Week in photographs # 27

More graduation/congratulations cards, selling on ebay, sale buys, outfit of the day, rain!

My week has consisted of: sale shopping, visiting family, more graduation cards, rain, watching Bones and Wimbledon, selling on ebay and having no internet!

Well, lets start with the horrible events of the week - we had no internet from Wednesday night to Friday night! Apparently someone had stolen the talktalk/BT internet and phone cables so Manchester, Lancashire and parts of Yorkshire had no internet or phone services for a couple of days! Usually when the internet goes off, it comes back on within a few minutes which myself and my sister can live with but two days - we almost busted out the board games #living in the stone age

We have been watching Bones (gotta love a bit of Bones), Wimbledon, old re-runs of The Simpsons and the news for two days - it was torture. Although it made my write some reviews that needed to be done. Also I received some more graduation/congratulations cards this week from friends and neighbours which was nice but it is making me nervous - it is only 17 days until graduation! And I don't have a graduation outfit now as we have been told that we cannot wear dresses. 

Finally, sale shopping has been going on again this week - I bought four Ciate nail polishes today in the shades 'stiletto', 'pepperminty', 'Iced frappe' and 'red hot chili' all of which were only £4.50 each - how amazing is that! Wait, it gets better, I have a code for 30% off - code: MARIE30! So I bought four Ciate polishes (free delivery) for just under £13! I also got some amazing bargains from Organic Surge - they are having 75% off and you can get free delivery with the code: NEWDEL.

I hope everyone had a great week - oh and google friend connect might be going tomorrow so if you want to keep in touch and follow my blog then you can via Bloglovin' x

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Review: Clinique 7 Day Facial Scrub

Just another quick skincare product review - this is one of my fairly recent empties products but I think it deserves its own blog post because I am so impressed with it and I am going to re-purchase. 

I received this product as part of a free gift with purchase at Debenhams and I really don't think too much of free gifts with purchases on the whole but I ended up LOVING this product! 

It is a facial scrub from Clinique and I have tried Clinique skincare before and I have been fairly impressed with it (the three step range). The scrub is an off white colour, it has a lot of fine grains - it is not like the bead scrubs where they are mostly face wash, this product is all scrub! The grains/texture of the product is fairly abrasive but it is fine grained too so it is not that harsh, in my opinion.

I used this product about once a week (you shouldn't use it more than that as face scrubs can be harsh and damaging if you use them too often or incorrectly). I use a pea sized amount and gently massage it into damp/wet skin. The scrub really exfoliates and gives my skin a good ol' scrub. The scrub doesn't irritate my skin and it leaves my skin looking and feeling so smooth, soft and lovely - it also makes my skin texture feel more even. 

Overall, I LOVE this product. I find it has enough abrasiveness to really exfoliate and smooth the skin but it is not too harsh or stripping for my skin. I would definitely recommend this product to anyone, although if you have really sensitive skin I think it would probably be too harsh. x

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A Night of Confessions

I have seen this on Twitter and some posts - it is where you reveal 20 of your secret confessions - although if you are planning to rob a bank or have put your pets in the washing machine, probably best not to mention that! These are just 20 secret confessions about yourself, for a laugh only! I saw this first on Charlotte Havs blog (link here) and I thought it would be fun to do. Also I have had quite a few new followers recently, so it is a king of getting to know me post too. The number of confession is 20 but I am only going to do 10 as it can get a bit long. 

1. I HATE Britians got talent, The Voice and X Factor! 

2. I eat pasta, soup, takeaway, noodles and sandwiches for breakfast

3. I LOVE europop and Eurovision (dying of shame)

4. I was absolutely terrified at York Dungeons (a scary tourist attraction) that my younger sister wasn't even scared of!

5. I hate buses and public transport in general, I get a bit nervous when I have to go on a bus - especially when I haven't been on that route before

6. The longest I have gone without washing my hair is 6 days (awful I know, but washing the hair isn't good for it - and Tim Minchin doesn't wash his hair for 2 weeks at a time)...I am making up excuses now, ha ha

7. Even though I am a vegetarian, and I have been for 9 years now and I don't think I will ever eat meat/fish, I do like the smell of bacon 

8. I tidy my room, mainly, by shoving things in drawers and leaving them there

9. Writing lists and then ticking things off when I have only done half a job...oops *I am a master of procrastination, oh look a squirrel*

10. And the final confession, I keep some makeup far longer than I should - I have a few palettes in my collection from Dior that are 4/5 years old!

