#TheWinterProject : Favourite Winter Make Up

After a bit of catching up I am now up to date with #TheWinterProject topics! So for this weeks post I will be showing you my favourite winter makeup, we all know everyone loves to get dolled up at Christmas time with all the parties and events, and these following products are what I like to use most to create that festively glamorous look...

Firstly, when applying a full face of makeup I always like to apply highlighter to my cupids bow, cheekbones and brow bone. In particular I have grown very fond of seventeens newest WOW highlighter, it adds a really nice shimmery effect to the areas you apply it to, particularly when the light shines on it.

Over the top of this I apply my favourite foundation, Skin Illusion by Clarins. I especially love this product as it has such a lightweight consistency so I never feel caked even when wearing a full face of makeup! And perfectly for the winter season, this foundation has the benefit of not drying out my skin! For best results and a smooth finish, apply with a foundation brush.

In these winter months I always suffer from getting increasingly pale, so this natural bronzer by Rimmel London is one I have used for years to hide that. It has the slightest shimmer but not enough for it to look unnatural. I apply it lightly, dusting my whole face with a large bronzer brush, then once again to my cheeks, brushing from the cheekbone inwards.

At Christmas time I always like to make a bit more effort for parties and events, this shimmery eyeshadow does the job very nicely, adding a nice Christmasy shine to the eyelids. I apply the powder right up to the brow bone so it catches the light really nicely. This shade from The Body Shop is a nice natural bronze like colour with purple pigments, it is quite natural so is also suitable for everyday wear. Visit The Body Shop website for more gorgeous shades.

Now for the final touches, these eyelashes by Ardell from Boots are a lovely natural lash that add that extra pop to your makeup, they have extra length and a slight curl at the edges which is great for enhancing your natural lashes fullness. I love wearing them when dressing up at Christmas! To apply them I use Shu Uemura eyelash glue which is hands down the best I have ever used, it also last ages as I have had it for about a year and its still as good as the first time I used it!

It's rare that I leave the house without a bit of lippy on even if its just a neutral shade. But recently I have not been able to take off this lipstick I purchased from MAC earlier in the season, this shade 'Prepare for Pleasure' is from the limited edition Divine Night collection. I found that everything from this collection had a real Christmasy feel to it and I couldn't leave without buying this gorgeous lipstick which really brings some excitement to winter makeup.

Is there any makeup that you particularly like to wear at winter or Christmas?

Are any of you taking part in #TheWinterProject?
Ellie

                                                                                        

German Christmas Market

Last night me and my lovely boyfriend decided to have a festive evening by going to the German Christmas market at Millennium Square in Leeds or Christkindelmarkt as the Germans would say. We could practically smell the Frankfurt sausages being cooked over the wood stove from a mile off so we couldn't resist getting one as soon as we walked in! I got the cheese sausage which when arrived seemed to have no cheese so I thought I had been given the wrong one until I took a bite and cheese started to ooze from the sausage, it was incredible! My boyfriend on the other hand got a spicy German sausage which was equally as delicious, if you have never had a German hot dog before I strongly suggest you do as me and boyfriend were both in agreement they were the nicest hot dog's we had tasted!

After scoffing down our food by a toasty fire we went for a look around the market. There were over 40 stalls which were all quaint little wooden chalet with lights and festive decoration, each selling something unique from home made treats such as pretzels, chocolates, mini pancakes and candied fruit, to festive hand crafted Christmas decorations, jewellery and candles. It was such a nice atmosphere walking around, we felt like we were on holiday in Germany at Christmas time, it was lovely! As we were walking around the sound of singing voice was getting louder and which we were wondering what direction it was coming from until we approached the beer Keller, as we quite fancied a beer and wanted to join in the sing along we headed on inside to order a Stein of German beer. The room was all lit with lights and had cosy little alcoves for you sit and German style bars all around. It really made you feel as if you were abroad as the windows had painted backgrounds of the German countryside, which was a nice little touch! The Keller was jam packed full of visitors singing along to the band that were playing who were also dressed in Lederhosens, they looked fab! But not only this, there was also a female yodeller, I had never seen someone yodel live before and she was amazing, she did it so effortlessly! She also attempted to teach us how to yodel but as many of the audience had sunk a few beers by the evening you can imagine it sounded just like a whole lot of noise rather than a yodel but it was a good laugh.

