New Beauty Additions

ted baker dorin wash bag - c/o surfdome

I was recently kindly asked by Surfdome if I'd like to review a product of theirs. I've been after a Ted Baker for such a long time I definitely jumped at the chance! I used to want one of the bow bags but I'm not 100% sure whether I love the new design of bow, and the little Dorin french bulldog ones really jumped out at me so I went for this one instead. Delivery was really quick and easy so I'd definitely recommend them if you're fancying treating yourself soon - you can find the rest of their ted baker wash bag range here.

l'oreal ever riche shampoo & conditioner

I needed some shampoo and conditioner so popped into Boots after the failure that was this sunday's car boot. I've seen a few rave reviews on this shampoo and conditioner already, and seeming it was on an introductory offer (£3.99 each, usually £5.99) I thought I'd give them a try. I've not used them yet so no opinions here so far, but I've also read great reviews on the conditioning mask from the same range, so I'll hopefully be giving that a go too soon.

botanics rosewater toning spritz, cleansing toner and cleansing face wipes

I originally planned on leaving with just a few Boots points lighter with some new haircare and a replacement rimmel powder, but the Botanics stand caught my eye on the way out. A lot of the products were up to 1/2 off, plus I'd just got a voucher meaning the face wipes were free. I've had my eye on both these toners for a while, and the majority of mine are close to running out. Both the toners were 1/3 off, meaning they were only a couple pounds each. I've used them both since and they both seem really lovely. I'm not expecting anything groundbreaking, but great for the price!

Follow | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Shop | Pinterest | She Said Beauty

Products I've Used Up #2

You have no idea how good it feels to finally have this filmed and being able to throw away all my old products that have just been sat around for too long! I show a whole lotta love for Vo5 in this video and a distinct lack of any make-up, just shows how little I've been using recently. It all seems to be a lot of products I love and use on a daily basis, anyway.

I'd love for you to subscribe and give the video a thumbs up if you liked!

Follow | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Shop | Pinterest | She Said Beauty

Peachy Keen

There's something about peach that sends me weak at the knees time and time again. Usually in beauty, but recently I've seen a lot of peach popping up around my home too. First of all, in my 1950s make up bags that were purchased a few months ago from one of my vintage fairs for just £4. They're very at home on top of my dressing table with the little powder pot my Mum found for me at a car boot recently. I've also digged out an old peach wax tart that I need to stick on a burner pronto and get my home smelling delicious!

In beauty, my collection of peach shades is getting a little out of hand. The Avon lipstick is discontinued now, but is the only peachy nude I've ever found that doesn't give me foundation lips, and is a really nice, hydrating choice. Of course, I had to include the Revlon balm stains; both Juicy Papaya and Tutti Frutti give a lovely peachy colour in a swipe, with the latter having just a hint of coral too. The blush is Melon by Look Beauty, again which has a hint of pink but really seems to lift my usually dead complexion. The lasting power on cream blush is just incredible too, I find it really hard to use powder ones anymore. And finally, my current favourite nail polish, and one that I've been trying to tear myself away from since I bought it; the Barry M Gelly polish in Papaya doesn't need much explanation. What do you think, are you as much of a peach lover as me?

Follow | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Shop | Pinterest | She Said Beauty

Etsy spotlight; The top ten.

I've had a little bit of a love affair with Etsy since I can remember. I love to support independent businesses, and you can give me a bit of Etsy over a high street store any day of the week. Etsy has really grown over the past few years, so I thought to share a bit of the love, I'd start doing a monthly feature on some of my favourite stores.

1.  2. 3. 4. 5.

01. This popped up on the Etsy homepage today, from a store I've never seen before but fell immediately in love with. Rachel loves Bob makes a wonderful selection of handmade jewellery in different styles. I just really love the colours and design of this little necklace.

02. Of course, I couldn't not feature the incredibly talented Ella Masters in this post. One of my favourite bloggers, she has an amazing shop filled with illustrations, tote bags, phone cases, and her ever popular 'tattooed man/lady' prints. I love everything she does, but this 'dream big' sign is something I'd love to have hanging in my office.

03. I've had Creative Design by Thao bookmarked for absolutely ages. He sells the prettiest handmade bracelets and rings in little words. Personally I love the wish bracelet featured and the love ring.

04. I struggle finding cute sleeves or cases for my Nexus 7, but Bertie's Closet has everything. I can't resist a good chevron, especially in such beautiful colours!

