New Look

New Look flutter sleeve dress
newlook.com

New Look floral bomber jacket
newlook.com

New Look petite skirt
newlook.com

New Look long yellow skirt
newlook.com

New Look slip on sandals
newlook.com

New Look red bandana
newlook.com

I have recently found myself on New Look's website a lot recently and have found myself finding something I like each and every time. I could honestly be spending a fortune on their clothes and accessories recently but have had to restrain myself! I thought I would just share a few things with you that I've found on their website that I would love to purchase. 

Bomber jackets are such a huge trend at the moment and I absolutely LOVE them! This particular one is a silk floral printed one which I think would jazz up a simple outfit. I think this type of jacket is perfect for the upcoming summer evenings when it gets a bit chilly. 

The Bardot style is still really popular everywhere and I don't feel I own enough of it! This denim look dress is perfect for summer and I think would actually pair really well with the bomber jacket and actually the espadrilles pictured, such a cute looking outfit! 

If you don't normally check out New Look's website then I would definitely recommend doing so as there are so many great pieces for the upcoming summer months, if we ever get any more nice weather in the UK! Fingers crossed!

NYX Wonder Pencil

A while back I purchased a few things from NYX when Boots first started selling it online. I was super excited as I had wanted to try some bits from them for a long time but the brand was really difficult to get hold of. One of the products I picked up was this Wonder Pencil and I initially picked it up as a nude eye line for my water line. Little did I know that this product had multiple purposes.

I began using this on my water line pretty much every day, I have to get up pretty early for work and my eyes can be quite bloodshot and red in the morning so I like to cover that as much as I can. I simply apply this product to my water line and the redness is gone. It doesn't leave my water line looking chalky and you can't tell really that I'm even wearing it, which I love. It takes less than a minute to apply so clearly doesn't have an affect on my morning routine, when I'm in a rush to get ready for work. I could definitely do with a re-application during the day, as this product is applied on the water line you can understand it doesn't last all day. However my redness has gone by midday so it's not compulsory that I re-apply this product.

I then read some more about this product, not really intentionally but I just came across it, and it said that this product could be used as a concealer. At first I was like no way that can't work but then I tried it. If you're looking for a natural look and it's only a small spot that needs covering, then this product definitely works on spots as well. I tend to use this more on small spots and even scars from previous spots and find that it works well. As much as I like using this product for my spots, I'm not sure I would choose this over normal concealer, as it has much more coverage which I prefer on my spots. However I love this product on my water line.

I'm sure there may even be more purposes for this product but these two are my two favourites which I have fully tested out. This is a really natural water line eye liner and as mentioned, I have been using it daily ever since I purchased it. It's also a really affordable product, as are most products from the NYX brand. If you haven't already then I suggest you should definitely check them out!

Colgate Max White Toothbrush & Whitening Pen

When I first saw this toothbrush advertised, I was super excited about getting my hands on one. When they were first released, Boots were selling them on offer for around £8 I believe. This product is basically a toothbrush and at the bottom you pull out a whitening pen. As soon as I purchased this I began using it twice a day, as you normally would brush your teeth of course.

The instructions stated that you had to twist the bottom of the pen twice and then apply to your front bottom and top teeth. My first impressions were ok and to be honest it's rather difficult to explain but here goes. Basically the product inside the pen is quite stringy so it made it hard to apply to my teeth. After I had applied it to both my top and bottom teeth, my lips basically removed some of the product when I closed my mouth and covered my lips in the product. This made it difficult but I did manage to perfect my technique after using it a few times.

Having now used all of the whitening pen up, I really can't say that I noticed much of a difference in the shade of my teeth. As most people would say, I wish I had done before and after pictures but I actually think this would have been pointless. I persisted and used all of the product, morning and night, it was just unfortunate that it didn't work for me. My teeth aren't really very yellow however they are ever so slightly stained from drinking coffee and tea.

