Unexpected break ..

I know I promised to write more and this hiatus was unintentional. After downloading io8 I discovered that nearly all my favourite photo editing apps would only work with photos contained in the new recent album. I also discovered the same was true of Dropbox, at the moment you can only upload pictures that are in your recents album. For my this is a pain in the ass as I take a LOT of pictures so of the 1500 pics on my phone only the most recent 323 I can upload or edit.

You might wonder why this was a problem, thats still over 300 pics to choose from, however the oldest pic in my recents  today is from September 16th which is an issue if you are planning on doing posts that need pics from before then, which I was. 

A few of my apps have resolved this issue which is great, but others like dropbox haven't as yet. I did tweet them and let them know what the issue was but no resolution as yet. Fingers crossed for a resolution as I would like the ability to upload any of my pictures when I want instead of having to upload them straight after taking the pictures. 

Oh just for your information if you have a iPhone you can only set wallpaper from your recents folder too, however if you mark the picture as a favourite then you can set them as your wallpaper.

I am now in the process of uploading my old pics to my laptop and backing them up so this way I a) have a back up copy and b) can use them in my blog posts. 

Oh another unfortunate casualty of ios8 is the iPhoto app, really annoyed about that one as the edit function has non of the same functionality and I haven't been able to find a replacement app that has the same functionality. I liked the brushes for softening, saturating and all that jazz, great for editing on the go. I don't quite understand why you would kill an app before you had a replacement ready for roll out. 

xXx

A day out with the boy!

So the other day I was home from work early to spend some time with my boy, see he works in retail so can end up working all weekend then having two days off in the week. This can get a little frustrating when you want to do stuff and when I work mon to fri. So the other day we decided to make the most of the sunshine, on went the shorts and off we went ... well almost. First we had to decide on something cheap and cheerful we could do in the local area, unfortunately we dont have a garden or we would just spend time out there. 

Anyway after a little bit of googling we found a local 18 hole mini golf course 5 minutes drive away and off we went. It was a lot of fun, a bit easy most of them par 2 but oh well we had a good time and took some funny pics. I know this selection are a bit small but meh. 

xXx

Three for the price of half one!

So the other day I was in town and saw these earrings in the New Look sale £3, I really liked them but thought they might be a bit big for day to day wear. The more I looked at them the more I decided that with a little fiddling they might work, so I bought them. When I got home I decided to take a look at exactly how they were put together to see where I could take them apart. 

In the end I have managed to come out with a pair of earrings, a long necklace and a bracelet. Here are the pics, top is the earrings as they were then the necklace, the new earrings and the bracelet. To make them I separated the two circles detached the gold feathers from both large circles at attached 1 to each earring. Then for the necklace I attached 2 of the silver feathers from one of the large circles to the other circle and used a cord off an old necklace with sections of gold beads. To make the bracelet I took another section of cord of the old necklace, cut it into three strands (to attach to the three loops) reattached the beads and plaited the chord. To finish I added a final section of beads and a clasp then used the remaining feather as detail. 

xXx

My seven step morning make-up routine ...

So I have seen a few of these done on v-logs and decided I would share with you all my morning make up routine.  This is just my every day work wear make up.

My essentials in my new makeup bag.

STEP ONE: Clean and Moisturise

I start  by giving my face a once over with a damp flannel, partly to wake me up and partly to remove any build up of oils. (Especially if its been a  very warm night or I just feel icky)

After a quick wash I apply my moisturiser, at the minute I am using Clean and Clear Dual Action. Its an oil free moisturiser which I like as it doesn't feel to heavy and has a slight tingle after you apply it.

I also have the Clean and Clear Blackhead Control Toner which I use before moisturising a few times a week, I would do it every day but doing a full cleanse and tone routine on a morning is a bit time consuming.

Love the light feel and tingle.

STEP TWO: Primer and base

After my moisturiser has soaked in its time to apply primer. I just use a thin layer all over my face with my foundation brush. I've got Witch Anti-Blemish primer at the minute, its good again not too heavy and doesn't make my skin feel tight. The pump action on this is really handy as it stops me squeezing too much out at once. I got this at Superdrug for about £6 so it doesn't break the bank. I apply this will a brush as I try to touch my face as little as possible to try and prevent breakouts. 

