A Little Bit of Pretty....

.... on a wet miserable day! I love this time of year as the days are starting to get lighter and the signs of spring are slowly creeping in. I thought I would share with you all my naughty purchase today, a lovely bunch of daffs. Id just finnished work and as I wondered past a flower stall I saw all these fab bright flowers and with this horrible weather, I thought it was lovely way to brighten up the place!

Stuff that actually makes your hair grows...for real!!

I have been trying to grow my hair for a few years now with not much luck! Just before Christmas it had got to the longest it had been in years, it was a down to my arm pits, which was a massive achievement for me! I have friends whose hair seems to grow 6 inches in a week whilst mine gets to my shoulders and takes a pit stop and won’t go any further! I want luscious long locks!

However after years of dying my hair a multitude of colours and straightening, throwing in the fact my hairs pretty fine, it looked horrendous! It was a matted mess! I’m pretty sure if you didn’t know me and just took in my birds’ nest you would have though I was a hobo. Not a good look, so with a heavy heart I headed to my hair dressers to see if she could rescue the situation.

To my complete horror (Not shock, as I knew this would be the only option id be given, boo!) I was told it would need to be chopped and start again. If I cut off all the manky dry ends it would be healthier and grow better. So that is how I ended up with a short bob. I can actually feel a lump in my throat as I write this, I miss my long (for me) hair!

So for the last two months I have been on a mission to make my hair grow and I think I have actually found a couple of miracle products that actually work! I kid you not! In this short space of time my hair has grown a few inches (I’ve even had one cut in this time) and is now just past my shoulders! Whoooop! I can’t explain how happy I am that my hair is moving!

 

OK, so I think like most people I’m a little apprehensive of any product that says it’s for ‘hair growth’ and scoff at the idea that it would actually work. Now though, I would think twice, as the products I’m going to tell you about have really helped! First up is Lee Stafford’s Hair Growth Shampoo and Conditioner. I saw these mentioned on another blog and I have to say they leave my hair feeling really healthy and as I’ve said since using this I am sure my hairs moving a little further. I have only found these in 200ml bottles and at £6.99 a pop it is expensive when I’m usually an herbal essence girl, so it’s a shame they don’t do larger bottles but this is the only criticism I have. I will definitely keep using this product.

Next up is Coconut Oil, why have I only just started using this product?! Its fab! I read somewhere about how it can help stimulate hair growth and improve condition. I’ve been using dr.organic Virgin Coconut Oil Monoi Moisture Melt Body Oil, once a week I rub it in my scalp and hair before I go to bed and then wash it out in the morning. It starts off solid so you do need to warm it up in hot water before you use it. I’ve been using this product for a few weeks now and I am so excited by the results already, it’s made my hair so soft, shiny and healthy looking. I don’t know if it’s helped with the growth or not but it’s definitely improved the condition which can only be a good thing in my book! The coconut oil is also great for dry skin, I suffer from Eczema and get dry patches of skin in my arms and legs. I have been rubbing it in to these areas and it worked straight away! It’s really great for moisturising and smells good too!

I have to say that I have had it cut once so far in this time and as I have been known to go 6 months plus without one, I am determined to keep my hair in this condition so will be getting it done every 6-8 weeks. Some people think this means you cut off the growth but a little bit of a trim will just get rid of any nasty ends. Fingers crossed those gorgeous long locks aren’t too far away!

Bare Minerals

I have been trying to be really good when it comes to spending money lately but that all went a little to pot last weekend when I went to Bristol to visit some friends and it inevitable included a shopping trip.

One of my friends wanted some new foundation so I found myself standing at the Bare Minerals counter whilst she was fussed over by the assistant. Living in a small town, nowhere near by sells Bare Minerals so although I was aware of the brand I hadn’t used any of their products. I have to say I was impressed with the foundation powder my friend purchased, it was very light, provided great coverage and looked very natural. It’s definitely something I am going to keep in mind for when my foundation needs replacing!

 

Any way I have now trailed off from the point I was trying to make! Back to the story... whilst waiting for my friend I was browsing all the products and came across their eye shadows, all of which seemed to have a gorgeous shimmer to them. I like to stick to what I know when it comes to colour, when I buy eye shadows and always go for browns or gold’s, I know this colour suits my eye colour and is natural looking for me. The colour that jumped out at me was called ‘drama’ it is a gorgeous brown shimmer.

 

It was a little pricey at £14, however the only eye shadow I usually use is MAC which is around this price as well. I am happy to buy the bargain price products but have found when it comes to eye shadow the higher the price the better quality the product is and doesn’t crease and disappear as the day goes on.  