Overall I think I just over paid for a new toothbrush as the actual whitening pen just didn't work for me; however that doesn't mean it potentially might work for you guys. But I do think there are better teeth whitening products out there, which I will be featuring on my blog in the near future.

Lost in a Book Tag

Image source: Pinterest

 

I am a book lover and love in my spare time, fishing out my current book and simply just getting lost in it. However at the moment I don't have the most amount of spare time to do this, due to uni work, I cannot wait to fully get stuck into a new one once I'm finished. I got this tag from Clemloves blog, check her tag post out here.

1.  Do you have a certain place at home for reading?
I always read in my bedroom with the door shut so I hopefully don't get any interruptions.
2. Where do you like to read?
I sit on my bed to read and like to get myself nice and comfy in my pj's with the duvet on or scrunched comfily somehow.
3. Bookmark or random piece of paper?
Definitely a book mark kinda girl! Although it's kind of embarrassing, I have a super old book mark from Disneyland with Mickey and Minnie on it.
4. Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop at a chapter?
I didn't realise stopping in the middle of a chapter was a thing! I definitely make myself get to the end of a chapter before stopping.
5. Do you eat or drink whilst reading?
I do love a cup of tea or coffee whilst reading but it's not always necessary.
6. E-reader or real book?
Real book all the way!
7. Music or TV whilst reading?
It's just me and my book when I read as I can tend to get quite distracted.
8. One book at a time or several at once?
Definitely only one book at a time, I think I'd forget the plot of one or get them mixed up or something if I had more than one on the go.
9. Reading at home or everywhere?
I tend to read at home mostly but if there ever is a time I have to get on a train or bus then I will take my current book with me. Reading in the garden has been lovely recently with the nice weather in the UK.
10. Reading aloud or silently in your head?
Silent in my head definitely, again I think I'd distract myself if I started reading it aloud.
11. Fiction or non-fiction?
I do like a bit of both but I love fiction for sure. Anything crime, thriller based is my favourite.
12. Do you read ahead or skip pages?
I don't tend to do this unless I'm not enjoying the book but feel as if I have to finish it, weird I know. I just really lightly skim read over a few pages to get to the end of a chapter or a good bit.
13. Break the spine or keep a book like new?
As much as I try to keep it like new it just doesn't happen. I get sort of half way through a book and break the spine so that the pages lay the right way.
14. Do you write in your books?
No definitely not, that is one thing that really annoys me. If I find a great book in a charity shop then start reading it to find someone has done a little graffiti in it is so infuriating.
15. Your Favourite book?
This is such a tricky question! As I mentioned, I love crime, thriller books so I love The Girl on the Train, The Sisters, The Hunger Games Trilogy and I Let you Go. But I also love Lindsey Kelk books which are basically the complete opposite end of the spectrum.

I really enjoy writing up tag posts every now and then! I would love to know if you've previously written this particular tag post and I also tag you if you are yet to do it but wish too!

Fitbit

I recently purchased a Fitbit after consulting my friends who have had one for some time now. It was a belated birthday present and I was super excited to get stared using it. I picked up the Fitbit charge in slate grey from Amazon and paid £70, which seemed a good deal as it said it had £30 off. I initially wanted to get a black one but they were out of stock and I'm actually super happy with the colour to be honest. 

To be fair the initial reason I wanted one was to actually see how many steps o do a day whilst at work, as I literally had no idea. I was super shocked after wearing this for the first time at work that I did over 15,000 steps that day! Not only does this particular Fitbit track your steps but it tells you the time, distance, calories and flights of stairs; all that is just on the screen of this Fitbit. 

Fitbit then have an app you can download for free to your phone which tells you so much more! It tells you how many hours you've been active, how well you slept and you can even enter in what food you've eaten and drink you've drank. You can set yourself goals to help lose weight and set alarms so your Fibit vibrates at certain times. This little wristband honestly does so much that I didn't even realise when I first purchased it. 