Once our voices were strained from belting some good old classic songs, we tootled around for another quick browse before heading home with a German doughnut in one hand and some chocolate coated marshmallows in the other!

Overall it was really nice evening that put us right into the festive mood, unfortunately it was the last day of the market today which is a shame as I would have loved to have gone again with friends. However I know Leeds isn't the only place that hosts a German market so if you manage to find one near by to you I highly recommend you go!

Here are some pics from our visit...

Have you been to any Christmas markets like this?
If so what did you think?

Ellie

                                                                                       

#TheWinterProject : Christmas Present Ideas

With uni work I have unfortunately been a tad behind on #TheWinterProject so over the next few days I will be doing a couple of posts on this. So to start with, Christmas shopping! With all uni work out of the way I can finally get excited about Christmas and begin the festivities. I'm sure many bloggers will agree that shopping has to be one of the best bits, and for me my favourite thing to shop for has to be stocking fillers! I love buying lots of little personal gifts for friends and family that I know will make them smile. Take a look my stocking filler gift ideas...

1. Online shop notonthehighstreet.com has some really great gift ideas,

 including this 'You're just my cup of tea mug' 

a lovely personal gift costing £17.50

2. The Body Shop has a fab range of Christmas related bath & beauty gifts,

the lip balms and body butters come in the most adorable packaging

& range from £7 - £10.

3. Another notonthehighstreet.com find is this handmade heart

personalised Christmas decoration, available for £14, a lovely girly gift!

4.I have always loved Cath Kidston phone cases and this seasonal

Santa phone case would make a great gift and can be bought online for £14.95

5. Who doesn't love a silly stocking filler?! This Santa egg cup accompanied with an eggs Santa hat AND Christmas tree toast cutters really cracked me up when I saw it (honestly no pun intended!)

you can buy on various places online or I bought it at Primark for £4.

6. These gloves are genius invention! I hate it when I'm trying to text but my hands are too

 bloomin cold to do without gloves! These touch screen gloves are great, 

I've already bought two pairs as presents for people! From proporta.com they are £14.95

7. Finally, I cant remember a Christmas without candles for presents and Yankee candle

do the best range of festive scents in a variety of sizes, starting from as

little as £1.35 for tea lights and £19.49 for the biggest jars.

So if youre like me and love buying stocking fillers, I hope you find my selection useful,

Happy shopping!

                                                                                       

What I've Been Up to: Dr. Martens Collaboration

Hello again! So I think it's about time I wipe the dust of my blog and return to posting, I was very sad to see I hadn't posted since November it really didnt seem like that long as the last couple weeks have flowwwn by! Not only has my blog been neglected by my body as well for the amount of stress I have put it under in the weeks leading up to various uni deadlines, haha! However it has all been worth it to finally see the finished result. To those of you who read my blog regularly, will know that I posted around a month ago about a project I was doing at university that is associated with Dr. Martens. As budding fashion designers me and my fellow students were set a task by Dr. Martens to design a AW/14 capsule collection, incorporating local culture, which is targeted at the Dr.Martens customer. As customers just see the final garment, you would be surprised how much behind the scene work there is into doing so, altogether I had an 80 page sketch pad full of research, a 40 page sketchpad full of initial design ideas and a whole portfolio full of design development!  But that's what I love about my course really, exploring all aspects of design and watching it grow into a collection. 

