That Don't Impress Me Much

Yes that is a Shania Twain song and yes it is now stuck in my head but whenever anything disappoints me these lyrics immediately jump to mind which does actually cheer me up. Anyways I digress, I once got an aresy comment asking me if I ever wrote anything negative. To be honest I don't have any products I really hate but here's a few that just didn't impress me or that I don't get on with.

Maybelline Babylips

I'm not one to jump on the blogger bandwagon, mainly because I'm a poor student but I love a good lipbalm (I mean who doesn't) so when these hit the shelves I went out and added it to my trolley. I've given it so many chances but me and babylips were just not meant to be. I love the packaging & was gutted when we didn't bond. I have an issue with the smell of this one as it reminds me of liquid Nurofen which I had to take pretty much everyday throughout my childhood but I could cope with that. My issue is, it doesn't moisturise. If anything it dries out my lips & I have to apply more. I'll stick to my beloved Balmi.

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation

I love my Wake me up foundation so I thought I'd give this one a go. I got the same colour as my wake me up but it seems to be darker but my main issue with this one is wear time. I dunno it just doesn't seem to last on me even with primer and powder. A lot of people seem to rave about this one & not get on with the Wake me up whereas I'm the complete opposite.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Mascara

I loved everything about this mascara except the most important thing. I think the packaging is awesome and the brush looks amazing but I just can't seem to get it to not clump which is a massive shame because I really wanted to love it as I love rimmel.

Lancome lipstick

This was one of the first lipsticks I ever bought after a lovely guy at the beauty counter did my makeup for me. Its a gorgeous colour, it smells amazing but it just doesn't last. I can put it on and by the time I walk out the door it's gone. So sad.

MUA Luxe London Velvet Lip lacquer

I spent ages trying to find this in the shops as it was always out of stock. I finally got it and was so excited. It looks amazing on & I thought I'd found a cheaper option to my beloved but expensive lime crime. I was gutted to find that after an hour it started to crumble on the lips and left me with a patchy crumbly lip which is not a good look. I could cope with poor wear time because of how good it looked to start but the fact that it crumbled & looked gross was a massive let down.

Models Own HyperGel

I'm a massive nail polish addict and models own have an amazing range of colours but I cannot get on with the hypergel range. Its too thick for me and I found it bubbled and took forever to dry. I was devastated as their colour choice is amazing.

Revlon Lip Butter

I don't know what it is with me and products that everyone else seems to rave about. This looked great for a lip product addict. A lip balm with a wash of colour. I found this wasn't very moisturising and I still needed a mirror to apply it but the wash of colour didn't last very long and I'm to lazy to reapply all the time. 

Lip Care Essentials

I have the driest lips known to woman or mermaid. They crack constantly which isn't helped by me biting the skin when it peels but we'll pretend I don't do that because I'm a lady. Moving on, dry lips is not a great look when paired with lipstick especially bright colours and matte both of which I wear a lot. So here are my lip care essentials which give me nice, smooth lips to rock any lipstick I please (well the ones I own).

Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub £5.50

I absolutely love love lovve this product. It smells and tastes delicious (not that you're supposed to eat it). I treated myself to this at Christmas and I still have loads left so well worth the price. You get a bit on your finger and then rub it on your lips to get rid of dead skin and then the best part...you can lick it off as it's perfectly safe to eat. If you are a lover of all things sweet then this is for you. They also have a popcorn and a mint flavour. Obviously you could make your own but I'm too lazy for that.

Old Toothbrush

Not the most fancy thing on the list but toothbrushes are great. Have a quick brush over your lips to buff away any dead skin and ta-da nice n smooth. Don't rub too hard is you have fragile skin like me as you will bleed and also your lips may tingle afterwards which is always fun

Balmi Cube Lip Balm £4.99

I adore this lip balm. Mainly because how cute is the packaging and the shape of the balm. Although my mum calls it a nipple. Not sure what kind of nipples she's seen but mine aren't that pointy. Anyways I digress again, this lip balm is nice and moisturising, the perfect shape for application and I don't have to reapply very often. I have the raspberry one and it smells amazing but you can get strawberry (also smells good) coconut (want to try next) and mint (gorgeous colour packaging). A little pricier than some lip balms but I only buy it when it's on offer.