After my primer is all dry its time to apply base. Now as this is my everyday routine that I use for work here I apply Witch Tinted Moisturiser in Medium. I use this because I find foundation too heavy for work, I sit at a desk all day and our dress policy is smart casual (leaning more too casual) don't want to look too made up. 

This is also really light and not too heavy, can you see a theme going on I like good coverage but light weight. This gives both, it evens out my skin tone but doesn't look too flat, made up or feel like I'm caked in foundation. 

If I was going out I would use normal foundation here to give a bit heaver coverage to last a bit longer. 

 

This is my foundation brush, just a cheap one from Primark but it does the job. As you can tell this has just been freshly washed, you need to wash your brushes minimum once a month best every few weeks, I can be a bit lax with this but I'm getting better. You need to wash your brush for the same reason you should avoid applying make up with fingers or minimum wash your hands first ... bacteria! If you suffer from breakouts like me its important to try and minimise the extra bacteria you introduce onto your skin so using a brush and cleaning it regularly will help with this. You can use a sponge if you want but I've never found one that gives a nice coverage and they are a pain to wash. 

To wash my brush I use warm water and fairy liquid, water alone wont remove the foundation build up. My sister suggested I start using baby shampoo so I'm going to pick some up and try that. 

Start by squirting a dollop of foundation on the back of your non brush hand then dab in it little by little, too much at once and you will get un even thick coverage. When I go to apply my base I start by giving the brush head a a good wiggle keep all the bristles loose or it applies too pasty and not even. 

Try to use long strokes to apply the foundation then quick little ones to blend it, making sure to start in the centre of your face and work out to avoid tide lines. Also make sure that you blend right up to your ears and just under your jaw, this is not the nineties tide lines are well and truly out make up should enhance not plaster. A tip I use for my jaw is to go round side to side then with a practically dry brush do little quick strokes down about an inch just to make sure its blended. 

STEP THREE: Conceal and set 

Now its time to cover up and problem areas. Again I apply this with a brush to avoid touching and to get a nice blend. I'm using  Miss Sporty So Clear Anti-Blemish coverstick, the tip is shaped like a lipstick with is good for using with my brush. 

This is another Primark brush, double ended, I like the slight curve to the tip as it helps with application. To get a good application I tend to use one side for the right eye and the other for my left. To get an even coverage of concealer start under the eye and blend out, dont just apply a chunk under the eye or it will stand out against your foundation. Some people suggest applying your concealer before base but I find that mine blends in better when I apply it on top. 

The picture below indicates the area I apply concealer, I start right on my lash line and in the corner of my eye then use downward strokes towards my cheeks to blend out. This way its not too thick and clumpy, and it evens in with your base instead of making your under eyes look too light. I also sometimes take the brush up over my lid to prime them for shadow. 

After I have done under my eyes I use the tip of the brush to apply a little concealer either side of my nostrils and blend it out as this area is a bit red for me. Then its time to tackle any break outs, I take a dap of concealer brush it on the mark then use quick strokes to blend it in. 

This next one I learnt online from a girl who had really bad ache but her makeup covered it completely without looking heavy or thick. To make sure that your foundation is completely even and blended take your powder brush (a big fluffy brush) and brush your face using circles, don't apply too much pressure or you will just wipe off your base.

 After a blending its time to set your base. I only recently started using doing this and have found that it works wonders, my make up looks more natural and even. I use the Natural Collection, loose poder in Neutral Translucent from Boots. I love this brand as its cheap but works really well. Its also great for your everyday makeup when your on a budget as most of their stuff is around £1.99. 

I use neutral translucent powder as other colours tend to give you too much colour or look either powdery or shiny. This gives a natural look whilst still setting your base. I apply mine using a my big fluffy brush and go in circles like when I was brushing my base.

Cheap, cheerful and effective. 

STEP FOUR: Blush 

After my base is all set, its time to add the accents. First up blush, at the minute I am using a mega cheap blush but I love it, Primark's Great Balls of Desire. I first got this in a little travel box which was solid blocks of half blush half bronze. I was using a No17 version before but found it a bit heavy and flat I prefer the shimmer in this. As you can see I have lost quite a few of the balls but I have a spare pot in the drawer. 

I like that this is a really light pink and has a nice shimmer to it without being overly sparkly, I do not want to look like a Twilight vampire in the daylight.  So to apply my brush I use a medium round head blusher brush, I start by doing a big cheesy grin to find the apples of my cheeks, then apply the blush in almost circles on the apple and blend back towards the top of my ears. The highlighted area on the pic below shows where in general I apply mine, the trick is to blend back gently so it doesn't end up looking like the highlighted picture, this is blush not war paint. 

