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 :)

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! 

New camera!

Hello all! So as many other bloggers did I got a new camera for Christmas, hurrah!! My old camera was I think 3 years old and so I used my Blackberry phone camera for the blog as it was just as good (if not better....) I asked my mum and dad if they'd get me one for Christmas and we went to look at a few together so I could see if it was what I wanted. Now I wasn't about to jump straight in and ask for a DSLR, one because I could not afford to pay (most) of the cost towards it and two because I wouldn't even know how to use it! So we agreed on a Bridge camera, which is like an in-betweeny type which looks like a professional camera but without all the special features. If you'd like to see if properly this is the one I received.
I was happy that it was a Fuji Film as my old camera was the same so it's very easy to use and understand. It also films in HD which I'm so excited to try, but it only films up to 10 minutes so that's a bit of a downside. I guess I will either have to be really quick or perhaps it means 10 minutes at a time so I can just stop and start again ... who knows! Trial and error. It's not solely for that use anyway as I really needed a new camera for when I go on holiday etc. If I enjoy filming and get into a bit more I'd probably go for an actual camcorder. 
The photo above was just me testing out the B&W and timer mode! Sorry about the boy-ish room, hopefully when we move it'll be much more girly. Now where can I find a tripod....

What are your thoughts on cameras, filming and camcorders! Did you also find a camera under your Christmas tree? :) x

Brunette

So as some of you may already know last week I took the plunge by dying my hair brunette. I thought it'd be nice to see a before and after picture but I apologise for the awful photography in the after photo! I just couldn't get a good picture and wanted to post this up so much, so after about 10 tries I gave up and thought this one would do.

My hair looks quite light in the photo but it is actually much darker! It must of been the lighting.

A lot of people say 'oh you want to go dark for Winter' and it's not really that, I've been umm-ing and ah-ing for about 6 months to 1 year now on what to do with my hair as I had a very light brown/blonde colour and I was either going to go brunette or lighten it up and go blonde. I thought it would be easier to put highlights through it rather than go brunette and then hate it and want to go back blonde! So that's what I did and I wasn't really sure to be honest but I kept it for this long as I got used to it but all I kept thinking was, what would I look like brunette? Don't get me wrong, I've been brunette before but I had shorter hair and I was a bit younger, lots of things make a difference to how I would look now with brunette hair. I feel a bit more mature, although someone said I look younger, and once it has got over the shock of having a whole tub of brown hair dye slapped on it I'm sure it will be in much better condition.

I'm really looking forward to getting all dressed up with my new hair and seeing how different I feel. I didn't tell anyone I was getting it done as I like to see peoples faces, ha! My boyfriend really, really liked it and my mum was a bit funny but she just doesn't understand why I can't stick with one colour. The girls in work have also said it suits me better, which is nice to hear!

What do you think? I hope you like it!

My tattoo

I have been wanting a tattoo for about a year after I deciding it isn't actually that bad girls having tattoos, they can look nice! I know tattoos are quite a funny subject as some people just hate them and think it's a terrible thing to do to your body whereas others, on the other extreme, love them and see their body as a place of art. I quite liked the thought of having some ink so that when on holiday, in a bikini it would look pretty, a typical girly thing to want! I then decided this was too big, too soon and I doubt I will actually ever get it done so I started to think of smaller things that I could have that meant something to me.
As it was getting closer to the end of my final year of Uni it came to me... I should get something to symbolise the end of such a long part of my life and the freedom I would feel once it was all over. This is when I started to think of doves and birds, flying away and being free to do as they wish. How do you then decide where you want it?! Did I want it on my wrist, my shoulder, my hip, my neck? You can see why it took me a year to get into the shop. It was between the wrist and the neck but I decided against my wrist as I didn't want something that would be on show 24/7, I'm just not that type of girl I suppose. The back of the neck seemed like such a delicate area to have a pretty tattoo that when I decided this was what I wanted and immediately booked it in and started to freak out!! 

Actually having it done

So it was Saturday, the day of my tattoo, and my friend said she would come with me - she has two medium/large tattoos so I thought she'd help me through it. I honestly don't think I could have gone in on my own as I would have probably passed out or just chickened out but having her with me really helped and she took my mind off it and put me at ease. When I sat down to have it done, I literally sat on a basic IKEA fold out chair with my coat and bag on my lap haha, my legs started to shake and I began to think I was silly for thinking it would be okay because I couldn't see the needle/gun thing. When she told me she was about to start I gave a little squeal and waited for the pain to begin ..... it did come, I wouldn't lie but I feel like I was scared over hardly anything! It hurt a little to begin, and the smaller bird hurt the most but I sat there for 20 minutes and just let the needle ink up my neck with pleasure!! I couldn't believe I had sat through it without asking her to stop or, more importantly, without crying! Woohoo go me.