If you would like to do this tag style post then create a blog post and leave the link in the comments or just write your confession in the comments too x

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Review: Caudalie Beauty Elixir

I put off buying this product for such a long time but I did eventually buy it and...I LOVE it! I used this up fully a couple of weeks ago and I am going to put it in a empties blog post but this product is so good it had to have a post dedicated to it.

Firstly, what is this product? It is a glorified water spray, like the Avene and Vichy sprays. They are multipurpose, designed to be used as a refreshing facial water spray, a toner and a makeup setting spray. I use it for all three purposes and it is great at all three.

Refreshing water spray: I took this product on holiday with me last year and it was really useful. We went on a cruise holiday with Royal Caribbean and we went to Italy, Corsica, Sardinia and Spain - so it was quite hot. This product came in so useful on holiday, it has an instant cooling effect on the skin which lasts for a while which was great. It is great for refreshing the skin!

Toner: I also use it as a toner, but sparingly, as it is fairly expensive. I spray it onto a cotton pad and then sweep it over the face and neck. It again has an instant cooling effect and the skin just feels clean and refreshed but not dry or irritated which is fantastic!

Makeup setting spray: This product works really well as a makeup setting spray - it refreshed old makeup and it is great as a final setting spray to stop makeup looking caky or powdery. It also makes the skin glowing and radiant - I don't know how it makes my skin look so radiant (but not shiny or oily) - it is amazing!

Overall, it is an expensive product but it works so well, the packaging is great, it doesn't irritate my dry/sensitive skin and it makes my skin look great! Also because it is multipurpose I can justify the price tag - I am definitely going to repurchase soon! x

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Random Buys!

Here is just a couple of random accessories/makeup/footwear buys from the last few weeks - from Primark and Amazon.

1. Primark Studded Pumps (£6/8): I can't remember exactly how much these shoes were - they were either £6 or £8, I think they were £6. They are my sisters are they look like my far more expensive Zara studded pumps/flats. My Zara shoes were about £25 and these are obviously cheaper - they do look very similar from a distance but these Primark ones have studs and sparkly flat embellishments too. 

2. Primark Aztec Printed Snood (£4): I love Primark for their cheap scarves and snoods especially. This one feels quite expensive, it is made from a really soft/smooth/comfy material and it it quite heavy and well made. It falls really nicely and because it is a neutral light grey colour, it goes with a lot of outfits. 

3. Primark RayBan Style Sunglasses (£1): I picked these up because 1. they look great and 2. they were only £1 - how could I not get them?! The lenses/frame is a lot smaller than most primark sunglasses which tend to be massive and just don't look right on me. These are great though - you can see what they look like on, on my OOTD post (link here). 

4. Bourjois Radiance Healthy Mix Foundation (£9.99): I bought this from Amazon UK in the lightest shade '51 light vanilla'. I love Bourjois foundations on the whole - I LOVE their brush on foundation which I can't find anymore. I have only tried this foundation a couple of times and so far I am not impressed - sure it gives good coverage, the shade is great and it doesn't irritate my skin. But for me this foundation is not radiant or glowy or hydrating - I find this emphasises dryness and it doesn't make my skin look hydrated or glowing or radiant which is quite disappointing. Full review will be posted when I have tried it out more. 

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Week in photographs # 26

My week has consisted of: apps, comfort food, slacking on exercising, lots of sale shopping, getting a First for my degree and being ill. 

Well, it has been on interesting week - I will start with the main thing which is... I got a First for my Psychology (Bsc, Hons) degree! I am really happy! I got my result on Tuesday this week and I was so nervous leading up to the day. If you don't know, there are different grades for degrees such as 2:3, 2:2, 2:1 and a First - a First is the highest you can get. I received a couple of balloons and a bottle of champagne and a card from my parents. My friends/neighbours also got me a card and a bottle of Rose wine. I also received a cute money box saying 'shoe fund' from my auntie with some money. I am a very happy heather! 

