The 90's Kid Tag

Hands up fellow kids of the 90's! Today I thought I would do a fun tag that's a little different (I'm becoming a bit of a tag junkie...)  inspired from Lily Pebbles and Vivianna Does Makeup's video which I will link here which is The 90's Kid Tag. I am a kid of the 90's I was born in 1992 so thought I would give this tag a go and tell you some of my experiences of the 90's as a child. A couple of these answers sort of clash into late 90's early 00's but nether the less I'm giving this a whirl!

* Images used from Google.

1) Favourite Disney Film?
I was definitely a Disney lover as a child, I still like it but I'm not one of those die hard Disney fans any more. But growing up I certainly watched my fair share of Disney, so this was a bit of a toughie. I guess I will start by narrowing it down to my most watched and those were: Aladdin, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and The Beast. These were easily my top 3 I would say although I watched all of my Disney films loads. If I had to pick one favourite it would probably be The Little Mermaid as Ariel is quite the unique princess with her fish tail and blazing red hair.

2) NSYNC or Backstreet Boys?
I think I must have been a bit young for the NYSNC / Backstreet Boys phase as I wasn't really into either of these. See following question.

3) Favourite music artist?
The Spice Girls were my musical obsession of the 90's. I know The Spice Girls aren't technically an artist but I couldn't really think of an artist as such. But I remember The Spice Girls being the first real music interest that I developed as a child, my parents took me to see them with my cousins at Earls Court one year. Naturally we had karaoke sing-alongs and dressed up as Spice Girls and I always liked to be Posh even though I was the blonde haired one and probably should have been Baby spice.

4) Favourite candy/sweet?
As a child I wasn't a huge sweet lover at all. Actually hard as this is to believe now but I was quite a fussy eater in my early years. However I do remember my grandma always having rolls of Smarties at her house that I liked, and they were the old styled packets that had a round tube with a coloured lid on top that had a letter on. Who else remembers those?

5) Weirdest fashion trend?
This one was a little tricky as I couldn't really remember anything that stood out too horrendously weird. When you're a child you don't exactly consider fashion (or at least I didn't) rather that it was just clothes that your parents put you in. A couple of odd things that came to mind were like neon bright jelly sandals which you actually see pop up now days, I think that they are a bit weird and then I remembered my parents buying me clogs one year!

6) Favourite game console/game?
For the most part of the 90's I was definitely a child that preferred playing with toys as apposed to games consoles - although I think I once had a Gameboy... can't remember actually. But yeah I enjoyed Barbies, Lego, Polly Pocket, riding my bike all with my next door neighbour and so on. However we did have a very robust and ugly first computer in our house and I remember one year buying The Sims which I was bloody obssessed with. I mean obssessed. No joke I would play The Sims after school and all weekend sometimes. I bloody loved that game.

7) What would you watch after school?
I had to think about this for a while as I wasn't a huge TV watcher in comparison to my peers at the time. For many, many years we had the basic channels that came with the television so like, 1,2,3 & 4. How old school does that sound in 2014? Ha. So yeah I only had a selection of BBC kids shows or ITV (hence my interest in playing with toys more than the TV I believe haha) . Some programmes I remember watching: Art Attack, The Really Wild Show, Arthur, Blue Peter...

8) Favourite book?
I didn't start becomming interested in proper reading until the late 90's at least. But my Year 4 teacher introduced me to Jacqueline Wilson and she totally got the ball rolling for me. Generally I loved Jacqueline Wilson books and read the majority of them at Primary School. I think Lizzie Zipmouth was one of the first books that got me hooked. I then also went on to read Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets after watching the first film as I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. And to this day I'm forever glad I read the books before the films to the Harry Potters as they really were something else as a child / young teen.

9) Favourite clothing store?
As I mentioned above clothing wasn't really something that held my interest much in the 90's as I was quite young for the most part of it. I know that my parents ordered a lot of my clothes from the Next catalogue if that counts as an answer haha.

10) A 90's beauty memory?
Again, toys and playing and generally embracing my childhood always came before beauty and fashion in the 90's for me ;) haha. However on saying that I do in fact have a really odd beauty related memory that I can share. If you take a closer look at the collage above in the middle you can infact spot me there. Yes that is me. And yes I do have blue lips. Thankfully you can't really see the picture too well but I remember sometimes I would rub a Smartie all over my lips to make 'smarties lipstick' kind of just goes to show how much artificial colouring must have been in them back in the day! Eww! Not a good look Grace.