Aftercare

I was told NOT to use Sudacrem (I didn't even know what I would use until she started talking aftercare and doing this and that) but to use Bepanthen, as it is breathable, twice a day for about a week. She then popped on some kind of goo-ey liquid and put a little bit of cling film over it for me to drive home in and that was that! The only thing I found was that because it was on my neck I couldn't move it from side to side easily and it made my whole back stiffen up. I think yesterday was the first day I started to feel normal again since I had it done.

So yes, I have a tattoo. It still feels very weird saying that and showing people. It isn't hardly on show but I know it's there and I'm 100% glad I did it.

Do you have any tattoos, or do you want one? They say once you have one you'll keep going back for more, I can see why but I don't have any plans for more.... yet ;)

*** I have a new Twitter account, just for my blog! Please follow me on @girlplusbeauty ***

Happy Birthday!

 Yes, it was my birthday last Friday. As I get older it becomes less exciting and a little more daunting to be honest, I get all that worry about turning another year older and, as I am now 24, I start to think should I be doing something with my life?! However I tried to put this as the back of my mind and look forward to the day I had planned.

Before I go into what I did on the day I wanted to share some of the main presents I received from family.

Enrapture Extremity Head Rollers - I've wanted heated rollers for about 6 months now and knew these were one of the best but the price was too much for me to just buy on my own. After watching Corrie's youtube video I fell in love with them again and the urge to buy them kept creeping back! When Enrapture tweeted to say they were currently on offer I knew I had to ask my mum to buy them! I'm so glad she did, they are wonderful! I'll do a proper post on them soon though.

DKNY bag - Whilst in America my boyfriend asked if I'd like a bag or purse for my birthday as he knew I loved the bag my sister, brother and I bought my mum last year for her 50th. They had like 40% off and were probably last seasons but I love it! I have a big thing for tan which I can't seem to get rid of and it just looks very luxurious with it's gold chains and fastener. It's slightly too small for my purse so that's the only downside to it.

Pandora charm - My mum and dad got me a Pandora bracelet for my graduation in July and since then it has grown massively!  My brother and sister kindly bought me a cute heart charm with a key on a chain. It's not something I would really think to ask for which I like as I don't like knowing and asking for everything, surprises are welcome!

No7 Cleansing Water - My cleansing water was sadly running out so my boyfriends mum got me a replacement, yippee  I wasn't sure on the cleansing water to begin with, I quite liked the foaming cleanser but I actually do prefer it. It makes it really feel like your skin is being cleaner whereas the foaming cleanser didn't feel like it was getting into your pores and doing anything special.

Batitse Blush - It seems my family know me very well and luckily mine had literally ran out that morning!! This is the 400ml bottle so is huge. My favourite is tropical but Blush is very girly and does exactly the same thing really.

Chocolates - What girl could live without chocolate? I hardly every get bought chocolate, or flowers for that matter, so was pleasantly surprised when I had chocolate from almost every person that bought me a present! It's quite nice having your birthday at this time of year because you start to eat a bit more anyway in the Christmas run up. 

I'm so grateful and pleased with what I had on my birthday, and the day was made even more special by what we did...

I've been wanting to go to Warner Brothers Harry Potter Studios since I heard it was opening. I thought about booking it for the opening month but realised it was just too close to the end of Uni so put it off and put it off and then thought when am I going to go?! My boyfriend and I decided we'd go on my birthday, luckily he is also a Potter fan! What a catch. I've seen so many of my friends post pictures on Facebook but have avoided looking because I didn't want to spoil the surprise on the day - I sound so cheesy!! Anyway we went and it was a-mazing! I would recommend it to anyone who likes HP, even if you've just seen a few films but aren't avid fans. It was just overwhelming the amount of effort put into it. I won't spoil it for people who haven't yet gone but here is my fave pic of the day!

Hope you're all doing okay! Don't forget about my giveaway x

Liebster award

I have recently been tagged by Hollee for this award which is lovely as it's nice to see people interacting with me on here! The idea of the award is to answer the 11 questions set by the lovely blogger who tagged you, give 11 facts and tag other bloggers who have less than 100 followers! Easy, so here are my facts...