Also this week I have been ill - I have had a horrible cold (which I still have) and a viral throat infection - typical that I had it when it was results day! So I have been slacking on my Jillian Michaels 30 day shred but I have been ill (that's my excuse). I have been comfort eating too (naughty, naughty, I know). The main thing I have been loving, apart from cheesy pasta, is the new Ben and Jerrys Core Peanut Butter Me Up Ice Cream - LOVE IT! It is half vanilla, half peanut butter ice cream with raspberry jam and peanut butter caps *heaven*. 

Sale shopping has taken up a lot of my week too - almost everywhere is having a start of summer/mid season sale on. I have bought some bits from H&M, The Body Shop, Topshop and House of Fraser as you can see from the photographs above. The blue H&M nail polish is called 'Blue My Mind' and I think it is a dupe for Nails Inc 'Baker Street'. There will be some sale haul posts coming soon from Zara, The Body Shop, House of Fraser and maybe Etsy. Oh and I also won a Glamour Magazine competition this week - I won the Sleek Oh So Special Eyeshadow Palette, love it. Get on the House of Fraser, Debenhams or Harrods websites for amazing makeup/beauty sales!

My favourite things this week: The photograph app from A Beautiful Mess (I highly recommend the app and their website/blog). I also love the Dumb Ways To Die app too. My favourite song of the week has to be 'Diana Young' from Vampire Weekend - I cannot stop listening to it! My favourite tv shows this week have been: The White Queen (bbc), Da Vinci's Demons, Benidorm (available on youtube) and The Simpsons! Favourite book this week - Miranda Hart, is it just me? - highly recommend it!

I hope everyone had a great week and don't forget to enter my international giveaway - it ends soon! x

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HQHair Sale Haul!

About a week ago I was browsing Hqhair, love that site, and I came across their 70% off sale so naturally I had to have a look! I found some incredible bargains, I really had to restrain myself - even so I bought six things from Caudalie, Burts Bees, KMS, Loreal, Essie and Anatomicals. The day after I bought these things, they were gone from the site, along with other amazing cheap products unfortunately. 

The first three items I bought were from Anatomicals, Loreal and KMS California. I have heard a lot of good things about the Anatomicals The Holy Grail For The Deathly Pale Self Tan (phew) and as it was only £3.45 - I had to try it. As the weather in the UK is really nice and sunny now, finally, I wanted to try some self tanners and gradual tanners so I will report back when I have tried this. Next I bought the Loreal Nutrigloss Shine Cream Conditioner which was super cheap at only £1.85 for 250ml. I also bought a hair care set from KMS California from the FreeShape range. I have tried the kms freeshape blow dry spray and the freeshape hot flex spray (both of which I love) and I really wanted to try the matching products. This set contains the shampoo, deep conditioner and the hot flex creme. The best thing about it, the price, it was only £5.05 (strange price I know) but it should have been around £15. 

The final three items I bought are from Burts bees, Essie and Caudalie. Firstly, Estee from Essie button (love her) mentioned the Burts Bees honey & shea body scrub in one of her videos and when I saw that it was on sale for £3.85 I thought I would try it as I love most things recommended by Estee. But now that I have it, I am not too keen on the scent - it smells very strange! Next up is a nail polish from Essie called 'love & acceptance' and I freakin' LOVE this shade! It is a gorgeous mix between a dove grey and lilac which I would not have picked up if not for the super cheap price of £2.95 - yes, £2.95 for a full size Essie polish. Finally, a fragrance (50ml) and shower gel set from Caudalie. I have been eyeing up these sets for a while and as this was on sale for only £7.80 and the RRP is around £29 I added it to my basket immediately. The scent is the 'fleur de vigne' scent which is super fresh, light and very refreshing/uplifting and I love it - although it only lasts for about two hours on me. Review coming soon for some of the products in this haul. 

Hope you like this haul, unfortunately these items are not at the sale prices anymore as far as I know but the start of summer sales are beginning now so hopefully there will be some more bargains x

Check out the Caudalie competition on Bathandunwind - click here.

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Primark Haul # 3

Here is the third and final part of my primark haul - you can see the first part here and the second part here. This post is all about primark accessories and also an Essie nail polish in the shade 'love & acceptance'.

 1. Primark Hen Door Stop (£2, sale): We went to Primark in Manchester last week or so and in the home wear section there were a few sale sections. One of which was a door stop sale stand, there were cupcake, lips, moustache and hen door stops. We bought the hen door stop, it is so cute and it was only £2. Although it is quite heavy so if you are going to get one, I would leave primark to the end of the shopping trip!

