Bank Holiday walk

This bank holiday weekend seemed to creep up on me out of the blue but ah it was so nice to have 3 days off! I think every working week should be 4 days - 5 is such a chore and when the weekend rolls around it just goes by so quickly. Unfortunately I couldn’t spend it lazying and doing nice housey things with David as he had to go away to work at the Motocross GP, sob. I was a bit miffed at first because I thought this is our first long weekend in our new home and he’s swanning off but I know it’s something he really wanted to go to and to be honest it went really quickly and was a nice change to have some time alone – I had the dog to keep me company too! 

So, on Monday I made sure we got outside and did something, especially as it was going to be a sunny day.

We haven’t really explored much of our new surroundings so I google’d dog walks and found one at Woodchester which had a haunted mansion – ha! It was only a 20 minute drive and it was huge grounds with loads of people who clearly had the same idea (either that or needed to walk off all that extra food and drink from the weekend). There were 3 trails you could take, 1 hour, 2 hour and 4 hour (I think!) so I opted for the 2 hour trail as it went past the boathouse and river which I thought would be really nice, rather than just walking through lots of woods all morning.

There’s a few pictures below of the walk and I’d definitely go back and try another trail or perhaps go back with a picnic or something. Always seem to say that though, I’ll go somewhere and then think we should have bought this, or we should have done that! Ah well. It was quite hilly, especially when you walk back to the beginning the hill is really steep. Fair to say me, David and Bella (the woofer) were all pretty tired by the time we got back home.

Beautiful, ay? What did you get up to on the Bank Holiday weekend? Hope you had a nice break. Not long until we have another weekend to enjoy! Woop.

I'm back!

Hey guys! I've not blogged in suchhh a long time and recently I've really wanted to get back into the world of blogging as I feel like I have so much I want to start sharing as life has completely changed for me. I originally started blogging as I wanted to get back into writing and show off what I could do, I loved it but as my last few months in University were getting harder I took a bit of a step back and before I knew it I had started a new as Marketing Coordinator for a large property company. I found I only had time to blog on weekends and, to be honest, when the weekends came around all I wanted to do was go out and have fun with friends, family and my boyfriend. So I decided that I didn't want to do something half-hearted and stopped blogging.

Since then I've moved cities, bought a house with my boyfriend, got a new job and I'm started to feel very grown up! There will no doubt be lots of exciting things happening in the near future and I really want to document it and the best way to do that is here, with you guys! I also tried out a sneaky little youtube video a few weeks ago which was so fun and weirdly liberating to see yourself on such a huge site.

So to get back into the swing of things I've had a little blog refresh - changed the name and look a little bit as the original name just didn't suit what I wanted to blog about anymore - and here I am! I hope you'll come back and see what's happening and I look forward to telling you all about it :)

Forever 21 purchases

I have been a lover of Forever 21 since I went to California about 3 years ago. As you do when you're on holiday I went into a shop and picked up a few things but then without realising I went into the shame chain a few days later, but a different location, and then it clicked. I was hooked. I remember when I got back I searched for it online and saw that you could order to have it delivered in the UK but it had a hefty price tag. Wah! So I forgot about it for a while until I went to Birmingham about a year later and saw it in the Bullring. I was super happy and amazed at how huge the shop was! Three floors ladies. It reminds me of H&M and Topshop in that it is pretty on trend, has loads on offer and has great price tags. One of the first things I bought was a skirt which was like £11... £11!! Just crazy.

So when Dave said we had tickets to go see the Arenacross in Birmingham last weekend I immediately started planning what time we should leave so I could have enough time to go into the Bullring, hit up Forever 21 and then get back over the The NEC. It was like a dream day.

I know some of you may be thinking, get over it. But it's such a great shop and it's a shame the nearest one is a good hour or so's drive.

