101 Things #62 - Join a Group of Some Kind

Last night I stepped out of my comfort zone, I joined a group. Not just any group, WeightWatchers.

Over the past couple of years WeightWatchers has been something I dabbled in, lost a few pounds decided that it wasn't for me to only put those pounds back on and a few extra, so I'd head straight back to it. Now I'm not saying that I am overweight because I am well aware that is the not the case here, I just feel I am on the wrong end of my dress size, a few pounds lost and I'll be back to being comfortable in my own clothes. 

For those that are in the dark about WeightWatchers, its a simple eating plan where you are allowed a certain amount of Pro Points per day, worked out on how much you are looking to lose. All food is awarded a Pro Point value so you can factor in what would and wouldn't work for your allocated points. For me I love this plan because I like being organised, knowing what I'm going to have one meal to the next. Most fruit and vegetables are free so you can fill up on those without feeling guilty. Over and above your daily points (I get 26) you also have 49 extra points to use over the week, I used to like saving these up for the weekend as it can be a lot more difficult to stick to routine and everyone likes a treat at the weekend! 

Previously I had only used the online sources as my work hours wouldn't allow a weekly meeting but now I switched departments and I'm working normal hours an evening meeting was a lot more possible. I opted to join a Monday night meeting as I thought it would give me a positive look on the week moving forward. 

Meeting new people has always been something I've been nervous about, I can be quite quiet and withdrawn until I get to know somebody well, and then you wont be able to shut me up! So walking into a room of strangers was not something that I was looking forward to in the slightest, but everyone was so lovely and welcoming. It was clear that everyone was there for the same reason, to lose weight. The actual weigh in wasn't as daunting as I had imagined - for some reason I thought it was going to be an assembly type situation when you individually get up in front of the class and get weighed. Thank god it wasn't like that! It was a wait in line jobby, jump on the scales and that was that, nice and easy! 

I'm one meeting down and I'm feeling super positive! Hopefully it will be like riding a bicycle and I'll pick it up again in no time.

I have been umm'ing and rrr'ing about whether to click publish on this post. I know weight loss is a touchy subject for most people, including myself so I wasn't sure how well it would be received but then I figured this a blog about me and my life and WeightWatchers is going to be a part of that again. Don't worry this isn't going to turn into a weight loss diary but I will be factoring in a few post's here and there to include recipes and little updates - I hope you don't mind :) 

K x

Liebster Award #2

Although I have already been nominated for this award, I'd recently been nominated again by the lovely Katie and Mary-Ann I thought what the heck I'll do it again! I love these answering type things as I feel it helps you get to know me a bit more and it helps everyone find new blogs to read! 

Rather than answering all of Katie's and Mary-Ann's questions I thought I'd answer a few from each, so here we go! 

1. How long have you been blogging for? 

Its only been about 6 weeks, and so far I'm loving it! 

2. How and why did you get started? 

I have been reading blogs nonstop for quite some time, and like most people who get into blogging I thought what the heck! At the moment I'm still trying to find where I sit in the blogsphere as although my posts are predominately beauty, I would like to post everyday kind of things too. 

3. How old are you?

I am 22, on May 11th I turn 23 - be sure to pop that in your diary ;)

4. Organisation or Chaos? 

Organisation is a strong point of mine, I cant stand not knowing what is going on or where things are! They say opposites attract and that cant be more true when it comes to me and my boyfriend. I like order and he likes chaos!

5. Liquid, pencil, or gel liner? 

This is tough one as I like all three for different things. I always use pencil on my waterline as it glides on well, where as I'd choose liquid and gel for liner on my lids. If I had to choose one it would have to be liquid. Especially the Be a Bombshell offering.  

6. Favourite and worst foods? 

Now this is my kind of question. Food is something I loooove. My favourite type of food is Italian. There is just so much choice, pasta (my weakness), pizza and even chicken dishes, Chicken Parmigiana anyone? I've been sat here for the last 5 minutes trying to think of something that I dont like and I've drawn a blank, surely there's something I dont like?! I'll get back to you on that one. 

7. How many languages do you speak?

I've dabbled in a few languages including French, Spanish and even Sign Language but that was all back in school and college so its long gone,  now you'll only catch me speaking English.

8. If you could have anything what would it be?

I would love more time in the day! I never seem to be able to juggle work, socialising, blogging, exercising etc etc. Being the organised person that I always have a todo list on the go to help me utilise my time but an extra hour or two go a miss! 