2. Primark Accessories Hanger: My mum bought this for me, I have seen a few youtubers etc buying this as well. It can be used to hang jewellery and belts on in your wardrobe/closet. I can't remember how much it was but it was no more than £3.50.

3. Primark Coffee Mug: I have seen a few of these on primark youtube hauls and they look great. Everyone seems to have the moustache one but I really like this one. It was only £2.50 - although you can't travel with it because it doesn't seal but it is nice anyway.

4. Primark Hair Clips (£1.50): Love these hair grips, especially the big ones - I use them to keep my hair off my hair when I am doing my makeup. Although as they are plastic and from Primark, they can break fairly easily but they are only £1.50.

Also I wanted to show my new favourite nail polish, it is Essie's Love & Acceptance. The shade is a gorgeous dove grey with purple undertones. It is opaque with two thick coats and it looks great! I bought this polish from Hqhair - haul coming soon x

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Primark and Monki Haul # 2

Here is the second part of my Primark and Monki haul which contains clothing from the past week or so. They will all probably still be in stock, hopefully. I love the new stock in Primark, so if you can get to a Primark - go! Also Monki are having a good sale online.

1. Primark Batman Raglan Top (£6): I have loved batman films and the cartoon since I was a child, very girly I know so when I saw this top I loved it immediately. Firstly, I like the batman design, secondly it is a raglan top which I love and thirdly, it doesn't look like a Primark top. LOVE IT and it was only £6, bargain.

2. Monki Bright Pink Top (£3, sale): I bought this from Monki online as the nearest store to me is in London. I have a few of these plain tops from Monki and they are super soft, they fit nicely and they are great quality. I don't usually wear brights, so this is a bit out of my comfort zone but I really like it.

3. Primark White Summer Dress (£5): Here is one of my sisters Primark buys. There were a few of these dresses in different colours - green, purple, red, pink - they look great and they are super cheap. The white is the most wearable, in my opinion and it will look great on holiday. It is lightweight, soft and it has a waist tie. Crochet like design on the top half of the dress so you may want to wear a cami under it. I think I am going to get the purple or pink one...

Only one more post in this mini haul series to go and the next one contains home wear and bits and pieces from other stores x

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Week in photographs #25

Throw back Thursday, Pinterest, Next months magazine freebies, Healthy eating (ish), Shoe collection, Lots of empties to review!

My week has consisted of: healthy eating & fitness, sorting out my shoe collection, photographing & reviewing empties, being ill and fathers day.

Firstly, healthy eating, myself and my sister have been doing the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred and eating healthy as a general lifestyle change - and because we have a lot of parties, events and our holiday in the next couple of months! I have been loving Sofrito pasta, salad sandwiches, healthy low fat muffins and the Innocent smoothie in the strawberry and banana flavour. I would definitely recommend the DVD, although my ankles have been paying the price, I may have to invest in some running trainers. Although myself and my sister have been struck with a cold for the past few days so we haven't been sticking to the fitness dvd.

Also I have been sorting out my shoe collection and wardrobe generally, a kind of late spring clean - well I like to going through all of my wardrobe every couple of months to rearrange and refresh the clothes/shoes/accessories I have. This week has also been spent photographing and reviewing lots and lots of empty products - there will be a few empties posts over the next couple of weeks.

Finally, today is Fathers day in the UK and we haven't really been up to much but on Tuesday I get my final overall degree result - very nervous and I can't wait. Also stay tuned because on Friday I will be posting a very exciting international giveaway in collaboration with The Skin Regime for my followers!

I hope everyone had a great week x

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Birch Box: June UK

I received my June Birch box earlier today and it arrived in a bright yellow box - I think they have redesigned the boxes and their website - so many changes, I wish they would just leave it alone. It has been Boudoir Prieve, then Jolie Box, Birch box and now they have redesigned it! Anyway, here is what I received.

1. Noble Isle Willow Song Lavenham Walk Bath & Shower Gel (30ml): I have tried a shower gel from Noble Isle before and it smelled divine and this one does as well. It smells really sweet, floral and refreshing - love the scent! This is the best product in the box for me, along with the nail polish. 