(Eeeeek! Lack of sleep equals bad bags!)

I have been using this product for a few days now and I’m really impressed, you only need a little bit of the powder and it seems to go a long way, so even though it’s expensive it will last for quite a while. It doesn’t leave loose powder everywhere and goes on well to the eye lid. My only issue with this product is that when tested on my hand it looks lovely and shimmery however on my eye lids it’s not quite the same for some reason, which you can see from the photos.

Motivational Monday! #6

I cant believe Its the first Monday in March!! This year has flown by so far its scary, however I do love March. Its when you start to see the first signs of Spring and Winter is finaly fading into the distance. I am 99% sure I suffer from the winter blues, I love snow but appart from that I cant stand the short days. I work 9am-6pm most days and dont feel like I see any Sun light. Then dont get me started on the cold wet days! I am huge believer that Sunshine is good for the soul, and im excited to see the days slowly getting longer. Roll on Summer!

I found this quote the other day and feel that it sums up me perfectly! I have desperate desire to travel, I am just useless at saving but am slowly starting to sort myself out. I spend 80% of my spare time reading and the other 20% writing. Drinking Tea is just a given! This Monday's Motivational quote is to spur me on to get where I want to be, it is the life I want to lead and I WILL get there!

Shopaholic

This blog began with the idea to write about my love of makeup and I know lately I’ve drifted slightly. Partly due to my need to have a rant about other things and partly due to severe lack of funds. This has meant that I have been avoiding anywhere anything that could tempt me purchasing any new products. This has been hard as I love to write reviews on new bits and pieces as they come out. I’ve even been avoiding reading other blogs, as I would get envious of others trying out stuff before I can. Sad, eh?!

I was doing quite well with this until this past week. I am sure I developed a weird twitch and was having a bit of a stressful time (anyone else good at making up excuses for themselves or just me?). Therefore I just HAD to ‘treat’ myself to a few new bits and bobs that I’ve had my eye on and could resist no longer!

Anyway my excuse is that I can now review it for all my lovely readers. That’s a good enough excuse, right?! So keep an eye out over the next few days for some new posts.....

 



The results of my splurge!

Pinch and a Punch / Feeling Grateful....

Happy First of March! Sorry for the confusing title to this post but all will become clear... Does anyone else feel this year is flying by way too quickly? I feel like I’ve blinked once and gone from Christmas to today without a clue what’s happened in between. I hate that feeling! I want to soak up what life has to offer but when weeks go by so fast and you get drowned in work and everyday life I worry I sometimes forget to stop and enjoy and appreciate things.

I worry, and yes I am a worrier, that I am going to miss out on things that life takes over and this has been bothering me for a little while. I have so many things I want to do and I worry that you can get so caught up in the general rat race you forget to aside the time to focus on yourself, and I have noticed lately that I am turning into a bit of a grump sometimes. Dear lord help me if I turn into my dad, the king of grumpy!

So I have decided that as of today, I am going to spend a few moments at the end of each day to stop, think and write down one thing I am grateful for that day. YES I know I sound like Pollyanna, but I’m starting to think she was onto something, plus that film always makes me cry when she falls out of the tree. Even if I’ve had the most horrendous day I will enter one thing I am grateful for. I am determined to be more positive and appreciate things more. This is going to be my way of doing that, because sometimes everyone needs a little reminder that life pretty alright.

This is the notebook I am going to use to list all the things I am grateful. Some friends went on holiday a while back and returned with this Che Guevara notebook for me and it makes me smile, so I figured this would be a lovely way to put it use.

I have been thinking most of the day what my first entry may be. It wasn’t till this evening when I was sat watching this amazing film on BBC 1 that I knew what I am most grateful for today. The film was by Richard Curtis for Red Nose Day and was called Mary and Martha, if you missed it please drop what you’re doing and go watch it on BBC I Player. Its purpose was to raise the issue of Malaria, and it sure did that, I was a blubbing mess by the end. I won’t tell you what happens, I would rather you watched it for yourselves.

Any way from watching this incredibly emotive, inspiring piece, the thing I am most grateful for today is that I love in a country with great medical care that’s easy to access and free.

 

I won’t bore you all with daily updates on what I am grateful for as I think this is going to a nice personal project, with the aim to make me more positive and appreciative of what life has to offer no matter how big or small.  I will do a monthly update with the highlights and how I am going sticking to this.

Friday Doodles x