9. What's your favourite destination? 

I'd love to say somewhere far away and exotic but my favourite all time destination is Brighton. I'm slightly biased as this is where my boyfriend lives so I'm frequently visiting but its my favourite place. There is always so much to see and do, even sitting on the beach on a summers day is heaven - although I have to admit I've never even dipped my toe into the sea! One day in the not so distant future it will become my home, and I cant wait!

10. Where did your blog name come from?

I'd spent so much time thinking of a name that it was starting to stress me out. I had so many ideas for blog post's but without a blog name I couldn't even get started! I settled on Along Came Kelly as it meant that although I would feature lots on beauty it wasn't beauty specific so I could switch up content if I wanted to. This way I can grow my blog whichever way I'd like.

11. Favourite colour?

If you took a look in my wardrobe this would be any spot! Purple is by far my favourite colour, I just get totally drawn to it. Currently I am wearing a purple top, typing with purple nails whilst sitting on my purple bedsheets in my purple room! At the moments its great as there is so much purple about as its the colour of the year! 

The questions I have are: 

Films or series?

Take-away or eating out?

Heels or flats?

Cold or hot holidays?

Facebook or Twitter?

Tea or coffee?

Sweet or savoury?

Lipgloss or lipstick?

Bath or shower?

Books or magazines?

Dogs or cats?

And now on to the nominee's....

Honey - Beautysoprecious.blogspot.com

Ashley - aroaringtwentysomething.blogspot.com

Zoe - zoewithumlauts.blogspot.com

I know that you are supposed to tag 11 people but I've been going through my favourite blogs with under 200 followers and they have all been recently nominated! So please also check my first Liebster post to find some more favourites! Those that come across this please feel free to answer these questions, remember to link your post so I can take a look!

First Impressions | Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm

Do you ever go into a shop to buy one thing and one thing only, to then find they don't have it? There's then a mad panic because you cant dare leave the shop empty handed but you haven't preplanned another purchase! Well that was me in Space NK a few weeks back. I'd popped in to see if they had the new Nars palette in but it hadn't yet made its way into the shops. I should of walked out then but I had a little wonder around the shop seeing what I could pick up in its place. My mind was saying there's the door go through it but my body was having none of it and walked over to the Emma Hardie section picked up the cleansing balm and waltzed straight over to the till. £34 later I was shaking my head wondering what I was playing at! 

I'd seen review after review of this but it had never grabbed my attention. There are so many cleansers in my drawers that I didn't feel the need to add this to my stash but clearly something in me thought otherwise. It promises to thoroughly cleanse and moisturise whilst minimising the look of open pores. Now I'm not saying this doesn't remove make-up because it does, very well, its just not the amazing product that I had imagined in my head.

When I used this for the first time I couldn't help but wonder what the bloody hell was wrong with the scent! I know a lot of people rave about it saying that its relaxing and what not but for me it just smells likes plants, not flowers, plants. You know the type you find in your Grandads green house. So from the get go the balm was on the back foot. Now application wise it went on like a dream, gliding around my face like Torvill and Dean. I could really feel it breaking down my make-up, I just used one of my trusty Primark flannels to remove it with warm water and away came the days make-up. It did make my skin feel a little plump after use but I'd have to say that's where it really stops. I didn't notice any difference with my pores, which I have to say I do suffer with so maybe it might work better on someone who has less visible pores to start with.

Packaging for me is not that important although I do like things to look nice next to my sink which this does. I just find that the lid just doesn't ever sit right, it takes a few turns on and off to get in placed right and after 2 or 3 uses the plastic cracked! I had heard a lot of other people mentioning the poor packaging cracking, I had thought they had sorted this problem or maybe mine was not the updated version. You just wouldn't expect something that is on the expensive side of the spectrum to have naff packaging. 

Rightly or wrongly I was expecting such good things for the price of this balm but overall I feel that it does what any good cheaper cleanser can do. As I've only been using this for two weeks or so I do feel I need to give it a good chance to change my mind. Maybe I'll be able to get over the smell and fall in love - I really so or it would be a very expensive mistake to make!

Have you tried Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm? What do you think? What's your favourite cleanser?