2. Color Club Nail Lacquer 'Mod in Manhatten' (7ml): I really like this shade - the nail polish on my nails in the photograph above is NOT the one in the bottle. The shade I am wearing is from Ciate (cookies and cream) but it is similar to 'mod in manhatten'.

3. Beauty Protector Leave in Conditioner: I HATE the packaging and the scent of this product - it smells like rubber/plastic. I haven't tried it properly yet but I do not have high hopes for this product. 

4. Model Co Black Eye Pencil: I received this as a magazine freebie this month from Glamour so I do not need another one so this was a bit disappointing. 

5. Coola Classic Face Sunscreen spf 30 (7ml): Not a big sample but I will try this, I might take it on holiday with me in August - hopefully it wont irritate my skin. 


Also you may be able to see a mint green package in the box above and I didn't know what it was but it must have been an extra gift - it was another Color Club nail polish in the same shade as the one I already received which is a bit disappointing. Overall, not a great box but it wasn't awful either, in my opinion. 

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Primark and Monki Haul #1

We went to Primark in Manchester at the weekend and myself and my sister bought quite a few things - the new stock in Primark is gorgeous, I could have bought a lot more clothes, bags and home wear but I restrained myself and only bought some tops, sweaters, pjs' and home wear bits... There are also a couple of items from Monki in this mini haul series. This is the first part, there will be a couple more just so the posts are not really long - excuse the weird poses, I am not too comfortable in front of the camera. 

1. Primark Light French Sweater (£8): I saw this in the Bury Primark a few weeks ago and I really wanted it but I finally bought it at the weekend and I LOVE it. I will buy any top if it has stripes on like this, I can't help myself and the stripes combined with a cute French design - I had to buy it. The knit is really light and super soft so I can still wear it during summer and into autumn - and layered during winter. Jeans from Dorothy Perkins - petite skinny and shoes from La Redoute.

2. Monki Sale Knit Top (£5, sale): I saw Estee from Essie Button wearing this in her first Copenhagen vlog and I loved it (I love most things from Monki) but when I saw that it was reduced from £35 to £5 in the sale I bought it immediately! I love the design, colour and over sized fit - I bought an XS and it is still pretty big so you need to read the measurements carefully with Monki clothing. Boots from La Redoute and prescription glasses from Firmoo.

3. Primark Breton Striped Top (£6): As I said before, I can't resist stripes and I really like this top. The material feels smooth and soft, love the stripes and this top also has some silver jewel embellishments on the shoulders which I like - although they will probably all come off after one wash. Jeans from Dorothy Perkins and wedges from Dorothy Perkins.

Hope you like this haul, happy shopping and stay tuned for the second and third parts of this mini series x

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Week in photographs #24

OOTD, well saturday

Magazine Freebies!

Sunshine, Party outfit, HQhair buys, Working out old school (oh gosh, my legs match the white of my Converse!)

Daisies, Manchester, Vegetarian pasta, Boots

My week has consisted of: shopping (yes, again, I know I have a problem), cooking, party pictures, sunshine, magazine freebies, waiting for uni results and watching rugby.

First, shopping, you can see my outfit from Saturday above. My shirt is from Topshop, cami from Primark, jeans from Dorothy Perkins, shoes from La Redoute and my bag is from Newlook. The weather in the UK has been gorgeous recently - blue skies and sunshine!

We went shopping to Manchester on Saturday and we went to Topshop (no sale section in store which was disappointing) and Primark (I spent far too much in that shop). The new Primark in Manchester is fantastic, so much bigger so you don't end up being trampled by everyone! I bought a few tops, sweaters and home wear. Hauls from Primark, Monki and Hqhair coming soon so stay tuned. Also magazine freebies this month have been amazing, most magazines in the UK have freebies in them this month - including Ciate nail polishes, Model co makeup, Rodial body products, the new Elemis primer and more!

Just a quick fitness update, after doing the Jillian Michaels 30 day shed for about 10 days myself and my sister feel a lot fitter and healthier - it is a great dvd and I definitely recommend it. We stuck to workout one for a week and now we are on workout two and loving the initial results! We have also been eating a lot more healthy food such as passata, samphire and vegetarian sausage linguine (love it). We also love Sofrito pasta too - if you would like to see more recipes, particularly healthy vegetarian recipes just leave a comment below.