STEP FIVE: Eyes 

The last part of my make up routine is my eyes, for day to day wear I keep it light with just a shimmer shadow and some brown mascara. The shadow is a mineral based on I got from boots ages ago I dont think they even do the brand anymore which is a real shame as I love it. It gives a nice shimmer and brightness to the eye area without being overly sparkly or white. 

To apply this I use the other end of the purple concealer brush, this end is flat with a even rounded tip just bigger then a thumb nail. I apply the shadow all over my eyelid right up to the brow line and out to the tips of my brow. 

 

STEP SIX: Brows 

Now I have always shaped my brows but that was about it, I tried using a brow pencil when I was younger but it looked daft, scouse brow style. Then recently all these brow kits started coming out after people decided they wanted fuller brows like Kate Middleton or Cara Delevingne. Instead of wasting loads of money on one of these kits with brow filler I bought a light brown shadow and used a small brush I already had. 

The shadow I bought was Natural Collection Crushed Walnut, you can see its quite light I wanted some fill but didn't want scouse brow my brows are very dark so you would want to choose a colour that suited your own colourings. 

To apply I use this fine brush, take a gentle dab of the shadow and start at my nose gently filling in the thick section then work to the tip turning the brush sideways as my brow narrows. 

STEP SEVEN: Mascara 

For day time I wear Natural Collection brown mascara as my lashes are quite dark to start with. Upper lashes I just do normal upward long strokes but for the bottom I place the brush across the lashes and gently move side to side towards the tips. You have to be careful not to touch under your eyes or everything gets to be quite messy and you end up needing to apply more concealer where you wipe the mascara off. 

So that is my make up routine, it might seem long on paper but usually only takes me about 10 minutes start to finish then its of to work. 

If you have any other tips or tricks you learned doing your own make up leave me a comment. 

xXx

Making a house a home ...

 .... or in our case making a flat more cosy. Having discovered Pinterest with a vengeance I came across a post that fit very well and had me in giggles. 

You see I just love interior decorating, its what really makes your place feel like a home. So with that being said and after having a good look around on Pinterest I have recently been adding some items to our little nest. 

The first is a really cute little handing owl tea light holder I found in the coffee shop attached to fiancés pt training gym. They have some awesome owl pillows as well but they are a bit out of my price range at the minute. Here is is my new window owl. 

Isn't he just the most adorable thing in the world! I have moved our little silver heart that usually sits in the middle window across so this guy has prie of place. I love how adorable he is, there are some really cute owl motifs around at the minute and I would love a lot of the different items they are on, but at the same time lots of the stuff is fairly useless. So I will stick with my cute little window owl. 

Next up is my new picture wall!! Having seen this done loads of times on Pinterest I decided that I just couldn't wait till we moved to somewhere bigger I wanted one now. 

So we picked up a new frame from Poundstretcher to match our existing ones then I set about arranging pictures and frame placement. I think its looking really good at the minute. The big one and the single frame are new the other two we just moved them around. A couple of the pictures in the giant frame are just place holders until we get some new ones taken and printed out as we haven't been taking as many pictures recently. Hopefully with a wedding coming up we can get a nice pic with either the bride and groom and our other engaged friends or just the friends. You see the fiancé keeps telling me we have too many pictures of just us hehe but I like them because they are all different memories. Guess I will just have to invest in another photo album 

As you can see from the two chairs, this is behind our dinning table which runs parallel to the wall. We used to have the bottom right pic in the centre of this wall and top right on the right hand wall in the middle of the table. That wall is now looking a bit bare so we are going to get another one of those trilogy frames to hang in the same place this one was. This will mean three new landscape pictures to fill which I am sure we can do, but I have found a different idea on Pinterest. 

For valentines last year I made up a google map picture montage of key places in our history as a couple. Its a really cute idea, you take a shot of the google map image on different places that mean something to you, ie first met, first date etc So when I saw this on Pinterest I was intrigued.

I am totally going to do this to see how it looks. If I dont like the map images guess we will just have to find some cute pictures hehe 

xXx

Bits and bobs, this and that ...

So I mentioned in one of my last posts that I had picked up some bits in Primark in the Trafford centre.