So, back to what I bought! I didn't go as crazy as I would have liked to. I had Dave with me who was obviously unimpressed with this diversion and I also am trying not to spend too much money at the moment. So I took into the changing room about 9 items and bought 4. Not too bad! There were things I umm-ed and ahh-ed over but I thought it's not worth buying and regretting seen as I wouldn't be able to return it!

£16.75 Forever 21

The first thing I laid eyes on was this neon green jumper. I have a big, baggy jumper from Topshop which, admittedly  is tonnes warmer as it's thicker but this was only £16.75 and I loved how bright it was for Spring. Dave said he liked it too which I was surprised about so this was a definite purchase from the moment I stepped in the doors!

£14.75 Forever 21

I also bought this pretty white/cream 3/4 length top with lace/crochet detailing on the back. I thought it would be another nice item for Spring and I don't own anything like it at all. Come to think of it I don't own many tops that have a lot of sleeve! It's very odd. I'm a short sleeve, cardigan type of gal normally but this I just loved.

£9.75 Forever 21

£12.00 Forever 21

I then had a bit of a peplum spree and picked up about 3 peplum tops, as you do! I opted for this very casual, black one with small shoulder sleeves as I just loved the stretchy material and thought it would be great on a day to day basis or dressed up. The second one is much more sophisticated with the zip going all the way down to the end so you can put it on a bit like a hospital gown! I didn't realise this until I took it off and thought I broke it. Scary. I thought I could wear this for work, once I get some better bottoms or even as another more dressy occasion. 

So all in all I'm really happy with my purchases, I wish I could have found more for work, as I'm still struggling to find things that I really like, but I'm sure I'll find some things soon.

I'm going to the pub to watch England v Ireland rugby today which I hope will be good. Have a lovely rest of the weekend.

A few bits I've picked up

Hello all! I had a bit of a poopy morning yesterday. I had the day off and I'd been looking online at some new skincare I thought I'd buy and some foundation but then in the morning I washed my hair and was starting to get ready and my scalp, oh my god, it was just so so dry and flaky after washing. I usually use my Neutrogena T Sal Therapeutic shampoo but thought I'd see how my head did without it - what a mistake!! This got me in such a downer and I just had one of those 'I hate everything' moments. But once I got out the house I felt a bit better and just thought, I'll overcome it and it's not the end of the world.

So, I've been using No7's skincare products for a good 8 months and I was starting to realise that just using a cleansing water and a exfoliator once or twice a week just wasn't cutting it. I'm 24 now and my skin needs a bit more TLC! I am very tempted to buy the Antipodes Divine face oil but for some reason something has held me back. It's one of those things I want to speak to someone in person about but I wouldn't know the first place to go for it! eep. So the first thing I thought I'd try is the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser. Lots and lots of you and other bloggers have used this and love it and so I couldn't miss out! I picked up the starter kit from John Lewis for £14.50 which I think is a really good price for such a renowned product. You get 100ml of product and two cloths and I used it a few hours after buying to remove my makeup and am very excited to give it a proper review in a month or so!

I  then wanted to tackle my scalp problem and thought Lush would be just the place for some advice firstly and maybe a shampoo or treatment. The lady was so helpful, aren't they always? She said she had used the product, called Soak and Float, herself when she had psoriasis on her scalp and it cleared it right up! The one downside, it absolutely stinks! But I guess if something is meant to be good for your skin it's not always going to smell great. She showed me a few other products that might help but I get wary of putting too much product on places where I have problems in case it gets worse. As I was in there I picked up the infamous lip scrub in Mint Julips. I have dry lips so I'm looking forward to using this regularly and seeing an improvement.

Another item I've picked up recently is L'Oreal's Heat Styling Spray for volume. I've been really bad in the last few years with protecting my hair from heat, I must have thought I was indestructible or something haha. So I figured it was about time I got something to protect it when blow drying and liked the sound of something that would help give volume too. I have quite a lot of hair, but it's not really thick so it tends to look a bit flat and gross. I think the packaging is really slick too and it has a really good on/off button in case it accidentally sprays all over the place you keep it!

