Splurging and purging.

Over a Christmas, I spent several hours pondering many choices that led to a ruthless cull of any product I haven't used in the last six weeks (I'm tough, I know). I decided that then gave me the perfect excuse to buy a few replacements. That's definitely how this works. I keep a page in my  iphone notes app which is permanently and solely dedicated to keeping a list of anything I see that strikes a chord. Most of the time I just leave  it there and find more rational, sensible explanations to convince myself I don't need them. At other times (thankfully for my bank account, rare ones!) I have to cave in to temptation. I usually make myself have to answer yes to two criteria before I allow myself to click that oh so tempting 'add to cart' button; 1) I have to have been desperate for it for at least six weeks during which time nothing else has superseded it 2) I have to have a genuine need for it Which goes beyond "Oh but the packaging looks perfect!"

As there is at least 17% of my heart shared equally between Space NK, Cult Beauty and Feelunique, I always feel it's only fair to pay them regular visits. These three items (image below) have all made my heart skip a beat since Christmas and the day I went to collect them, I positively skipped to the delivery man with a smile the size of Australia on my face and a desperate urge to rip them open. ByTerry and Hourglass are two brands that have intrigued me for a while. They are incredibly luxe and feel so high end that buying their products feel like you are being kind to yourself, and I'm a real advocate of that. We all need to be sensible but occasional treats are so good for the soul, and if they happen to come in shiny little boxes then so be it!


Anna x

Bobbi Brown Nude Glow Collection: Nude Eye Palette

First of all, I should say that Bobbi Brown is in my all-time top five make up brands. It makes you look like you but better, rather than a doll-like version of somebody else. I dislike brands that design "the Beyonce look", "the Katy Perry look" etc. I'm not them, I want to look like me, not a stage-dwelling, globe-trotting icon.  I agree with the brand philosophy that make up should make you feel like yourself, not be worn for anyone else. I find every shade wearable and I like the way each collection is designed for a specific complexion so you can easily pick up several products that will tone in with each other. BB is also primarily a successful, highly experienced make up artist first and foremost and a businesswoman second. 

As I've said before, if there's a product I need not buy again for a decade, it's a neutral-based eye palette. Yet still every few weeks that familiar drop into my inbox of the inviting new BB collections gets me every time. I'm a sucker for the silver, mirror-like packaging and because I've used her products for years I know colour payoff is great, fallout is minimal and wearability is second to none. 

This little beauty is one of the best yet. Bobbi Brown has made a neutrals collection for the three most common skin tones for her spring collection. In terms of eye make up there is a palette for fair, medium and dark skin tones. I'm pretty olive and have very dark hair and brows so I opted for the medium which appealed to me the most even if I weren't following the guidance. 

I suffer from a severe case of "it's too pretty to use-itis'' and therefore have only done a brief swatch so far rather than a full experiment with application. I know that's unforgivable for a blogger but I'm not giving a review here, more letting you see it in the hands of a real person if you're in two minds whether to go for it or not. 

Before Christmas, I dismissed the hype and restrained myself from buying the Naked 3 palette. It was too rosy-toned for me and would have made me look like a sickly flamingo but that's also therefore my excuse/justification for buying others. This is around the same price for just four shades but I know I'll wear them so it's still better value per shadow.

Put it on your payday wish list. But they're  limited edition so don't hang around too long. Or let someone else get it first. I'm enabling you. Our secret. 

Anna x

Holy grail products 1

Alpha H Glycolic Acid Micro Exfoliant.

There are very few products that are so close to my heart that they couldn't be usurped by a newer, shinier, prettier alternative. Technology and attractive packaging, even just a love of anything new all result in me very frequently choosing not to repurchase the same item, and instead opt for something new, for no other reason than I prefer the box it comes in.

There are hundreds of amazing brands out there, all demanding attention with their pretty packaging, sleek design and high performance claims. One of my short list of desert island products I can't bear to be without is this amazing facial exfoliant by Alpha H. Alpha H has a fairly select number of products in its range, which contain skin-clearing and rejuvenating ingredients. Their bestseller, Liquid Gold, never really seemed to do much to improve my skin tone, but I persevered with the brand and found an absolute gem in the GAME. The major reason I'm so keen on it is its combination of it being granular enough to feel as though it's working on more than just the very surface of the skin, and yet it's gentle enough not to leave my skin red and aggravated. After all, I want a rosy, dewy glow from an exfoliator, not something akin to a second degree burn.

