of hits per month and therefore I don’t get invited to events or receive multiple parcels of free products every week and you know what? That’s okay! I didn’t start this thinking that’s what would happen and I certainly didn’t expect to ever receive anything for free so why does it matter now? Does it matter because other people get those things as a result of their blogs? Maybe, but why am I letting it matter? I wouldn’t jump off a cliff if it suddenly became the ‘in’ thing to do. I have seen some wonderful blogs suddenly transform into posting press release after press release and lose all of their personality. I don’t want that to happen to Sailboat, ever. I want this little piece of the internet to reflect me. Perhaps not every single part of me, because we all deserve to keep some things back for ourselves and our loved ones but I think I’ve been losing me recently. I don’t know where she’s gone but something just isn’t the same here as it was six months ago. I’ll have to work on that.

Even though I choose to put my life on the internet, it doesn’t mean that anyone has earned the right to know everything about me. I’ve had comments/emails asking me where I live, to the point of wanting to know the street name and number, my birthday and my phone number then getting nasty when I wouldn’t divulge that information. I’m sorry, shall I write down my bank account details while I’m at it? No. That’s not right. There is a distinct line between online and real life, it’s sometimes so difficult getting that balance right in my posts but I hope that I give enough while keeping some things back for myself. Maybe I need to work on that too?

The catty comments, the being nice to someone and then promptly having a bitch with your mates about that someone, taking constructive criticism too far and stepping over the line into just being down right rude are all things I feel the need to take a step away from. Of course these are all natural things, they occur anywhere and it’s only a tiny minority of people who do it but I just can’t cope with it. Anyone can say anything they want, if they want to be rude to me or simply not like me, then that’s okay. I can take that. I’m a strong enough person now to brush it off and that’s something I’ve learned from receiving horrible comments through blogger in the past. Life lesson learned, just ignore it. When I see horrible comments directed to someone else who I know doesn’t deserve it, that’s when I especially dislike negativity. If someone has some happy news it’s all ‘happy happy congratulations yay’ to their faces and then ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea, stupid, boo’ behind their backs. That really sucks. It really sucks. It’s natural to feel the odd pang of jealousy, I can get SO jealous at times – it’s the part of my personality I dislike the most, but you can feel happy for someone at the same time.

Honestly, I don’t know what I’m trying to say other than I’m sorry that I’m not perfect. I’m sorry that I don’t reply to every comment I receive and I’m sorry that I’m not there to reply to emails as soon as they pop into my inbox. I’m sorry that I miss posts sometimes. But I’m just one person. I’m not a robot. If I don’t want to post then I won’t post. I didn’t realise I had some kind of unwritten schedule that I had to follow.

This wasn’t intended as a woe is me type post. If anything I wanted to point out how rubbish I have been focusing on the things I’m not supposed to and ignoring all the good. Honestly, starting Sailboat is one of the best things I’ve ever done. I can say that truthfully now that I’m not letting anything get to me. There are things I need to try harder with, I know that. And I will. Pinky promise.

To everyone that reads my posts, writes me comments, tweets or emails– thank you! You’ve all taught me so much about life and about myself. Thank you for letting me into your lives and thank you for giving me so much in return. I appreciate it more than you can ever imagine, even if I’m not always the best at showing it.

Thank you & I’m sorry I’m not perfect. 

I'll see you soon.

xoxo

P.S. Thank you so much for all your comments wishing Ralphie a Happy Birthday! I love you guys & so does Ralphie!