So those are some exciting new products I'll be reviewing here in due time. I'm off to Birmingham in a few hours to watch the Arenacross. I know it sounds very boyish but I do enjoy it and it means I get to have a sneak around Forever 21 too! Hope you all have a fun Saturday. 

The Tangle Teezer

I feel like I haven't actually heard that much about Tangle Teezers in the blogging world but I have seen a few posts and being the gal that I am, always after something that is going to make things quicker and easier, I popped one on my Christmas list and found it under my tree on the big day. Woop!

So, the Tangle Teezer, by Shaun P (thank you!), can be bought online here, through Boots and various other places. It was invented when he noticed that women just like me and you who go into salons to have their hair coloured or highlighted, were having their hair pulled around all over the place causing split ends more knots. When I had my hair blonde I noticed it was really bad for about a week after having it done and when you brush through your hair it just made it frizz at the ends and cause lots of breakages! Yuck. This swizzy product glides through hair so easily due to it's specially designed plastic teeth you hardly see any hair in the brush afterward and it doesn't hurt at all. Plus no knots!

I opted for the 'Original' Tangle Teezer which is around £10 - personally it's not at the price that I'd just pop into Boots on a normal day and pick it up. It'd be something I'd buy as a treat or request as a present, however it is totally worth it if you do get one! My boyfriend got me mine and bought it in Bubblegum Pink which I love, it's so bright and girly and it is just so... simple! Some people find it annoying that it doesn't have a handle but I think that is just the way it has been designed to be used, which I like. It has specially molded parts where your hand and fingers can grip, but it will take a little getting used to, que lots of banging on the floor and possibly some swearing! What I also really like about it is that it's British, I always feel so proud to know that someone in our Country has designed something that has done so well - still got a bit of Olympic fever left in me sorry!

This is definitely one that I can't see me growing out of and it doesn't render my Denman brush completely obsolete either because I'll use that if I'm putting my hair up or back combing it. So they can live happily together.

Hope you've all had a nice weekend, it's been a bit more of a chilled on for me as next weekend is meant to be busy - if all goes to plan! I've seen some family, cleaned the house and made chocolate croissants, mmmm delish! I sound like such a house wife, I'd better go do something crazy.

MUA: Undressed

Hello my name's Roxanne and I am slowly venturing into using eyeshadows and eyeliners. Yes, you read it right. I'm 24 and have always been a little scared of colour, well anywhere to be honest. A few years back I noticed my eyes weren't really the 'same' as everyone elses around me, I like to call them downy eyes because they turn down at the ends. I'm sure there's an actual word for eyes like this but that's what I like to say. Due to this when I used eyeliner in the past it never gave me the same look as others, a cat flick, making them look open and wide. So it really put me off and I went about my business wearing only mascara for a long time. When I went on holiday back in October I decided I'd ask one of the MAC ladies to show me how I can do my eye makeup, including shadows and eyeliner because surely there were ways people with eyes like me could wear it.

So, here we are a few months down the line, I got brave and asked for the MUA Undressed palette for Christmas because I'd heard so many good things about it and I thought it'd be a great palette to play with that wouldn't cost a bomb... and it's perfect!

The palette consists of 12 shades ranging from highlighting, nudes and a shimmery black. They are just called Shade 1, Shade 2 etc which is fine - I'm not a lover of named shades. And on the back they have a little 'how to' for those, like me, who have never really done this whole thing before so you can try it out and then mix it up later (when you're alone and don't mind looking like a drag queen)!

I've used most of the shades now but my favourites are Shade 2 for the lid and in inner eye corner, Shade 10 for smudging and using in the crease and then a little of Shade 11 in the very outer corner and the lash line. To apply, I used Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush and then the Accent Brush for the small detail. In the pictures I have also added L'Oreal Super Liner Perfect Slim, which was a Christmas present too! Hopefully can do a post on that on for you in the future.

