Beauty Junky Purifying Cucumber Peel-Off Gel Mask

So as I’ve probably mentioned in a few of my other posts, my skin is shocking at the moment! I’ve been having a spot outbreak for the past couple of months. Going from pretty good skin to breakout central has been hard work and frankly a little traumatising. I know that sounds dramatic, but it’s just such a pain!

However it has opened up a whole new realm of beauty products for me which I thought I would share with you. The first being Beauty Junky Purifying Cucumber Peel-Off Gel Mask which is a face mask for problem skin.

I firstly removed all my make up as usual and used a face wash, whilst my skin was still damp I applied a thin layer of the gel across my face. The gel smells so lovely and fresh. I applied the mask whilst having a long sock in the tub as it recommends you leave it on for 15 minutes.

When I removed the mask, my skin felt so lovely and soft and I think it reduced the redness of my spots. I am definitely going to use this mask again. I think with my usual skin routine and using this face mask once a week, I am hoping my skin will improve!

Do you suffer from break outs? What products would you recommend?

Seventeen Rock Hard Couture Nail Effects in Bijoux Baby

 

This is the coolest nail varnish I’ve tried in a while. Bijous Baby is a gorgeous pink shade with a gold glitter in it. I picked it up in a bit of a rush around Boots the other week, as I thought it was a cool girly shade with a bit of an edge. What I didn’t realise at the time was that it was a textured polish! However this just added to my love for it, I think the end result has a bit of girly rock chick glamour about it, what do you think?

Lush Amondopondo Bubble Bar

 

 

I’m not a huge fan of bath bombs, they just turn your bath water a funky colour so I’ve never really understood their appeal! However my discovery of Lush’s Bubble Bars has been a revelation to me! I am a huge fan of Bubbles, the inner child in me squeals with glee at the thought of a good old bubble bath. The more bubbles the better!

I am slowly working my way through Lush’s Bubble Bar offerings and the latest one I’ve tried is the Amondopondo Bubble Bar. It’s a pretty, white, round bar with a dried purple rose in the centre. On first look you may assume it’s going to be very floral scented. I am not a fan of overpowering floral smells, it reminds me of granny’s! Don’t worry, this bar smelt like gorgeous jasmine and lavender scent and is just lovely. It’s a very therapeutic and relaxing scent.

In terms of bubbles, you only need to crumble a small amount of the bar into bath water to create a ton of bubbles! Therefore the bubbles can last a few baths, so good value for money! I will definitely be using the Bubble Bar again.

Do you use any of Lush’s bath products? What do you recommend?

 

 

 

 

Motivational Monday #34

This quote really made me think. The majority of us can be guilty of getting caught up in our lives we forget what’s important. We forget the little things, and most importantly we forget to stop and appreciate everything.

This week I aim to stop for a few minutes each day and take the time to be grateful for the little things in my life. I don’t want to take anything for granted, life’s too short.

Happy Monday!

A Bit of Bling!*

 

I am a complete magpie when it comes to any form of jewellery! I Love a bit of bling, especially at this time of year. We are rolling head first into the party season and I’ve been on the hunt for some fab jewellery to go with all the outfits I have lined up!

I’ve recently been sent these gorgeous earrings from the lovely people over at ‘The Jewel Addict’, if you’ve not checked out their website you must! EVERYTHING is £5 and they have the most amazing earrings and necklaces!

 

 

This pair is called ‘Island Sunset Earrings’, they are really fun and look awesome dressed up and dressed down. I think their name is perfect! I’ve worn them to work a few times this week and I’ve had some great complements!

 

 

The second pair I received, which is my favourite are the ‘Mulberry Buzz Earrings’. They are very 20’s style and kind of tacky but tasteful! They really suit the ‘Gatsby’ trend that’s currently happening and I personally can’t wait to wear them out with my little black dress to a few Christmas Parties!

 

P.S I have my eyes on these Necklaces for pay day for some pressies for a few of my girl friends. I think they look so much more expensive than they are!



