A Blogging Update

It feels like forever since I've sat down & written a post, since I had a lot of pre-planned posts, maybe it's been a month but I have an excuse, October was a crazy & stressful month for me. I spent a lot of time sorting my work, university etc and balancing somewhat of a social life in amongst it all. I think the change in the weather may have also played a part in the lack of blogging, it's so hard to take photos with decent lighting... something I've never had to really deal with before.

berry lips were out in full force // the closest I've got to an ootd post so far // 21st Birthday Celebrations // I may have bought some Christmas nails to get in the season // More celebrations // No trip to Ikea is worth it unless you try their hot chocolate // Ikea show houses are amazing // Festive nails // Halloween Selfies 

Lifestyle posts aren't posted as much as I'd like on this blog but we're all friends here and that'll probably change, I don't think I've written an update post like this before. October was filled with more ups and downs that I can count and blogging just fell by the wayside (completely unintentional of course) but it's a new month and I'm determined to get my normal blogging routine back on track. A main incentive for this is my little blog reached 600 followers on Bloglovin' which I'm still completely shocked about but ever so grateful and I'll be announcing my giveaway sometime soon.

I've also been enjoying catching up with all of my friends that I don't see as often I'd like and celebrating a lot of 21st birthdays too, it seems everyones birthdays are within a month of each other! My iphone also arrived and I've been abusing Instagram like there's no tomorrow so if you want to see my daily posts on there you can do so here (link here). My provisional license arrived too in amongst many shopping parcels from ASOS so I'm eager to start revising for my theory and I'm hoping to pass my actual test by my 21st (fingers crossed).

Another major thing is that I got a new job which I already love, this is a massive thing for me because I always find job interviews so daunting but luckily this wasn't too bad and it'll probably take up a lot of my time in the build up to Christmas. That and my placement which is finally sorted will take a lot of organisation but I'm still making blogging a priority so I can see I'm going to be even more organised than usual. I also got a much needed hair cut and although the hairdresser probably took a couple of inches at most off, its made all the difference!

Halloween was also a major event this month and I think since Thursday I've had about 10 hours sleep all together so an early night is long overdue. I've also been loving Taylor Swift's new album 1989 which was released earlier on in the week and it's been on repeat 24/7, talk about obsession ey. The only other exciting thing is it's 51 days to Christmas and everyone's in the Christmas swing of things, I've already seen my first tree of the year and it's only three days after Halloween which is crazy! Now mine probably won't be up for another few weeks but I'm extremely excited to start my Christmas shopping and mainly just enjoy what's left of the year.    

I know this was a long and rambly post but that's what I do best and I thought it'd be nicer to update you all on what I've been up to rather than just a "I'm sorry I forgot to blog for a month" but from now on I'll be back to normal. Hope you enjoyed reading it :)

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo
P.s what have you been up to through October? do you ever just take blogging breaks?

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MAC Mineralize Eyeshadows

With Christmas being everywhere and the Halloween holidays this week (heck the clocks have even went back) I thought it was time for me to start thinking (not buying, thinking) about what I should buy my friends and family as presents. There's always so much choice and its hard to pick out what they would absolutely love, I've even taken to Polyvore to create ideas - something I still haven't got to grips with yet! One of my friends is MAC obsessed (though who isn't?) and I thought this eyeshadow was a cute little something something for a stocking filler. 

This is the MAC Mineralize Eyeshadow Quad in Golden Hours and as soon as I saw it I knew my friend would love it, any makeup that's neutral and perfect for daily use is just her cup of tea - so you can see why four nude eyeshadows and MAC ones at that seemed ideal as a pressie. Now I did buy this online so I expected it to be slightly larger than what it is but nevertheless its still a lovely product!

As I said theres 4 nude shades, one cream, one orange-y toned, a lighter brown and a darker brown eyeshadow and depending on how you feel you can have a simple wash of colour throughout the day and a darker brown smokey eye at night - all without having to bring half of your makeup collection (maybe thats just me) and its ever so handy to pop in the makeup bag. Upon first swatch these eyeshadows are super pigmented with a slight shimmer and although I'm not the biggest shimmer fan they're gorgeous! I'm even tempted to buy myself one....

These mineralize eyeshadow quads were originally a part of the Fantasy of Flowers Collection released earlier this year but when the collection was released I didn't pay any attention to the eyeshadows and they received barely any hype when they deserve it. I always find in MAC collections the lipsticks and blushes get all the loving (and I'm guilty of it too). This quad in the newer MAC packaging and I'm not sure whether I love it or miss the older version, I know a lot of bloggers prefer the newer version as you can see the product that you're reaching for - who knows maybe it'll grow on me. All in all, its a lovely product and I can't wait to see my friends reaction when she unwraps it :) I always want to apologize (as a side note) for my blogging being a bit awol this month but Novembers going to be much better, promise!