Have you got this palette? Which are your favourite shades? I wish I had bought it a lot sooner!
I hope you've all had fun in the snow and it hasn't ruined your weekend plans, I think I'm going to have a bit of a walk in it today and maybe a sneaky hot chocolate!

Discoveries of 2012

Ok, so I know it's now two weeks into January but I thought I'd share with you the products I discovered, and liked, in 2012. A bit like a 2012 favourites I suppose! I started blogging early in 2012 and I wouldn't have tried most of these products if it wasn't for this blog and reading every elses. You hear so much hype about certain products and so you get your purse and jump onto the bandwagon, sorry bank. There are definitely some products that I will continue to use for most of 2013 but I'm looking forward to finding some more gems this year.

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation, probably one of the most talked about foundations of 2012. I used to be a bit of a foundation snob and wore my MAC foundation daily and had another for when I was going out but wanted to be a bit more glam. I saw so many bloggers rave about it that I thought it must be worth a try. I wasn't sure in the beginning but then after using it a while it totally grew on me and made me love drugstore products again. It did make me feel a little more oily than usual but I'd just make sure I had some powder to hand! It's one of those products that has gone beyond the boundaries of drugstore products and I loved it.

Real Techniques brushes, this is one of the products I wouldn't even know to try had it not been for Anna. I remember watching a video and thinking I need that buffing brush. So when I had finished my dissertation I treated myself in Boots to the Core Collection and remember the lady being like "oh, these are expensive!" and I agreed, just to be polite, but then thought well no you get 4 brushes for £22. Crazy lady. Anyway, I didn't really want the other brushes so got to work using the buffing brush everyday (and still everyday!!) with my foundation. I was amazed at the difference a brush could make. It makes it seem so much more natural and blended than a normal foundation brush. I then started to experiment more with the other brushes and now use the pointed foundation brush for my concealer and use the contour brush for my blush on the apples of my cheeks. The only brush I don't use is the detailer brush but I'm sure I may one day. My collection has now grown and I also have the Starter Set but I also want the powder brush!

L'Oreal Nude Magique BB Cream, I purchased this one when the BB cream world was getting popular and I think there was some kind of deal with L'Oreal products so it was either cheaper or free! I wasn't impressed at first and left it to the side for a while until I started to tan and realised that this was perfect for giving me low coverage with a beautiful glowing finish. I used it all throughout holiday and find it perfect for what I need it for.

L'Oreal Superliner Gel Intenza, I've had a love-hate relationship with eyeliner for a long, long time. I love the look of it but found it so hard to do and wasn't sure it even suited my  eyes let alone my face. I was in the mood to give it another shot and thought a gel eyeliner may work better than the pens or kohl pencils. I instantly fell in love with this product. It is super easy to use and gives a great, slick finish. The brush it comes with isn't the best but it works if you don't have another. It will also last a majorly long time even though it's such a small pot, I've only made a small dent in it and had it since like February last year!

MUA Undressed, another blogger fave and after umm-ing and ahh-ing about getting it I was kindly given it for Christmas and am so glad I did. I started to try eyeshadow again (me and my eyes ay!) in October so thought this very cheap palette would be great for experimenting. I've loved seeing what the shades will do together and giving them a go, luckily I had a lot of time off around Christmas so used this everyday. Go get it!!

Maybelline The Falsies, I hadn't actually heard much about the product before I bought it but have always used either Rimmel or Maybelline mascaras and like to try new ones out. After using this one though I haven't wanted to try anything else! It's great for thickness and volume and doesn't make your eyelashes clumpy. Score!! I also like that the packaging is purple... and it has wings on - such a girl.