Used twice a week, as recommended, within a month I really felt it had made a difference, and the tone of my skin seemed improved. The effect was as though it really had been sloughing away all the surface dead skin cells to reveal healthier, more glowy skin underneath. As my everyday routine, I do a cream and muslin cloth cleanse, followed by a gentle toner and a light moisturiser so I never felt as though I needed strong exfoliation but when you find a great one, you notice the dramatic improvement. Even if you're happy with your current exfoliator, this is an absolute gem that no skincare fiend should be without.

Alpha H Glycolic Acid Micro Exfoliant costs around £15 per 100ml bottle and is available from lookfantastic, Bath & Unwind and beautybay.

Goodbye Christmas, Hello New Year

I've finally had to accept that it's time for all the decorations to return to their box for another year. I always feel as though I need to enter a period of mourning for the tree that usually lasts until March, and festive lighting everywhere is something I really miss to brighten up the long evenings. This year, I've decided to try and counteract the post-Christmas blues by buying some new decorations for the house. They've not all arrived yet, but I did have a delivery this morning so I thought I'd share my new items with you. I've never been a lover of battling the sales, but as I was ill for a few days over Twixmas I spent a little while browsing several internet shops. One of my favourites is the dotcomgiftshop and when I noticed they were having a sale, I thought it'd be a shame to miss out! I did what I always do; fill my basket to the brim, get in a flap, become totally unable to decide what I want and empty it. The next day I returned purposefully with a shiny, new empty basket. This time I made it to checkout with three beauties. I spent less than £20 altogether, including delivery which came via courier within 48 hours even over the Christmas break so I was really impressed and I'm going to keep checking back each week from now on (adds to bookmark list immediately).

(All dotcomgiftshop.com, priced individually from £2.95 - £6.95)

(I'll post photos again once i decide where to hang these prints.)

Bobbi Brown Soho Chic Eye Palette

Ok, so if there's one thing I definitely don't need it's another neutral eye palette. They're my favourite thing to buy when it comes to make-up, plus I got two for Christmas. Still, when my eye fell upon this miniature thing of beauty, the internet was calling persuasively to my card. For a small palette, it packs a lotta punch, containing six very wearable shades. If you're familiar with Bobbi Brown colours, you'll recognise the names; Ivory, Cement and Caviar which are all matte eyeshadows, Rockstar and Pebble, which are metallic shades and finally Grey Pearl which is a shimmer. You can easily create an everyday workplace eye, and equally vamp it up a little for evening. Unusually for small palettes, the brush which is included is actually really good so it's useable on the go. It's double-ended, and allows you to use one end for a colour wash, with the other great for both a thick liner and/or to fill in your brows. The best feature of this palette is that it is fairly unusual in being just as suitable for warm complexions as cool. That's one of the genius elements to Bobbi Brown, for me. As always, the packaging is sleek and shiny and that's all it takes to have me sold. The palette costs £28.00 (with a mini Party mascara included) from QVC UK. 

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New Year Nails

After spending all week undecided, when New Year's Eve finally came around, I went totally off my regular track and chose a pale pairing for my fingernails. Due to a combination of over-tiredness and a severe lack of time, I let keeping up with my advent calendar slide pretty early in December this year. Consequently, I had a huge treat the day before NYE and opened at least 20 windows all in one go, desperate to see what lay beneath. I opted for a super pretty duo to go with a simple black dress I'd picked out. Only having around half an hour to get ready, I hurriedly painted on two coats of Amazing Gracie, a delicate powder pink, over OPI Nail Envy and then finished with a  gorgeous, Wintry topcoat, Snow globe, that looks like your hand is showered in snowflakes. As a dedicated matte nail wearer, this was a totally different look for me but at this time of year, it's a welcome change. Anna x

New Beginnings.

My new year's resolution last year was to start a lifestyle blog. Yeah, that didn't go so well. But hey, they say God loves a trier so here's my second attempt. (I'm an atheist). This blog is going to be a little bit of everything, a sort of online diary/scrapbook of anything that goes on in my world, whether it's something special or just an everyday event, with a dose of humour thrown in for good measure. As a lover of clothes, skincare, cosmetics and anything that just makes life a little bit nicer, that's the direction my blog is headed in. Thanks for (hopefully) reading. Anna x