Nivea Raspberry Rose Lip Butter £2.10

If you're looking for a tin then I highly recommend this one, it's so nourishing and leaves my lips silky soft. Downside is it does apply quite pale, leaving me look a little ill for a minute until it sinks in and evens out but I can over look that. It smells gorgeous and is amazing.

Nuxe Reve De Miel £9.50

I couldn't ignore the blogger hype any more and when I saw it on Feel Unique for £6 a few weeks ago I couldn't say no. As my lips do get so dry and painful especially in winter I thought this was something I had to try and I'm so glad I did. It comes in a gorgeous glass pot and I can see it lasting a long time. It smells like honey obviously, which I didn't think I'd like as I'm not a massive fan of honey but it's actually not too bad. The balm is quite thick but doesn't feel heavy on the lips and oh my god it's so good. I normally put it on at night and wake up with beautiful lips.

What are your lip care essentials?

Beth...x

Montagne Jeunesse Dry Skin Mask

So I made a huge blogger error and got too carried away with sorting out the mess that is my face that I forgot to take a picture of this gorgeous face mask before I used it.

I was sent this Montagne Jeunesse Dry Skin Mask* to review and I am in love. As you may know I've been in hospital and haven't been able to use one arm so with a lack of skin care and a load of medication I have the skin of a teenager again. I always break out when I'm in a flare so I kind of expected it but I'm still not impressed. It also doesn't help that after 2 days on the beach I now have a peeling forehead. This meant that a face mask that wasn't going to dry out my skin was desperately needed and this one fit the bill.

This a 2 step mask for Dry skin with the first step being a creamy soufflé with raspberries, red grapes and blueberries which are high in anti oxidants to protect and replenish your skin. You leave this on for 15-20 mins and it smells a-mazing. I just wanted to lick my face. It's so creamy and when I washed it off my skin felt softer and looked brighter with my spots looking less angry and noticeable.

The second step is a serum of crushed blueberries and raspberries which rehydrates and makes skin smoother. I found there was a tad too much of this for my face but it was okay because my brother joined me in the face mask fun and whacked some on after his clay mask. This also smells amazing and this morning my skin feels nice and soft and looks so much better which is pretty impressive considering the horrendous state it was in.

This mask is £1.49 which is a few more pennies then most of the others which are £1 but is still a great price and so worth it for a quick pampering. It smells delicious & leaves skin looking great. There are so many different masks for every skin type and whatever issue you are having. I highly recommend giving them a go.

Now here's a picture of me in all my face mask glory

And here's what the moisturising serum looks like

Have you tried any of their masks?

Beth...x

* I was sent this product free of charge from the company in order to review it. However the opinions expressed in this review are independent and my own.

Sunday summary

Sorry for the lack of posts this week, as I mentioned last Sunday I had my gallbladder removed on Thursday. I spent the days before having fun getting my hair done and lounging on the beach. After my surgery I badly dislocated my shoulder and have been in more pain from that than the 4 holes in my stomach which is a tad annoying. I am now rocking a sling and trying to blog one handed which is a lot harder than it looks especially as I did my right shoulder.

So 7 things that made me happy

1. I ticked something off my summer bucket list and have pink and purple hair and I love it

2. I spent 2 days on the beach and have a gorgeous tan and had so much fun messing about in the Sea

3. I treated myself to a breville smoothie maker

4. I got the body shop mango body butter and body most and it smells gorgeous

5. My anesthetist was absolutely lovely which kinda made up for the incompetence of the other staff

6. My surgery went well and my stomach isn't giving me too much trouble although it feels like I've done a billion sit-ups

7. My dad made me pancakes

Hopefully I will get more posts up this week in  between naps as I have so many ideas.

Whats made you smile this week?

Beth...x

Sunday Summary

I had a few really bad pain days this week that left me bed bound so I really need to find the positives to remind me it's not all bad. I didn't do anything exciting this week and I can't remember the last time I left the house so it's all little things this week but sometimes they make you smile the most.

1. I painted my nails with the Barry M limited edition nail paint that featured in my haul post a while ago and its so sparkly and blue and pretty and I love it.

