Haulin' 'ell

Hey Guys, I know I've been a bit MIA as of late (part of the reason can be found in my previous post), not only have I been dealing with some personal issues, but I have finally got a new job.

Today just felt like a shopping kind of day. I had saved some money up for some necessities and some little treats and decided that today was the day to get them. So I had a drive into town in my little car and loaded up the back seat with goodies.

First stop was obviously going to be Lush! The new Christmas stuff came out on Friday 3rd and I just had to have a good sniff. I'll post a full review of everything I bought at a later date.

Northern Lights Bath Bomb £3.50

Wizard Bubble Bar £3.25

Holly Go Lightly Bubble Bar £4.75

FUN Snowman Kit £5.00

Yog Nog Soap £3.40 100g

Next stop was Primark. I recently saw Helen Melonlady haul an absolutely fabulous jumper, and I knew I needed it.

SS Candy Popcorn £14.00

From New Look, I desperately wanted a blanket wrap, and I found this lovely Aztec Print one.

Aztec Wrap £19.99

Finally I went to Boots, as I was running dangerously low on conditioner and hair treatment. Also my skin has been at it's absolute worst lately, so I wanted to pick up some new products to try out. I'll let you know how I get on.

Lee Stafford Hair Growth Treatment £8.49

Lee Stafford Hair Growth Conditioner £7.49

Avene Thermal Spring Water Spray £3.50

Clean and Clear Advantage Spot Control Moisturiser £4.49

Soap and Glory Fab Pore 2 in 1 Pore Purifying Mask and Peel £10.00

I'll let you know how I get on with the new skin products, keep your fingers crossed for me.

BYEEEEEE xxxxx

My Anxiety Struggle

I've been debating whether to write this post for a while, and I'm still not entirely sure if or when i'll post it. So for now this post will be my outlet of emotions and explanations and feelings, which if published, will hopefully be of some help to someone. It will be a ramble, and there won't be a structure of any sort, I'll just write when I have something to write.

A few months ago I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety disorder, although I had been suffering silently for quite some time. I confided in a few friends, but it didn't really help, as the last thing I wanted was for everyone to tiptoe around me, so I played it down.
I began to consider seeking medical help when hearing 'cheer up' all became too much to handle. 
I was suffering from panic attacks more frequently than I cared to admit, and it wasn't until I had a particularly bad one whilst at work that I finally bit the bullet and went to see a doctor.
FYI the single worse thing you can ever say to someone suffering from panic attacks is 'what do you have to panic about?'

One of the things i struggle with is not being in control of situations, it puts me really on edge and I get super antsy.

My new philosophy on life is that if something doesn't make you happy, then don't so it. So although currently I have no clear path in life, for me that's better than being on the wrong one. I've decided that if something makes me happy, then I don't care what anyone else thinks. It might sound selfish, but I'm putting myself first. 

I'm currently finding comfort in girl time, pampering, chick flicks and wine, as well as learning to drive, which I'm really enjoying.

A big thing for me at the moment is learning to love my body. I know I am overweight and i know I can lose weight if I really try, but dieting just doesn't make me happy. So for now, I am focusing on being happy with the way I look at the moment, and wearing clothes that make me feel like myself. It's quite a challenge at times but I'm feeling much better for doing it. Other people can think what they want about my figure, my style, my hair or my makeup, as long as I'm happy then there opinion is redundant. 


I have recently been taking a break from blogging for a little while, but will do my best to get back to it as soon as possible.

Wilkos Stippler Foundation Brush

On a recent shopping trip, I noticed that Wilkinsons had some own brand makeup brushes which I hadn't seen before. They had a very Real Techniques feel due to the colour scheme and I counted 10 basic brushes in the collection.

I only bought one (go me!) to try out, as I really don't need anymore brushes right now. I went for the Stippling Foundation Brush, as I am always looking for better ways to apply foundation to get the perfect coverage and finish.

The bristles on the brush are very long and soft, and not very dense. The packaging claims that it's great for use with liquid foundation and highlighting powders. I've tried this with my Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation and my Rimmel Stay Matte Powder, and I surprisingly prefer it for powder. I found the bristles weren't dense enough for me to get a nice blend and it took much longer than usual to get an even finish. However with the powder, it gave a nice light application as the brush didn't pick up too much product. I'm yet to try this for highlighter as I feel it's too big to get the precise application I like.

For comparison purposes, I took some photos of the brush next to the Real Techniques Stippling Brush.

As you can see, the Wilkos brush (on the left) is much larger in terms of length and width. The Real Techniques has much shorter, denser bristles. 

At £4 this brush is very inexpensive, I did really enjoy it for powder and for those who only want a light coverage from their foundation this might be more suitable. I may try this with a BB cream or perhaps blush to see how it fairs.