I tag all of the 90's kids out there! I would love to read your answers so link me up if you decide to do it! :)

A Charm-ing Pug

Hey guys today I wanted to write a quick post about this adorably charm-ing pug charm that came in the post for me this morning. I purchased this from Helen who runs an Etsy shop (link here) which is full of beautiful handmade doggy and home accessories. I've been following Helen on Instagram for ages now (@misheleneous) so you should check out her feed too for regular crafty/doggy posts.

All of Helen's items are so beautifully crafted ranging from cute felt charms like this one (featuring breeds from pugs to border terriers) bandannas for your pooches, and bunting for your home - which I'm definitely going to look at for my new bedroom when I decide on what colour to decorate it! These handmade items would all make such lovely gifts or just a cheeky treat for yourself, there is always that extra special touch about getting stuff that is handmade don't you think?

I was going to leave this to decorate my bedroom but seen as it has a lovely green ribbon I'm thinking it would look cute hung somewhere in my Mini (which is the exact same colour?) I absolutely love it! Polly on the other hand doesn't look quite so happy about her new felt pug rival....

To celebrate the one year birthday of MisHelenEous on Etsy, Helen is offering 10% off until 20th June (I believe) all the details can be found on her shop's information bar, so be sure to go check out her shop as there is a little something to suit everyone!

Thanks again Helen for my very own pug charm! :) x

Sunday Catchup #4

Its been a little while since I did a Sunday catchup chit chatty kind of post so I figured today was a good opportunity to have an end of week ramble. I can't believe we're almost half way through the year now, when I gave up my job I thought that the time would go slower but I have been packing quite a lot into my days and trying to keep myself busy.

For a good few weeks now its really begun to feel like Spring has set in for the most part, I think everyone has been enjoying the sunnier days and lighter evenings here in England. I really love this time of year - seeing the freckles start to appear on my nose, waiting for the fruit to be ready at the allotment, the countdown to my birthday and of course welcoming delicious BBQs back in our lives. The last post I wrote like this I was sort of outlining my intentions to eat better and generally aim to be healthier. Since writing that I have been incredibly motivated and dedicated to those intentions and I am already feeling and seeing the results.

Recently I have been obsessing over Coldplay's new album which I have virtually been playing on repeat all week (I never thought I would be a Coldplay fan but I am in love with this album) and it was time guys.... I'm onto the final season of Breaking Bad! I already get the impression that I'm going to ball my eyes out when its finished. I don't want it to end!

Plus on the blog this week:
Topshop Pansy Print Dress
Top 5 Mac Lipsticks for Spring

How was your week?

Top 5 MAC Lipsticks For Spring

Hey guys I'm excited to bring you today's post as you may already know Mac lipsticks are my biggest weakness and so I thought it would be fun to share my top five favourite go to Mac lipsticks for Spring. I understand that everyones tastes in lipstick vary considerably but I would say for the most part that as Spring rolls around there is a definite movement away from those darker shades towards the lighter and brighter colours that are just so fitting for this time of the year. These are in no particular order either they are just a handful of favourites. So without any more hesitation here are my Top 5 Mac lipsticks for spring!

L-R: Up The Amp, Chatterbox, Lovelorn, Vegas Volt, Costa Chic.

Up The Amp: described by Mac as a 'lavender violet' this is quite accurate as when you think of violet its more of a blue toned purple and I would say this lipstick leans that way. I spoke about this in my last monthly favourites. Up The Amp is a really unique lilac lipstick that I think could be worn on most skin tones. Its an amplified lipstick so its very pigmented without being at all drying on the lips.

Chatterbox: described by Mac as 'bright red pink' a fairly misleading description as I can't really see a lot of red going on and while its brighter than some lipsticks it certainly isn't an in your face kind of bright. I would say Chatterbox is a very easy to wear pretty pink lipstick when you want something a bit more vibrant than a nude. Chatterbox is a fairly popular cult Mac lippy so I would be surprised if you haven't heard about this one already. This again is an amplified formula.

Lovelorn: described by Mac as 'emotive blue pink' I would agree with this description as it is quite blue toned it makes your teeth look nice and white. You don't really hear this lipstick get mentioned much on the beauty blogging scene but it is easily one of my favourites. On the lips it is quite similar to Chatterbox although in the bullet you can see it looks a bit darker because of the lustre finish this does not transfer onto the lips. Its such a flattering feminine pink, I love wearing this.

Vegas Volt: described by Mac as 'full power coral' this again is pretty accurate. I won this from Becky's giveaway a little while ago and it is a really lovely amplified lipstick, the shade is inbetween pink and orange and its very wearable on a day to day basis. I would say again this lipstick isn't hugely popular among beauty bloggers but it is perfect for this time of year, and quite similar to the next on my list. Definitely recommend giving this a swatch next time you visit a counter.

