20 Question Tag

I saw this on the lovely Kelly's blog and thought I'd have a go. Check her out http://happy1234make-up-blog.blogspot.com/ She is one of my faves:)

1. Things you cannot leave the house without: My mobile phone and my keys. I feel lost without my phone on me lol. How did we ever manage before?

2. Favourite brand of Make Up: I have loved Estee Lauder for a long time. It was probably one of my first ever make up purchases. I also love Mac of course.

3. Favourite flower: Don't really have one.

4. Favourite clothing store: Definitely Next although on a tight budget I love Primark!!

5. Favourite perfume: Tommy Girl by Tommy Hilfiger. I first got a bottle of this on my honeymoon and I still love it. It brings back some lovely memories.

6. Heels or Flats: Definitely flats. I'd love to love heels but just can't walk in them for very long lol!!

7. Do you make good grades: It's been a while but I can do if I put the effort in.

8. Favourite colours: Blue

9. Do you drink energy drinks: Not any more since I found out there was a link between that and SADS.

10. Do you drink juice: No, occasionally I drink cordial.

11. Do you like swimming: Love it!! I was a competitive swimmer and life saver in my younger days and captained both the swimming and life saving teams at school.

12. Do you eat fries with a fork: Yes

13. Favourite moisturiser: Estee Lauder Daywear although I think I need to move up a gear to some good anti aging moisturise lol!!

14. Do you want to get married later on in life: Already married:)

15. Do you get mad easily: I can do sometimes.

16. Are you into ghost hunting: No.

17. Any phobias: Not really

18. Do you bite your nails:Definitely not.

19. Have you ever had a near death experience: Yes

20. Do you drink coffee: Very rarely but I do love a nice cappucino

Feel free to give this a go:)

The I Love Your Blog Award

I have been nominated for this award by 2 lovely ladies

LipGlossGossip http://lipgloss-gossip.blogspot.com/ whose blog is great and she likes Estee Lauder (great choice!!) and

Lipstickrules123 http://lipstickrules.blogspot.com/ another great blog with some really unique ideas.

Thanks girls!!

Both these blogs are worth checking out so go and click on the subscribe buttons!!

I am nominating the following people for the award

http://jassydevil.blogspot.com/

http://happy1234make-up-blog.blogspot.com/

http://pipsypopsy26.blogspot.com/

Check them out and subscribe too if you haven't already!!

NOTD and a Review Bourjois So Laque Nail Polish

This is a Bourjois So Laque nail polish in 05 Beige Glamour. It claims to last for up to 7 days.

It applied really well and dried quite quickly. Normally I will end up smudging at least one finger before it is completely dry but not this time. Maybe it's the polish or maybe it was just me. I used a base coat, 2 coats of the polish and a top coat. I'm not normally a top coat kind of person as I don't think it makes a difference and having a 4th layer can make the polish more likely to chip in my opinion. However, I read somewhere recently that a top coat was necessary so I tried it. I stand by my original feeling on top coats. It made no difference with this polish. I think it's just the cosmetics companies trying to make us spend more.

As for the 7 days claim, my index finger didn't get past 24 hours before having a major chip and the rest of my fingers slowly followed suit. By day 4 it was horrendous.

The Verdict

I would recommend this polish to anyone who doesn't have to use their hands too much and who definitely doesn't do the washing up. Maybe a pair of rubber gloves would improve things for me.

The Price

This costs £5.37 at Boots and is currently on offer 2 for £8. I think this is quite an expensive nail polish and in all honesty I got more mileage out of my Wet n Wild nail polish at £1.87.

Have you ever tried these polishes? What did you think of them?

3 Mobile

I thought I'd share this with you all. I know it's not beauty related but for any of you who are like me and can't get decent internet access at work then this is for you!!

For the record I don't work for or have anything to do with 3.

3 Mobile are currently giving away free sims on PAYG. I think this is quite new for them. Here's the link

https://www.three.co.uk/Pay_As_You_Go/Free_SIM

They seem to be focusing on the free Skype to Skype calls for life without the need to top up (which is great if this is something you would use) but I was focusing on the free internet allowance when you top up. You get 150GB which lasts for 90 days. Apparently this is a LOT. You also get free texts which also last for 90 days and free 3 to 3 calls which doesn't expire. I had an old 3G phone which I have put my new sim into. If you want to use Skype then you need a phone from 3. I only started using mine on Friday but already I am in love. I can Tweet on the go now which is great. I found it quite frustrating to only be able to use Twitter from my pc.

I am on an O2 contract which is great but it's £7.50 a month for an internet bolt on which is really quite expensive compared to this. The first time you top up on 3 it has to be £10 but after that you can get the free allowance for 90 days by topping up only £5 (which makes this cost £1.66 per month). I am only using this for the internet. I have a good package from O2 which is more suitable for me as most of the people I phone are on O2 and I get unlimited O2 to O2 calls.

If you are like me then check this out!! I was able to read Mizzworthy's new post from my phone and I can be more active on Twitter now and I can also watch YT vids. I think it's a great deal.

FOTD

This is the look I was sporting today in my recent Youtube videos. I let my hair dry naturally last night as well. This is something I haven't done for years as it is usually too frizzy if left to its own devices. I think the Aussie Colour Mate shampoo and conditioner along with their serum are doing a good job. Certainly outperform anything I have tried in the past.



On my eyes I am wearing an Estee Lauder eyeshadow from a palette I have had for quite a while (years probably). I used the Boots No7 brightening eye base underneath and it stayed put all day. Not a crease in sight. I used Max Factor More Lashes mascara and No17 black kohl eyeliner. This eyeliner is amazing. Today was the first day I have used it and it lasted really well, even in the waterline which normaly wears off very quickly on me.