The Skint Diaries #3

 

5 sleeps till pay day... Yes it has got that bad, I am counting down the day! However I have a terrible feeling December is going to be very much like November and I am becoming a permanent resident of skintsville! By the time I’ve paid rent and bills, put a little aside for Thailand in January, purchased Christmas pressies and paid for the few xmas shindigs I hope to attend, I’m sure I will be back to square one pretty quickly!

Anyhow, back to this week! Well it’s been a very busy one, so I’ve not had much time to be creative and find new ways to earn a few pennies. However my eBay selling has gone well this week, I’ve made £60! I’m planning on sticking a ton of DVD’s on there tomorrow and I’m debating whether to sell my Cambridge satchel.

I’ve also taken on a new job, doing respite care for a friend’s foster child most Saturdays. I wasn’t sure whether to do this as I already juggle two jobs during the week so my weekends are pretty sacred to me. They are spent with friends, family and doing a little blogging. However a girls go to eat, eh?! Or in my case support my beauty product addiction!

In terms of spending I have been pretty good, I have only bought food and petrol, so the necessities. I have only had one blip, ummm.... I may have purchased a ticket to see McBusted next year! I really want to feel bad about this but I am way to flipping excited! It’s my two favourite bands from my teen years joining forces! I am completely fan girling over this! Is 27 too old to be acting like this?!

The result however is that this weekend apart from work I shall be housebound to avoid any other spending! However a Saturday night in watching the Dr Who special followed by some X Factor is pretty exciting to me!

 

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer

 

 Ok so ill put my hands up now and admit that I’ve never used a primer before. I just never really got the purpose of it and thought it was an added cost that I didn’t need to spend.

So when I received a Laura Mercier Foundation Primer in my October Birchbox, I was a little bit ‘meh’ about it. However the whole concept of beauty boxes is to try out different products you wouldn’t normally use, so I decided to give it a go!

For primer novices like me, you apply it before any foundation or concealer, and leave it to sink in for a few minutes to really see the benefits, you then apply your makeup like usual.

Primers are meant to even out skin tone, fill in any cracks and help your make up stay in place for longer. I was really pleased with the Laura Mercier Foundation Primer, I’ve seen a lot of fab reviews from other bloggers about this product and can now see why. It really works wonders! It definitely helped keep my makeup in place for longer and gave my face a more dewy effect. It’s such a great product and I will definitely be using a primer as a regular part of my make up routine from now on!

Maybelline New York's Baby Lips in Peach Kiss

All over the summer you couldn’t miss a certain product that kept being mentioned within the beauty and blogging communities. That product being Maybelline New York’s Baby Lips. There has been a lot of hype around it, a lot of mixed reviews, but it never really appealed to me so I didn’t make the purchase.  Why would I need another lip balm?

Er yeah, so, ummm... regular readers will know I have a severe lack of will power. However in my defence I did wait a good few months! Last weekend I was buying a few bits in Superdrug and whilst at the till it was sat there at the side, and at £2.99 I thought why not!

Baby Lips comes in a couple of flavours, I personally went for Peach Kiss. The balm is a mocha colour but goes on nude with a bit of shimmer that’s not that noticeable. As expected it smells and tastes of peach. My lips are quite dry at the moment now we’ve hit autumn, and I’ve actually found Baby Lips to be quite moisturising.

Overall I wouldn’t say I’m massively excited about this product, but for a lip balm it does the job. Also for £2.99 you can’t really go too wrong!

Ambiance Volumizing Dry Shampoo*

As someone who’s unlucky with fine, limp hair, the discovery dry shampoo has been a total godsend. Apart from ridding the grease from my locks it is also amazing for adding a bit of volume and lift.

When the lovely people at Ambiance sent me their volumizing dry shampoo I was intrigued to see how it works, as instead of your usual dry shampoo in an aerosol can it was a powder with a brush. The powder is attached to the brush, so when you tip it the powder comes out through the brush.

To use this product you just dab the brush directly onto your scalp and I then used my fingers to blend in. I did learn pretty quickly that you have to tilt the powder so slowly as it flies out pretty fast otherwise!

The powder is brown, you can get different shades to go with your own hair colour. I really liked this, as you don’t end up with a ton of white residue like other dry shampoos, so you’re not trying to rub it in as much!