As well as designing a collection of 6 outfits we also had to manufacture one garment from that collection. As I specialise in womenswear I  created an androgynous style look with a mods influence that also follows current trends with gorgeous tartans and winter wools. After a long hard graft, I along with others on my course presented my garment to VIP's from Dr. Martens this week in a mini catwalk show. I have to say I felt pretty proud  of what I have achieved this semester and it was so nice seeing my final garment being worn down the catwalk. And I cant ramble on about this without showing you any photos of course! I hope you enjoy looking at my work as I did doing it.

And just a little clip for you..

What do you think of my project?
Have you done any exciting project with uni or work recently?

                                                                                        Ellie

#TheWinterProject : Favourite Winter Scent

This weeks topic for #TheWinterProject is favourite winter scents. For those of you who know me will know that I am obsessed with candles, I cannot have a bath without them! There is something in particular about candles that makes you feel all nice and relaxed; and at this time of year a lovely scented candle help puts you right into that Christmasy mood. My personal favourite brand of candle is Yankee candle, they have such a HUGE range of scents from florals to foods, and they also have a brilliant selection of festive limited edition candles you are spoilt for choice. They come in a range of sizes and with cute festive images and lovely looking jars and tumblers, I find that they make some great stocking fillers and presents. If you need some help chosing a scent, I recommend 'Christmas Cookie', 'Apple and Pine Needle', 'Merry Marshmallow' but the winner for me has to be 'Christmas Eve'. This candle is jam packed will all the traditional Christmas scents just one whiff makes me feel all warm and Christmasy! Ranging from as little as £1.35 for some sampler candles up to £19.49 for a jar that will last you weeks, I guarantee that you will be able to find your favourite winter scent too!

Some of the Christmas range, image taken from Yankee.co.uk

I would love to hear from you...

Do you have any of the Yankee Christmas candles?

What is your favourite winter scent?

Ellie

                                                                                       

#TheWinterProject : My Favourite Winter Accessory

This week the topic for #TheWinterProject is favourite winter accessories. For years I have always had a weakness when it comes to buying scarves, it seems that no matter how big my collection is already I am always tempted to add to it. I love a scarf that is practical and warm, but also stands out as a fashion piece; and I believe that this little beauty (in fact it's far from little, lets say bordering on blanket) is by far my favourite fashion scarf to date. To those of you who read my blog may recognise this scarf from my 'Tartan overload' post recently where I showed you things I had recently bought that followed that the tartan trend, and as pretty much the whole of the population know by now, tartan is back with a bang, so this scarf is most definitely on trend. If this hasn't sold it to you already I must boast that it is also cleverly double sided so it is basically 2 scarves for the price of one! Therefore depending on your mood or outfit you can chose which tartan to wear, the red and green tartan really helps to liven up an outfit and the black and white side compliments so many other garments, or you can twist it showing both sides it's really up to you. You can find this scarf in Zara for just shy of £20, a bargain! I know this scarf in particular has been super popular, however Zara have a lovely range of patterns available in the same size so you are no doubt spoilt for choice. If you ask me, this is the ultimate winter accessory. 

What is your favourite winter accessory?

Ellie

                                                                                       

The sunshine award

It's always nice to be tagged in one of these award post. Its a great way to disocver new blogs and find out more about fellow bloggers in the blogosphere! This is a lovely award as the purpose is nominate bloggers 'who are positive and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere' how nice?!
So thank you to the lovely Andrea for nominating me.

As part of this post you must:
Share 11 facts about yourself

Answer the questions set by your nomination blogger
Nominate 11 bloggers
Include your own 11 questions for those nominated

Facts about me:

1. I study fashion design in Newcastle

2. I am the no.1 Harry potter and Lord of The Rings fan

3. I drink way too much Yorkshire tea

4. I have slight addiction to cheddar cheese

5. I've ran a half marathon for charity (best experience ever)

6. About half of the songs on my ipod are Beyonce songs

7. I love anything vintage

8. I am horder of old disney videos

9. I have never had my eyebrows waxed

10. My nail beds suck

11. I have a bad habit for constantly quoting lines from my favourite films

As for Andreas questions...

1. Can you explain the meaning beyond your blog name?

My blog name pretty much just sums up what my blog is all about, my views on the things I love! 

