Goodbye 2018

As were now six (how time flies!) days into 2019, I wanted to take the time to sit down and reflect on how my 2018 has been. I realised it's been a year full of massive ups and downs, tears and laughter and many many smiles. 

One of the best things about my year technically started in December 2017, but he's made up such a huge part of my 2018 I couldn't leave him out. That is of course, my cat Lockie. I've managed to get through the demented kitten stage with all my fingers and toes still attached, and he's settled into being a pampered little prince who's greatest pleasure in life is curling up on my lap. You know how when you love someone so much you could just squeeeeeeze them? That's how I feel when I look at him.

The biggest non cat related thing to happen this year is me and Ollie have started seriously saving to buy a house. It's something we've wanted to do for years, but something or other has always cropped up. However, we've managed to really put our heads down and make some progress, and it's looking hopeful for 2019.

One of the hardest things that's happened this year is the battle with my health. The underlying theme for 2018 has been me going backwards and forwards to the doctors, having blood test after blood test and sitting in the waiting room for a very long time. This does mean after years and years of pain I am now getting closer to finding out whats wrong with me, but I know I've got more tests and more hours of sitting in waiting rooms to look forward too.

Throughout the year I've tried to be a "proper" blogger and just found that I way putting way to much pressure on myself, so I decided to relax it a bit more and try to focus on just doing it my way. I've had periods of time where I've not worn any makeup at all, and other times where I've gone all out every single day. In 2019 I'm going to focus on buying cosmetic products I really need, instead of thinking I need everything I see promoted. 

Throughout the year I've made some amazing memories, met some wonderful people and had a real laugh. I've had a rollerco
aster of a time at work and at home, and I've come out the other side feeling more determined than ever. It's so easy in life to only focus on the negatives, but on reflection I've actually had quite a fun year.

Bring on 2019!

Plouise Palette Review

So I ummed and ahhhed about actually posting this review, as not long after I bought this palette it was announced it had limited stock left as Plouise was making room for her new palette and products. It felt a little unfair to be reviewing a product that you may not be able to buy soon. However, I thought that it may provide some knowledge on the future palette if the quality is the same, and this palette is giving me so much joy I just had to blog about it.

So for those of you who may not know, Plouise is a Make up academy, and she also has a cosmetics range. The academy currently has over 500k followed on Instagram, as well as a large and thriving group on Facebook. The academy began in 2014, and has gone from strength to strength from then.

She became well known for using MAC Select Cover up as a base for eyeshadow, which then led to her releasing her own eyeshadow base. Following on from that, there came the plouise palette, which is what I'm going to be talking about today. In the future, there seems to be a new palette coming, as well as new pigments and coloured bases. 

The palette itself cost me £28 (reduced price) which is the most expensive palette i own. I did nearly cry when I ordered it online, but I decided it was absolutely worth it after seeing everyone posts online. I then had go pay for shipping on top of this, which bumped the price up even more. 

Inside the palette are 12 decent sized pans, with shades ranging from light beige to deep marron/purple. There are also two shimmer shades which will complement pretty much every shade I can think of as they're so universal. The colour payoff of these shadows is insaaaane. They are just so easy to blend all over the eyes, and you only need the tiniest bit to get decent pigement on the eyes. I really enjoy using this palette, as it's just so easy to use, even for a non-skilled person like me. I would say for my first 'high-end purchase, it was definitely worth it.

Left to right: Plouise, Sunkissed, Burnt, Latte, Queen, Charm, Trippin, Prin, Bestie, Contour, Martini, Slay. (I screwed up and put Prin in the wrong place)

The only issue I personally have with the palette is the white shade 'charm' can seem to fade on my eyes after a while, which means the blinding whiteness of the look disappears somewhat. It's not a massive issue for me as I only really use it towards the inner portion of my eyes so it's not overly noticeable, but it might be an issue for some people.

Overall, the palette is definite win for me. It's still currently listed on their website, but I don't know how long it'll be on there for. I will say it's made me more excited to try more of their products in the future, especially the new palette. 

