A Little (but pretty large) Beauty and Fashion Haul!

Hello Everybody,

Despite not having enough time to blog last week, I've found a quiet few hours on a chilled sunday afternoon to sit down and blog. (still, I'm sorry for the wait).

So although it's early February, I'm still pretty low on cash, so here are a few little bits and bobs I purchased pretty cheaply and LOVE this month... 

Starting with Beauty..

I know face wipes are a controversial topic, and I am all for a deep cleanse and really purifying the skin due to my unlucky spot prone complexion, however, after a cleanse, all that eye make up can be smudged under the eye, so for a quick fix, I don't have a problem with a gentle run under the eyes with a wipe. For cheap wipes, Simple will always be my favourite, and asking my dad to pick me up some, he chose the oil balancing ones, which I think are designed for a cleansing wipe, and that is something I am against. Using only wipes is not enough to remove skin make up, you're pores will get blocked, so I really recommend only using wipes for removing execs make up after cleansing. However because these are designed for cleansing wipes they take a bit more of a rub to remove left over eye make up, which isn't great for the delicate skin under your eyes, however, they are gentle with no harsh chemicals and it states they control shine, and at only £3.20 from Boots, you can't really go wrong. 

Next, is my absolute favourite under eye concealer at the moment, the Phwoarr PAINT by SEVENTEEN. Like it says on the tub, it really is a heavy duty concealer, covering absolutely everything. Creamy, easily, blendable, not a great colour range, but perfect for me with pale skin, this is just really full coverage and then some! Yes the pot gets messy quickly as (pretty unhygienically) you need to use your fingers to get the product, however at £5.50, this is just fabulous and I love it. Also the little compact mirror is so handy, and packaging is neat and firm, so there won't be spillages and messiness getting out that pot. 

Recently I have been using a matte foundation, the Esteè Lauder Double Wear Light in the colour 01, and I have noticed that this sits in my rather large pores after a few hours of wearing it, which isn't the look I am ever going for. Never mind though, a primer will fix the job, and after finishing my incredible POREfessional tester from Benefit, I decided however brilliant it was, I wasn't able to let myself fish out £25 for the product.

I had been hearing some great things from the Body Shop's TEA TREE Pore Minimiser primer, which is made to suit blemished skin, win-win really, blemished skin? (check) large pores? (check) so  £7.50 seemed to make my purse and myself very happy. This is brilliant. All I can say really, smooth to apply, creates a lovely base for foundation, but doesn't make the foundation slip off, and does really fill my pores. It also smells fresh and clean, that typical tea tree smell and feel, I am converted, and a small amount goes a long long way. 

As you may know Illamasqua recently had a fantastic sale on, which I thought I would have to take advantage of, for only £5 I picked up the PRECISION INK eyeliner liquid in Havoc, a beautiful aubergine-black colour, which really compliments my blue eyes. Such a good stay put eyeliner, which   gets really close to the lash line and does a great winged look.

Im in shoe heaven, bought two completely different pairs recently, the first is the gorgeous orange cut out pump with an ankle strap with a gold twist fastening. I love the strap to make it different and cute with trousers and skirts (more of a spring/summer shoe) These being only £14.00 from ASOS was an absolute bargain, although they are not the comfiest shoes, I am trying to wear them in ready for warmer weather. The next being a heeled chelsea boot from H&M at only £25.00, absolutely love love love these boots, haven't taken them off, comfortable with a rubber heel to stop the annoying clip clop sound, can be dressed up or down, looks great with frilly socks and turned up jeans, leggings, trousers and I just can't fault them. Very happy with those beauties. 

Finally my bargain jumpers. Loving the monochrome, Firstly my cute chunky knit from ASOS at only £20.00, so warm, so comfortable, a great chunky fit, but not too unflattering which i find a lot of chunky clothes are, and I wear this with my petrol jeans and the H&M boots for a sophisticated (and warm) but easy outfit, and I'm loving it. The pattern is different but not too in your face, so its an easy wear and just makes an outfit a bit more interesting. 

And lastly, my simple black knit jumper from H&M at only £15.00, can't go wrong. a lovely sloughy hanging fit, slightly shorter at the front to complement the trousers you're wearing, really love the shape and fit of this, and the cute pocket detail finishes it off nicely, a simple and can wear a statement necklace to brighten the outfit, or some bright shoes (like the orange ones) or an interesting bag or jacket. There is nothing wrong with staple pieces, and a simple thin black jumper is just so useful.