• I have a doggy with my boyfriend, she is called Bella
• I had braces for 3 years until I was almost 16!
• My favourite food is a toss up between Mexican and Italian mmm
• I went to Southampton Solent University as I wanted to be a Journalist but I hated being away from home so I did a Business degree in Bristol
• I wish I had smaller feet (they're only size 6 but small feet look cute!)
• I went through a goth stage in senior school
• I am extremely lazy! Need to get motivated to exercise my big bum
• People normally think I am younger than I am
• I would love to live in America one day, sure that's not gonna happen though
• I'm naturally quite reserved and shy
• I believe in happily ever after

Questions from Hollee

1. When did you start blogging?  I think it was February after I was getting very stressed about my final year of uni and wanted to have a get away.
2. Which is your favourite beauty brand? I think, looking at my products, it has to be Rimmel as they offer such good variety, quality and are on trend for such good money! Although I do love going into a Mac store when I have money!
3. What shampoo are you currently using? God I'm not a very shampoo-ey person, I think I'm using L'Oreal Elvive shampoo and probably have been for a long time! I get a bit funny about changing shampoos but I do quite fancy trying out an Aussie one.
4. Who are your top three bloggers? Ah what a tough questions!! I don't really have a top three as I like to look a different ones dependant on what they've posted about. I would say at the moment Corrie, Kayleigh Louise and I really like Jessica's. Check them out :)
5. What is your favourite food? I have already kind of answered this above but I enjoy anything to do with wraps and nachos but also love Lasagne!
6. If you could pick 3 makeup products you couldn't live without, what would they be? This would be concealer, mascara and oooh either powder for when you need a touch up or foundation.
7. Favourite cleanser? I currently am using No7's Beautiful Skin Cleansing Water which I wasn't sure of to begin with but am starting to like it more and more!
8. Favourite film? I don't have a favourite film as I don't like to watch things over and over! I like all types of films though rom-coms to horror!!
9. Tea or hot chocolate? Hot chocolate!! This is the only hot drink I like.
10. Favourite season and why? I love the thought of Summer more than I like being in it, I think I'd rather be on holiday in warm weather than be here in England. So my fave season is Autumn as it's not too cold and you still get to dress al snuggly!
11. Favourite lipstick? I've only just stated getting into lipsticks but I bought one of the Kate Moss for Rimmel new ones before holiday and wore it like everyday!! Love it.

Questions to other bloggers I tag

• Why did you start your blog?
• Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
• What do you like to blog about most?
• What perfume do you currently use?
• Sweets or chocolate?
• Which beauty brand is your favourite?
• Favourite past time other than blogging?
• Favourite blogs at the moment?
• What did you do for Halloween?
• Favourite colour(s)?
• If you could be anywhere in the world right now where would it be?

And the lovely bloggers I nominate are (please also check them out!)....

Rupinder, Morsh and Laura

Enjoy!! x

Why do I choose drugstore?

After doing the 'how much is your face worth' TAG I realised I own a lot of drugstore products and perhaps that is why my total was lower than pretty much all of the blogs I read. So it got me thinking, why do I choose drugstore over high-end, premium brands?

When I was younger, obviously drugstore is cheaper to buy, it's accessible and you don't get looked up and down when you go into Boots on the weekend. But now that I'm older and, sort of, have the money to splash a bit more on fancy cosmetics why don't I? I think it comes down to the fact that I don't like to experiment a lot and I like to really research into buying something before I do. Don't get me wrong I do own the magnificent YSL concealer but I only bought this because it was recommend by a friend. I also bought Smashbox's Primer because it was recommend by a lady on a beauty counter in America (who didn't work for the brand!) I have to really be sure before I spend my pennies!
I see lots of high-end products raved about on blogs which does make me think 'wow it must be good' but I still can't let myself just go buy it on the off-chance it'll work for me. Drugstore is so much cheaper and so, if it doesn't work, I don't feel that guilty for spending all my hard earned cash on it! Imagine paying £30 odd for Laura Mericer's Tinted Moisturiser than realising, actually, this looks rubbish on me! I think it would put me off for life. Ah!

What makes you buy the brands you buy? Have you ever bought an expensive cosmetic only to find it's awful? Let me know so I can avoid it! (only joking) ;) x

Second of September...