2. If you could swap lives with any fictional character, who would you choose?

Definitely Hermionie Granger, I have had a bit of a girl crush on her ever since the 5th Harry Potter film, plus to be a student at Hogwarts and wind up married to a Weasley I wouldnt complain! 

3. If your house was burning down (and your family/pets etc were all safe) and you could save one thing, what would you save?

It would have to be my families box of home videos, there are so many memories stored on those videos that are too precious to loose. Also my teddy bear since birth, haha I'm one for nostalgia if you couldn't already tell! I'd probably risk a few burns for my camera, although I'm hardly ever without it so I would most likely already have it on me, haha.

4. What did you want to be when you grew up?

In my primary school years I wanted to be an athlete, I was first to volunteer myself for sports days! Then I had a dreamy period of studying law which I was actually considering doing until I got distracted falling in love with textiles, and have since wanted to be a pattern cutter!

5. What's your guilty pleasure? 

I've been asked this before and the first thing that always pops into my head is all the time wasting telly that I seem to find myself watching on  a way too regular basis. You name it...'Nothing to Declare', 'Homes Under The Hammer', I love em' all!

6. If you could say anything to anyone, what would you say to them?

I would tell Ryan Gosling I loved him, although like that would be something he'd not heard before?!

7. What's your flava... tell me what's your flava?

Hmm, my first thought when I read this question was, crisps. When I used to listen to this song when I was younger I always used to quote a flavour of crisps after david sung the line 'whats your flavour' haha, in terms of my favourite flavour of crips, a packet of sensations sweet chilli never fails to please my taste buds.

8. Who's your secret celebrity crush?

Well it wouldnt be a secret it if I told you ;)

9. If you won the lottery, what would be the first thing you'd buy for yourself?

Probably some calms, I'd need after all the excitement that I had just won the lottery haha! Then, a holiday.

10. What's your biggest regret?

I try not to regret things, I find learning from my mistakes is much more effective.

11.What is the meaning of your life? 

Crickey this is hard one! I don't really think too deeply into the meaning of life because to be honest it all starts to feel a bit daunting really! I just like to take things as they come, not to miss out on any opportunities, and enjoy it!

As for my questions...

1. Why did you get into blogging?
2. What do you enjoy most about blogging?

3. What word best describes yourself?
4. Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
5. If you could live in any era in history, when would it be?
6. If you could interview anyone (I mean serious Peirs Morgan style interview) who would it be?

7. If you could take credit for the production of any film, which would it be?
8. Where in the world would you most like to visit ?
9. If you could only shop in one shop for the rest of your life where would it be?
10. What is your top beauty tip?
11. What would your ideal day off be spent doing?

And my nominees are...

Amber Types
A Yellow Brick Blog
British Beauty Addict
Beleza by Ems
Hbbeautyblog
HOLLISA
Life of A Trainee Journalist
Makeup by Candlelight
Masha's Mumbles
Ro's Tinted
Tangled

I hope you enjoy it!

                                                                                        

Isabel Marant for H&M: My Outfit Picks

The day has finally arrived for the release of the Isabel Marant collection for H&M! It was like waiting to buy tickets for a concert the webpage was so busy this morning at 9am with queuing pages that made the wait even more tense. But I eventually got there to see what was pieces were on offer, as Isabel Marant is very well known for her knit wear I had my hopes up for a gorgeous chunky jumper to get my hands on time, and I certainly wasn't disappointed. There was a lot more clothing than I expected with a great range of garments and accessories, with almost every item having some exciting print, knit, or embellishment that would make it a statement in any outfit. After passing on the details to my mum of what jumper I wanted on my Christmas list I decided to put together some outfit combinations with some of the garments available in the collection, all a tad over my budget, but a girl can dream!

1. Loop knit jumper (as hopefully to be seen under my Christmas tree) £69.99, Waxed slim fit jeans £69.99.

2. Girls knit Jumper (biggest size fits size 8) £34.99, Peplum skirt (not Isabel Marant just regular H&M) £.19.99, Suede and leather fringed boots £149.99.