So I hope you've enjoyed this post, a few bits and bobs I've purchased cheaply and absolutely love.

See you soon,

Zoe xx

Resolutions... Hmmm

'ELLO 'ELLO 'ELLO,

Every year I give myself 4/5 resolutions, stick with them for 4/5 days and then give up.
Brilliant.

BUT 2014 WILL BE DIFFERENT I CAN FEEL THE MOTIVATION INSIDE ME

Lets get to it then:

Numero 1 ~ Be healthy. This includes trying to gym 3 times a week, juicing daily (WHICH I HAVE BEEN DOING GUYS), cutting carbs down, eating less chocolate because the amount i ate over christmas is literally unbelievable... I want to physically get fitter, not lose weight, but really tone up for that - ergh - ''summer bod'' (however I am the palest ghostly person so I look like a glowing milk bottle in summer and should be shipped off to the North Pole which is just fabulous as I hate the cold)

Numero 2 ~ Be cleaner. NOT MYSELF BTW, I am very together on the personal hygiene, just want to make that clear! What I mean is keep my room in a better state, get all my make up, clothes organised. Get college work and revision notes organised and yeah... we'll see about that one.

Numero 3 ~ Start a blog. Tah-Dah... I've been ready blogs, watching vlogs pretty much addicted to youtube vids as well for years and just really wanted to do it. So here we are.

I thought these three were enough to keep me going, they are actually do-able so I'll probably get back to you in February and tell you how I'm doing (gahh)...

See you soon,
Love Zoe xx

1st day of cleanse... poorly girly

Hey guys,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

So, I entered 2014 pretty sick and coldy (boohoo) and tissues have become my new best friend, which is not exactly how I planned to start the new year, ooh well

CONFESSION: So my first day of cleansing didn't go to well on the 1st, I woke up feeling pretty rough due to my cold and had a camomile tea and two eggs (without bread) which was a good start, however I spent most of my day in bed and when I got home from my boyfriends, my mum wanted all the left over Christmas food eaten, so Dad (who is also 'dieting') and I decided to delay until the 2nd, and we finished off the meats, chocolate, and other unhealthy festive treats.. oops

ANYWAY, today is the 2nd, and I hoped to get down to the gym this morning however i'm really not feeling up for it, so i'm really trying to rest today and get some work done so I can head down tomorrow when/if I feel better.
I started the day with a sweet juice to get me ready for the daily (horrible) drinks. For my juices I use my Sage Juicer by Heston Blumenthal and this is a really fast and efficient juicer which I really recommend.

The juice I went for this morning: (for one person)

2x medium apples

1x orange (peeled although you don't need to on this juicer)

2x medium bunches of grapes

2x celery sticks

1x chunk (around 6'') of cucumber 

and half a lemon

... It turned out like this 

This is green drink is very sweet so I wouldn't recommend for any other meal other than breakfast, and I think next time I would substitute the grapes and one apple for some kale.

TIP: For a more savoury juice, try adding an apple/lemon/ginger to make the juice more palatable.

Moving on to lunch now, and I was so very very exited to crack into a gorgeous smelling Moroccan soup that my Mum had bought, however I went to the fridge to find that my old father dear had eaten it... cheers Dad. Anyway, i made myself a simple green salad and as a substitute for dressing (Pizza Express House Dressing is a god send, honestly I could bathe in that stuff, well probably not but you get what I mean) but unfortunately it is very calorific, so instead I drizzled some balsamic vinegar, you could also add lemon too or instead.

Yes, I do realise that it looks pretty bland and rubbish, but I really couldn't be bothered to spend a lot of time on a quick snacky lunch, I promise to make some more exiting lunches soon. Just incase you're wondering, I simply used a packet of mixed salad leaves, chopped some celery and cucumber and that was it!

As I am still feeling very under the whether, I thought I would run a nice bubble bath and watch David Blaine's 'Real or Magic' on 4od, if you're into magic, or love being wowed by magic, I highly recommend! 

So I ran a beautiful bath and I'm very annoyed at myself for forgetting to take a picture of it before, dang! Anyway I used my favourite Badedas bubble bath, lit a candle and relaxed for a while.

