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Sunday 7 February 2016

January Favourites

Poor old January gets such a bad rep. The weather is grim and people shuffle off back to work dreaming of their next Christmas break and trying to forget the mountains of cheese and chocolate they ate. I am 100% this person, but January was a good month for me and oh my god how fast did it go!?

After a Christmas break I got back into the gym again and my best friend came to visit me from Belfast, we had our first 2016 snow in Leeds and it was glorious. I don't understand why people hate the snow. Yeh it's dangerous, but its sooo gorgeous. Nothing beats the utter silence of a snowfall, its pure magic. I defy anyone to be in a bad mood when the first snow falls.

I got a bit carried away with lipsticks and managed to buy myself 5 new ones. I think it's starting to become a problem. 

Although January is a bitter kick in the teeth after Christmas it is a great month to get your life in order. I don't mean this in a 2016 new year new me way but it's generally a good time to reevaluate where you're at and where you want to be. For me this took shape in the form of putting time and effort into growing my blog; gaining new followers, more readers and more conversation.

To cheer myself up from the bleak weather and back-to-work blues I did what ever other human would do. I shopped. So, hold tight for my favourite things from January - I promise to keep the lipstick mentions to a minimum.


So, to cut a long story short I have been lusting after this eye shadow palette for honestly months. It was always sold out when I felt flush enough to justify the cost (which is totally okay for the quality and quantity of the shadows included), so one day it popped up on my Instagram feed with a discount code from the lovely Jaclyn Hill and I took the plunge. I ordered it directly through the Morphe site and waited for weeks for it to arrive. There was a proper drama with retrieving it from the Sorting Office so when it was finally delivered I was super excited.






The shades are gorgeous and are the kind of staples every girl needs in her collection. There is a good mix of matte and shimmer shadows and all are crazily pigmented and blend like a dream. For now all of my other shadows have been kicked to the kerb in favour of this beauty.




In short, if you want it buy it. You won't regret it!


Back in November I decided that it had been FAR too long since I bought any new high heels. When Black Friday rolled around I took a trip into town to see what there was on offer. I bought some gorgeous red suede heels from Schuh and called it a day. I did spy a similar gorgeous pair in dove grey but decided two was a bit excessive when none where needed. But who was I kidding? They kept popping into my head, so last week while I was in work my fingers started searching for them online.  They were £55 reduced to £14.99 with free delivery - it honestly would have been rude not to.





I haven't worn them out yet and to be honest I'm a bit scared to. I'm worried they will be ruined in an instant so I'm going to reserve them for an occasion where spillages will be limited, skies will be blue and the wine will be in short supply.







A bit of an unusual choice here for a favourites post but how cute is this nightie. I saw it on a Buzzed post about the best gifts to give dog lovers and aside from bookmarking 90% of the post for future splurges I couldn't resist this one. Now to get down to the nitty gritty: I am proud member of the legion of people who don't wear pyjamas in bed. You are probably thinking why do I even bother to buy them but let's be real - who doesn't come straight home from work and tear your clothes off for more comfy ones?

If you are planning on snapping up this bad boy bear in mind that the sizing is a little small. Either that or my boobs and bum are just stifled by pyjamas. See above.



Okay, you might be thinking right about now she's lost her mind if she's about to wax lyrical about a mug. And you might be right but laying all my cards on the table I am a mug/bowl/crockery/any-kitchen-implement-imaginable hoarder. I just can't resist and those who visit my home know to open cupboards carefully or an avalanche of cups will rain down on your face. 

I actually bought this cutie in Homebase of all places. I know the clue is in the name but I honestly didn't realise how much fab homeware they have. Probably because I lump Homebase and B&Q into the same category. Similar to Lidl and Aldi. They are the same places; I will never get the names the right way around nor admit that they are different - particularly the latter.

This has become my new favourite mug. I prefer a smaller mug because a big hot drink is just too much for me. It was only £3.99 and I'm pretty sure that a percentage of it's profits go directly to the National Trust which is just lovely.



You didn't think you'd get away without reading about another lipstick did you!? This is one of my new favourite lipsticks which honestly, I would have totally overlooked before. For me lipsticks are about staying power and I've generally found cheaper brands to not have the same longevity as my favourites, so I would have walked straight by this little beauty.

I came across this on Twitter when the fabulous Hannah Gale mentioned it in one of her lipstick posts. And despite already owning hundreds in that gorgeous deep berry shade I had to have it. And within 60 seconds I had bought it and it was winging it's way across the UK to my grabby hands.

For around £5.50 it is a great buy. It has a lovely sweet scent which smells a little like watermelon. Admittedly, it does require a good few coats but that is just my personal preference for a darker lip. The only gripe I have with it is that it isn't a true matte, but I know that style isn't for everyone!





It stays on nicely throughout the day but does require a little touch up here and there which I'm okay with. I haven't found it to bleed  too badly or transfer super easily so your smudged lipstick paranoia isn't sky rocketing through the roof.


August Woods Rose Gold CZ Ring


This is a bit of a cheat entry to a January favourites post because I bought it on Christmas Eve. I bought this gorgeous ring in Argento in Belfast and it was a complete bargain at £18. I love the rose gold effect and huge stone and I've had so many compliments on it. In my haste I bought one without trying it on so of course it was too big so I've jammed it on with my Russian wedding ring and actually prefer it stacked.

Prepare for some terrible pics - why do hands always look so gross in pictures?!








January has been a busy month for me and one of my favourite things I have gained from this month is the chat and support from the blogging community on Twitter. So thanks you guys - it's so lovely to get to know you all!


What have been your best buys from January?




4 comments:

  1. beautiful favourites! i love the eyeshadow palete, so shimmery! my best buys have been my blog planner- really helping me organise content.
    jen- www.abalancedbelly.co.uk
    P.S. I see you are a social media exec; would love that job- do you have any posts on how you got into that line of work?

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    1. Thank you! Ooh the planner sounds great! Where did you get it from? I don't have any posts on it to be honest but I'm really enjoying it. I did a degree in PR&Marketing and worked as a Marketing Exec for nearly two years for a central heating and boiler firm (DULL) and applied for my new job and was luck enough to get it. I think a blog is an excellent way to get into the field I know mine definitely helped and an active understanding of all of the popular social channels. What area are you working in at the moment?x

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  2. Oh totally love this! Shoes and the eye pallete are winners!

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    1. Thank you! They are my favourites of the list if i had to choose!x

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