There you go, pic on the left a very tidy looking primark and on the right me with my giant bag hehe well anyway I have finally got round to taking some pics  of them, and I took some pics of other new items from the past few weeks.

First up, here is my cute new Primark handbag. I love the navy and cream, it goes with loads of different outfits and I should know as I've been using it since I bought it. The size if really good as well, I can fit all my stuff in, medium filofax, cath kidston purse, spare make up and the random bits a girl usually has. There is also a shoulder stap which I have taken off for the minute as I mainly take my bag to work so don't need it over my shoulder. 

Next up my little grey crop top. Just a flat pic of this one, not on me. For £3.50 this top is really nice, not too thin so you can see through it and not too cheap and starchy. Not had a chance to wear this out yet as the weather has been fairly minging up here and its not really appropriate to have your midrift out at work. 

Last item of 'clothing' is a pair of cute boat shoes my mum got me. We went up to Boundary Mill to look for wedding outfits, see my wedding post, and had a little look round the shoes. As I was low on funds my mum was really nice and got me theses cute shoes. I saw two pairs that I really liked but these ones are leather Hush Puppies and I decided they were more value for money. 

I love the colour and have been looking for a pair of boat shoes since fiancé got his grey ones about 2 years ago now. Its really hard to find them at times, even when they have been in season there are so many colour and slight shape variations that I just haven't sound any that really looked me. These ones are really comfy and the dark tan matches with lots of different outfits. Plus leather is always good for when the weather decides to throw a wobbly and rain. 

The last 'bit' I have picked up is a new make up bag. I have been using the same one for about 8 years now, it came free with a magazine when I was in senior school and I love it. Its the same general shape as the new one, rectangle with a zip that lets the top flap off. I like this style as you can open it right up and get to everything instead of stuff falling to the bottom. I picked this one up in poundland of all places :s I like that its really bright and of course the owls are pretty cute. 

Anyway thats all from me with new buys I will just leave you will a hilarious pic I took in the coffee shop the other day.

xXx

Pictorial Round Up.

This is a bit of a sweep up of things that I have missed and dont really fit in specific posts.

First up a new compilation shot of me and the fiancé using some pics from the photobooths at some of the wedding fairs. This is now currently sitting in our front room along with a trilogy shot of us. Fiancé says if I want to put up any more pics of us I need to start taking some down :( he says it will start to get a bit creepy hehe

Next up is our relatively new clock. This is currently hanging above our tv in the front room its awesome, about a foot and a half in diameter looks really retro next to our black and white New York canvas.  

Speaking of pictures, canvases and walls I have been looking about on pinterest and decided I might like to turn the wall above our dinning table into a picture wall. But I'm not too sure about whether it will be too busy on the wall and make the room look small :s might have a mess about with fotoflexer to see what it might look like. 

Next up some shots from my trip to work the other morning. Driving along at 10 to 7 being blinded by the light of a glorious sunrise. Really positive way to start the day getting bathed in sunlight. 

Sun rising over the northeast

Glorious sight at 6:50!!

 Told you it was bright and blinding, bit different to my winter drive to work where it was pitch black, then I felt like i was driving to work in the middle of the night. This particular morning I felt like sticking my sunnies on but seemed a bit silly considering the time of day hehe

Rocking the double skull scarves. Hair and neck!

When I got to the work car park I managed to get some great snaps. Love the juxtaposition between the frosted car roof and the blinding light cresting over the horizon.

The next was a pure fluke. When I looked down I spotted the fact that the sun had turned my car window into a perfect mirror. Had to grab the shot, its one of those pic's were you wish you had a better camera.

Love this shot! and loving my hair in this shot with the scarf.

Anyway that was my quick pictorial round up of the past few weeks.

xXx

Pictures, Photos and Pinterest.

So as I have mentioned here before I love pictures!! I love taking them, editing them and finding new ones online. There are some amazing pictures out there. 

I am so bad with pictures that I keep confusing the wedding photographers at the fairs hehe see we have already booked our photographer but some of these people have really amazing books for you to look at, and its nice to have a nosey at other peoples weddings see what they did. Plus its nice to get ideas for pics for our wedding. 

Anyhoo tangent aside, as a result of my love of pictures and to try and promote my blog a bit more I decided to take a look at Pinterest. I wasn't overly keen when it first came out, I didn't quite see the point  but after taking a closer look at it and having a bit play yesterday I have embraced yet another social media application.