Overall I felt that it really refreshed my hair and soaked up the grease leaving my hair feeling pretty great. Also I fully recommend this product for the volumizing aspect alone! It really lifted my roots, giving it a bit of bounce which is a rare occurrence for my hair!

Although the application process is a bit tricky and not as easy as a spray can, I will definitely be purchasing this product as the end results are definitely worth it.

Dermalogica Active Moist

 

 I’ve never tried any Dermalogica products before as they’ve always been way out of my price range. However I was recently persuaded to, and this is what happened...

My skin comes under the type ‘combination’. I get really dry skin on my cheeks but find my nose, chin and forehead can get really greasy. Lately my skins gone a bit haywire and I’ve ended up with a really spotty chin. I hate it but I’m living by the mantra ‘whilst I have spots I’m not getting wrinkles’!

Sometimes my mantra fails me and my spots still get me down. I was talking to a friend of mine, who’s also a beautician about it and she recommended I try Dermalogica’s Active Moist, which is an oil free, lightweight moisturiser for combination skin. At £43 it’s not cheap but I thought I would give it a try.

After only using it for 2 weeks I can already see a massive difference! I used to wake up and be able to feel the grease around my nose, well that’s no longer the case! My dry cheeks are now soft and over all my skin feels well moisturised. It also smells lovely and fresh, a gorgeous cucumber scent.

You just apply a small amount to your face and neck twice a day after cleansing and toning. When I say small amount, you really do only need a small bit of it. Therefore I think it’s going to last for a good few months, making the £43 cost easier to swallow.

For such a great result after only a couple of weeks use, I can’t wait to see the long term results on my skin! I know it’s a hefty price but I definitely recommend paying out for it.

Motivational Monday #33

Apologies that today’s quote isn’t in my usual motivational style. However I came across this and I love it! I can moan and complain with the best of them, I think most people can! In all honestly I can only think of two people I personally know who never moan or say a bad word. They are genuinely so lovely and just don’t have a negative bone in their bodies.

I would love to be like them, I really would. As you know if you’re a regular reader of my Monday posts, I’m really trying hard to be a more positive person. However, I can’t quite kick my moaning and complaining habit. Yes, I truly believe it’s just a bad habit and if I put my mind to it I could stop it.

Therefore I am going to accept the challenge in today’s post. For the next 24 hours I WILL NOT complain once. If anything grates on me I will try to see the positives, if I can’t do that I will just keep my trap shut!

Anyone else willing to accept this challenge with me?

Whoopie Pies!

 

Okay so I’m no baking queen, I’m no fancy food blogger, I don’t understand why people love the British bake off , it’s just watching people eat?! I’ll be really honest with you, I have the attention span of a fly! I have set my kitchen on fire numerous times, seriously. I am pretty useless in a kitchen, however when the mood takes me, I love to cook for others and today I fancied making some cakes.

On a mooch around Lidl first thing this morning, I found this box of whoopie pie cake mix for £1.49. All I needed to add was 150ml Milk, 50g of butter and 1 medium egg. All of which I have at home. I know some may think it’s cheating using one of these cake mix boxes but they are so easy to follow and when it comes to people like me who aren’t that great in the kitchen it really takes the pressure off.

When I say it was so simple to make these, I mean SIMPLE. All you do is throw all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk it together. Then using a spoon I divided the mix into discs onto a baking try, and into the oven the oven they go for 10 minutes. I then mixed the cream to go into the centres, using the mix that comes in the box, adding milk.

After taking the discs out of the oven, I let them cool down and put a spoonful of the cream filling between 2 discs. The final step is to leave them in the fridge for an hour, and then they are ready to EAT!!

They are a resounding hit in my house, everyone thought they were yummy! A perfect baking treat for a Sunday.

The Skint Diaries #2

 

If you are not sure what this post is about, I blogged last week ‘The Skint Diaries’ about how poor I currently am, and after the amazingly supportive comments which really spurred me on, I wanted to share with you how I got on!