3. Wool coat £99.99, Mens patterned top £29.99, Embroidered slim fit jeans £59.99.
4. Embroidered jacket £199.99, Waxed slim fit jeans £69.99, Court shoes with metal bead £99.99.
Unfortunately but not unexpectedly, some of the stock has already sold out online so it's probably best visiting your nearest H&M asap to see whats in store.

Have you bought anything from the collection?
What do you think of it?

                                                                                        

#TheWinterProject : Favourite Winter Nails

I read about this project on one of my favourite blogs that is Beleza by Ems, and although I may be a day behind I loved the sound of the project so much that I couldn't wait to jump on the band wagon. The idea of #TheWinterProject is to write a series of winter related posts over the weeks leading up to Christmas with a different festive theme each week. So, to start things off, let me introduce to my favourite winter nail polishes!

I have a thing for combining nail polishes, you will rarely see me with just one nail colour on. This gorgeous icy blue and creamy colour remind me of cold winter days and they go really great together. The blue 'Where's my Chauffeur?' by Essie (which I nicked from my flat mate on this occasion) is a stunning great quality colour that I highly recommend, I also own a similar colour by Barry M which is a cheaper option but bare in mind you have to apply a few coats to get a solid colour, but it is worth it. See this polish in one of my previous posts HERE. The creamy shade 'Lychee' is one of the gelly polishes by Barry M, the brand I can always rely on for a cheap but decent nail polish.
for a more night time, occasion appropriate look, these two polishes look SOO good together it would be a crime to separate them. For the base colour I apply two coats of 'Raspberry' a lush shade by Barry M which I feel is a really festive red, so I always like to wear it at this time. Another colour by Essie, 'Leading Lady' is what I like to apply over the top. For me a glittery nail polish just yells Christmas so combined with the Barry M paint you are fit for the season!

Are any of you taking part in #TheWinterProject? If so, send me your links in the comments box below!

Ellie

                                                                           

My Collaboration With Dr.Martens

To those of you who don't know, I currently study Fashion Design at Northumbria University and as part of our current semester we have been undergoing a live project set to us by the fashion and famously shoe retailer Dr.Martens. Our task? To design a AW/14 capsule collection, incorporating local culture, which is targeted at the Dr.Martens customer, and to manufacture one garment from that collection. Therefore you can imagine that uni is very exciting (slash a tad stressful) for me at the moment. As I specialise in womenswear I will be creating an androgynous style look with a mods influence that will be filled with gorgeous tartan and winter wools. The garment that I chose to make will be presented to Dr.Martens in December via a mini catwalk show with the chance for it to be displayed in store! So keep your eyes peeled for my post in December when I will be uploading exciting pictures and possibly videos of the presentation.

Our project has also made the paper! Read the article on The Journal's website HERE.

Picture taken from The Journal Website.

Are you doing any exciting projects at the moment?

Ellie

                                                                                       

Product of the week: Maybe she's born with it, maybe it's Maybelline

When it comes to eyelashes, in my case I am definitely not born with naturally gorgeous ones so it is most definitely Maybelline I have to thank. Since using their Volum Express Lift Up mascara I'm afraid to say that I find it so hard to branch out and try new ones as I'm too attached to it and have never been able to find a competitor! In the past I have used Dior Show which was lovely but I found it didn't last that long and was it bit too pricey to be buying every few months so I was just saving it for special occasions, but even my use of that fizzled out with my love for my Maybelline one overpowering! Yes you may say I'm a little too attached to my mascara but let me just explain why...

Firstly, the curved brush. For some reason it seems so rare now to find mascaras that have a curved wand, this being something I always look for in a mascara. This is because I find that it really helps to give a natural curl and lift up your eyelashes making them stand out.