I actually think having a Fitbit is definitely making me more aware of how much exercise I do, or don't do, a day. If I'm haven't a not very good day then it makes me want to be more active and do something about it. For the past month at least I've been going for a walk every evening for at least 30 minutes and have actually really been enjoying it, with or without the dog! And if I haven't gone for a walk, maybe because of the weather, then I've either done an exercise dvd or a YouTube exercise video (you should all check out Carly Rowena - she's amazing!) 

This might not be the intense summer body work out but it's definitely making me be more active, eat healthier and do more exercise which I love! There are many different variations of Fitbit, some cheaper and some more expensive than the one I personally have, so check them out :-) 

Garnier Fresh Eye Make Up Remover

I hate taking my eye make up off in the evenings, I sure I'm not alone when saying this statement too. Not only do I hate removing it because it takes time and effort but I also have quite sensitive eyes and quite a few make up removers irritate my eyes. That's why I thought I would purchase myself a make up remover specifically for eyes and a sensitive one too.

I wasn't looking for a particular one and hadn't read any reviews prior to buying. This particular one from Garnier was on offer and only around a couple of pounds, so I thought I couldn't really go wrong. I've been using this product every time I've worn eye make up recently and have really enjoyed using it. I simply place some of the product on a cotton pad and lightly rub/sweep my eyes to remove the make up. It removes really easily with barely any hard graft rubbing and I only need to use one cotton pad for each eye - baring in mind I never normally wear full on eye make up and haven't yet used this product when I have done.

The next bonus which I'm super pleased with is that this product just works well with my eyes. Yes, it removes the make up but it does not in any way irritate my eyes. If I were to use another product I've tried previously then I normally end up with streaming eyes which end up going red. However there is none of that this remover so for such a bargain price and lovely product, I'm really pleased with this product.

Overall this is such a great product that I would definitely recommend if you have sensitive eyes like me! It's also a perfect size if you're one to travel a lot so bare that in mind too. Let me know your favourite eye make up remover for sensitive eyes :-)

Empties #9

It's time to empty my empties basket and share them all with you again. I feel like recently my empties have come to a stand still and I've started a few new, full products hence why they've slowed down. Having said that I have quite a lot pictured here to get through so let's get started.

Firstly my recent Tips & Tricks post featuring bed socks and moisturiser is where this Ghost Body Lotion has come from. As I mentioned in that post, I had lots of moisturisers from gift sets, this being one of them, and I absolutely love the scent of this, perfume included. Next the Barry M Colour Correcting Primer which I did write a Disappointing Products post about. As mentioned in this post, I didn't really enjoy this primer as basically it didn't do what it said on the tin. Next the Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara which I haven't actually spoken about on my blog, correct me if I am wrong. I was kind of sitting on the fence about this product, I didn't love it but I didn't hate it. When I first started using it, I wasn't a fan, there was so much product on the wand and I had to spend ages scraping it off back into the tube. Then after a short period of time, when it started to dry out a little, I really enjoyed using it as it didn't clump, was very black and helped lengthen. After that it dried up quite quickly so all in all didn't last me too long.

Next the Boots Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Spot Wand which I enjoyed using due to it's double ended wand, one end for day and one end for night. I wrote a full post on this product which you can read here but it's super cheap and works. The next product I was super sad to finally use it all up, it's the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer. When I first picked up this product I was using it for my spots, which did work but I did find that the concealer dried up after wearing it all day. I then started using it under my eyes which worked super duper well. It's probably the best under eye concealer I've used and got rid of those under bags completely! You can read more here. The next product my mum gave to me after only using it a couple of times and it's the Tresemme Platinum Strength Hair Serum. I hadn't heard of this product before but I really enjoyed using it. I simply just put it on the ends of my hair after every wash and it helped strengthen my dry ends, also making my ends super soft.