I’m not going to lie, I have found this week hard work especially when it comes to spending! I have been restrained but it’s not been especially with 25% off New Look vouchers arriving in my inbox and lots of exciting Christmassy bits being advertised. The only things I have spent money on this week are petrol and a few bits for lunch. So massive fist pump for me! Whoooop!

Last Sunday I put a few bits together for a blog sale which you can find HERE. I have only made one sale of £8 so far, so a little disappointed! If anyone has any tips on making a blog sale successful please share!

On a happier note I’m also selling clothes and DVD’s over on Ebay, which you can find HERE. Quite a few have bids on and a lot of watchers, all my items end on Sunday, so fingers crossed they sell well and helps me earn some extra pennies!

On last week’s post, the first of ‘The Skint Diaries’ a few of the lovely people who commented gave me some awesome ideas on how to rise funds and one of them that was suggested a couple of times was online questionnaires which you are paid to do. I am going to look into this over the next week and will let you know how I get on!

If anyone has any other suggestions please let me know! I will try anything that’s legal/sensible!

BOOK CLUB TAKEOVER: Chloe from 'Lost Arrows'

Here are my thoughts… I LOVE hearing other people’s views and reviews on pretty much anything especially books! Some of my favourite reads are ones that have been suggested by other people. So thinking along those lines,’ The Book Club Takeover’ was born! Hopefully each week I will bring to you a post from one of my lovely and amazing fellow bloggers who will in turn share with you what their favourite book is, why they love it and a review. I hope you enjoy this feature as much as I do!

 

Hello everyone! Welcome to my takeover! I've loved reading Gemma's recent book club takeovers and I was so excited when I got to be a part of it! I haven't blogged for very long, but I'm over at lost-arrows.blogspot.co.uk if you fancy checking out my little blog!

Now I have read many  books and the one I decided to review is probably one you've either read yourselves in English class or at least of heard about it.

To Kill A Mockingbird is written by Harper Lee, set in a southern state of America during the great depression and times of great prejudice. The story is told through the eyes of Scout Finch both as a child and a woman reflecting on her past. The novel revolves around different themes of innocence, both with Scout and her brother growing up to her secretive neighbor; Boo Radley and the trail of Tom Robinson that her father (a lawyer) is working on.

I'll try not to give too much away, but the book really does make you think and question yourself and about how much we actually know people and how much we judge them. Its amazingly written, I often find that some books generally have a great story but the writing style let's them down, but this isn't the case here! Even if you have read it before and had to fill in countless practice exam questions about it, its really worth reading again. I felt as though I understood and learned much more from reading it a second time and a third and a fourth...

If you're feeling lazy then watch the film, it isn't half as magical as the pages but oh well, its in black and white and its perfect for cuddling up on a rainy afternoon. Although the book isn't in any way a happy story, it is heart warming in some places, despite the issues raised like racism, loneliness, prejudice, courage and innocence. Its a deep book!

I admit I didn't read this book by choice at first, it was chosen by my year 11 English teacher for out last exam, but I am so glad she chose it. Sometimes I think teacher will just pick the easiest thing so everyone can get easy marks, but our teacher not only made us read a brilliant book, she made us actually learn something from the book, really get in between the lines and live among the characters, something very rare to achieve in a novel  these days. Its still my go to book whenever I am lost for something to read or having a down day, its quite inspirational.

 And with this little review coming to an end I'll leave you with a couple of my favorite quotes from the story!

 "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”

"Before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.”

I hope you enjoyed my ramblings, I must say a big thank you to Gemma for letting me be a part of her lovely blog!

Chloe x

Organix Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil

Ages ago I was naughty and treated myself to some of the expensive Moroccan Oil that everyone was raving about. If you are unaware of it you’ve clearly been living under a rock. I used this oil daily for months, it’s a tiny bottle that lasts ages. I had mine for about 4 months. Then shock horror, it ran out one day! Cue tears and violins please!

You know when you have been using a product for a long time, you kind of take for granted its magic. I did this. So when it ran out, being pretty poor I didn’t rush out to replace it, I just left it.