Secondly, unlike some of Maybellines other mascaras the consistency of this mascara isn't too thick and gloopy so it applies really nicely, evenly separating the eyelashes. It's also great for adding length wheres some of the other maybelline mascaras seem to add mainly thickness. I focus particularly on my corner lashes when applying it and the length you get is great and natural.

Furthermore, its perfect for all occasions. If you read my blog you'll know that in terms of make up I prefer a more natural look and this product fits my brief really well. However I have found that it is not just appropriate for everyday use but also when worn with a slim line of black gel eyeliner on top of the eyelid and and a bronze eye shadow it creates a really simple yet striking evening look.

And finally, at £6.99 it doesn't even scratch the surface so it's a guilt free purchase every few months. So never mind product of the week, this mascara is pretty much product of the year.

Have you ever used this mascara?

Can you recommend any other curved brush mascaras?

What is your favourite mascara?

                                                                                Ellie

Autumn Tag

As tagged by the lovely Nicole from Life of A Trainee Journalist todays post is an autumn tag!

Tag posts are a great way to get to know other bloggers so it's always a bit of fun to do.

Favourite thing about Autumn? 

With it getting dark earlier and earlier I find I spend a lot of time in the house! To make the most of this I love doing things like home baking with my family. I love a good home baked treat! It sounds sad but I also love all the autumn/winter TV that's on, there are so many good series and programmes on to keep me entertained. In particular, The Great British Bake Off, 90210, Homeland, and of course X factor (sorry to strictly fans) for me this programme is just the countdown to christmas!

Favourite drink? 

I struggle to go a day without tea, however you cant beat the seasonal coffees and hot chocolates and lattes that are available at Starbucks throughout the season.

Favourite scent?

Autumn is the time when I tend to get out all my scented candles, at the moment I have a Harding & Baylis Lavender scented candle on the go, but I also love the Vanilla Cupcake one from Yankee Candle, they are lovely to accompany a nice hot bath.

In terms of perfume my trademark scent is Deep Night by GHOST, the desciprtion on the website describes it as being a 'seductive, mysterious and sensual, this powerful scent introduces Belle de Nuit – a flower that blooms in the darkness and closes early dawn to draw on its magnetic power. Indian Rose is blended with base notes of Wood and Vanilla to add an embracing warmth to the fragrance giving a heady, intoxicating aura' They sell it well dont they! Haha, but to me it feels like a really autumnal scent as its not too sweet. 

Best lipstick? 

I recently bought shade 103 from Kate Moss' range for Rimmel London. I prefer more natural makeup so this lip is a lovely natural shade perfect for everyday. However I do feel like branching out and experimenting with a burgundy sort of colour soon, any suggestions anyone?

Go to moisturiser?

I have most recently used the Nivea in shower moisturiser, see my review below! Which I have not yet used on face but it has been the best one I have tried for my body, I had noticeably softer skin after the first use. Its important to keep your skin moisturised in these colder months! Go to colour for eyes? Body Shops shade 205 Caramel Flirt is a gorgeous shimmery natural colour. I only really wear eye shadow when dressing up but if I were to wear one on an everyday basis it would also be appropriate.

Favourite band/singer to listen to?

I tend to stop listening to dance music as much as it just makes me miss summer! So I just stick with the charts really, I always trust there to be good music on radio one as I'm easily pleased really and like to listen to a variety of genres, at the moment Drake and Arctic Monkeys are on repeat on my ipod. 

Favourite outfit to wear?

As it gets stupidly cold when I'm at uni up in Newcastle I rarely take my coat off! So I like to wear a statement coat that will be the main aspect of an outfit. From leather jackets, to parkas, tweed, and furry body warmers my wardrobe is full of outwear items!

Autumn treat?By the sound of it I don't have enough coats so perhaps a new outerwear item! Haha and some home made cakes and bakes of course!

Favourite place to be? I do love being in the comfort of my own home weather it be with friends, family or my boyfriend, I always enjoy being at home. However I do also love it when its bonfire night, if there's something that I'm willing to bare the cold for its a really good firework display.