Can you believe it's September already?! And to make it worse this weekend has gone so fast. I thought I'd just write a little bit of a lifestyle post today as I'm sat here relaxing and reading others blogs! If you want to leave your link below please do as I'd love to have a snoop around.

Yesterday, as it was supposed to be a lovely, sunny day we decided we would take the dog for a walk and then have a mini picnic in the back garden. By we, I mean the boyf and I! We don't take much advantage of the back garden as it needed a lot of work doing to it but now we have a lovely little patch of grass and an ol' pub bench to sit out on. Nice. I baked some cupcakes in the morning and then he made us some sarnies and ... chocolate covered strawberries. I think he didn't think I knew, as he was trying to be secretive and surprise me, but as soon as I'd finished chomping on my sandwich I was then just waiting for the strawberries to arrive. They did not disappoint. He covered them in melted Milka chocolate and picked one out that looked heart shaped for me, gah it sounds terribly cheesy now!

So now I'm slouching on the sofa on here while he attempts to DIY the bathroom. Haven't had a chilled weekend in a while, it feels quite nice especially when it's not so nice outdoors.

What have you been up to this weekend? Please leave me any links below :) x

Festival beauty essentials

Creamfields

I'm off to Creamfields next weekend and so I wanted to ask you what things you think I should take. If you've been to any festivals so far this year, or last year, what did you take?

I'm planning on tanning before I go so then I can wear minimal makeup - I'm not going to exactly have a big mirror to sit in front of to get ready!. So I'm thinking of taking my L'Oreal BB Cream, mascara, concealer and bronzer and/or blusher. I bought a new tube of Smashbox Primer this week and received a lovely sample which I can now take with me without the worry of losing a full tube! 

What else would you take? Any top tips for keeping yourself beautiful in a field? I should add that we don't have hospitality so no showers! Ahh!

Also, are any of you going to be there? :) I can't wait!

Favourites

Hiya, me again!

As I've been awol for a little bit I thought I'd update you on what I'm loving at the moment.

(L-R Chanel; Coco Mademoiselle, Trevor Sorbie; Beautiful Volume hairspray, L'Oreal Nude Magique BB Cream, Real Techniques Buffing Brush, Boots Coconut & Almond lip butter)

My nan bought me this Chanel perfume a year and a half ago for Christmas and as it was such a luxury and rather expensive I didn't use it very much. When I went to see her about a month ago she gave me the one she had as she just couldn't push down to release the perfume. Obviously very sad for my nan but it made me realise I should be using my perfumes not saving them for a special occasion! So I have been using this almost every day at the moment and it makes me feel so grown up and ladylike.

Although I have thick hair it never looks voluminous, this is where Trevor Sorbie comes in handy! Hairspray can smell so strong and get stuck in your throat but I actually like the smell of this one! It doesn't make my hair stiff like most hairsprays but still has holding power and boosts my hair too. I got this one last week and noticed today that they are still on a two for £6 offer - they RRP at £5.10 so I got two which is a bargain.

As I raved about in my last post I have been using this BB cream a lot recently, due to nicer weather and fake tanning. You can read why I like it more now if you click the above link.

Now, this bad boy I have had for about 6 weeks after reading so many great reviews and watching videos. I LOVE IT. I actually washed it yesterday and where it didn't dry in time for me to do my makeup this morning I had to use my old, MAC foundation brush and oh my god it was awful! I felt like I was really scraping my face with it and that my foundation was just being brushed around my face. Awful. The Buffing Brush is so soft it feels beautiful when you do your makeup and blends so well.

And last but not least a little product I use everyday is my Boots lip butter. It's only basic but I really love the scent of coconuts and almonds during summer. It reminds me of sun tan lotion which makes me happy. I have quite dry lips so a lip butter really moisturises and hydrates. I've had mine a while and I'm not even half way through yet! I've now gone on to buy the same but in body moisturiser! Naughty.

What have you been using recently? Please leave a comment :)

P.S Anyone notice how I've blurred the background of my image - what do you think? Is it a do or a don't!



Who are you?!

Hello everyone. Firstly i'm sorry I have been silent for a month! (I can't believe it's been a whole month) I had such a stressful final exam period at Uni and then as soon as that was over I started my new job! Yes, literally I had my last ever exam and then I went to work the next day. Didn't even give myself a little break! So I've been busy with that, getting used to working 9-5.30 and just haven't had the mind space to blog. But I hope now, once I get my bodyclock in gear with work, I can get back into blogging because I was loving it and I have so much I want to tell you all!!