Swatch Perfect Stencil Review

Not so long ago I discovered the brand Swatch Perfect over on Instagram. They're a UK based brand with over 3000 followed on Instagram, and they produce stencils for makeup swatches. Their page states they have over 170 designs, which is absolutely crazy.

I decided there and then I needed to get some stencils. I'd always been unhappy with the way my swatches looked, as they never seemed as straight and uniformed as others I'd see online. I fell in love with the way the stencils looks. The only problem was, how did I decide which stencils to get?

In the end, I went for the XL Leopard Print, the Rounded Stripes 10 pan, the Cutout Heart Stripes 14 pan and the Lips Mini single pack. When the order arrived there was also a small 'swatch perfect' stencil.

In terms of reviewing the products, there's not really a lot I can say. They make searching products a lot easier for me than before, and they are so easy to use. It's a case of simply peeling the stencil away from the backing, placing it where you want and then applying the product over the top. To keep them clean and maintain them, I wipe them over after use with miceller water and then replace them on the white backing.

Overall I'm very happy with the prices I received, and will definitely be adding more swatch stencils from Swatch Perfect to my collection

Skincare &+ Random Haul

I'd noticed the other day that my skincare has been lacking recently, so I decided to treat myself to some new bits and bobs. Along the way I got a bit distracted and fell into Primark, and may have accidently bought some new candles (don't you just hate it when that happens?)

Whilst almost everything here is new to me- there is an oldie but goodie. The Naturally Radiant Brightening Radience Balm is something I used to use a few years ago, but somehow it had dropped off my radar. I decided to pick it up again as part of my new skincare routine, and I'm so glad I did.

I also picked up the Naturally Radiant Brightening Eye Cream, and the Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser. Both of these are new to me, and I'm really looking forward to testing them out.

Surprisingly, there are still some people in the world who have never tried Snow Fairy from Lush. I am in that category so I decided this would be the year I tried the all famous Snow Fairy. I Was won over the minute I smelt it in the shop, and now I see why so many people obsess over it. This is very quickly working it's way up my favourites list!

So here are those previously mentioned candles from Primark. I'm shocking at trying to describe scents, so I won't even bother. I will say that they are both scents that really appeal to me, they're quite fresh smelling and just lovely. The packaging of these candles are also a huge winner for me. They're also a steal at £1.00 And £2.00 (larger size).

Keeping in the theme of skincare, these products are from a free kit that Superdrug are giving away when you buy three skincare items. As I'd bought the Brightening balm, Brightening Eye Cream and the Hot Cloth Cleanser, I received this for free. I've tried other products from the Vitamin E range and loved them, so this little kit will prove very handy for me.

Recent Clothing Haul

So I wanted to do something I haven't done in a while, and post a clothing haul. With the weather turning, I've started to look for more jumpers and autumny clothes. I've also managed to find some beauties in the charity shops! 

First of all, here are my charity shop finds. I've been wanting a denim skirt for ages, but as it's  not my normal style I didn't want to pay a lot for it. When I spotted this skirt, it just seemed perfect for me and I had to have it- and it was a bargain at £3.50! The trousers are right up my street- they're highwaisted, checked and such a gorgeous colour. Also a bargain at £4.00! 

On to the jumpers (the best part). The orange jumper is from the men's section in Matalan. We were shopping for clothes for Ollie, but I may have gotten a little distracted! It's quickly become one of my favourites as it's so warm and comfy. It's a little more expensive than I'd normally spend on one thing (£18) but it's worth it.

The second jumper is from Primark (£13). This jumper is so soft and smooth, and the colours in this are beautiful. They had so many gorgeous jumpers in there, so I'll definitely be going back for more.

Finally, the beanie. Now anyone who knows me will know I can't resist a good beanie, and this one just screamed my name. I've got a real thing for the mustard colour at the moment, and at only £4.99 I couldn't resist. 

Something Bright and Colourful!

Now that the weather is transitioning from Summer to Autumn, I'm getting more and more excited for my big coat and thick woolly jumpers. However, I before I dig all of those out I really wanted to do one last festival/ summer inspired makeup look. I thpught id go all out for this one, and this was the result!