I would like to tag the following people. But if you're reading this and you haven't been tagged please feel free to do it anyway!

Bryanyellen
HOLLISA
Masha's Mumbles
Ro's Tinted
Right Up My Street

Enjoy!

                                                                                

Seventeen haul

I am a sucker for an offer however this was one I just could not miss! Seventeen are currently doing a fab 3 for £10 deal on any products so it really is a great saving!

I read about a couple of these products on Life of a Trainee Journalist, a great blog which if you haven't visited yet I suggest you do, I really trust Nicole's reviews so was instantly tempted to go and check out the products for myself.

To start with I picked up this CC cream, I have been wanting one for quite a while as a substitute for foundation. I currently wear a Clarins foundation that which I love but since becoming a student, at £25 a go I find I'm slightly reluctant in using it for everyday. This texture of this cream is almost mousse like but is really light and blends really well with both your hands and a foundation brush. To say its not actually a foundation, the coverage it gives is very good and I find it lasts really well. The only downside about this product is it only comes in two shades, luckily for me the medium tone matches my skin well however for people with different skin types it might be more difficult to find a match. But overall, a really nice everyday product.

My Witch concealer has just ran so I decided to go for something a little different this time with this under eye concealer. With the description 'Heavy duty' I though it would provide maximum covergae however you can still vaguely see a darker tone under the eyes but when foundation or the CC cream is applied on top it does make a difference. I applied the concealer using my fingers and it went on nice and smoothly to say it was quite thick which was an advantage! It also gives a nice matte finish which is what I look for in face makeup so I was happy with this. Not the best I've used but it certainly does the job.

Finally, the product I initially went for and was most excited about using is the 3 way highlighter. With this product a little goes a long way as its quite thin so spreads really well over the skin. It just adds a really nice shimmery effect acting as a primer that when applied under your foundation to your cheek bones, brow bones and the dip above your upper lip makes your face makeup look a lot more glowing, particularly under the light. And although I have never used a highlighter before so have nothing to compare it to I was very pleased with the results, I love it!

Altogether I saved a whopping £8.67 so it really is an offer you cannot miss!

Have you used any of these products before?

What would you buy using the offer?

Ellie

                                                                                

Autumn Comforts

With more leaves at our feet than on the trees it's safe to say that autumn has arrived. Although I was very reluctant in admitting that the summer months were over I do quite enjoy the autumnal season and I believe that this of all seasons, is home comforts season.

I love nothing more at this time of year than getting all wapped up in an oversized piece of cosy knitwear that is 10 sizes to big for me, accompanied with a nice new pair of warm wooly socks.

For me, autumn wouldn't be autumn without the smell of oaky, vanilla and cinnamon scented candles, I like to stock up on a range of different scents to spread around the house and to last me for the following months.

With being in the house more on evenings and weekends, me and my mum like to spend more of our time home baking, it's a good time for mother and daughter bonding and you get lots of tasty treats at the end of it, it's a win win really! And like the scents of my candles I love adding cinnamon and vanilla flavours to my favoruite recipes (visit the muffins and cookies section).

One slight thing I dislike about the season is that with it growing colder my lips are constantly chapping, however I have found a lovely moisturising lip balm in a lush berry colour that is perfect for this time of year.

1. Fluffy Knit Cardigan £24.99 NewLook

2. 101 Cakes & Bakes (range of prices) Amazon

3. Lip Balm Stick in Mightiest Marachino £17.00 Clinique 
4. Vanilla Cupcake Scented Large Jar Candle £19.99 Yankee Candle
5. Calf High Socks Colour Damson £10.50 Jack Wills

What are your favourite things about Autumn?

                                                                                    Ellie

Product of the week: Clarins Cleansing Gel

Since last Christmas I have been using this product and thought it was about time that I shared it with the blogosphere! This product came as part of the daily energizer range from Clarins along with a moisturiser and a 'wake up booster' liquid solution, however the cleansing gel is what I favoured out of the three and will definitely be purchasing it again individually.