Although I hadn't been wearing make up all day, I still wanted to use my Liz Earl Hot Cloth Cleanser, as I've been using this product for over two years now, after my Mum took me to a Liz Earl skin meeting in London and I've been hooked ever since. It removes make up instantly, even tough eye make up, and has a fresh scent too, you actually can notice the change in your skin after a week or so, and I love the muslin cloth to scrub at any problematic areas of skin. I would say it's my favourite every day skin cleanser.

I shampooed my hair with the Aussie awesome volume shampoo, which I purchased because I generally love Aussie products, I think they mostly have the most wonderful scents and make my hair feel fresh and cleaned without causing build up. However this scent of 'Australian Hops' really isn't for me. It smelt like a bar of soap, and left my hair feeling dry in my hair, so I won't be repurchasing that particular type again, though it really hasn't put me off the other Aussie products. I then used a Herbal Essences conditioner which is really nourishing and leaves my hair soft and silky, and it smells good too. When the ends of my hair are feeling particularly dry, I add a few squirts of the L'Oreal Extraordinary Oil, this ones for coloured hair even though mine isn't, but still works really nicely, giving a soft shiny finish without looking or feeling at all greasy.

P.S that bar of soap is the L'occitaine grapefruit soap, which I think has now been discontinued (sorry) but it smells literally like heaven.

Using one of my personal favourite body scrub, the St Ives apricot invigorating scrub to quickly buff my skin, an absolute winner for dull looking skin, however you do need to clean out the tub after as it leaves sand grains on the bottom; and then my Satin Care radiant apricot shave gell to shave my legs, this gell is a pretty colour, nice smell and does what it says on the tin... bottle.

After that well needed bath my dinner was ready and well...

You cannot go wrong with an M&S steak now. I like mine medium rare, and i'm glad mum cooked a to of veg as well. 

The rather interesting looking sauce is a mustard and pepper ready sauce and was actually lovely! 

This has turned out to be a rather long blog, I'm hoping to blog twice a week, but as college work builds up it may be just the once, but i wanted to let you all see my first cleansing day, so there you go, hope you enjoyed

See you soon

Love Zoe xx

NEW YEARS EVE OUTFIT

In my first post I mentioned that I would be posting some fashion blogs as well...

One of my lovely friends lent me her Kardashian Kollection for Lipsy red cut out dress for our NYE party...

I think this dress is absolutely gorgeous, I love the bright red, my friend and I are both pretty pale so I think (hope) it suited my skin tone.

The dress is size 6, however I am mostly a 8/10 so it was a bit of a squeeze. The thick material is double layered and stretchy but firm, so once I was in it sucked in all the wobbly bobbly bits and as long as I kept the tum stucked in, actually looked a pretty good fit.

 I wore my Lacoste wedge black suede boots, as they have a small, comfortable rubber wedge which was perfect as I needed to be able to walk home in the wind and rain so couldn't wear anything ridiculous. I also think these look so cute with a pair of frilly ankle socks. 

For my hair, I simply curled it all over using the Babyliss Perfect Curl (also my friends), and secured the top section on hair behind in a small ponytail after that section of hair had been backcombed to give some volume.

Hope you like this look and all had a great NEW YEARS EVE AND DAY

Love Zoe xx

A Little Warm Welcome

Hello everyone,
My names Zoe and I've decided as my new years resolution is to do a big 'ole cleanse. What I mean by that is too... juice daily (at least two meals... maybe just one), eat more healthily in general, no more Mcdonnalds and selection boxes and to get down the gym at least 3 times a week.
Not only that but I will be cleansing the boring stuff too (like a huge room clean and sort out, college notes and revision, but I'm sure you don't want to hear about all that).

BUT, because of this new change I thought I'd start up a blog, so that you guys can get some inspiration, encouragement and also to motivate me, as I am quite easily distracted (and yes I will tell you if I make a few slip ups)...
I will be taking you through what I have done to get into shape and just make me a more healthy person by uploading pictures, juice and meal recipes and other bits and bobs too.

A little side note: I am a beauty blog obsessor, those who idolise Zoella, Tanya, Fleur, Ingrid, Claudia, Louise etc will understand where I'm coming from, so I thought it was only fair to let me beauty blog along the way. As it has just been christmas I have received some luxurious skin care and make up, and I'll review and show you how to use/wear the products and we'll see how this all goes...

So, as a little summery, I will be posting on beauty, skincare, health, fashion and just a little of everything you need.

See you in 2014! Have a happy new year!

Zoe xx