Within two weeks, my hair was a nightmare, it had returned to its manky, ratty and knotty ended state. I swear I am not exaggerating. The Moroccan oil really had helped to get my hair into a decent condition, but being skint I was in a panic as of what to do!

Then one day in Superdrug I came across Organix Renewing Moroccan Oil. At £6.99 it’s a quarter of the price of what I was previously using so thought I would give it a try!

To use it all you need is to put the tiniest amount into your palm, rub your hands together and then apply to damp hair. My hair usually falls into the category of greasy roots and dry ends, so I just tend to rub it into my ends.

This product is awesome! It’s had exactly the same effect as the more expensive version. After a week of using it my hair feels so much better, the oil definitely moisturises, softens and strengthens it. Since I’ve been using Moroccan oil and looking after my hair better I’ve noticed the ends are much thicker and healthier.

Would you like to see a post on my hair rescue, how I’ve turned my hair from limp and knotty to healthy and shiny?

 

My Top 3 MAC Eye Shadows...

Over the years I have tried many a eye shadow, from a whole host of brands and in a wide variety of shades. I have finally learnt that golds, browns and olives are the shades that suit my skin tone and dark brown eyes the best. In terms of brands of eye shadows, there’s always been one that’s stood above the rest, that being MAC. Kind of obvious considering the post title, huh!

So I thought I would share with you all my top 3 MAC eye shadows. The reason I love MAC’s shadows so much is because they are highly pigmented, stay put all day, it stays where it should and doesn’t slide down your face. What more can I say! I know they are a little pricey at £12.50 a pot but they last for ages and I really think they are worth the money for the quality product you receive.

 

 

My top 3 MAC eye shadow shades are Sumptuous Olive, All That Glitters and Tempting.

‘Tempting’ is my day to day shade, it’s a dark brown with a slight shimmer. I wear it with a black eye liner on top and bottom lashes and tons of mascara. I’ve been sporting this look for a long time, it’s simple and works for me.

However when I want to take things up a notch or fancy a change I play with ‘All That Glitters’ It’s a fab nude/golden shade also with some shimmer in it. I use this on its own or I use it as a base colour and just dust a bit of ‘Tempting’ around my eye socket. It’s a great result and so simple to do.

‘Sumptuous Olive’ is the shade I go to for nights out when I want to vamp it up a bit. It’s what it says on the tin, a deep olive colour. I’m not sure it’s a colour that suits everyone but it works well on me, especially for an ultra glam look. I do get a lot of complements when I wear this one, and often get asked what brand it is.

What’s your eye shadow of choice?

 

Motivational Monday #32

 

I don’t know what’s happened, but I’ve noticed that recently I’ve been worrying about things a lot more than I usually would. I am a worrier in general but I have noticed I seem to be getting worse! Especially around what others think of me, I’m really sensitive to it at the moment and it’s sending me loopy!

Today’s quote really hit a nerve for me, at the end of the does their opinion really matter? Nine times out of ten it actually doesn’t! So why do I care and how can I stop it affecting me? That’s the one million dollar question...

For me to keep myself sane, I’m going to keep asking the following questions:

1.    Does this person have any effect over my life?

2.    Why does their opinion matter?

3.    Is the issue something else?

If the answer is ‘no’ to all of these I am going to laugh at myself for being so silly and move on! I will let you know how I get on.

Happy Monday!

Beauty Blog Sale!

Welcome to my blog sale! If you read my post on Saturday you will know that I’m on a mission to make a bit of money, so I thought I would attempt a blog sale. Being a beauty blogger I have a ton of products that I’ve only used once, never used or have replaced with something else. Therefore I thought I would see if any of you lovely lot would like to purchase some of it!

I am going to put a few pieces up to begin with and see how this goes! If I do sell some bits I will add more products so keep checking back!

Okay so here is how it works...

If you want anything or want to ask me anything, just leave me a comment. It’s going to be on a first come first serve basis.  

I only accept PayPal and all payments must be made within 24 hours. Please note: If payment is not made within 24 hours, any offers will be withdrawn!

UK postage is £2.50, whether you want one item or 10 it will be this standard price. I will post items within 2 working days of receiving payment.