The products used for this are
Base
Estee Lauder Double Wear (not pictured)
Collection Lasting Perfection concealer (not pictured)
RCMA No Colour Powder (not pictured)
MUA Matte Bronzer
Revolution Skin Kiss Highlighter
Revolution Sports Fx setting spray

Eyes
Plouise Palette- shade Queen used
Nyx Ultimate Brights palette- Purple Shades
The Witches Lab Loose Glitter 
Illamasqua Presicion Gel Eyeliner- Infinity
Lashes- EBay
Barry M Glitter Glue
Bourjoius Volume Clubber Mascara

Lips
Maybelline Superstay Matte Ink- Seductress 

Face
The Gypsy Shrine All in One Face Jewels 

My fitness journey

(I was so proud when  I lifted this)

So it's been a really long time since I blogged about my lifestyle and my health, and over the last few months I've realised more and more how important it is to not only discuss the good things in our life, but to include the bad things as well. I decided it was about time to start talking more about how for far too many years I've allowed my own perception of myself be shaped by the world around me.

So as I'm typing this, I'm currently classed as being overweight. While I'm not going to include specific numbers on my blog, I can tell you that whilst I've never been considered 'underweight' I've suffered from disordered eating in the past and am still battling with it today.

In my very early teens, my weight dropped considerably as I became more focused on what I ate, or rather how little I ate. Part of this came from the belief I was fat, whilst the other part came naturally through me being a fussy eater. My teenage life was spent with me locked into a cycle of obsessively watching what I ate and going through phases of only eating certain foods. Sometimes these foods would be calorie dense, meaning I would gain weight, whilst others had minimal calories, meaning I lost weight. Throughout this period I was also very active, meaning I burnt more calories through exercise. 

Turning 16 bought on some massive changes for me however. First of all, I'd been with my current partner for a few months then, and I'd started to see that he didn't care what size I was so maybe that meant it didn't matter. I also began eating more homemade foods and expanding the variety of foods I ate, which made it harder to track calories. Because of this I slowly stopped tracking calories and began to relax a little. Finally, I started the combined pill (which I was later taken off and swapped onto the mini pill due to adverse side effects). This combination meant I was starting to gain weight, but I didn't care about it.

Fast forward a couple of years and I'd become overweight. I was incredibly unhappy in myself and was desperate for a quick solution. In come the influx of fad diets which included overly restrictive calories, slimfast and the 5:2 diet amongst others. I didn't realise it at the time but all this was doing was allowing me to continue the cycle of starve/binge and I ultimately gained all the weight back and more. Even at the beginning of me creating this blog, what I believed to be a healthy relationship with food and exercise was far from it. This culminated last year in me not eating at all throughout the day, and then going massively overboard in the evenings. 

All of this was masked however by the fact that the nature of my jobs means you have to be relatively fit. This allowed me to believe it wasn't that bad and I just masked my unhappiness by wearing baggy clothes and a cheesy grin. While I haven't got a trigger photo like some people have, I do have a series of photos that I look back on now and think bloody hell, what was I doing to myself?

Fast forward to a few months ago, I decided it was time to switch gyms to one with better facilities and redownload the myfitnesspal app. I've spent the past few months educating myself on Nutrition and exercises that strengthen the body, not just burn calories. I've learnt about maintaining a suitable calories deficit that includes a little big of everything, which is by far a much more sustainable way to live as opposed to fad diets. More than this, I've learnt to stop punishing myself if I have a slip up. Along the way I've got my partner to keep me grounded when it seems like I'm getting too obsessive.

It's not a smooth road. I'm currently undergoing tests to see if I have a bowel disease amongst other things, and sometimes the last thing I want to do is focus on tracking macros when my stomach is tearing itself in two. Sometimes in life we really do need to eat a shitnload of food and feel good about it. I just know now that I'm steadily loosing weight and learning to love my body for All the amazing things it can do, which is something I thought I'd never say.

If you made it this far, I just want to say a huge thank you for reading and please feel free to share your stories too xxxx