Wednesday Wishlist #3

So the spending ban is well and truly over as I'm sure you can tell from my recent haul! I thought shopping would make me feel whole again but I can only say it made me feel guilty! So I've decided to be more strict on myself when it comes to buying things by asking my self four simple questions, read about all about it here. It doesnt stop me wishing though!

1. Seche Vite Top Coat - £5.59 - I love a good top coat, anything that promises to add shine and dry my nails quicker than a normal top coat is gets the tick of approval in my book! Although my faithful Barry M top coat is a couple of pound cheaper I'd happily part with it if does stop me getting imprint marks on my nearly dry nails which seems to happen every time I paint my nails.

2.Origins No Puffery - £24 - Recently I've noticed dark circles under my eyes, something I've never really suffered with in the past. I've tried sleeping more, and drinking more water but they don't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. I've heard a lot of good things about this eye cream although my eyes are watering at the price tag! I'm not sure I could justify £24 on an eye cream, its going to take a little bit more thought.

3. Oasis Coat - £98 - I know that supposedly the weather is supposed to be getting slightly better but I cant help but be a little sceptical and think that the cold weather is here to stay longer, read I want another winter coat. This one from Oasis is perfect, it nips in at the waist whilst still covering my bum which is a must in the coat department! The only tough decision is whether I want black or cream!

4. ghd Wonderland Styler - £99 - I've had about 3/4 pairs of GHD's through the years, yes I know they last for years. Why don't mine I hear you ask...well mine have always been the fall off the lorry kind of purchases so the chances are none of them were actually real. For this reason they are always breaking, wires snapping - you get the picture. So its about time I invested in a proper pair and at £99 these beauts are a must! The design is really nice and right up my street! This might be one purchase I really cant do without!

5. Dior Lip Glow - £22.50 - Who doesn't want a lip balm that changes colour to suit your lips! Well I sure as hell do. This product is supposed to protect and moisturise with wild mango and luffa cylindrica (yeah me neither!) whilst providing a customised colour to suit your very own lip colour. Now I know this is a very unnecessary product but I cant help but be intrigued as to how it would look on me. Maybe this will be one for the birthday list in May!

So there you have it my wishlist...I'm sure none of these items will come into my possession but I'm just getting it all ready for when my lucky numbers come up on the lottery tonight!

What's In My Bag

I'm a bit of a nosey parker and I didn't think I'd be the only one out there who likes a good rummage through peoples bag so here I am offering mine on a plate! I have to say that I'm a bit of a hoarder when it comes to handbags, I've got so many that I find it difficult to choose which one I am going to use. I am for ever swapping bags so I need all the bits to be easily transferred. I'd say the contents of my bag are very basic with most things being a necessity. 

Without fail you'll always find my Filofax in which ever bag I've chosen that day. Without this I wouldn't know what I was supposed to be doing. I like to be very organised and although I know most people have got up to date with technology and they use their phones to keep up to date but for me I like having a physically diary where I can see everything written down. I've had this diary for about 4 years now and its still going strong. Initially I was sceptical about paying a big chunk of money out for a diary but little did I know how it would change my life! Maybe I'll do a separate most on my love of this little book of pinkness! 

Keeping on the theme of writing things down I always have a note pad and pen with me so I can write down little snippets, ideas and wishlist items on the go. Normally this is where my to-do list is found. My boyfriend often laughs at my dot system but I love it! For those that are intrigued, when I write my to-do list I start each item with an open bullet point and then when I've completed that item I will fill in the dot - voilà - the dot system! Its what we have been taught at work and somehow its made its way home!  

Next up we have ear phones, I love listening to music as it really helps me to switch off and keep the world out. My purse is a recent purchase from River Island. I love the bags and purses from there as they look a lot more expensive then what they are and they last really well. My previous purse was also from River Island but it was starting to look worse for wear after a few years so I decided this one would be perfect. There are lots of compartments for coins, cards and cash and especially all those loyalty cards I seem to be accumulating. Obviously my Nando's one is the most used - gotta love that chicken!  

To help swap from one bag to another I like to keep all my little bits and pieces in this Ted Baker bag which I got for Christmas a few years ago. Its the perfect size and I really like the cute ballerina design on the front. As its a soft material there is a bit of budge if I do need to fill it with more things. I also have a couple of odd bits in here such as the Eurax cream and Iglu, but I find these really useful to keep in my bag as during the summer months I'm for ever getting bitten by creepy crawlies and find the Euraz really helps to soothe. I'm also really unlucky to get ulcers quite often, some would say I'm greedy as I'm always biting the inside of my mouth but I say its so easy to do! 