So if you fancy following my pins here I am: 

Follow Me

Feel free to comment with your username if you are on Pinterest and I will look you up :) 

xXx

Wedding fairs and Husky Trekking ....

So these past two weekends have been full ones.

On Saturday I went to a wedding fair in Harrogate with my two friends, both of whom are engaged and getting married in the next few months. It was rather amusing, all the vendors were asking who the bride was and looking rather stupefied when we responded ... "all of us". I think they thought we were having them on but it honestly just happens to be a coincidence that all three of us will be married in just over a year. 

We had a rather hilarious trip in the end, the fair had a catwalk show which involved choreographed walking and twirling for the girls (pagent style) and co-ordinated boyband style dancing for the three male models. We were in hysterics at the lads, two of whom were more father of the bride and the third well his performance was more queeny then prince charming hehe The whole thing was set to loud pop music with strobe lighting and a voice over announcer. Whilst it was hilarious as an actual catwalk show to show you potential dresses at the different local shops it didn't do very well, they were all ill fitting and the models didn't suit them at all making us rather disinclined to visit the shops.

Whilst we were there I got to try on a really amazing dress, its a maggie sottero one and looked absolutely stunning. Which means I will now be taking a trip down to Harrogate with my mum to have another look at it and see what else they have at that particular shop. Dress shopping is so much fun I love getting to look through all the different dresses they have, some are hideous some hilarious and other simply divine. I would post some pictures but then that would be telling hehe 

On the Sunday we went husky trekking, it was amazing!! My brother bought us it as a christmas gift and I would highly recommend it to anyone. We had an amazing day and I really want to go back and do it again, even if it was just to meet the huskies again hehe They were the cutest things ever and the actual trekking on the scooter was beyond fun. We got to meet all the ladies huskies who were thrilled to meet us and we even got to see some 12 day old pups who has only just started to open there eyes then meet the charming little lady below who was the cutest fluffiest puppy ever. She's only 4 weeks old and already strong as an ox. There were also three 4 month old pups who were just the bounciest little things in the world, two were entirely white and the other was red. One of the white ones is what they call a fluffy because they have thick long hair, he looked like a sheep all fluff funning around like a loon. 

Is this not the cutest little girly in the world!!

Here are the adorable huskies who pulled my scooter for the trek. 

Biscuit

 

After the trek we went to have a look at the ruins at Whitby but they had just closed so this was as close as we got. It was absolutely freezing and windy as hell, hence the fly away hair and fact I am wearing like four layers hehe 

Cuddling up to the boy in the cold. 

 xXx

Round up and new shiny things!!

Sorry its been a bit of a while since my last post (excluding the new hair one) but I've been a little busy then we had the fiancé's parents up for 4 days so that was a very busy few days. As you can probably tell from my last few posts I like using pictures to highlight my posts, the following will be very picture heavy hehe 

We will start with Valentines Day. Now I love it, excellent excuse to act like a complete goof with the one you love. Now dont get me wrong I dont need an excuse to act like a goof or to spoil the fiancé by buying him gifts I do this quite often but Vday is special as there a nice cards and goofy gifts to choose from. I also like being able to go out for a nice meal without feeling a little guilty for splurging or it being an anniversary also its nice to celebrate love in general. This year we went out for dinner on the Tuesday then to save some money went for £5 gift limit plus a card. (love card factory!! nice cards that dont cost a bomb)

Clockwise: Cards, gift for fiancé and my gift from fiancé.

Me in my Valentines woolly hat (sporting my new sweep fringe) 

Next ... fun stuff and new stuff!!! starting with Cadbury's Egg and Spoon's, my new phone case from the fiancé and then my foray into knitting!

These were awesome!!

STITCH!!! He's awesome, the ears are retractable!!

  

I'm knitting a chunky headband, hopefully hehe

Next stop new things from fiancé's parents, a new tea pot and mug and then my beats!!

Cute teapot from Manns of Cranleigh! First brew, a fruity red berry tea, also new.

 

New white Beats! and my awesome awesome hair!!

Finally new things from the Metrocentre!! Primarné scarves, geek glasses and DORK tank top. 

 

Blue & Cream pattern cotton, Grey Sugar Skull chiffony, Black & Flowery chiffony, Pink Owl print snood!

  

Dork T complete with geek glasses then a close up of my new tortoise shell geek specs! 

Finally a pic of me and the fianceé to close up the post, because frankly we looked damn good LOL 

xXx