On my face I have the Nivea Tinted Moisturiser which I have seen a few people mention lately. To set that I used Rimmel Stay Matte Powder and my blusher is Rosey Glow from Boots Natural Collection. My lipstick is Rose Tea from Estee Lauder.

Weight Loss

I have read quite a few weight loss blog posts and watched quite a few YT videos on the subject. Lots of people are trying hard to keep the pounds off and it's not easy. I thought I would share my thoughts on the subject and how I have lost weight.


First of all I have to say that I am not a fan of WW or anything like it. I don't count calories or points. Life is way too short and busy for that. I don't deprive myself of anything because as soon as I think of something as "off limits" then I am immediately obsessed by it and have to eat it so for me this is counter productive. If I want a bar of chocolate then I shall have one!! I try to eat sensibly and healthily and get some exercise and so far this is working. I have lost 10lbs and would like to lose another 7lbs although I'm not that bothered about the final 7.


I have had 2 kids (my baby is 4 now so I can't use that old chestnut as an excuse any more lol) and after baby no 1 I joined a gym and got my pre pregnancy shape back rather quickly. After baby no 2 this proved much more difficult. I just couldn't be bothered and I was expecting it to be as easy as it had been the first time. Not so unfortunately. I tried a few diets but as soon as I stopped the weight came back on.


Finally (about 10 months ago) I decided to give exercise another go and sod the diets. I joined a kickboxing class and have never looked back. The weight started to come off although it took a few months before I saw a change on the scales. I have toned up so much and have dropped a dress size. As I lost the weight over such a long time period it's harder to put it back on and I can basically eat what I want. I tend to not eat after 6pm (unless I'm at work) and I have done this for most of my adult life and I do believe that this helps too. I used to swim competitively and had a very active life growing up. I never had a struggle with weight until after pregnancy.


I would recommend kickboxing to anyone. It's a great form of exercise and it's great fun too. I've had aches in muscles that I'd forgotten I had lol!!


My final struggle is with my abs. They are woeful although vastly improved. I don't think any kind of diet will help me here and this will be totally down to exercise. I need to start doing some crunches every day to tackle this. I just need a boot up the backside to start this lol!! I'll keep you all posted as to how I get on on my quest for a six pack!!

Adorable Blog Award

I have been nominated for this by the lovely Kelly http://happy1234make-up-blog.blogspot.com/2009/06/adorable-blog-award.html Check out her blog and follow it if you don't already. It's fab and she's lovely into the bargain!! Thanks Kelly!!

The Adorable Blog Award Rules:
Include the award logo in your blog or post.
Nominate as many blogs which you like.
Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award

I nominate the following

http://jassydevil.blogspot.com/

http://bubblegarm.blogspot.com/

http://www.sirvinya.com/

http://cupcakeswithcherries.blogspot.com/

http://lipstickrules.blogspot.com/

http://faffaholic.blogspot.com/

http://lovelipstickandlime.blogspot.com/

http://kerrylovesmac.blogspot.com/

http://kerry1487.blogspot.com/

These are a few of my favourites. Go check them all out and follow if you aren't already!!

Freebie Alert

This month's issue of Red magazine has a lovely make up bag free with it. It's by Cowshed (anyone heard of this brand?) and it comes in 2 colours - black or white. I opted for the black as you can see in the picture. It's quite a good size, it would hold all the make up I use on a day to day basis. It's black vinyl/pvc type material on the outside so it can be wiped down. The inside is like a satin kind of material and it also feels kind of padded. It's a lovely bag. I couldn't resist, even though I need another make up bag like I need a hole in the head lol!!

Red is a magazine I have never bought before (I will probably only buy it in future if it has a desirable free gift) and it retails ot £3.50. However, this edition has £1 off which it says on the front is exclusive to Tesco. So if you want to get this then save yourself the extra quid by going to Tesco.

This magazine is what I'd call a grown up magazine. It has a mixture of beauty, fashion, health, real life stories etc but it also has recipes and some home items. It's quite a good read and I'll be taking this to bed with me tonight. I'm not a big magazine buyer anyway. I prefer to read other peoples (saves a fortune lol!!) but when I do buy one it has to be reasonably cheap and with a free gift. I'm such a tightwad lol!!

So what magazines do you read regularly? What are your faves?

My Favourite Eyeshadow Base

My favourite eyeshadow base is the Estee Lauder Stay in Place Eyeshadow Base. I prefer it to Urban Decay Primer Potion mostly because of the packaging. It comes in a jar (like a Paint pot) and is therefore easy to use and you can use up all of the product without risking losing a finger trying to open packaging with scissors. It costs £11.74 and is available online and at any Estee Lauder counter.


It applies very easily although if you have long nails it can be harder to get it out of the pot. I apply it with my ring finger. I follow it with a paint pot or a shadestick and then my shadow. It's probably unnessesary to use this base and a paint pot/shadestick for most people but I find this combo makes my eyemakeup stay put all day without any bother. It can even survive an afternoon nap lol!!


As you can see I have used quite a lot of this. It may even be a case of hitting pan very soon. How exciting!! I already have a back up in stock for the momentous moment when I come to the end of this lol!


I have never tried Too Faced Shadow Insurance but if I ever come across it in a shop I'll have to buy it and compare.


What is your fail safe way of getting your eye make up to stay?

Make Up Free Day

What with all the sunny weather we've been having I have become very lazy with my make up. So much so that a few make up free days have been had. This pic was taken on Wednesday at the beach (just in case you couldn't tell from the background lol!!). I love not wearing make up almost as much as I love wearing it. I think it's important to give my skin a few make up free days now and again. The best part of not wearing any make up is not having to take it all off at bed time. What do you like about not wearing any make up? Do you go out of the house without make up?