Also I have re-designed my blog this week too - I love the way it looks! I took a little while and a couple of coffees but I am really pleased with it. If you would like an interactive header or an interactive info section then message me at: heathernixon4@gmail.com and I will see what I can do - only £5 for a header or info section and if you don't like the design you don't pay!

I hope everyone had a great week x

*Update* Apparently Google friend connect (GFC) is NOT going!

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Magazine Freebies: July Editions

This month there have been some pretty amazing magazine freebies here in the UK! With most magazines having some kind of freebie included. 

I picked up Glamour magazine, as I usually do, and it contained a Model Co black eyeliner (which has a pencil sharpener on one end). There are a couple of lip glosses and a mascara I think as well to collect. I have heard of this brand but I have never bought anything from them. There were a couple of sachet samples in this magazine too. And it looks like next months Glamour freebies are going to be even better with some Balance Me body care products!

I also picked up Marie Claire as it has a mini Ciate Caviar nail polish duo included which is just amazing! The nail polish is called 'cookies and cream' which is a gorgeous nude taupe shade and the caviar beads are called 'shooting star' which are a mix of gold and pearl beads. I have tried the Ciate caviar duos before, I received a set for christmas and I like the effect but the longevity and wear is really poor but it was great for an evening. There were a couple of sachet samples too - there was a Loreal everriche shampoo sachet, a Garnier bb cream sample and a John frieda blonde sachet duo with these two magazines.

Also with Elle UK there is a free Rodial Brazilian Tan bottle in Dark, Light and Clear to choose from - there was only Dark and Clear when I looked so I will have to keep searching for the Light shade. With  Instyle there is a free Neals Yard moisturiser. And an exciting free with Red magazine is a free sample of the new Elemis pro radiance flash balm which I will have to get - with Red magazine next month there is going to be a REN skincare trio apparently, very exciting! And finally with Traveller magazine (never heard of it) there is a free Neom hand cream which again I will have to get my hands on!


I hope this post was useful and stay tuned for my week in photographs post later today! x

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Tag: 13 Personal Questions!

I was tagged by Georgia from Beauty Inside Art to do this tag about a week or so ago and it looked fun - so here is my version! Now here are a few pictures of ME - so vain, I know! 

1. What do you order at Starbucks? 

I only really buy Starbucks during winter/Christmas time and I always get the gingerbread latte (heaven!). Although I love coffee more now, especially iced coffee, so I will have to go in Starbucks soon to see what they have for summer!

2. What is the one thing in your closet that you cannot live without?

That is a difficult question as I love a lot of things from jumpers and skater dresses to skinny jeans and jackets but I would have to go with my Dorothy Perkins Skinny Petite Jeans - they hold their shape really well and they are super cheap!

3. What is the one thing that most people don't know about you?

Errmm...I am a vegetarian, I wear contact lenses and I adore husky puppies...well that's three things...

4. What is the one thing you want to do before you die?

Speak fluent Italian...or live in America!

5. What is the one food you can't live without?

PASTA! I adore pasta and I have done since I was a baby! But I do love noodles, pizza, pancakes, cheese, bagels and french baguette too!

6. What is the one quote you live your life by?

I don't really know, I don't really have one. Just live your life to its fullest and be yourself!

7. What do you like/dislike about the blogging community?

I LOVE all of the positive, lovely comments on my blog posts and all of my followers - it makes me really genuinely happy that people like my blog and what I write! Although I do not like the 'follow for a follow' type comments - if you like my blog and posts then follow if you want, if you don't then look at another blog. 

8. What is your number one song on your ipod?

I love music so I have a lot of songs that I would say are my number one songs but recently I have been loving two new songs from Fall Out Boy - 'the phoenix' and 'young volancoes'. Check them out on youtube!

9. What kind of style would you describe yourself as having?

I don't know, I like simple classic basic clothing - a kind of Scandinavia simple approach to clothing. But I love French style, it is so chic and sophisticated so I am trying to incorporate that into my wardrobe. 

10. Favourite number?

15, as I was born on the 15th of August. 

11. Two hobbies?

Singing - I LOVE to sing and shopping - if that counts!

12. Two Pet Peeves?

People who are fake and who let down their friends and commitments. And people who play their music really loud on public transport or in their car.