I will post internationally, but please contact me before hand for postage costs

I'm afraid that I am not at fault if the package goes missing in the mail and I won’t be accepting any returns. All sales are final.

 

Bare Minerals Eye Colour in Drama - only used once to swatch - £10

 

Topshop Eyes in Mercury - usage as shown - £3

 

Bourjois Paris Felt Tip Eye Liner in Ultra Black - Never Been Used - £2

 

No7 Stay Perfect Metallic Eyes Pencil in Blackest - Never Been Used - £3

 

Bourjois Paris Ombre a paupieres Eye Shadow in 13 - Usage as Shown - £2

 

Benefit Longwear Powder Shadow in Thanks a Latte - Usage as Shown - £6

 

Maybelline New York The Rocket Volum' Express Waterproof Mascara in Black - Only been used once to review- £2

 

Topshop Highighter in Sunbeam - Use as Shown - £5.00

 

Benefit The Porefessional - 7.5ml - Never been used - £1

 

Benefit Sugarbomb Blusher - Only used to swatch - £8

 

No7 High Shine Lip Gloss in Coral Kiss - Never been Used - £4

 

Stila Lip Glaze in Maraca - Never Been Used - £5

 

No7 Extreme Length Waterproof Mascara In Black - 6m - £1

 

Benefit World Famous Neutrals - Eyenessa's Sexiest Nudes Ever - Only been used to swatch - £13

 

Lee Stafford Hair Growth Leave In Treatment - 100ml - Never been used! - £3

Lee Stafford Double Blow Volumizing Mousse -200ml - Never been used! - £3

Schwarzkopf got2b Guardian Angel 220 degrees Heat Protection - Never been used! - £3

 

Keeping up with the Kardashians Season Four DVD - Only been watched once - £10

Not happy with the prices? Then make me an offer!

I’m also selling clothes and DVD’s over on Ebay, which you can find here. Please check it out!

 

Creative Clothing Storage

18 months ago, I moved back in with my parents in order to sort out my finances and start saving and eventually go travelling. I never meant to stay this long and at 27 years old it’s a bit cringey to say I live with my parents. However I am incredibly lucky to have very laid back parents and I am now officially debt free! Whooooop! My savings however are nonexistent, so I think I’ll be here for a while yet!

When I moved back in the only space available was the loft. It’s great as it means I can escape my family when needed. We are one of those annoying very LOUD clans! We have 3 dogs and chaos and fun normally pursue. So when I need my own space I can hide away in the loft. The down sides are in the winter it’s so drafty, making it freezing. In the night you feel like you’re sleeping outside!

The other downer is the severe lack of storage. Due to the roof, it’s a slanted ceiling so a wardrobes not an option. For the first year I was happy living out of boxes as it was only meant to be a temporary housing situation. The last few months however I’ve come to accept I may be here for a while yet, so I decided I needed to unpack.

Clothing storage has been the biggest issue. It’s a small awkward space and I am a massive clothes hoarder. Hmmmm....  

Well after a lot of thinking this is what I have come up with. I have a chest of drawers for undies, pjs and tees. For my mountain of jeans, jumpers and joggers I spend a large amount of time mooching around on eBay for ideas. I ended up purchasing 4 wooden crates and putting them on their sides on top of each other. To save space I rolled up my jeans and put them in one, which looked visually good. I then folded everything else and filled the rest of the crates up. I’m really pleased with the finished look and often get complements from visitors and it’s something a bit different.

 

I was still left with the issue that some clothes just have to be hung up, there is no way around it. I’m lucky that I have one flat panel where the boiler is boxed in. It wouldn’t facilitate a wardrobe but using a cheap towel rail I found at IKEA I bolted it to the panel. I then did the same with another rail to the side of the first one, on a lower beam. The result is a quirky corner of hanging clothes.

 

I am now on a mission to find a big storage trunk to fill with all my bags, and then I think my room will be finished!

Have you got any creative clothing storage solutions?

The Skint Diaries #1

 

Ok so we are 3 weeks away from pay day and I am royally skint! Due to a very expensive first week of November which has involved booking a holiday, a flight to Thailand and a broken car. Yes, I know I’ve been naughty there too – I am too impulsive and have no will power!

