How much is my face worth?

 

 First, can I just apologise for my complete lack of blog posts in the last week. I DO have stuff planned but I'm currently on day 17 of working without a day off and when I get home from all I want to do is slob out and watch rubbish telly. Secondly, another apology. This time for the crapola picture above, I haven't got my camera in London with me so my iPhone will have to do. Waaah. 

This post probably seems like a cop out but I've seen a few other bloggers posting these and I am genuinely intrigued by it. Just adding up how much my face is worth seems entirely pointless, but obviously if I turn it into a blog post IT IS NO LONGER POINTLESS. You hearin' me? Yes? Good. Here goes: 

Estee Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover: £27.50 

Rimmel Lasting Finish foundation: £6.99 

Collection Lasting Perfection concealer: £4.19 

Mac Pro Longwear eyeshadow in Sweet Satisfaction: £16.50

Mac Penultimate eyeliner: £16

Bobbi Brown eyebrow pencil: £15 

Lancome Hypnose Doll Eyes mascara: £20.50

Benefit They're Real mascara: £18.50

Dolce & Gabanna The Blush in Mocha: £30.50

Mac Light Year MSF: £21.50
Urban Decay XL All Nighter setting spray: £23

TOTAL = £200.18 

So, on an average day I put on two hundred pounds and eighteen pence worth of make-up. That is MENTAL. It's kind of a good feeling but also it's an equally ridiculous thing to find out. Doing this has also made me realise that I use a lot of high-end make-up, there isn't actually a reason behind that and I definitely wouldn't call myself a make-up snob, I think that's just how my collection has grown over the years. I tend to find that more expensive brands tend to have more colours that suit me too. Now I suggest you all go and add up your beautiful faces and tell me how much yours is worth. GO GO GO! 

Also, some news: I have quit my job McDonald's after six years and if all goes to plan, I will be moving down to London in two weeks time and working at Cosmopolitan until Christmas. It's a massive risk I'm taking but I'm so excited and happy that I am finally being able to live my dream. The risk might pay off, it might not, but at least I can say I tried and failed rather than never trying at all. This also proves that you should never, ever give up on your dreams and settle for second best because if you work hard enough, it'll be worth it in the end. You'll see.

London Love Letters

Love Letters Scarf: Oasis, £20

It's the middle of August and it's about a billion degrees outside, so of course I am sat inside blogging about a SCARF. It is a really beautiful nonetheless and this is where I should probably admit to being a bit of scarf hoarder. I have SO MANY and I only ever want my collection to grow! This is now a firm favourite and is up there with my grey zebra printed one. So much scarf lurrrvin'.

The London Love Letters collection is exclusive to Oasis and has some beautiful pieces, I was first introduced when Hayley blogged about it the other week. Part of me hates her for it though because I'm not sure I really have £20 to drop on a scarf that has prints of Marble Arch, the Trafalgar Square Foundation and St Paul's Cathedral on, but we'll go with it anyway! I had pondered the purchase when I was in London last week with Mum but decided against it, but then picked up after work on Wednesday because I knew I'd regret it. The website says this is green but I'd definitely say it's more of a duck egg blue colour, but regardless, it's perfect and very me.

SO YEAH, the rest of the collection. It's lots of beautifully hand drawn London landmarks that have been printed onto different things: scarves, dresses, skirts, canvas bags... the lot. It is truly beautiful. I love this skirt, this top but most of all, I love this this Big Ben dress. I wish I could afford everything, but sadly I can't! Has anyone else bought anything from London Love Letters?

Also, please bare with me blog-wise over the next few weeks, I do have plans for posts but I'm working seven day weeks for the rest of this month and I'm already tired! If anybody cares it's because I'm working back at Cosmopolitan in London Monday to Friday and then coming home to serve burgers Saturday and Sunday. It's going to take it out of me but sometimes we all have to make sacrifices, plus I'm fairly certain it'll be worth it in the long-run!

Jergens Cocoa Butter Body Moisturiser

 

Jergens Cocoa Butter Deep Conditioning Body Moisturiser: Boots, £5.10*

My after shower moisturising routine isn't the best, I tend to go through phases where I'll religiously smother myself post-wash for about a week, and then I'll just stop. However, since receiving this Jergens beauty I have used it almost every evening.

I've never used Jergens until now, they've apparently just repackaged and rebranded themselves but I can't say I was familiar with them before. But, to me personally, moisturiser packaging doesn't really bother me; my only condition before I purchase is that it smells good, and that box is most definitely ticked here. This particular cream is cocoa scented but it has an obvious hint of vanilla, and everybody loves good ol' vanilla, don't they? The fragrance isn't at all overpowering though, it has just the right amount of smell! 

