Long Time ....

Wow, it has almost been an entire year since I last wrote on this blog.

I lost my way a bit in beauty blogging. It started off with being busy with work, and then I was falling behind on what was new and felt what I would write would be irrelevant in a beauty world that was going at such a fast pace.

I didn't recognise the beauty blogging world anymore. It began to be filled with PR samples instead of real purchases and my mistrust for the authenticity of posts couldn't be shaken.

In the meanwhile, I began a massive cull of my collection in order to minimise my life and I didn't think someone would want to read about that.

But for 2015, I decided to take this blog in a different direction. Whether this will interest anyone is unknown, but I hope you join me as I minimise my life and use up the beauty products that I have before they have to be binned.

I have now moved for the 9th time in my life. This time, 5 hours away to a lovely quaint seaside town for work.  This move made me realise a few things:

1. I had things in storage that I forgot I had, leading me to believe that I never needed it or wanted it that badly to begin with

2. I have way too many eye shadows and nail polishes that I could possibly use in my lifetime

3. I was holding onto clothes that I hoped would I would fit into one day, and lastly

4. I realised the amount of money I spent on things that would go off if I didn't use it soon

So what to expect from this blog this year?

Products I have used up and my reviews of them and

My struggle as I embark on a beauty no-buy (other than foundation once I finish the ones I have) for 2015. (Even as I write that, I am panicking at the idea of a no-buy for an entire year)

So Merry Christmas everyone out there and see you in 2015 x

NOTD: Chanel Alchimie

Oh how I miss my camera.  I actually had a chance to do my nails on a regular basis so I'm falling in love with some oldies.  Can you call Alchimie an oldie yet? The nail world moves so fast with so many polishes coming in at an alarming rate. I just can't keep up (and neither can my bank account).

Today I wanted to share Alchimie.  It's very similar to Peridot, but without a duo chrome finish.  This metallic finish on this gives this earthy neutral a nice glammed up look.  I like this type of green polish over the others and I've been sporting it lately.  

I love Chanel polishes so much. What's not to love...The bottles, the textures, the tones, and the formulas. They do things just so right.  With any metallic finish, you will get streaky lines, but this one isn't too bad.

This photo is taken with flash at night.

Currently - January 2014

BOOK:
Perfumes, The Guide by Luca Turin & Tania Sanchez

MUSIC:
Anything from the Metalheadz Label
Dillon - thirteen thirtyfive (deniz kurtel ruya remix) - seriously this tune is on repeat
Goyte - Hearts a Mess

TV:
The Office (US version) Season 9 on repeat in the background
I'm not big on t.v.

MAKEUP:
I got a few Christmas goodies that I'm very eager to start using (Guerlain Terra Nerolia). I'm still rocking the bright red lips in January and black eyeliner. I've started to smudge it out to make it a bit more smokey than feline flick.

FREQUENTLY WORN OUTFTS/ITEMS:
Black dresses, black tights, Acne Comet boots with my H&M army green parka.  I'm carrying my Vivienne Westwood x Cambridge Satchel bag and my VW x Lush scarf as well.

FOOD:
Craving the crispy and crunchy

DRINK:
Water with Lemon

BANE:
Making sense of what just happened in 2013

JOY:
Oscar

ANTICIPATION:
My two week cruise into the Med in June :)

WISHLIST:
Givenchy Rotweiler Accessories & IPAD

RANDOM THOUGHT:
I wonder when we will find our next home

Christmas Haul and Swap Reveal Photos

Happy 2014 everyone!  I am officially on holiday so I'm sitting here in my PJ's in total hibernation mode.  I finally gathered up all my haul and swap items in December and can now do a proper post about all the things that I purchased or swapped for.

I've been working on downsizing my stash and swapping for items that I will use, so I'm very proud that I managed to get all my beauty stash into my makeup unit on my vanity and an IKEA Helmer :)

**Warning: Long post :) and apologies for the iphone pics, my camera is broke**

Let's start with my favourite purchase of the season!
Acne Comet Boots (purchased from Harrods)
I recently posted about this, but they are finally here. I wore them to work for 2 days and they were so comfortable and I received so many compliments ::blush::
My only grievance is that the box is pretty standard and flimsy. For boots that originally cost over £400, I expected a little bit more.

 

Do you see that bright bag in the background? I also treated myself to the 

Vivienne Westwood vs. Cambridge Satchel Company bag  

(purchased from The Cambridge Satchel Company in Covent Garden)

These bags are so sturdy and well constructed. I just fell in love with the energy and vibrancy of this design.  My friend who bought this for me told me to go for this one instead of the brown one that I was initially going to go for.

Continuing with the Vivienne Westwood theme...