Kate Moss for Rimmel Lipstick in 101, I tried the last lot of Kate Moss' lipsticks and thought they were good quality so when these ones came out I read a few of the blogs to see the shades and confirmed it was 101 that I was after. It's a beautiful and natural pinky shade that is great for everyday wear or when you're going out but may have other colours going on elsewhere. It isn't too obvious you are wearing lipstick, which is what I quite like, and it's moisturising which is good for my terribly dry lips.

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer, where have you been if you haven't heard of this beauty. Another one of those 'here's the bandwagon you better get on fast' products. I suffer with quite bad dark circles so this one is great for under the eye as well as helping calm down the redness on my cheeks and nose - thanks mum!! It's around £4 and lasts well. The packaging is pretty rubbish but I'd rather pay less and it be cheap packaging than pay a bit more just for it to look better. Well done Collection!

Garnier Simply Essentials Gentle Eye Makeup Remover, I used to be one of those who used a face wipe or, occasionally, some cream cleanser to take off my mascara. I then started to realise what I was doing to the gentle eye area and bought this. I've used about 4 bottles and I will continue to buy it until I see something else better. It's great. It's for people with sensitive eyes or those who just want to be a bit more gentle. You put some on a cotton pad and hold on the eye for about 10 seconds then wipe. It is super soft and feels quite refreshing. My eyes used to really sting after using wipes or just feel really, like clogged up after using a cream based cleanser. I have noticed a difference in my eye area since using it and would 100% recommend it.

So there we have it, a selection of items I discovered and loved in 2012. I still forget to write 2013 on things but we all do that for about a month, don't we? I'm really looking forward to finding some more amazing products in 2013 and seeing what happens here on the blog. I hope you enjoyed it :)

I went shopping and...

So I lost my way the other day and accidentally came back with a couple of naughty purchases... Who I am kidding I planned to go into town this week with my mum and I bought some lovely things that I want to show you!!

My plan was that I needed some new work clothes as come the Winter months I've been really struggling with what to wear. I like never wear trousers as my shape just doesn't suit them - I have quite small/thin legs but big hips so trousers are normally baggy in some areas and it looks horrendous so I go for dresses and skirts mostly! I didn't buy loads but I'm pleased with what I did get.

Next, £16.00 RRP £36

H&M, £15.00

Primark, £7.00

Primark, £25.00

Primark, £12.00

Primark, £7.00

I also got some of those cosy tights from Primark which are £3.50, I've heard good things about them but when I initially saw them I thought they would be a bit weird as they seemed quite thick - they are sooo comfy! They feel super soft and are nice and warm.

So yes, I went into Next firstly as my mum loves Next but I've never been a convert. I browsed through the rails and saw a few things to try on but there sizes are so different to the sizes I'm used to that the dress I bought is slightly too big. Boo. I just cinch it in with a black belt though and it looks fine! For £16 I thought it was a pretty good bargain for a nice dress to wear to work. I got a dress from Primark before which was probably only slightly cheaper and it has shrunk so badly I can't wear it anymore! Next should be much better quality.

Onto H&M we went, where I usually buy a lot of work wear as it's reasonably priced and consists of pretty basic items but a few nicer things too. I also was being naughty and had a look for everyday wear but didn't see much that took my fancy. I find it so hard shopping with other people! I'm such a loner. I prefer to just go on my own so I can spend as much time as I like without someone thinking, god hurry up woman!! So I just picked up the black blazer which was reduced to £15 - sorry I can't remember the initial price! You can never go wrong with a blazer and I haven't got a black one which I can wear formally or to interviews. It fits perfectly and they had loads in the sale!