In here I have everyday essentials such as hand cream, paracetamol, chewing gum and a little mirror. In the lips department I always have at least two or three products including balms and lipsticks. I'm always switching these up depending on what I'm wearing that day or what condition my lips are in. Today we have NYC Applelicious Lip Balm in Apple Blueberry Pie, I have a couple of colours of this balm as I feel like they are conditioning my lips as well as providing a little pop of colour - its nothing to do with the fact they smell like apples, I promise. I also have a Nivea Lip Butter in Vanilla and Macadamia which smells exactly like the Milky Bar yoghurts, yum yum. Finally I have one of the new Revlon Colour Burst Matte Balms in Elusive, this is great everyday colour although I do find at the moment that my lips are a bit too dry for this formula as it doesn't sit quite right. Hopefully when the weather warms up a little I'll get more use out of it. 

I keep a couple of face products in my bag should I feel the need to touch up during the day. In all honestly its always the one thing I forget to do until 4.59pm and who wants to touch up just before home time! I have the Revlon Nearly Naked Power which I find is really light weight but does take shine away with out leaving you looking cakey. I also have two Benefit products which are Some Kind of Gorgeous Foundation Faker which I like to use on my cheeks if my foundation starts to wear off to reveal my red cheeks and also Erase Paste which is a god send for the bags under my eyes and red bits around my nose. I only have this in a sample size buts its only a matter of time before I bite the bullet and get the full size. 

Lastly I have little mini nail files which I received last year in a Glossybox, at the time I thought it was a bit of a naff idea but who knew they would be such a good send! We've all been there when we chip a nail whilst out and you get that annoying bit flaking off that you cant stop picking. Well with these in my bag I am always prepared! 

So there you have it the contents of my bag! I hope you liked having a little nose around! If there's anything you think I should be adding please let me know - I always like to be prepared! 

Review | Unii Palette

With an ever expanding make-up collection its always difficult to remember what you have and when its kept.. I had a handful of single eye shadows that I was never taking notice of as they were stored in random places where my eyes never fell. So to cure the problem I bought a Unii Palette. Its similar to the Z palette but its more accessible in the UK and I think its a lot more travel friendly. The idea is that you de-pot your single eye shadows and as the palette is magnetised you'll be able to pop the eye shadows pans in. 

De-potting your eye shadows is pretty simple, some of them just pop out when you slide a knife between the pan and the housing, with others you may need to add some heat to the bottom (such as the MAC ones), here's a really good video from The Camera Lies Beauty on how to depot MAC shadows. If the eye shadow pans are not magnetic they even provide a sheet of magnets so you can cut to size and stick to the bottom so they don't move about. 

Now I have all my single eye shows in one place in a really sturdy palette. You cant see too clearly from the pictures but its a purple glitter plastic cover that feels really durable. There is a large mirror inside which makes it really handy for taking away for the weekend as you could even depot blushers etc too. They do a number of different colours including pink and white, and they even do a deal if you buy a few at once but at £10 for one I think its a great bargain that will definitely help me get use out of my previously hidden shadows. You can get yours here.

How do you store eye shadows? Do you ever forget about much loved beauty products? 

The Important Questions...

So the spending ban is well and truly over as I'm sure you can tell from my recent haul! I thought shopping would make me feel whole again but I can only say it made me feel guilty! I didn't need half (maybe even the majority) of the stuff I bought but I still went ahead and filled my bags much to my bank accounts dismay. With saving being my primary aim this year I need to step away from the till and keep my bank card safely in my purse! I thought it would be a good idea to ask myself a couple of questions before buying anything...

• Do I actually need this? 
• Do I have anything already that is similar/does the same job?
• Am I only getting this because everybody is talking about it?
• Will this product change my life? 

Looking through my skincare stash I found I had about 15 different types of cleansers, 6 toners, 5 night creams but no day moisturisers, which only goes to show I have no idea what I really need and have just been buying things willy nilly. 

Panic buying is also a very big problem of mine which can only be confirmed with my recent purchase of the Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm but more on that another time! I need to take time to think about the above questions, if I'm still thinking about it a three weeks later then and only then can I consider buying it. 