Costa Chic: described by Mac as 'frosty light coral' and I would 100% agree with this for once ;) Costa Chic is another from Mac that I'll bet you've probably already heard about. This is like the frosty sister of Vegas Volt, very similar in their overall colour but Costa Chic has a beautiful light
 golden shimmer to it. I know that frost lipsticks tend to have a bad name for themselves but this lipstick is just so lovely, it has a really unique way of brightening the face and I just feel so springy wearing this.

 So there we have it! My Top 5 Mac Lipstick picks for Spring, I hope you enjoyed this post and I'd love to hear what some of yours would be.

Topshop Pansy Print Dress

Pansy Print Dress | Topshop | £29 | Link

Good evening, I hope you've all had a gorgeous weekend and enjoyed the summery May weather we've been having here in England. Today's post is a little different - I'm certainly no fashion blogger but I couldn't resist sharing this cute little pansy print dress that I picked up from Topshop! Its officially appropriate to start whipping out the cute sun dresses in the UK and I was in the market for a new casual day dress: this immediately caught my eye, everything about the floral print to the vibrant colour which I would call an orangey red.

Although you can't really tell from the picture but the dress is extremely flattering. I picked this up in a size 10 and this has a really neat little waistline that seems to draw you in and is generally really feminine. There is also a very cute sort of lace detailing on the back which I really like about it too.This was ace to stick on for a lovely day in the sun! I might even be brave and showcase this an OOTD type of post, as the picture doesn't really do it's prettiness any justice, but we shall see...

Would you wear this dress? Do you wear casual dresses?

The Body Shop Honey & Oat Mask

Honey & Oat 3 in 1 Mask | The Body Shop | £10 | Link

The world of skincare is still all relatively new to me, however a brand that I have begun to rely on to help with my skin woes recently is The Body Shop. With an email reminding me that my welcome offer of 25% off was shortly expiring I decided to branch out and purchase the Honey & Oat 3-in-1 Scrub Mask. The fact that this little pot claims to be a 3 in 1 product had me intrigued that this product could be a little different. The ingredients in this also caught my attention especially the fact that this contains honey which is widely known for its health benefits in both diet and beauty.

 

According to The Body Shop this is meant to 'cleanse, polish and moisturise' [link] but what did I think? Well firstly my initial impressions, I thought that the consistency was really good I didn't have to apply a tonne to get a decent coverage across my face. I expected this to be a tad on the messy side as it looks gloopy and thick in the pot but its not at all like that once applied. I also liked the fact that this wasn't gritty so it was pretty comfortable even when it had set in and dried somewhat. The smell is really fresh and had me craving a bowl of oatmeal infused with honey afterwards!

One thing that I have noticed is that this does dry pretty quickly it turns into more of a transparent layer as it begins to dry up, for this reason alone its therefore advisable to not leave this on for too long - I've found the 5 minute mark works best for me. So after looking like you've dipped your face in your breakfast bowl then comes the nicest part which is rinsing the mask off. I like to run a small luke warm bowl of water and take my time to work my fingers in small circles to fully achieve that exfoliating benefit before washing it off with a cloth. Immediately after all traces are washed away my skin is left feeling super clean and supple.

All in all I've really enjoyed using this mask, its definitely a nice product to use in your weekly skin care routine, and because this is so gentle you can get away with using it a little bit more than you could with some masks. I tend to use it every other day and my skin has been fine.

 

What do you think of face masks? Have you tried this one from The Body Shop?

MAC | Saigon Summer Lipstick

Hey so today I'm sharing with you my latest MAC lipstick purchase which as you have probably already guessed from the title of the post is the stunning Saigon Summer. I'm definitely a girl who likes all colours of the rainbow when it comes to my lipsticks: I love reds, oranges, pinks and purples and all that fits in between those neat little categories. I also like to embrace lipsticks that really go well with the season and oranges are literally perfect right now for spring/summer. Orange lipsticks also happen to be one of my favourites to wear, I find them really easy to pull off as I think that they suit my blonde haired blue eyed features.

There is something really fun and youthful about wearing an orange lip, and Saigon Summer defintely does not fall short of that feel good description. Saigon Summer is quite unlike the other oranges I own from MAC, its a cremesheen formula which definitely isn't my favourite however I do like the sheen this gives and the fact it applies nice and smoothly with a decent coverage. On me this lipstick appears quite frosty in the sense that the golden shimmer really shows up on my skin tone.