Now onto Primark. This place especially I think needs to be handled either on your own or if you're with a friend you need to separate as I wanted to look at everything but felt like my mum was ready to leave! I managed to get  a few items for work, and out of work! The first item is just a black top with cute lace and stud detail around the collar. It also has chiffon sleeves which I think makes it really girly and a bit more, nice! It's not fitted so I'll wear it with a high-waisted skirt. I'm pretty sure they had them in another one or two colours too. I then picked up this grey coat, I have needed a coat all year but I just can't justify spending a small fortune on one! My nan gave us all some money for Christmas instead of presents so I thought this was ideal for buying something like this. I looked in a few shops before Primark but didn't see anything that took my fancy. I thought this grey was pretty classic and a nice length. It goes well with my new dark hair too! So then I got a top that is not for work, yay! I didn't get chance to try it on so I just took a chance and I'm glad I did as it fits really nice. It's quite long so can be worn with leggings or maybe thick tights and is just baggy enough that it still can look smart. The little stud detailing on the shoulders is also very on trend and makes it a much more dressy top than if it were plain. The studs are a bit funny though as they're not very secure so they keep turning around!!

The last thing I bought, which I'm not 100% sure on to be honest, was this high-waisted, long tube style skirt. I was on the look out for one but all of the ones I picked up before this one were way too long for me. I wear flat shoes to work too so it would have looked terrible. I tried this one on with the black, studded/lace/chiffon top and I thought it looked okay but I could see all the lumps and bumps from the top. I just thought this was because I was rushing them on and it would be fine once I got home and got dressed properly. I went to put this on yesterday and it didn't go well. You could see the outline of my tights and my top and no matter what I did it just wouldn't work. I'm really disappointed as I really wanted a skirt like this. I will try it again with a few other tops but I hope I don't have to take it back!

Other than this little shopping trip I've not been up to much. It was Dave's birthday Wednesday so I had the day off work and we went to the cinema and out on the evening with his family. We're going snowboarding on Sunday which is also part of his birthday present so that'll be fun, and I think we are viewing a house tomorrow! Woo. Hope you all had a good week and a lovely weekend.

2013 Resolutions

We Heart It - edited by me

I don't tend to make 'New Year's Resolutions', I guess because the time just goes so quickly and I think being in education your years are a bit messed up because they start in September and go through until June - it just never seemed right that January the 1st was the first day of a new year! New years have always been September since I started school which was 20 years ago. Wow, that is a scary thought. This year though, after I'd finished Uni and I started a new job it seemed like time was just passing me by and whilst I was on holiday with my boyfriend it kind of dawned on me, I have quite a bad memory. I said to him 'you know I can't remember where we went at the beginning of the holiday. What we did in the day, what we ate.' I then sat there and listed the places we'd been and there were a few days where I just couldn't work it out for a while. It scared me and it kind of upset me. So for Christmas I asked for a journal that I could write in so I wouldn't forget a thing. It may sound silly buy I honestly will have conversations with people and they'll ask so then what happened, or what did so and so say? And I really struggle to answer because I just let things pass me by without taking them in. So one of my resolutions this year is to write in my journal, even if I just go to work I'd like to jot down some things that happened and what we talked about, and hopefully I'll be able to answer those types of questions later in the year.
I've enjoyed reading others posts about what they hope to achieve this year and other types of goals so below are the other things I'm striving for.

• Get our own place with my boyfriend - we live together currently but it's not ours and it's been this way pretty much since we got together. I think after 4 years we should be looking to the future and making something our own.
• Learn something new - I'm having snowboarding lessons this weekend so I'm 100% committed to this goal! I need a new hobby and something to keep me active.
• Keep fit - the above will obviously help but I want to put more effort into being fit and healthy this year. I don't want to lose weight or anything I just want to tone a bit and make sure I'm healthy as I've let myself slip this past year. Basically I've become majorly lazy!!
• Meet new people - Since the biggest part of my life are now over (education) it becomes even harder to meet new people and bond. I want to try put as much effort into this as possible as I love meeting new people and hopefully making new, lasting friendships. I hope that some of the blogger meetups will help with this as well as snowboarding (if I manage to learn it) and putting myself out there a bit more.

Not many, and they're probably very cliche'd, but they're mine and I'm glad I've put the time in to think about where I want to be by the end of this year. Have you made any yourself? Leave the link below if you have!