I'm sure everyone has seen 'The Blogger Made My Buy It' tag which also goes to show that we owe a lot to other bloggers for enabling us to buy all sorts of things, whether its that new palette or the latest pastel coat. Although I do believe that reviews help immensely when it comes to choosing the right products it does also encourage spending especially for someone like me who has little no will power. 

From now I am going to use my 4 trusty questions, I'm going to do my research into products and think about it for a bit longer before taking the plunge! 

Do you guys have willpower when it comes to spending? What do you do to resist the latest talked about products? 

Mad About Mascara

I'm going to admit something here that I'm not proud about, but hey we're all friends right? I have an addiction. A very bad addiction I am addicted to...Mascara. Phew, that felt good getting that out there, its what they say isn't it, the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem! No-one needs to know that I have no intention of recovering from this particular addition though. Currently I have 11 mascara's on the go. I know, I know, I have one set of eyes but man do I like those eyes looking gooood. Some mascara's that I have I hate with a passion for one reason or another and I should probably think about getting rid but I can be a bit of hoarder so we'll leave that for another day.

Today I am going to talk (well blog) to you guys about my favourite three of the moment. If you too have an addiction to Mascara (surely I cant be the only one?!) please be careful as I'd hate to be the one to make you run out to the shops to grab one - although I would strongly recommend you get all three while your there!  

For me its all about the length, I love me some good lengthy lashes and the L'oreal Telescopic Extra Black definitely helps out in that department. The plastic comb wand really helps to coat every lash even the teeny tiny centre ones that I always find hard to get to, and you can get right to the root of the lashes to help bring the lashes up and out. There is a normal black option but I tend to normally go for the blackest of blacks as what's the point of going to all the trouble of lengthening the babies if they are so light you cant see them. This is my go-to mascara, I use it so much that the writing is starting the wear away.

Next up we have my going out-out mascara (just me?), its the MAC In Extreme Dimension Lash. When I want that extra bit of oomph with my lashes this is mascara I pull out, it offers extreme length, volume and the deepest darkest black. You do have to work with this a bit as sometimes it can be a bit clumpy although there is a new hybrid version out that is supposed to control how much product is on the wand to help avoid the clumpy look. I would say that this gives Benefit They're Real a run for its money. I think both this and the Benefit option have similar brushes with the little knobbly bit at the end, and they are both a bloody pain to get off! 

What a sexy brush that is I hear you say, yep that's Rimmel Sexy Curves, this is one of the most amazing wands I've ever used. I'm sure you can tell by now that I'm a big fan of plastic wand's whether they are combs or bristles. I just don't like the natural bristles, I'm not quite sure why but I don't feel they give me the look I go for. Anyway, I'm digressing, back to the beauty that is Sexy Curves. This as the names suggests give a great curve to the lashes without giving the spider leg look. It holds really well, I tend to find with some mascara's that they fall down half way but this gives long standing curl. This one is brown/black as it was a gift from my sister - Thanks Alice! - but I'd say this has no hint of brown at all but does give that natural colour to the lases.

So there you have it you've all found out about my secret addiction! Soon I'll do a post on the mascara's that I don't like but cant rid, hopefully it will help make me throw them out! To make room for some new ones no doubt ;) 

101 Things in 1001 Days - Update

Last month I decided to start the 101 things in 1001 days, you can see me original post here. Originally I thought that I had a mixture of easily achievable things and harder ones that would require effort and thought. But nearly a month on, I have yet to complete one! Some of the items on the last are very long term goals, for example buying my own house and getting a new car which of course are going to take time, others not so much.

When I started this I wanted the list to bring me out of my comfort zone, to make me do things I wouldn't normally do, or should be doing but I'm not. For example number 29, have lunch away from my desk for a week, I have a really bad habit of grabbing something to eat and heading back to my desk to either carry on with work or taking 10 minutes out to check Bloglovin. I'm entitled to a full hour lunch break but very rarely take it for one reason or another so I wanted to make a conscious effort to go and have a break. Have I managed this at all? Nope, not even once or twice. Next week though is the one, I'm going to complete number 29 on my list! 

The hardest thing about the list is remember what you've put in the first place, so I'm going to have a weekly scan through to see if there's anything I can tick off during that week. An added incentive for completing tasks is number 66 save £10 for every task complete, now although this isn't a lot, over the 1001 days this would be £1,010 which is a quite a bit of money considering I'd only be putting £10 away here and there.