  Thanks for reading, Jenny xo
P.S Have you given any thought towards Christmas presents yet? Or let me know what MAC eyeshadows you can't live without?

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A/W Essentials: Lip Care

With the change in the weather: Autumns finally here! Ankle boots, ten layers of clothing, hot chocolates and berry lips here we come! Can you tell I'm excited? One of the best things about Autumn though is that no one can judge if you have a massive collection small handful of lip balms and butters at the bottom of your handbag - they're an A/W essential. This post was sort of inspired by Sundays #bbloggers chat, you'll know what I mean if you got involved and the theme was 'A/W essentials' and lip care is definitely up there with a good moisturiser so I thought I'd share a few of my favourites!

You may notice a bit of a theme throughout this post, except for one lip balm maybe two they're all scented... I think it makes all the difference having something smell good on your lips as well as keeping them soft and moisturized. My most used is probably Babylips in 'Cherry Me' which I just swipe on whilst doing my makeup and for top ups throughout the day - it smells incredible and leaves my lips feeling great.

My second most used Babylips is 'Hydrate Me' which works just as well but doesn't have a scent... the only thing about these two is the packaging. Its good and bad. Apart from the distinctly coloured tubes once you take the lid off to apply they look very plain, not the nicest. My friend actually bought me the third pink Babylips from America and I much prefer the packaging because the words are actually on the bullet and you just remove the lid each time which is a lot easier. The fourth offering I use is just a simple 'little blue tin balm' from Superdrug which I bought when I couldn't find the similar Vaseline tin (thats the absolute best I've found for my lips) and it works ok I guess, not the best but it still protects them a little from the cold winter weather and it wasn't too expensive so I'll let it slide.

The fifth and sixth lip balms/butters I want to mention are from The Body Shop (which I love). One is the Born Lippy Balm in Strawberry and I must confess I bought this for the sole reason that it smelt like Rowntree's Strawberry jelly, unfortunately it doesn't taste like it which is a bit of a let down but its still good to smell every once in a while and it keeps my lips in tip top condition. The last is the only lip butter I've mentioned - the Body Shop butter in Coconut and this was something free I put in my basket through the summer for the sole purpose of it smelt more summery than my usual lip balms and I'd heard good things about The Body Shop's lip balms/butters and well, I haven't been dissappointed - they're amazing! All of these balms mentioned are no more than £3 and for such an inexpensive cost I can justify a handful at the bottom of my bag - definitely worth picking up a few for A/W!

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo
P.s what lip balms/butters are your must haves for Autumn and Winter?

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Top 5: Autumn Lips

We're well into October now and the truth is until a few days ago it didn't even feel like Autumn was here yet, the days were mild, there was barely any rain and the sun was splitting the trees - not exactly your typical Autumn weather & its only been these past two or three days that its been dull and miserable and somehow I found myself rummaging through my collection for the excuse to wear anything berry or purple toned since before it had been too bright! These are my top 5 lipsticks for A/W at the minute :) 

1.  Revlon Colourburst Matte Balm - Sultry. This is probably my most worn lip crayon and I think its because its not too berry-ish, more of a browny plum colour on my pale skin, its more of a transitional piece from the sunny Autumn days to the typical dull weather days when a darker lip is needed. Ive featured this in favourites before and for good reason, its not at all drying (even though its matte) and lasts so long! (even after eating) Plus its the easiest to apply/touch up when on the go!

2. MAC Rebel. Its such a bloggers favourite, I remember reading about it all last year but never got round to purchasing it myself - just admiring from a far but over the summer I picked it up so I would be more than prepared for AW and its such a gorgeous colour that looks a lot scarier in the bullet than when its actually applied and I can't wait to wear it to death over the next few months.

3, Rimmel Kate Moss Matte Lipstick - 107. Another favourite of well... everyone but before I started reading blogs I loved this little gem, its budget friendly, a gorgeous colour and again not too drying for being matte. I know a lot of people aren't too keen on matte but I love it, I never have to worry about it budging throughout the day! And if you don't have this in your collection yet, you need it!

4. Revlon Lip Butter - Macaroon. The Revlon Lip Butters are an option I always find myself reaching for when I'm feeling lazy or just popping to Tescos or something, I don't want anything too bold but I want a pop of colour so I don't look too washed out and Macaroon is such a lovely shade. Its more of a pinky/berry and its slightly shimmery so a nice change from all the matte.

5. Rimmel Apocalips - Galaxy. These lipstick/lipgloss hybrids were all the rage not too long ago but there were only two I fell in love, one of them being Galaxy, the purple offering in the collection. It has a doe foot applicator and upon application is ten times more glossy than all of the other lipsticks I've mentioned but after a few minutes it dries and gives a lovely purple coat - not too dark. The only thing is it smells a bit odd & fades to leave an all over stain eventually but if you can get past the smell then its lovely.  

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo
P.s what lipsticks are you going to be wearing to death throughout AW14?

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