I found that the product itself is a good consistency, it doesn't take too long to sink into the skin which means my arms, legs and hands aren't left feeling all tacky and gross for ages afterwards. It's certainly very moisturising and left my skin feeling beautifully soft, plus it didn't take long for my elbows to become silky smooth either - something which is a mega bonus to me because they tend to get the driest the quickest. I reckon I'll be repurchasing this when it runs out!

Have any of you tried this moisturiser or other Jergens products?

She Said Beauty

After last month's Glossybox drama, I'd heard a few people talk about She Said Beauty being one of the best subscription box services around. I headed to their website and idly signed myself up, I'll admit, I wasn't 100% sure what I was doing and what the point was, but the site was pretty and it seemed like fun. 

After I'd signed up (my profile is here), I filled in my 'beauty profile' and a little bit about me and thought no more of it. I didn't explore, I didn't Google to find out anything about it, I didn't even bother to pay for a beauty box... I just left it. I'm good at doing that you see, signing myself up to things so I get loads of emails about nothing I really care about - you should see my inbox every morning! But anyway, the story continues... on Monday I started back at Cosmo and they were talking about the She Said Beauty launch the following day, so I volunteered myself to go along, to you know, see what all the fuss was about.

She Said Beauty is more than just a subscription service - they're a self-proclaimed beauty social network. Sounds pointlessly fun, huh? Well, fun it is, pointless it is not. It's an online community where anybody and everybody can share their passion for beauty. Once you're signed up (and you don't even have to sign up to access most of the website), members can connect with people from all over the world; experts, bloggers, friends... just about anybody, and you can share the latest news as well as being able to read and write reviews and tutorials. Essentially it is Facebook but it revolves around beauty - She Said Beauty have already connected with over 1000 brands, so there's already SO MANY reviews on there. Apparently there is an app in the pipeline where you'll be able to scan a product in a shop and a review of it will pop up right there and then. How amazing is that?!

My favourite part of the website though is the Street Beauty part - somebody from the company goes out onto the street each day, finds people with nice make-up, takes a photo, jots down the products they're wearing and then it's uploaded onto the website. So, if you're casually browsing the pictures and stumble across a face you like the look of, you can instantly find out what products were used so you can recreate it. Clever, huh? I had my mugshot taken yesterday so keep an eye out for that appearing online!

I don't really think I've done a very good job of explaining here, but I urge you all to go and sign up, and it's not often I say that. I spent last night doing up my profile - I've got a little bio, all my latest blog posts are linked on my profile page and I also liked a load of brands and products. It's so addictive, honestly! Is anybody else a member or is planning to sign up? If you are then leave your link and I'll follow you!

Wishlist

001. Ted Baker MacBook Pro case I know I've already got a clip-on hard case for my new baby, but I'll definitely need to invest in a zip-up-round-the-sides-type of case too, you know, for when I travel and need to take my laptop with me. I love Ted Baker stuff, mostly because of the lining and I feel like this one would be a nice little addition to the purse and clutch that I already have. I do love the proper proper designer ones (Mulberry, LV, Michael Kors etc) but I'd need a man with a credit card* to justify such a purchase.

002. Tatty Devine name necklace I'm an absolute sucker for anything with my name on and these amazing new name necklaces are INCRED. I really love Tatty Devine stuff, even though I've never actually purchased anything from there so I might make this my first when payday actually comes around.

003. Vans I've been contemplating treating myself to a pair of these for a while but I can never make a decision on colour. I came across these grey striped ones and I think these are my fave so far, I like the subtly of the stripe so they'd go with pretty much anything. I do like the really colourful ones too though. Oh, life.

004. Michael Kors rose gold watch I rarely wear watches, well mostly because I don't actually own one, but I do love some good wrist-wear. The only thing that puts me off splashing the cash for one of these is the fact that SO MANY people seem to have them! I do love everything about it but I just can't cope when I see everyone wearing the same things as me.

005. Alpha-H Liquid Gold A wish list is never complete without a good ol' over-hyped blogger bandwagon to jump on, right? Alpha-H is a brand I love though and honestly, the things I've heard about this stuff are amazing. Definitely going to treat myself. Better late than never, huh?

London 2012

I'll admit, before this year's Olympics started, I was bored of hearing about it. I had no interest in it whatsoever, thought it had been over hyped and the cynic in me couldn't help but believe that something catastrophic would happen. Cut to the stunning Opening Ceremony a few weeks later and I was hooked; I was completely and utterly blown away by the visuals, the choreography, the audio... everything that Danny Boyle had created to welcome the rest of the world to London, was spectacular.