I'm going to keep going and hopefully soon you'll start to see updates pop up more regularly as I get through the tasks. In the meantime, do you have things your hoping to do in the near future? Do you have a list yourself? I'd love to hear your goals. 

Oops, I Went Shopping

So its February, which only means one thing. Spending ban is well and truly over! I've been waiting for this day ever since the ban started on 1st January. But boy has it been worth it. I have to admit that out of the products I bought I only actually needed one maybe two of the products but hey all in the interest of research ;)

So as you can see from the picture up top I did get quite a few bits and pieces so I thought it would be easier to split it all up into make-up, skin care and extra's. So keep reading to find out why my bank account hates me right now!

I knew I didn't need any more lip products but you know when you try not to buy something and it just makes you want it even more? Well yeah that happened. Unless you have been living under a rock the last few week's I'm sure you've seen the storm the new Revlon Colourburst Balms have made and I just wanted to see what all the hype was about. I like the original Just Bitten Kissable balm stains so wanted to see how the new ones compared so I got Elusive in the matt version and Flirtatious in the lacquer. As it was 3 for 2 on Revlon I couldn't walk away without a new Lip Butter, I love the formula of these, they are so creamy and although not long lasting they do give a lovely pop of colour, I went for Macaroon. Whilst in Boots I picked up another little tube of my favourite bottom lash mascara Maybelline Great Lash. Mac was the next stop on the beauty train and I could of spent all day in there swatching but I did restrain myself and just get a couple of bits. Firstly I got a Lustre finish lipstick in Lovelorn, this is the perfect light pinky colour that gives a little wash of colour. I then got a new eyeshadow refill in Star Violet. I tried to get a good shot of this but my camera just wouldn't pick up the gorgeous copper metallic running through it. I'll dust up on my photography skills and will show you all soon. 

Skincare is a bit of a weakness for me, I have drawers full but in all honestly I dont know how to use half the stuff to its best advance! So hopefully you'll see less skincare hauls as I slowly start to get to know the products I do have better. Space NK is a shop I love, I often find myself aimlessly wondering around the shop not really knowing what I actually need want. This was one of those occasions, I orginally went it to see if they had the new Nars blush palette but when they said they didnt know when it was coming in I got a bit confused and disoriented and the Emma Hardie Cleaning Balm fell into a bag and my card flew at the sales assistant! It was a very slap dash purchase and I'm kinda regretting it. In all honesty I wish I had gone for this so I could have tested out the cleansing balm and the other products for less. 

As the Botanics All Bright range was on offer I thought it was the perfect chance to try out the toner which is supposed to be a dupe for the Pixie Glow Tonic. Again I didn't need another cleanser in the slightest but hey it was on offer! I've been a big lover of the original Effaclar Duo as I really find it helps unclog my pores and great rid of those pesky breakouts I tend to keep getting, and with the new one promises to help heel red marks too - score! Just what I needed and it was on an introductory offer too. I'd seen Garnier's dupe for Bioderma on a few blogs lately and as my usual L'Oreal version was running low I thought it was a great time to pick it up, you get a lot more product for a similar price to the L'Oreal so whats not to love. I have yet try it but will write a review soon! 

As you may know from other posts of mine, I've had a bit of trouble sleep recently so decided to tackle it head on with a few different products. First off the This Works Deep Sleep Night Time, I couldnt find this particular set on the website but included is the pillow spray and the balm. I've tried the pillow spray before and wow its good, hopefully the balm will give the extra boost of Zzz's. As I was wandering the aisles of Boots the Sleep-in-a-Box really caught my eye. Its totally different to the This Works set as this focuses on things you can use before you even get under the covers, there's a bath float (that's bubble bath to you and me), oil for hair and body, body polish and a butter. They all smelly really good and I cant wait to try them out. 

I'm really like the subtle nail look at the moment so without even realising I picked up two very similar colours. One being the Rimmel Salon Pro (the polish of choice) in Oyster Pink and the other being You Just Wait from Sinful Colours. As I've already got a couple of MAC shadows I thought it would cheaper and more space efficient if I was to pick up the Pro Palette x4, I was tempted to go for the larger 15 pan option but that was asking for trouble! Lastly I picked up the Trevor Sorbie Frizz Free Repair Mask because I have the worlds biggest frizz ball that I like to call hair. It needs all the help it can get in the moisture department and anything promising to tame my unruly barnet is going in my basket! 