Containing morgina extract it seems like quite a natural product, which is what you want when applying anything to your face. On the bottle it advises you to rinse with cool water in the morning and warm water in the evening, however I use it morning and evening when I shower with warm water, as it goes all lovely and soapy it's easier to rinse off. The fab thing about this products is that it's really good value for money, you only need to squeeze a small amount onto the finger tip which is sufficient to cleanse the whole face. Not only this but it removes any excess makeup really well and also leaves the skin feeling so soft and smooth after every use. As a result of this I felt no need to use to moisturiser every day after cleansing and simply used it on odd days when my face felt a little dry. Overall I think it is a really worthwhile every day product that leaves you thoroughly cleansed and completely fresh faced. I love it, well done Clarins!

The cleansing gel retails at an affordable £12 or if you would like to try the whole range you can purchase a set of minis for £15.

Have you tried the products from this range before, if so what did you think?

Are there any other cleansers you would recommend?

                                                                                 Ellie

My 50th post!

Today I noticed that I have approached my 50th post! It may seem a little sad but I was so chuffed when I saw this as my blog had a bit of a slow start so I am so glad that it's finally up and running and posts have been flowing through.

I would also just like to say a big thank you to the few of you that do follow my blog and regularly keep up with my posts, I really do appreciate every reader!

And in keeping with the 50 theme I have set myself a target to try and reach 50 bloglovin' followers by the end of the year, secretly the main reason for this is that I really want to do a Christmas related giveaway!

This may seem like a bit of a pointless post but I was excited to see how much my blog has progressed since I first started it :)

So please keep reading and here's to the next 50!

Much Love,
Ellie

My Perfect Nude: What's Yours?

I've forever been a fan of the Kate Moss lipstick range for Rimmel London however not purchased a nude shade until recently. I have been on the search for the right nude for quite a while but have found it difficult to get one with the right amount of shine, moisture and I've also wanted one with pink pigments; as I most often wear natural face makeup I thought this would liven it up a tad. Some might say I'm just a little bit picky! But thanks to Rimmel and Kate I was able to find all this in one of there lippies. Shade 03 is a lush nude colour with a hint of pink that matches perfectly with my skin tone. When applying lipstick I always brush on some excess foundation which provides a nice base for the lipstick and brings out to full colour as you test it on your hand. This lipstick is part of the 'Lasting Finish' range but I do find that I have to re apply it quite a lot during the day, even though this acts against what it's labelled to do, it feels so nice and moisturising that this doesn't bother me at all!

For only £5.49 it's an affordable everyday lipstick.

I would love to hear what your favourites and recommendations are,so please leave a comment below, I will always reply within a few days!

Ellie

Product of the week: New Nivea In Shower Moisturiser

Dont you just hate it when you're in a rush to get ready and you all your clothes start sticking to your not yet absorbed moisturiser?! I cant stand it and begin to question is it really worth the effort to moisturise everyday? But then I complain when I get dry skin, it's a viscous circle really! However the other day I saw this product advertised on telly and had never seen anything similar before so it went straight on my shopping list! But my flat mate beat me to it and very generously let me trial and test it; I did so the next morning.

As it is an in shower moisturiser, you are advised to rinse it off whereas you wouldn't usually, just like a shower gel, which I applied as normal before the moisturiser. I've never really been keen on the smell of Nivea products, they remind me of old peoples homes but thankfully the effect of this product made up for that aspect. Excuse the cliche but it really does feel silky smooth; acting as a skin conditioner. Not only this but it conveniently reduces the amount of time taken to ready as there is no faffing around waiting for it to absorb. I will definitely be including this in my daily routine from now on.

Image courtesy of temporary-secretary.com as mine disappeared from my camera memory

Purchase it HERE for just £3.56! I have also since tried this in 'pampering honey' which is my new favourite as it smells divine!

Have you tried this product yet?

Are there any other moisturisers you would recommend?

To follow 'According to Ellie' on Bloglovin' click HERE