2. Me and my family curled up on the sofa with blankets and had a film evening which was great. 

3. After being in bed all day ill on Wednesday my carer changed it while I had a shower so I got to crawl back into a gorgeous smelling bed all soft and cosy - nothing beats that feeling

4. Did a couple of pages in my wreck this journal and I'm really happy with them

5. I hit 1000 followers on twitter and 100 on my bloglovin profile and 75 on my actual blog bloglovin (I dont understand why there are 2 either)

6. My mum bought me a Frijj chocolate milkshake to make me feel better. Has to be the best choc milkshakes ever. 

7. I'm currently sat blogging whilst cuddling my Olaf teddy which is definitely making me smile

Getting my hair cut on Monday which I'm super excited about and may be ticking off something from my Summer Bucket List. Hopefully I can finish this damn lit review before Thursday. My concentration has been crappy due to the bad pain but I really want it done and out the way before my surgery. Fingers crossed. 

What small things made you smile this week?

Beth...x

Favourite Pink Lipsticks

The colour I wear most on my lip is a tie between Red and Pink so today I thought I'd show you my top 5 Pink lipsticks and then next week I'll do reds.

(L-R Pink Pong, Pink Punch, Fuchsia Flash, Fuchsia Graffiti, Infinitely Fuchsia)

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Pink Pong £8.99

If you love bright velvet lips then this is the one for you. It stays put for ages and the colour is amazing. Definitely one for the statement lip lovers. I won't go on about it as I did a full review here, but this is the most creamy moisturising matte lip ever. Love it

Maybelline Colour Sensational Pink Punch £6.99

This is one of my most used pink lipsticks for everyday use. It's not as in your face as the others so better for those of you who are a bit wary of bright lips.

Maybelline Colour Sensational Vivids Fuchsia Flash £6.99

I love maybelline's lipsticks as you can probably tell by this post and their vivid range is amazing. I have 2 others which I love. This is an in your face neon pink and I love it. Great for nights out. Really creamy and lasting.

Bourjois Rouge Edition Fuchsia Graffiti £7.99

I bought this ages ago and only just discovered it in my stash & now I don't know why I never wore it. The colour is great as well as the formula. Also looks amazing with a tan

Maybelline Super Stay 14hr Lipstick Infinitely Fuchsia £6.99

This is definitely my go to lip at the moment. It goes on easily, lasts a long time (although I haven't tested the 14hr claim yet), looks great especially in summer and it smells amaaaazing, like berries. This one is a bit like pink punch as in it's not as in your face. Really want to try some more of this range

Are you a pink fan? What are your go to pink lipsticks?

Beth...x

Pillow Fort Magazine

Click here to visit The Pillow Fort.

You may have heard me talk about the Pillow Fort before but that may have been on my old blog, I can't remember. 

Basically The Pillow Fort is a group for young people with chronic illness started by Lizzy. It's to make chronic illness not be as crappy. It focuses on the positives instead of the negatives which is great as a lot of groups can bring you down which when you're young and have your whole life to look forward to isn't ideal. 

This brings me onto the magazine. It costs £3 and you get a digital copy in  pdf format which is so easy to read, especially on a tablet. The third issue has just come out and is all about self care. It has 48 pages full of positive articles, recipes, artwork and so much more. 

So if you're looking to inject some positivity into your life then I suggest you head on over to the pillow fort and buy the magazine. It is well worth £3. If you missed out on the first 2 you can also pick them up.

Source

On the Pillow fort site there is also a blog and a shop selling all sorts of cute things to make you smile when you're feeling crappy. There is also a facebook group which is great for chatting to others about anything positive no matter how small or silly it might seem. You can also find the pillow fort on twitter.

So if you fancy getting a magazine Click here to visit The Pillow Fort. 

Beth...x

Summer Bucket List

Taking a break from my lit review writing (not that I've done enough to warrant a break). I've seen a few of these around and I really don't want to wast my last summer where I don't really have any responsibilities. So here is what I want to get done with my time instead of spending it all on Netflix

1. Get my nose pierced but shh don't tell my parents.

2. Get my tragus or my thirds pierced. Parents should be okay with that

3. Find someone to draw up my tattoo idea to see if I do actually like it

4. Visit more places around the UK, difficult when friends & family all work.

5. Dye my hair an awesome colour. I'm thinking pink & purple dip dye

6. Throw one of my epic house parties

7. Go on holiday with my friends - should be happening in September

8. Make a scrap book from last years holiday with my friends in Berlin

9. BBQ on the beach

10. Make my room more homely

11. Read more, I have so many books on my kindle I haven't read yet

12. Take more photos. I haven't really put the camera I got for Christmas to good use yet. I also want to put some of my pics on canvas to put up round my room

13. Work on my blog photos. I always end up over editing.

14. Go and camp up our field like the country bumpkins we are with no facilities

15. Buy a MAC lipstick

16. Start doing outfit posts...maybe

17.  Make some memories

What do you want to do with your summer?