Have you tried any brushes from the Wilkinsons range?


BYEEEEEE xxxx

Clothing and Accessories Haul

I don't normally do fashion type posts, but recently I watched the most amazing lookbook video (which I'll link below) and it really inspired me to think about my style and the sort of things I feel happy and pretty in. So I did a spot of shopping and picked up a few things that I really fell in love with.

I really like bright colours but wanted some more subtle options, as opposed to the bright block colour tops I usually wear. I also really like the look of little crop tops with high waisted skirts and trousers. 
The skirt, crop tops and kaftan are all from Select. Socks and Accessories are all from Primark.

I begrudgingly included a few pictures of the clothes on, to give a better look at them, as photographing clothes was a lot harder than I imagined.

I love these clothes and I just feel nice in them. If this post goes well, I may do some Outfit of the Days now and again.

As promised, the lookbook that inspired me to put more effort into my outfits.

Louise from Sprinkle of Glitter really inspires me. She is such a happy person and has great style. She really knows how to dress perfectly for her body and she always looks gorgeous. Check her out if you haven't already!

BYEEEEEE xxxx

New Makeup Revolution Palettes

Online makeup shopping is my new best friend, and my bank balances worst nightmare. Whilst browsing the Superdrug website for a blog post, I spotted a few new items from Makeup Revolution which I just had to try.

These are the Ultra Cover and Concealer Palette Light, and the Ultra Blush Palette Sugar and Spice.

I've been using these for a week or so now and they are my new makeup bag staple. So pretty and useful.
What are your favourite travel palettes?

BYEEEE xxxx

Pamper Time!

Over the last few days, I decided to spend a little time pampering myself. Usually this would mean taking a bubble bath and spending more than half an hour in it. But this time I decided to try a few different products to really give myself a treat.

Over the course of a few days I tried out two different face masks, some pore strips, a foot pack, and a foot cream.

I apologise for the scary photos of me wearing face masks!

The first mask I tried was Tea Tree and Spearmint Pore Cleansing Fabric Facial from Montagne Jennesse. I'm very lazy when it comes to face masks and really can't be bothered to wash them off (unless I'm getting straight into the shower) and my skin is too dry to benefit from most peel off masks. So a fabric mask seemed like the perfect thing for me.

This smelt very strongly of mint, which I really enjoyed but might be a little overpowering for some people. The mask itself was a very wet piece of fabric, which appears to be made for people with huge faces as the eye, mouth and nose holes were not in very convenient places. 
My skin did feel quite nice after using this mask, and it was pretty relaxing whilst on, I would probably repurchase this mask.

The second mask I tried was the Renew You Pure Radiance Hydragel Masque, which claims to illuminate and perfect the skins texture.
This felt like there was a goddamn jellyfish on my face! It was so slimy and gross feeling, and pretty difficult to get on as it was so slippy. It comes in two parts which makes it fit the face much better than the previous mask, which was nice. It has a light floral scent, nothing too noticeable or overpowering. Once I got used to the texture it felt nice on the skin, and I did feel like it softened and hydrated my skin, although I did feel like I belonged in a horror movie when I looked in the mirror.

I have never used pore strips before so I was a little unsure to try these. You have to wet your nose for them to work properly, and the first time I didn't do a very good job, but it stuck firmly the second time I tried. Either these aren't very good or I just had really good skin on my nose (which the spot at the side of my nose disagrees with), as it looked clean when I pulled it off, which I didn't expect. I also wanted to scrunch my nose a million times whilst this was on.
In all honesty I doubt I'll use this brand of pore strips again, but I will try others to see if I really do have perfect skin on my nose.

I really dislike feet! Doing a sport and having a job where I am constantly on my feet has really taken it's toll, and there is more dry skin than those little fishes at the spa can handle, so I got particularly excited at the prospect of a foot pack. These were little plastic booties with a mesh like inside with the cream/liquid in the middle. Upon application, these were super cold and felt really odd and squelchy. But I soon got to used to it and sat with them on fro quite a while, occasionally massaging my feet through the booties. These claim to soothe and soften dry, rough and chapped feet. My feet felt lovely afterwards and I will definitely be repurchasing these by the boat load.

Finally I followed up with a foot cream from Scholl, which contain Salicylic and Lactic Acid to help break down dead skin. My feet aren't perfect, but they feel so much better than before, after a few more uses I'll be able to show of my tootsies without worrying about unsightly dry patches.

To go with your pamper supplies, I recommend a good bottle of wine (as long as you're old enough) and some cheesy chick flicks, I watched PS I Love You and Dirty Dancing. You don't get much better than that!

What does your pamper night consist of?

BYEEEEE xxxx