I think that this is a pretty unique colour as it does not lean coral toned (think Costa Chic) or red toned (Lady Danger) but it is simply just very orange. The pigmentation of Saigon Summer is not as dramatically striking as other Mac formulas however this actually makes it a very wearable every day orange. It looks stunning with a really neutral eye look as it still has the ability to make your face pop with a splash of summery colour without being too bold. Probably not a colour for everyone but I am so glad I've added this to my collection as I know I'm going to get plenty of use out of it.

Have you tried Saigon Summer by Mac? Would you wear an orange lip?

If you love Mac lippies stay tuned as I'm going to be featuring a post about my top Spring lipsticks very soon!

Soap & Glory Butter Yourself Body Cream

With it being May now, and summer literally round the corner (we hope) I have well and truly been embracing the fruitier side of life. Recently my morning shower routine has left my bathroom smelling deliciously good. I spoke in my April favourites about my latest Soap & Glory product and that is their new zesty body wash Orangeasm but I was on the fence about the Orangeasm body butter so ended up giving that one a miss. This also has something to do with the fact that I'm trying to use up products that I have around the house before buying any more. This reminded me that towards the end of last summer I picked up S&G Butter Yourself.

Butter Yourself is an intense cream which applied to the body really does feel as smooth as butter. It leaves your skin looking and feeling super silky while also making  you smell mildly fruity. Despite its buttery texture this isn't exactly 'heavy' like some body butters that can have a tendency to leave your skin feeling weighed down. Its not sticky or greasy and dries on the skin fairly quickly.  I've definitely found that Orageasm and Butter Yourself really compliment each other, its nice to step out the shower after washing with Orangeasm and going on to use Butter Yourself. This is probably to do with the fact that Butter Yourself contains orange waterjuice meaning that they are a pretty good pairing.

For the price, (it currently retails for £10.50) this is well worth the pennies. You don't need to use a huge amount to cover areas of your body so the 300ml tub will last a good while. While I like this body cream my S&G favourite is still the Righteous Butter, however its good to switch things up and Butter Yourself really is great during this time of the year. I probably wouldn't want to use this in the winter months though to be honest but that's just my own preference. This leads me on to say that if you aren't into heavily fragranced body butters this probably isn't the one for you as its pretty strong and if you use a lot of it it will linger on your body for a few hours. I however enjoy it and look forward to having this as a shower addition now that the summer months are arriving!

Have you tried S&G Butter Yourself? What are your favourite body creams?

The Body Shop - Small Haul

 Fancy a haul post?

 

Well you're in luck as you can see I went for a little wander in my local Body Shop, and thought I'd share my purchases with you. I'm not sure about you but I definitely go through stages with The Body Shop, I used to love it in my early/mid teens when I was at that transitional period of starting to make more of an effort with myself. I was mainly interested in the body butters however as a jobless teenager I couldn't really afford their prices and mostly only ever received them as birthday gifts. I remember attending the odd Body Shop party, and buying some of the travel size shower gels as they were mostly my price range, but I ended up getting frustrated at how quickly they ran out. And so my dabbling with The Body Shop has been very intermittent.  

 

 

But then back in February I went in with my friend one time when we were shopping for the first time in probably at least a year and I was so pleasantly surprised. Firstly I love the makeovers that the shops have had. I don't know if all the stores across the country have but both of my nearest ones had changed since I had last been in them - they were so light and welcoming, with all the colours of the rainbow in pretty bottles and tubs lined up on the walls, just asking to be whiffed.I promise that this story has a point, so basically I actually ended up signing myself in for one of their loyalty cards. I won't go into the nitty gritty details but you get loads of perks - I'll leave the link here if you want to find out more. And so an email entitling me to 25% off had me hopping into my Mini to get myself to my nearest Body Shop to buy a quick few essentials.

 

I received a sample size of the Vitamin E cream cleanser which I used up a while ago. Now for me to use up a skincare product is saying something as I'm very new to the whole skincare jazz - a lot of products I've tried in the past have resulted in nasty consequences of breakouts and had me running a mile. But this was extremely gentle, inoffensive and left my skin feeling lovely and clean. Being that I'm new in the world of skincare I don't want to go crazy and buy anything expensive that I will regret so The Body Shop's offerings have been a bit of a saving grace - sorry about the pun ;) I've been using the cleanser to remove my face makeup on slightly damp skin by massaging it in slightly and because its a cream consistency it definitely leaves your skin feeling nicely moisturised.