From that moment on, I have been watching every single event that I could physically watch, and I have loved every single second. London, and in fact the whole of Great Britain has been shown in the best possible light, every athlete involved has made me proud and I'm pretty sure the rest of the country feels the same. On Thursday I was lucky enough to go down to the Capital with my mum, auntie and cousin to be a part of London 2012 and to experience the games for myself; we saw two hockey matches (neither of which were Great Britain but were fantastic all the same!) and the atmosphere within the park, and actually, the city itself, was like nothing I've ever been a part of before. Everybody was happy, cheerful and more than willing to help. There was a smile on every face you saw and it seemed nothing could take that away.

I'm going to make a confession now, and it'll probably make me sound stupid but I never actually realised how massive the Olympics itself actually is. It's a worldwide, international thing. Every nation can, and most likely will be, watching one event or another, every country will hear the results and be cheering themselves on to do well. Honestly, thinking about it like that blows my mind, it really does, especially since this time last year London was, quite literally, burning and the aftermath of the riots was appalling - I wasn't so proud to be British then. Now though, I couldn't be prouder. I've never really felt a sense of patriotism before, the Union Jack didn't really mean a lot, I didn't know the words to the national anthem but now, thanks to London 2012 - that's all changed. Does anybody else feel the same or am I just a massive loser?

Chloé Eau de Parfum

Chloé Eau de Parfum: Boots, £52 for 50ml

I always feel a bit weird blogging about perfume. Using words to desribe the way something smells isn't one of my strong points but I'm going to try, and if this post turns out crap and doesn't do anything for you then I strongly suggest you go out and get this anyway, mostly because it'll sit pretty on your shelf.

Chloé isn't a perfume brand that has ever really interested me and I'll admit that I've never lusted after any of their fragrances (I would definitely have a bag or purse though). In fact, I'm not sure I'd ever actually smelt any until I purchased this a few weeks ago. I got a £20 Boots gift voucher for my birthday back in June and decided straight away I'd use it to buy a new 'special' perfume. I'd say Dior's Midnight Poison is my signature scent; it's the one my friends say smells of 'me', even though I only ever wore it on special occasions - my everyday perfume changes on a daily basis. You see, it all depends on what I'm doing and where I'm going, but I digress.

The day I bought this, I spent a good hour or so sniffing away. I had a gazillion of those little cards that I'd sprayed various perfumes on, I'd spoken to shop assistants and I was in a massive state of confusion so in the end I had to walk away and go round the precinct a couple of times before I made my decision. Who knew perfume shopping could be so stressful? I wanted something for nights out, that was different to the sweet and floral scents I usually opt for, and something a bit 'heavier' and more musky. I was so close to getting Estee Lauder Sensuous Noir but at the last minute decided it was a bit too spicy for my liking.

Despite not wanting anything too similar to my daytime choices, I think I'd describe this scent as lightly floral with a twist... umm, see what I mean about not being able to describe the way something smells? It has a woody, spiced edge that sneaks through between the fruity and floral notes, but it's a scent that is a little bit different and, I'd say, extremely feminine and sophisticated. It lasts well on me and its one of those perfumes that makes you smile when you get a little whiff of it every so often, know what I mean? I absolutely adore the bottle too and the thoughtful little touches like the hand-tied bow around the neck make me happier than I'll admit.

Drop a heart, break a name

Blouse: Be Beau at Matalan £18

Say hello to my new favourite shirt, admittedly these shoddy pictures don't really do it justice (don't even ask what is going on with the lighting and editing because I have no idea), and I'm a bit concerned about baring SO MUCH BACK on the Internet, but we'll go with it anyway.

I wore this out last Thursday and I did actually put a top underneath it because I was back-conscious, but to be honest, I think it probably looks better that way. I paired it with a black bodycon and my black Ted Baker clutch and had green nails, although I'll probably go for purple or blue nails next time. Green stains like nothing else, and in hindsight it didn't really look that good. Also, I should probably admit that the sleeves are well too short so I have to have them rolled up, potentially not the best look but it was something I was happy to put up with because I loved the design so much. I doubt they would be too short on regular sized people though, I think it's just because I am ridiculously tall so obviously I have long arms too!

Matalan actually have some decent stuff in at the minute, I tend to head straight to the Be Beau section because that's more ~fashionable than the other ranges. It's really well priced too, this shirt was £18 and I also bought a dress to wear to my cousin's wedding next week that only cost me £26! Definitely worth a browse if you have chance.