Something I wanted to let you know is that L'Oreal's Nude Magique BB cream (see review here) has completly grown on my recently! I wasn't overly impressed with it in my review, although it was the first BB cream I had tried. It was far too dark for my skin tone and so I thought it would be one of those that just gets put back into the make up bag. But as it's been getting warmer and the sun has been shining I have been tanning and that means I needed something a bit darker for my face - I never put actual fake tan on my face you see. So I have been using this and I now love it! It gives my face that tanned glow that matches the rest of my body and it's so lightweight I can just forget about it, no need to touch it up!

So, for now this is me. I hope everyone who has finished things like Uni didn't get too over-worked and are enjoying the summer so far!!

And, just in case you forgot who I was, here is a lil piccy of me and the bf from my cousins wedding Friday - as you will notice I am now back to blonde!

Roxxxxxanne

So the title of this post kind of works. Not only does it (obviously) remind me of that annoying song  by The Police, it was also in the cinema version of Moulin Rouge so I thought it would be okay!

Last night I went out on a hen party for a lady in work and the theme was Moulin Rouge. Cue lots of argghhh we are going to look naked moments and really awkward stares and glances as we walk through the centre of town on a Friday night.

Once all dressed up and makeup'd I got into character and actually really enjoyed the night, as well as the theme. I thought I'd share it with you as I tried to go for bigger/bolder makeup then usual, and my outfit was pretty cute too!

The corset and tutu are from Ebay and I have on a H&M tube skirt.

I used my L'Oreal eyeliner, which I am absolutely loving at the moment! (see review here and here) I have never found an eyeliner that works so well. I alsowore Eyelure fake lashes in Intense (140) and put lots of blush on (although you cannot even see this in the pic!)
My lipstick is No17 "HOT CHILLI", the shade is quite bright for me so I don't get this out very often but it's really smoothe and has good moisture.

Hair Advice

I’m having a bit of a hair dilemma at the moment. HELP is needed!

 I wanted something that would be easy for up-keep (especially not too pricey) but now I feel a bit like it’s bland. I had brown hair up until I was probably about 16/17, which is when I first changed my complete image and went blonde! I cringe here a little as it was totally peroxide, which made me look sooo pale, and with brown eyebrows it was terrible (looking back). I also had a dodgy cut and unfortunately can’t seem to find any pictures of this, I would love to show you because it is very laughable!!

I have been able to track down a few piccys of my hair from this point on-wards. Once I got over the peroxide look I started having more browns and honey blondes put through, making it look much more natural.

I loved this colour on me but it only lasted a few months unfortunately, I remember having it done by a trainee once in Southampton (during my first attempt at University), but then it started to creep back to full-on blonde bombshell, which was okay, but having been blonde for what felt like FOREVER I then introduced some crazy dark (I would like to say black) chunks by my new, and current, hairdresser.

 It was a different look for me; I felt quite rock chick and edgy, haha. I liked it but decided to try all-over brown, as I hadn’t had it since being at secondary school.

Being quite blonde the brown didn’t take extremely well so it is quite a chocolate brown, which I did think was nice but I had to go back after 4/6 weeks to get it done again. As the up-keep was pretty much the same as my blonde I crawled back to my hairdresser and asked to be blonde again, but also had a dramatic change – I went for the bob!

(Please excuse my expression!)

The bob was cute, but I didn’t like the fact I couldn’t get up some mornings and just put it all up out of my face. It was high maintenance. I started to grow this out after a few months, longing to have below the shoulder hair again. When I look back I can’t believe I did it! My hair was such a nice length and, although I wore extensions for a teeny bit more length and volume, I just felt bored I think.

So, onto another, but darker, shade of brown and now my what I like to call half brown/half blonde kind of colour. It’s like I’m too afraid to go blonde or brown!  But I really want a change and would love to get it done either just before or after I finish all my exams, etc. A bit of an end of an era with Uni and onto a new look and life!

I hope you like the pictures (some of them feel like sooo long ago!!) I think it's always nice to feel like you know the person you're reading about and pictures really help.

Do you think I should go blonde again? Or do you like the colour it is currently? Perhaps you’re going to tell me to go back to brown? I’d love to know what you think so I can finally make a decision (and hopefully stick to it this time).