I have always been terrible with money, it burns a whole in my pocket. I moved back in with my parents to save and have failed miserable so far. Now I have reached an all time low though and really need to turn things around! I waste so much money on things I don’t actually need, so time to change my ways!

Being a complete idiot and not reigning in my spontaneous side, I’m now left with a grand total of £52 in my bank. Bearing in mind I go through a tank of petrol a week at £60 a go, I’ve left myself well and truly screwed.

So attempting to find a positive somewhere in this mess I am going to find (legal) ways to earn a quick buck, and thought I would share it with you lovely lot. Hopefully by sharing, it will keep me on track.

So my initial plans involve emptying my penny jar, doing a blog sale, putting anything that’s not stuck down on eBay and getting rid of old CD’s and music magpie. If you have any other suggestions please let me know! I am to all legal/sensible ways of raising funds.

I’m also not going to spend any money unless it’s a necessity. So each week till the end of the month, I will share with you how I’m getting on and what money I’ve spent as well as made. Hopefully this will keep me on the straight and narrow and motivate me!

p.s. I’ve just taken my penny jar down to the coin machine in ASDA, £25.66 made!

BOOK CLUB TAKEOVER: Jen from 'English Rose from Manchester'

Here are my thoughts… I LOVE hearing other people’s views and reviews on pretty much anything especially books! Some of my favourite reads are ones that have been suggested by other people. So thinking along those lines,’ The Book Club Takeover’ was born! Hopefully each week I will bring to you a post from one of my lovely and amazing fellow bloggers who will in turn share with you what their favourite book is, why they love it and a review. I hope you enjoy this feature as much as I pdo!

Hi, I’m Jen and I’m a creative sort of person currently living in Manchester. I do all sorts of things in my spare time and my lifestyle blog English Rose from Manchester started out as an outlet to talk about all the things that matter to me. I like to keep it varied and my posts range from crafts and baking inspiration to fashion and beauty, as well as sharing the joys of living in Manchester!

My favourite book is Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, and one of the main reasons I love it so much is that it’s the book that got me into reading again. It also encouraged me to try different sorts of books – which is great as I definitely went through a “chick lit” rut at one point.

 

Gone with the Wind sat on my bookshelf for years before I felt the urge to read it, because I wasn’t particularly overwhelmed by the film (very long, pretty dull, annoying characters) – plus the book is very long and the type is tiny, but when I finally I devoured this epic historical romance I totally fell in love with it! It’s the story of the Deep South during the American Civil War, and it really transported me there, genuinely conveying what life was like; the attitudes and feelings of the people; and how a way of life was drastically changed by the war.

I didn’t find the feisty, selfish heroine Scarlett O’Hara annoying like I did when watching the film. She really came alive on paper, and I admired her strength of will and passion. She’s exactly the sort of heroine I love to read about. I found her love story itself to be incredibly romantic in a way that I’ve not really found in more contemporary books, and the dashing Rhett Butler really is an exciting, multi-dimensional hero, and one who kept my interest as a love interest (I can’t stand Mr Perfect characters in books).  

But really the true story of the book is about a time and place in history, and I was so moved by it that I was still thinking about this book weeks after finishing it. It was a real experience and I enjoyed every minute! It’s not often I’m genuinely sad that a book is over!

No 7 Stay Perfect Eye Shadow in Beach Shine

 

 

 

 My favourite MAC eye shadow in Tempting has run out and being skint I thought I would try out a cheaper alternative. Having a £5 off voucher for No 7, I spent some time browsing their Eye Shadow range and came across ‘Beach Shine’ which is a gorgeous mocha coloured shimmery brown.

 

I’ve never really used many No 7 products before so was unsure what to expect. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised! The powder was well compressed so didn’t scatter down under my eyes, the colour was perfect, just what I wanted and it lasted the day.  It was all still in place when I got home from 8 hours at work.

I still miss my old MAC eye shadow but this is a great alternative at half the price! I will definitely be having a look at what else No 7 has to offer next time I venture into boots.