 05. Another real favourite is Oh no Rachio, which sells a lovely selection of hand illustrated notebooks, which are pretty hard to resist being the stationery obsessive I am!

6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

06. This Stay home club tote just personifies me, really.. Except that I only have two cats, not four. I love a good tote bag so I can't say no to this.

07. Croatia Vintage is possibly one of the best vintage etsy stores I've come across. It's only a recent discovery, but I've already found a few dresses that I am in love with. The only bad thing is the expensive postage from America, otherwise they'd already be on their way to me!

08. I can't resist a good vintage deer collection, and these little plastic ones are my favourites. They come from Udaskids which sells a gorgeous collection of vintage kidswear.

09. I'm sad to say all my paper straws have just run out, so I'm on the lookout for more. I've never seen a set of different colours, and I love these from Loutinen Events. They sell a gorgeous selection of washi tape and patterned paper bags too.

10. This beautiful vase isn't the usual sort of thing I'd go for, but Carriage Oak Cottage really caught my eye. It's all absolutely wonderful handmade home decor for really reasonable prices. The yellow ombre vase is one of my favourites too.

What do you think of my picks? Are you much of an Etsy shopper?

Follow | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Shop | Pinterest | She Said Beauty

Life lately #3

summer outfit | hungover bed | hayfever hell | ducks with their mama | brunchtime | packing for a fair | fabric bundles | behind the scenes | bella loves the new sofa | skincare favourites | hometime refreshments | too hot! | finds of the day | stir fry | breakfast of champs | car boot finds | new shop packaging | hometime | new bags | gifts from York

Currently listening to: Same old, same old really! I did pick up a couple new records today (Fleetwood Mac and Johnny Cash), and I've also been listening to a bit of Paul Simon's solo stuff. Also branching out into a bit of The Who and Led Zeppelin!

Currently reading: Recently I've been concentrating a lot on trying to improve my online store, so I've been reading lots of business guides and little tips to making money online. I really want to get one of Karren Brady's books, I have such a lady crush on her since the Apprentice!

Current favourite blog: I really struggle with summer fashion, so a lot of fashion blogs have been on my radar recently. I've rediscovered an old favourite of Calivintage, every single outfit of hers is just dreamy. For the English girls, my favourites for fashion are always Olivia, Jen and Carrie.

Current favourite product: It's far too hot for make-up, but my skin is so bad at the moment I need some coverage. The Avon Ideal Flawless BB cream has been serving me well in the heat, as well as all my cream blushers; Topshop Flush is always one of my favourites.

Follow | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Shop | Pinterest | She Said Beauty

Newly aquired.

topshop dress - £15

70s bed cover - £3.

kmb wedges - c/o Spartoo.

1950s dressing table pot - gift from mama.

paul simon vinyl - £2.50

Well, it's been a little quiet around here recently, hasn't it?! Honestly, it is just far too hot to blog. After I've done all my work I just cannot be fussed, and I'm working a lot recently trying to improve both my ebay store & website. My Topshop dress arrived last week and it's lovely; really easy to wear and very versatile. The sizing is a little odd (I got the size down and it's still massive!) and it seems to have got damaged after one wash too, but I guess that's Topshop for you. I got some new summer wedge sandals by 'kmb' from Spartoo, which is making a nice little change from my flat ballet shoes which are usually permanently attached to my feet. They too are lovely & versatile, and I know will look great with lots of things in my wardrobe. Reduced by £30 too!

I picked up a Paul Simon vinyl at this Sunday's Vintage Village too, for the bargainous price of £2.50 which has been listened to a few times already. Mum also brought a long a little dressing table pot for me that she found on the car boot, we both have a little thing for anything old and plastic! We went on a stock buying mission today too, and I found this cute 70s retro bed cover, which obviously is a little pointless until it gets colder, but I'll be digging it out in winter! What do you think of my buys? Have you bought yourself anything pretty recently?

Follow | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Shop | Pinterest | She Said Beauty

The Summer essentials.

The past few months have meant a much more relaxed beauty regime for me. There was a time when I'd be piling on over 10 different products onto my face, but I've cut that all back. The recent weather means I'm putting down the thick foundation and reaching for a good primer instead. I got Revlon Photoready at the beginning of the month and haven't put it down since. It smooths over my skin perfectly, reducing redness and pores on it's way. I've also been trying to improve my skin so I can wear a lighter base, and the Caudalie Beauty Elixir has been firmly attached to my hand. It's so refreshing on a hot summer morning, and really reduces redness and the size of any blemishes I might have.