One of my staple products is the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle, this particular one was aimed at frizz whereas normally I get the deep treatment for long hair. I definitely prefer the long hair one to this frizz one but I did enjoy using this one too. These treatments are just great for leaving your hair soft and sleek. Next the Vichy Normaderm Moisturiser aimed at oily and blemish prone skin. When I first purchased this product I wasn't fully sold on it so I put it away and came back to it a few weeks back. I don't know what I didn't like first time around but since going back to it, I really enjoyed using it. It helped my oiliness and kept it at bay for longer whilst keeping my skin hydrated. Finally the Nivea Micellar Water which I picked up when I recently ran out on the food shop. I loved the actual product but the way it came out of the bottle was super annoying. It just flicked product around when trying to get it on a cotton pad.

There we have it, all my recent empties! There seemed to be a few more products which I didn't enjoy so much in this particular empties post but definitely a firm favourite too. Let me know if you've tried any of the products I mentioned and your thoughts on them :-)

Freederm Spot Gel

Having previously used Freederm products for my blemish prone skin, I thought this spot gel would be a great new one for me to try out. It was recently on offer on the Boots website, with some money off, but I can't fully remember what I paid for it, albeit not a lot. I've been using this ever since I purchased it and I'm now getting to the end of the tube, so I've basically used it up. Therefore I can give you guys a good review on it, taking into consideration this product may work better or not so good on different skin types.

So like I said I've been using this for quite a while now and have been applying it nearly every evening on my pesky spots. This is the last product that I apply on my skin each evening and then let it hopefully work it's magic on my spots. Recently *touches wood* my skin hasn't actually been so bad but that doesn't mean I haven't had spots, just not as bad as it usually is. This product is actually pretty small but a little goes a long way, and you barely need any product to cover those spots.

This product doesn't make your spots sting or anything like that, which some spot products can do. That's something I do like about this product although sometimes that 'sting', to me, is like "yes this product is working" ha ha. In the morning, when I wake, there's no residue left on my face so this product sinks in well through the night. Now as I said I haven't had a big spot for quite some time so my review is based on smaller spots and under the skin spots. Unfortunately on more occasions than not, I haven't noticed a huge difference in my skin in the morning. There may have been reduced redness on my skin but to be honest the spots looked pretty much the same. Considering I've tried other Freederm products, which I have loved, this product was a slight disappointment even though it showed potential. It may work better on larger spots but I haven't had any to test it out on so I can't comment on that.

Overall I don't think I will be repurchasing this product in the future, even though I do love other Freederm products which I would recommend, just not this one. It may work differently for you guys out there with different skin types, but it just didn't do it for my blemish prone skin.

My Week in Pictures #25

It's been a while since I last wrote one of these posts (again) but it's been an odd few weeks. I've been spending a lot of time with my laptop writing my dissertation, no change there hey, and I just feel out of the loop really. I've also had some exciting news come my way, but I'm not one to jinx anything so I'll be keeping that one a secret for the time being.

One thing that I have been enjoying doing quite a bit recently is walking, it sounds lame I know. But now the nights have become lighter and the weather hasn't been too bad in the UK, it's been nice to take my dog out walking in the evenings. Not far from home are quiet country roads which are perfect to take the dog down so she can have a run off of the lead. It's also been nice to take the dog in the car and go for walks elsewhere and recently me and my mum took her to Southwold. It's such a lovely place to walk and she was able to go onto the beach which she loves. I took my camera out for a test drive which was actually quite scary, but also really good fun.

I've really been trying to limit what I spend each month recently too and my three purchases are photographed in this post. These sunglasses from Toyshades @ Asos which I am in love with, this cactus sweatshirt also from Asos and two new books from Amazon. I've not totally put myself on a "ban" as such but I really want to limit it much more than I would normally, as I can go slightly wild.

I've also been spending a bit of time with family as usual and recently it was my nephews 2nd birthday. We're waiting for a nice weekend of weather to go and celebrate it properly at the zoo. Overall it's been a random few weeks and I cannot wait to get back to some sort of normality when my dissertation is out of my life for good! I hope you're all enjoying your extended weekend, if you got one!