Beth...x

Sunday Summary

Another week another Sunday Summary. I can't tell if this week has gone fast or slow and I couldn't really tell you what I did with my time. I don't think I really did anything

Things that made me smile

1. Received an amazing box from the Pillow Fort Bpx Swap. You can find out more about the Pillow Fort here. Its a group for youngish people with Chronic illnesses focusing on being positive

Taken on my phone so crappy quality. 

2. My dad made me afternoon tea two days in a row

3. Finally got around to decorating my crutches and they look even better than I imagined. Post on them here

4.  Treated myself to 2 new books and my mum got me NCIS LA season 4

5. I passed this uni year with a 2:1

6. Buttermint tea, tastes delicious and helps with my nausea

7. Having Roast dinner tonight for the first time in ages

Reading
Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn

Watched
Shrek - I really want a talking donkey
Hotel Transylvania - I also want to be able to turn into a bat. How cool would that be?
Escape Plan
Homefront

Music
George Ezra - Budapest
Paloma Faith - Black & Blue
Maverick Sabre - Emotion
Gorgon City - Here for you
Dolly Parton - Home

What's happened with your week?

Beth...x

Elegant Touch Express Nails

I've never tried false nails before because I'm lazy & always thought it would require too much faffing around. I'm also quite hard on my nails so didn't really expect them to last. I made an order on Feel Unique a few weeks ago & they had 3 for 2 on Elegant touch nails with a free gift if you spent over £10. Would have been rude not to really.

These nails completely converted me and they look amazing.

I opted for the Trend Bright Tribal set. They apply really easily. You just have to peel the back and stick them on. Even I could do it. The set also comes with a handy lil nail file. The colours are really bright and I got so many compliments. I also kept getting asked if they were real or not which amused me as my real nails are a state and all different lengths. I applied them on the Thursday afternoon and when I had to take them of on the Sunday night (I was helping with sheep shearing on the monday & didn't want to ruin them) they were still going strong. They survived countless hand washes, baking and a really really long shower. They lasted a hell of a lot better than I expected them to.

The only downside I found to these was every time I ran my hands through my hair they got stuck but apart from that I loved them and I plan on adding more to my collection. I already have the Minnie ones from the express range to try.

Are you a fan of Elegant touch nails?

Beth...x

Blue Leopard Print Crutches

I bought some blue & purple leopard print duct tape ages and ages ago (I'm talking probably a year and a half) specifically to make my crutches look so amazing you can't help but stare but I never got around to it. 

Well I am pleased to say I finally got around to it and my crutches now look amazeballs. I hope you're jealous because you should be. 

On the positive side your crutches could soon look this awesome too. All you need is some patterned duck tape, scissors and a lil bit of patience (I struggled with this bit). The tape is from a company called Duck Tape (pretty cool name) and they have soo many patterns its tough to choose. I got mine from amazon and the prices vary but tend to be around a fiver, although mine has gone up to £8 now, and there's more than enough tape.

I did mine in the 3 different sections just measuring the tape on the crutches. No fancy rulers or anything required. 

I did my tape length ways because when I tried to just wrap it round like a bandage it bubbled and creased really badly. 

I needed two pieces for each section & just stuck the edge of the whole length of tape down and then pulled on the tape gently as I stuck the rest down to minimise bubbles and ta da awesome crutches.

It took me about 10mins tops to do one crutch because I got stuck to the tape and a lil bit tangled but you should be fine.

So what do you think? Am I gonna look snazzy or what and yes I did just say snazzy.

You can have

Penguins

Paint splats 

Moustaches

Rainbow

Zebra in Pink or Normal or purple

Pigs

Hearts

Galaxy

And so much more. So what are you waiting for go make your mobility aids look epic and if you do send me a picture 

I'm off to see what else I can customise with my left over tape

Beth...x

Top 3 Mascaras

I'm lucky that my eyelashes are naturally pretty long but I like to add a bit more volume. I don't tend to try too many new mascars as I think they're expensive and I've had a lot of ones that I just don't get on with. I tend to stick to maybelline as I love the packaging (you could sell me anything as long as it looked pretty) and theyre not too badly priced.

So here's my top 3 mascaras that I love and would recommend to anyone. 