If my skin isn't playing ball, the Expert face brush has been a saviour. I only use the same foundation as I did with the buffing brush, but it seems to give a much better coverage and really buffs perfectly into the skin. Make-up has been a bare minimum; just a slick of mascara, lipstick and a tiny bit of blush. Mac's Vegas Volt is something I've been reaching for pretty much everyday. It has great lasting power, and is of course the perfect shade for summer. The Bourjois cream blush in Healthy Glow goes with it really well, too.

My hair is back to being pretty long for the first time in about 7 years, so it's definitely not used to the humidity anymore. It's very fine too, meaning the slightly bit of warmth and it frizzes up like nobody's business. Spraying the Macadamia Control hair spray onto my hands and working it through my hair smooths it down and has been helping keep it look relatively normal! And of course, a good pair of sunglasses is always necessary! What are your summer essentials?

Follow | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Shop | Pinterest | She Said Beauty

July wishlist.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

01. I have had my eye on this dress since forever! I actually love it in all the colours (cornflower blue, black and white), but seeming I don't have anything in this colour, this one particularly caught my attention. It was originally £36 which is too much for me (especially with the bad month I've had on ebay), but was recently reduced in the sale to £20, then to £15! So I persuaded Kane to treat me to it ;)

02. Since favouring the more 'natural' make-up looks, I've been absolutely glued to my Revlon lip butters. I've seen these Korres tinted balms on so many blogs now and all the colours look gorgeous, so I'd love to get my hands on a couple soon. 

03. 'Wonderland' is a vintage store in Preston that I've always nipped into when I've been out with Mum. They've recently relocated and had a bit of a re-brand, and have started selling quite a few handmade items. I'm a little bit into the whole kimono trend at the moment, although I don't own one. I think this one is really pretty though and would look lovely with the Topshop dress! Some other things of theirs I love are the amazing Mean Girls cushions!

04. When making my latest shoes purchase from Spartoo I had debated whether to get a pair of Swedish Hasbeens, but with the crap weather of last week decided against it. Obviously, then a heatwave came and we're basking in the glorious sun whilst my poor little toes are crying to be released from the hot hellhole that is my ballet flats. Just bloomin' typical!

05. I've been obsessed with this tote bag for ages too, I just need to buy it now! They're made by Fieldguided which also has one of the dreamiest blogs ever too.

06. My collection of sunglasses is pretty massive now, so I really don't need any more, but I just love the colour of these. I think I'm just trying to allow myself to buy more; surely we need one in every colour, right?

07. This lipstick is something I'm after due to the whole 'natural make-up' thing too. It seems like the perfect my lips but better shade for me, and I'm always usually really impressed with Topshop make-up. It's sold out online sadly and my town doesn't have a Topshop, but hopefully I might get it soon.

08. It's difficult to avoid Origins. All over blogs there are tons of rave reviews and recommendations, and considering I pretty much take anything that Kate from Gh0stparties says as the holy gospel, this has crept up my want list pretty rapidly. If I come into some extra money soon I'd love to be able to treat myself to a couple new skincare bits. What are you fancying this month?

Follow | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Shop | Pinterest | She Said Beauty

Life lately #2

   
   
   

New lamp, Mandy paper doll set, newly crafted jar, costa delivery, new house plant, chocolate orange milkshake, theo nicked my spot, m&s scran, lush perfumes, two favourites, sun dress, forever battling with my office.

I've been a bit absent recently! We've found a new house we were hoping to move into, but the application process is going very slowly and there's still a bit of work to do! Fingers crossed we get it though. My life is spent working, cleaning, and clearing out at the moment, so there's not been much time for anything else! I'll try to get some new posts up soon.

Currently listening to: Record wise, I cannot stop playing Rumours by Fleetwood Mac, which is definitely one of my all time favourites. I've also rediscovered Angus and Julia Stone after not listing to them for quite a while; For you is just beautiful.

Currently reading: Nothing but guides to moving home and filing taxes!

Current favourite blog: I haven't had a lot of time to sit around reading them recently, but I always keep up with some of my old favourites. The Bleubird blog is one I've been reading since I was around 17. Cider with Rosie is one I've sadly only just discovered, but I absolutely love her photography and layout.

Current favourite product: With Summer finally looking like it's here, my hair has been going frizz crazy! The Macadamia Control Hairspray has been helping keeping it nice and smooth. I've also rediscovered Cha Cha Tint which gives me a nice coral lip when I've been keeping the rest of my face to the absolute minimum.

Follow | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Shop | Pinterest | She Said Beauty