To accompany the cleanser I decided to buy the toner in the same range which I use straight after cleansing. Now I've never even used toner before so I wasn't really sure what to expect from this product. However after using it for a few weeks now I can honestly say that I love it - especially when put with the cleanser it seems to be the perfect match. The toner is beautifully refreshing, with a light but pleasant smell which just leaves my skin feeling amazing. I have really seen the benefits of finishing up with a toner, as it often picks up some traces of makeup that I have maybe missed out which has as a result made my skin a lot clearer.

Just to relive my former Body Shop loving days I decided to pop the Grapefruit shower gel into my basket. If you caught one of my recent posts on my new Soap and Glory shower gel you may have realised that I'm having a bit of a fad with fruity scented bath products at the moment!

Have you purchased any skincare items recently?

Fragrance Focus: Chloé Eau De Parfum

I'll be honest here, perfume has been my 'thing' for many, many years now. It was something that I suppose got inherited from both my parents who equally have an admirable collection of frangrances between them. It all started back in the day on holiday when I got treated to Tommy Hilfiger True Star - who remembers that one? My taste in fragrances has come a long way since then and I think even in the last six months it has changed somewhat. My go-to scents have been my Marc Jacobs for quite a while (since I was 16/17 maybe) and after using a few bottles up I decided it was time for a change.

No surprise then that I found my legs walking me to the perfume department in John Lewis. And there it was. Staring me in the face. A display of the most stunning collection of square shaped Chloé bottles embellished with a chic little bow, that seemed to be calling out my name. From the second that the smell of this filled my nose I knew it had to be mine.

On the skin this perfume has a warm yet delicate florally scent, however it has the power to last for hours (I do top it up once or twice throughout the day) - even so I wake up in the morning and can still smell this faintly on my body. It is invigorating but all the while managing to refrain from being over powering. Chloé is versatile enough to be worn during the day time and is still classic enough for evening wear too. Needless to say I have found my new signature scent.

What is your signature scent?

Monthly Favourites | April 2014

Hello and here we are again for another monthly favourites, writing these posts has well and truly emphasised just how quickly the months seem to fly by - I can't believe that its May! Here are a few beauty favourites that I have been loving during April.

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette.
So late on the Naked 3 bandwagon here I know, but I had been lusting on this since I learnt about it and if you caught my recent beauty haul you may have noticed that I finally gave in to those rose golden hues. I have absolutely loved this palette and have reached for it at every opportunity. The one plus side of waiting a few months to get this is that there are now hundreds of Naked 3 looks on YouTube and various beauty blogs to really get inspired by and have a go at recreating. The amount of looks you can create from this palette are unbelievable. If you haven't got this palette yet I strongly suggest doing so! You won't regret it.

Benefit High Brow.
When I bought High Brow from Benefit I knew I was going to like it, but I didn't really imagine I would like it as much as I do. This has been another item that I have grabbed virtually every single day since purchasing it as it has an array of useful purposes. Firstly its great for creating the illusion of a more arched eye brow, you simply mimic the arch underneath your brow with this and then blend it in - I find a fluffy eyebrow brush works best. Instantly you're left with a more precise looking brow as it defines the area so well. This is also works really well on the eyelid underneath eyeshadow (particularly been doing this with my Naked 3) to produce a lighter look, plus putting this on the inner corner really brightens your eyes up too. You can also highlight your cupids bow area with this pencil.

MAC Up The Amp.
A little while ago a certain Mac lipstick called Heroine was introduced to the permanent line and the bloggersphere went crazy for it. Heroine was everywhere I looked, and while I can fully admire its beauty I somehow wasn't in a hurry to add it to my collection... just yet. It did however prompt me to go and dig out the purple lipstick from Mac that I already owned and that is Up The Amp. I've found this is actually a pretty appropriate shade for Spring: a lighter more pink purple in comparison to Heroine, its creamy on the lips yet still long wearing and I find that this is very wearable despite having a bit of an 'out there' kind of vibe to it. Plus this looks great on the fairer skin tones like mine.

Soap & Glory Orangeasm Body Wash.
The body wash that has certain invigorated my morning showers this month is unquestionably Orangeasm (first impressions review here.) While this release created a lot of hype there has inevitably been some disappointment too with lots of people saying it doesn't smell 'orangey enough.' While I'll admit its not on the same level as The Body Shop's Satsuma shower gel which flat out smells of yummy oranges - Orangeasm has that zingy Soap & Glory aroma to it that you can just instantly recognise. Plus this is so creamy and moisturising you can't fully judge it until you try it out in the shower.

The Body Shop Honey & Oat Mask.

This Honey and Oat mask from The Body Shop is a recent purchase that I can't get enough of. I've been using it every other day and have been really pleased with the results. I won't say too much more - expect a full review shortly!

What were your favourites in April?