13. Your guilty pleasure?

I would have to say...euro pop and eurovision. I love it and I have watched it nearly all of my life really. I love it because it is quite cheesy, very kitsch and unusual - and very catchy! *Cringe, I know*

There are my 13 personal questions answered, embarrassing I know, but if you want to do this tag then leave a link to your blog post below or leave a comment with your 13 answers! x

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Makeup Collection: Liner & Mascara!

Here is the final part of my makeup collection (I think) and it is my mascaras, cream eyeshadow sticks, brow products and eyeliners (gel, liquid, kohl and pencil). Enjoy!

Mascara: My mascara collection is not very big as I don't wear it all of the time and I only buy waterproof mascara if I can. Although my favourite mascara is not waterproof, it is the Yves rocher sexy plump mascara which I adore! If I could only ever have one mascara it would be that beauty! I also have the Clinique High Impact Waterproof mascara which I do not like (and I haven't had it for very long, for me anyway, and the writing it nearly completely worn off). 

Eyeshadow sticks: I have a few eyeshadow stick type products as I like the efficiency of them but they can crease on me very quickly. But I do love the Kiko long lasting stick eyeshadow and the Laura mercier caviar stick (LOVE). But there are one that crease badly on me such as the Barry M eyeshadow pencil. 

Pencil liners: I have quite a lot of eyeliners, I don't know why I keep buying them! My favourite eyeliners include: Illamasqua fat pencil in the shade Fickle - it is gorgeous on the lower lash line. I also love the Rimmel scandaleyes pencil in the shade Taupe which is also gorgeous on the lash lines to define the eyes naturally. I also like the Eyeko, Urban Decay and Dior liners too. Also I find the Pixi liners to be amazing, especially the pigmentation and creaminess.  

Eyeliners: I have a couple of gel liners, including the clinique brush on cream liner and that one has to be my favourite - I have had it for longer than I probably should and it has not dried out! Love it. In terms of liquid liner I did really like the Max Factor glide and define liner but it has run out. I do like the ELF liquid liners though and they are super cheap. 

Brow products: I love to define my brows and I have a few brow pencils and gels. I love the Tweezerman browmousse but it ran out a while ago and I love been trying out alternatives as the Tweezerman one is around £10. The Gosh brow gel is quite good. As for pencils, I love the MAC brow pencil in the shade 'lingering' for my dark brown ashy brows and I also like the Gosh brow pen/marker too. 

That is the final part of my makeup collection, there have been a few new additions since I published these blog posts (oops!). To see the other makeup collection blog posts just use the search bar on the right hand side of the page! x

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Review: *The Skin Regime Book

Here is something a bit different, I have never written a book review before but I was kindly sent this book for review by Dana Ramos, the author of the book and skin care boot camp regime. Even though this book was sent for review, my opinions are honest and my own. 

The book was created by Dana Ramos, it was published in 2012 and it contains all kinds of information on skincare - from how to spot products that wont work, maintaining the skin and how to get good skin simply and fairly cheaply. Although I feel like I need to add a little note here before the review - if you have a range of skincare products, natural or not, that work for you then keep using them! 

The introduction of the book focuses on the fallacies made by skincare and cosmetics companies about some of their products generally - as companies can make claims that are not met or are unattainable but we buy them anyway. I think this is a good point but again as I said before, if certain products work for you then keep on using them - what works for one person may not work for another. Dana makes some great points about how natural skincare is not always great for your skin - my skin for example does not usually like natural product because of my eczema (eg: liz earle cleanse and polish) but everyone is different. Also she suggests just looking at your face/skin in natural sunlight to actually see your skin and what is good/bad about it which I think is a great idea, we can't kid ourselves about our skin. The book also makes points about diet, healthy eating and drinking water to help promote healthy skin which is the main way really of making your skin look better as the surface layers of skin cells are dead anyway - it is the cells deeper in the skin that make the difference in the long term.

The book is an accompaniment to the skin regime which I am not using because I have eczema that comes and goes but it can be fairly bad - also people with severe acne or rosacea should see a dermatologist first. Although the book is an interesting read without the skin regime, however the book does promote the skin regime created by the author and others. The book features Dana's skin story, it also has skincare tips and advice - as well as a great section on makeup! The section about makeup (which is split up into types of products such as foundation and eyebrows) and the section about dark circles is great. I personally really like the common sense approach, tips, all over skincare (body) and makeup section of this book!