Wow, that was a long one! If you made it to the end I salute you. I do realise that every post of mine seems to be really long and I apologise but when my fingers start typing I cant control it! I hope you don't mind my long rambly post's, hopefully they're what makes you come back :) 

January...A Month of Firsts

January has been a great start to the year. I know most people look forward to getting January out of the way but for me I've loved - almost - every minute of it. Last month saw a number of first's for me so I thought I would share them all with you as well as throwing in a few of my favourite things of the month.

This month I....

• Wrote my first blog post! It was daunting, very daunting in fact to hit publish but when I finally did it, it felt really good. So far I'm loving blogging, I'm finding it a great outlet for getting everything on paper (well 2014 style!) and I love writing about things I have a passion for - mainly beauty related things!

• Ran my first Park Run.Training for my 10k is hard, mostly down to the fact that I never seem to have the time to get outside and when I do its bloody freezing but the Park Run on a Saturday morning really keeps me focused. I just need to get some longer runs in before 1st March! You can read about my first Park Run here.

• Have been on a spending ban. I love shopping as much as the next girl so opting for a spending ban in January seemed to only spell disaster but I was pleasantly surprised that I coped pretty well. Now I'm not saying I'd jump at the chance to do it again but with saving being my main aim this year I do think I need to cut down on my spending - bar today though as I had a major spend up! Watch out for that haul coming soon! 

Some of the things I've been loving this month are:

MAC Lipstick in Creme Cup - This has been my go to lipstick since I got this at Christmas. Its a great pinky nude that is prefect for adding a touch of colour. I've been wearing this nearly everyday for work as I tend to go for the more natural look. Its a Cremesheen finish, now I dont really know much about the different types of finishes but I do know that this feels really smooth on my lips and has a gorgeous vanilla scent that all the lipsticks seem to have. 

Garnier 5 Sec Perfect Blur - I've got primers coming out of my ears but this one is always the one I come back to. I love the way it glides on like air and leaves my skin feeling silky smooth. It gets in all those pesky pores and leaves a smooth canvas ready for the main man, foundation. Although I cant really talk about the effect it has on wrinkles, thankfully I don't have any yet, but I can only imagine the wondrous job it would do on them. The only negative about this is the packing. Even when I bought the product it seemed half full, you really had to give it a good squeeze for anything to come out. Its like its jam packed with air! Other than that and maybe the price - £12.00 - I think its a great primer that I'll come to repurchase in the future when its on offer. 

L'Oreal Telescopic Extra Black - This mascara does it all for me, lengthens, divides the lashes so they're not all clumpy and gives them extra colour. I've been wearing this nonstop since I got it just before Christmas, so much so the writing is fading off the tube, I'm definitely going to be getting another one of these very soon.

Roger and Gallet Fleur de Figuier - Back in the summer last year I received a sample of this in a beauty box, it was a brand that I've never heard of and probably wouldn't have looked twice if I saw it in the shop. But oh my, I'd been missing out, this is the most amazing scent, really floral and grown up I'd say. I'm awful as describing scents so the next time your in M & S (that's where Roger and Gallet is stocked) definitely have a sniff of this. Whilst your there take a sniff at everything else they do because let me tell you its all good.

Yankee Candle Christmas Cookie - Christmas is well and truly over but this doesn't mean the candles have to be put away, and especially not the Christmas ones! I got this and Merry Marshmallow as a gift and they smell amazing. Christmas Cookie has a sweet buttery scent which fills my whole room with vanilla yumminess. What's not to love! I dont like the idea of putting the candles away until next year as I'm not sure they will keep as I have started to burn them so I'm going to carry on the Christmas spirit until they are gone, which I think will be awhile as these things last so well! 

James Patterson Along Came a Spider - Before the world of Facebook, Twitter and blogs I loved reading. I'd stay up late trying to get through all the goods bits because I didn't want to put it down. Then it was just on holidays that I used to read, but still managed to get through 2/3 a week. So this year I'm making a conscious effort to get my reading list back up and I started with Along Came a Spider. I've read a few of James' books before but never any from the Alex Cross series so I'd do the right thing and start from the beginning. If you love detective, homicide stories this one will be right up your street. It's a real page turner with crime at every corner, and there's even a bit of romance in there too. I wont spoil it in case you do decide to read it (I urge you to!) but just when you think you know how its going to end it will all get turned upside down. 