1. Maybelline Volum' Express Mega Plush Mascara £7.99

This was Maybellines 1st Gel mousse mascara & was marketed as a less flaky mascara. This was the point that drew me in (definitely not the amazing turquoise tube) as my eyeballs seem to be magnets for mascara flakes. Since using this mascara I have seen a massive drop in the amount of times I have to fish mascara flakes out of my eye.

It adds amazing volume and there are NO CLUMPS. No matter how many applications I have done I don't get clumps. I tested it as I wanted to see if their no clumps claim was correct and zilch. Beautiful lashes every time. If I could only have one mascara, this would be it.

2. Maybelline Volum Express The Colossal Mascara £7.19

I picked this mascara up in a pack of 3 on the ferry to France and gave the other 2 to my friends as it was a cheaper way to buy mascara and we are all after the perfect lashes. I'm so glad I did as this mascara is amazing. I tend to use this one with the one above as they just go perfectly together. I get perfect length and volume. I love the wand of this mascara and it picks up every lash. 

 3. Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara £9.99

I've wanted to try a Bourjois mascara for ages as my friend has one that makes her eyelashes look amazing but I could never bring myself to stray from my trusted maybelline one but I needed to add a waterproof mascara to my collection & everyone and their grandma was raving about Bourjois new release. It is more expensive than I would normally pay but Boots has a 2 for £14 on selected Bourjois cosmetics and I wanted to try one of their foundations too so it would have been rude not to. Bargain

I haven't had this long but I've worn it pretty much every day and it's already a firm favourite. I wore it to the beach to test its waterproofness (yes that is a word now) and it stayed put. It makes my eyelashes crazy long and it is really black. The wand was a bit scary when I first saw it as I'm really not a fan of the rubber bristles normally but it really works and coats every single lash. Even ones you didn't know you had. I tend to mix it with the first mascara just for a bit of volume but if you're looking for longer lashes this is the one for you. Also the packaging is gorgeous.

What's your go to mascara?

Beth...x

Sunday Summary

I didn't write one of these last week because I was at South West Live so I thought I'd write double the things that made me happy to include last week.

So Things that made me happy

1. Going to chester zoo to meet up with some amazing friends and seeing baby elephants

2. South West Live. It was amazing (Post on these 2 here)

Sorry for crappy quality - I forgot my camera & had to use my phone

3. I finally got back into reading and finished 2 books and am starting my third.

4. Used some Elegant Touch express nails for the first time an it's love. Post to come soon

5. Finally spent my birthday boots gift card and got a Bourjois foundation & mascara I've wanted for a while and treated myself to some other bits as Vo5 was on offer in Tesco and Ive heard great things about this from Lush

6. New stationery

7. Finally started my wreck this journal with my new stationery

8. Joined the floral head band bandwagon and got some from Lvndr and they are so cute (post to come soon)

9. Finally convinced my brother to give me one of the Loom bands one of his many girls made because I felt left out.

10. Spent the day on the beach and messing about in the sea and it was so much fun

11. I finally have a decent tan (minus the tan line from my necklace)

12. Borrowed (stole) a Yankee candle from my Aunty as she had 3 of the same scent in a cupboard and about 7 more unopened. Shh she'll never know. Its my first full size one

13. I made a cake and the buttercream actually stayed inside instead of all pouring out like it normally does.

14. And last but definitely not least I FINALLY HAVE A DATE FOR MY SURGERY. I have gallstones and I get a lot of pain from them and I've been waiting for a date since January but had the problems for a few years before that. I met the anaesthetist and he was so lovely and I go in on the 24th July.

Books 
Cruel Justice - M A Cromley
The Fire Witness - Lars Kepler

Music
Alexa Goddard Marilyn and Pretty Girls
The Vamps Somebody to you
Ed Sheerans new album but favourite song on it is Thinking Out Loud
Rizzle Kicks When I was a Youngster

Watched
NCIS LA
Orange Is The New Black


Blogs
M.E and Me - Chloe is a good friend from twitter and her blog is a must especially if you love nail polish. She always has gorgeous swatches. She's such a lovely person. Go check her out

Lauren's in Wonderland - I found this blog in a recent twitter chat and I love it. Beauty, book, film reviews and more. This blog has everything

Beauty on a Budget - This blog is also a twitter chat discovery and so glad I did. I mean who doesn't love beauty on a budget? Reviews and bargains.

How has your week been?

Beth...x