I would recommend this book, particularly with the skin regime as that is what the book is about on the whole only if you think it would work for your skin. Although use your own judgement and expert advice when it comes to skincare as everyone is different. Check out Dana's skin regime website - click here. I hope this review was helpful, if you have any questions feel free to email me at: heathernixon4@gmail.com. 

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Week in photographs #22/23

Me! |  Myself and my sister |  Blue Nails  |  1940's Weekend

Primark buys & Harry Potter |  Me again |  Pink Nails | Party Outfit!

Selfridges Food | Primark in Selfridges! |  Food Hall | Loving the pink nails again |  New Buys!

Flowers | Healthy Eating | Fitness | Ojon Buys!

Medieval Turton Tower | 1940's Motorbike | Turton Tower | Men with Guns!

My week, well two weeks, has consisted of: online shopping & deliveries, healthy eating, exercise, Trafford Centre, New nail polishes, 21st birthday parties, my dads birthday and a 1940's day!

This week there have been three birthdays - two of my friends turned 21 this week and it is my dads birthday today! For my friends 21st birthday party I wore my Asos polka dot skater dress and you can see my outfit, makeup and getting ready routine in the previous post (link here). Also for my dads birthday today, myself, parents, sister and auntie went to a 1940's day at Turton - never been here before but it was great! There were a lot of men in army clothing from the time, German, French, British and American uniforms and there were women dressed in gorgeous 1940's dresses! We looked around the medieval Turton Tower and we watched the (very loud) gun firing display. 

This week has also consisted on shopping - we went to the Trafford Centre again yesterday and I bought a few goodies from the Selfridges food hall. I bought some coffee chocolate, Reeces peanut butter cups and a present for my dad. I also received some deliveries this week from cheapsmells.co.uk, Debenhams and Ojon. The Colony Mediterranean Orange tea lights smell incredible! From Ojon, I bought a mini shampoo and I had a code for a free 30ml bottle of their new conditioner/treatment (code: blend1) but the code might not work now. 

Overall, it has been a busy week with birthdays, shopping, deliveries and lots of exercise! If you are wondering why this is a long post, I have combined last week and this week in one. I hope everyone had a great week! x

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Get Ready With Me

Here is my outfit of the evening (OOTE) and my get ready with my style video - I have never done anything like this before so bear with me! To make the videos play again I think you just have to click them or just refresh this web page. There shouldn't be any sound but if there is just mute the volume on the video. It was my friends 21st birthday this evening so I thought I would make this post showing my outfit and me getting ready (for the very few people that might be interested!). Hope you enjoy - leave your comment below!

Sorry for the super creepy face! Step One: Hair! Sorry about the videos playing at once - we used Vine and it is my first time using it! So for my hair I used my KMS Free Shape Blow dry Spray before I blow dried my hair and it seriously cut down the time it took to dry my hair - and I have a lot of hair! Then I used my KMS Free shape heat activated spray thing to keep my heated hair style in place (it is a heat activated styling spray that is supposed to keep your style the same for longer). I love the Babylis Big Hair, I use it to finally dry my hair and shape it so that it doesn't look as frizzy. I straightened my hair after this, you only have 30 seconds of time for each Vine video. 

 

Step two: Makeup! I have been using the same products for a while and the Laura Mercier lip glace and the Cosmopolitan sponge are definitely part of my May favourites! Firstly, primer, I love the Body Shop moisturise it primer - it keeps my makeup looking fresher for longer. Then foundation and I had to search through all of my foundations to find one that didn't have spf as I knew I was going to have my photograph taken. Like the foundation although it isn't great coverage for me. Brows, I always do my brows it is a step in my makeup routine that is essential. Then shadow, contour, eyebrow gel, curling lashes, mascara and lip gloss. I ran out of time on the Vine video for the footage of my gel liner application. 

 

Step three: Clothing! I didn't know what to wear (as usual) but I went for my navy and white polka dot skater dress from Asos Petite - size 6 and I LOVE it! I added my debenhams black heels, Newlook Brown satchel and my favourite perfume of the moment - YSL Parisienne. 

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