So there you have it my January favourites if you will. I hope you liked hearing about the things I got up to and what I've been enjoying. If you have any books you think I should check out please let me know! 

Empties #1

January for me was all about using up old products. With it being a no spend month I thought it was the perfect opportunity to get rid of all the old, ready for all the new products I'm planning to get now it's all over! My first empties post is quite big as I have been at the end of a few things for a little while. So lets get into it...

Dove Essential Nourishing Lotion - This is a formula devised for dry skin, its supposed to give 10 days of hydration, what a very ambitious claim! I have to be honest and say that there is no way on this earth it gives your skin that amount of hydration. Its a great every day body moisturiser, but I did tent to use under my arms more than anything. It doesn't have too much of a smell about it and does sink into the skin nicely but I'm not sure I'd repurchase again as there are so many more available that I think do a better job.

Benefit That Girl Face Primer - Benefit products always have a place in my heart and this primer is  no different. Its really brightening, but not in the way that you look like a disco ball. It glides on really nicely and preps the face ready for foundation. On those days when I want a lazy no make up day, I always use this to perk up my skin. I've already purchased the full size version although it is taking a bit of a back seat thanks to the Garnier 5 Second Blur which is my go to primer at the moment. 

Benefit Hello Flawless Foundation - You didn't believe me when I said I liked Benefit products did you? This was my first high end foundation and its one I will keep going back to. This is the I'm so money, honey colour which I do think is a little dark for me so when I go back to repurchase I'll definitely look at the light shades to get the perfect colour. I would say this was a very build-able foundation and does a great job at masking blemishes and redness but in no way does it look dull. With the added SPF 25 its a great summer foundation. 

Sanex Dermo Repair Shower Cream - For me the thing I loved most about this shower cream was the smell. It's hard to put my finger on what it actually is, it just smells very clean. When I used this I always felt super clean and my skin felt nourished. This claims to help repair everyday minor everyday skin damage, which I cant tell too much as I think you'd have to use for quite some time before seeing any difference. Again as with the Dove lotion I'm not sure I would repurchase as I don't tend to be loyal to shower creams or gels as I usually go for whatever is on offer at the time. 

Maybelline Great Lash Waterproof - I have very fond memories of seeing this is my mums make-up bag as I was growing up although she went for the non-waterproof version with the lime green top. Because of that I purchased this a while back without knowing this would turn into a holy grail product for me. Yes you heard it right, I think this is amazing. Not for a top lash mascara as you might think, this is perfect for your bottom lashes! With the very small brush its easy to coat all the small lashes without turning into a panda. Reluctantly I added this to my empties container, but I knew it was the end as it was starting to smell. This will definitely be something I repurchase for years to come although I have been tempted by the Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara but the price tag is putting me off when I can get the Great Lash for £4.99. 

Cutex Moisture Guard Nail Polish Remover - Taking off nail polish is the bain of my life. I love having painted nails but I'm for ever removing it as I'm not allowed to wear it for my beauty course. Because of this i tend to go through polish remover like its going out of fashion. Cutex have a great range and I find this one really does make my nails a lot whiter and keeps them from breaking. I always have a back up of this under my sink. 

This Works Deep Calm Pillow Spray - As mentioned in my last Wishful Wednesday post I cant wait to repurchase this. I find it really helps me to switch off and drift away to the land of nod. I give my pillow a couple of squirts, let it soak it and then cuddle up. At £16.00, it is a slightly higher end product for me but I do feel it makes a big difference. I would like to try different products from the range, especially the candle. But for now I cant wait to get my hands on the full sized version. 

Anaatomicals Body Scrub - I received this in my first Love Me Beauty box a few months ago. It has a nice fruity smell and a very glupy gel formula. I did find that the scrubby bits were not as abrasive I usually like but it was good for everyday use. Using this before shaving my legs gave a really smooth finish. I love the quirkiness of Anatomical products but I don't think this particular product will make an appearance in my routine in the future. 

So there you have my first empties post, now I can finally get rid of the empty bottles! Have you tried any of the products I've mentioned?

Now the spending bad is over wahoo! I'm planning the shopping trip of all shopping trips so keep your eyes open for my first haul!