Lush x Vivienne Westwood Scarves 

 (purchased from my local Lush shop)

These were very limited and I'm happy to have secured both.

Guerlain Terra Nerolia Highlighter 

(purchased from Debenhams)

I was shocked to see this at 50% off as usually these limited edition products sell out before they can even go on sale.  I love the Guerlain palettes so much. They smell so fresh and fruity and the craftsmanship is so stunning.

 

A few more purchases for the New Years

I didn't want to pay the money for a Louis Vuitton refill in my agenda, so I headed to TK Maxx in hopes to find the Taschen Calendar Diary and Viola! there were tons. Many years ago at Uni, I purchased a Dali one and I loved it. The pages are filled with a lot of graphics and the paper is high gloss and sturdy.  It will last all year and it's worth the £5.99 price tag as well.

Also included in this photo are Muji pens. A co-worker gave these to me and I accepted with a huge smile on my face :)

 

The next item was a bargain find on ebay for only 99p. 

The Ninja Bunny Drawstring bag is very kawaii! I currently use it as my makeup bag.  

The last of my purchases before I move onto my swap reveal...

Lush Shower Gels: Ponche, Rose Jam, and Snow Fairy

My favourite of the three has always been Snow Fairy, but I had to get Rose Jam and Ponche for their unique scents.  Ponche is fresh orange juice and tequila and Rose Jam is a modern take on the traditional Rose smell.  Both are full of zest, freshness, and I love using them!  I had to stock up so I ended up buying 3 large bottles after I bought the travel sizes.

They are indeed limited edition, you can try your luck at your local Lush shop.

 

Ok ladies & gents, onto the swap reveals....

TheFACEShop Fruit Face Mask from Korea

I haven't tried them yet so can't comment, but these are actual cotton mask you put onto your face. They look a bit creepy, but fun ha!

 

(From L-R)

Caudalie Huile Divine OIl

I have only used their moisturisers before, but the oil smells "divine" for real!

 

Lucy Annabella Organics - Argan & Bergamot oil

I never heard of this brand, but the scent is fresh and I'm looking forward to using this on my legs tonight

S5 Purity Serum

This is another brand that I haven't heard of. I'm in love with oils and serums lately, so happy to give this one a try

The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit hand cleanser

Anyone who knows me that I don't support the Body shop since they were recently bought out by L'oreal.  I will say though that this hand sanitizer leaves an orange scent on your hand for a long time.

Escada Cherry In The Air (gift)

If you like sweet and uncomplicated perfumes that borderline body sprays, then this one is for you.

Ren Neroli & Grapefruit body cream 

I love Neroli so much! It is actually moisturising as well. I know Ren had a huge marketing presence when they first launched so I'm excited to finally try this before investing in money

Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation (only £2.99 from fragrancedirect.com)

I couldn't believe how inexpensive this was on fragrancedirect as Boots and Superdrugs is selling it far more.  I actually love using this foundation on days where I'm just running to the supermarket.

Clarins Santal Face Treatment Oil 

This was a free tester from my friend at the Clarins counter. The oil is so pure and rich. I put this on my face but wasn't so keen on the heaviest of it, so I will be using this in my hair.

Fresh Mangosteen Soap (gift)

I am happy to see that Fresh is still up and running. It's very difficult to get Fresh here in the UK, so a friend sent this to me as a gift. I currently have so much soap that I'm not sure when I'm going to use this one, but soon for sure.

Jo Malone Lime Basil & Mandarin perfume (gift)

Jo Malone is one of those brands that keeps growing. I'm not sure if they are growing too fast or not as their scents are becoming far too predictable; however, this one is very different and unique.  Just my kind of perfume.

MAC muscle tone nail polish (gift)

I always forget about MAC products, especially MAC nail polish.  This one takes 4 coats to make opaque

Perfume Guide from Luca Turin and Tanya Sanchez
I swapped for this book and I'm so happy to have it. The book goes over both high street and niche perfumes with humour, great insight, and knowledge. I've enjoyed reading this and feel very inspired to grow my perfume collection

MAC 217 Blending Brush was a gift. It's such a great blending brush. It's soft and blends shadow without striping the colour.

Bare Minerals Original Foundation in Medium Beige 

I swapped for this as it's one of my HG foundations.  I love using this on it's own in the summer or on top of my liquid foundation during the winter.  This is honestly an amazing foundation that highlights skin that is maturing (aka my skin now :(  )

Well that's all folks! These are the products that I will be working through along with my stash.  I'm really making an effort not to purchase too much but purchase quality products that I can enjoy using all year. 

I'd love to know what your fav purchase was in 2013? and Happy New Years to new and old readers.  May 2014 be filled with lovely products and happiness x