favourite things #1

Happy Autumn, loves!

Theres a chill in the air and I am super excited about the next couple of months. But for now, I thought I would share a few of my favourite things. I'm hoping this will be a regular post from me and not one just based on beauty - though this one is very beauty heavy.

So, let me introduce you.

I have been loving tinted lip balms, like these Benefit beauties (Benefit Hydrating Tinted Lip Balm) These one's are a complete princess product as they are £14.50 a piece! But I also have been loving the Maybelline Baby Lips & the Korres Lip Butters. Comfortable & colourful!

The next product I have been consistently reaching for is the L'Oreal Paris Lumi Magique Touch Of Light Highlighting Pen. It is perfect for swiping away my dark circles & smoothing out my pores, plus it's light enough to not cake up on my skin!

I found an AMAZING mascara! Seriously, it takes a lot for me to be wowed by mascara, but this one definitely kicks mascara butt & it came from somewhere totally unexpected! It is the My Little Beauty Mascara Soin Et Volume (French for Volume & Care Mascara). Sadly, you can only buy it from the site & they don't currently ship to the UK - major sad face. It is €19 which is £14.08, on the pricy side but seriously worth the extra couple of pounds!

This next one is kind of a tease, as it was a limited edition product I received in a Glossybox a while back! It is the Kryolan Highlighter in Cashmere. This brand is a very well kept secret in the blogosphere, but is commonly found in the professional make up artist's kit! This is a cream highlighter that gives a beautiful glossy, not glittery, finish. It's also the perfect colour for a fair girl like me. I think I may have found it on the Kryolan website, here, if you'd like to check it out!

Lastly, but not at all least are these amazing pyjama bottoms that I found in Primark! They are Harry Potter themed & are covered in a pattern which looks the just the Marauders Map! They are the most perfect lounging pants for a huge Potter fan like me & if I remember correctly they were only £8 - bargain!

And here is my cat, who decided that it was time for a cuddle when I was taking these photos.

Sooooo cute!

What are your current favourites? I would love to know!

Lots of love, 

Hayley

xxx

Ode to my bed

Relaxing is very important.

It lowers your stress levels, improves your health and simply makes you feel good.

Some people like to relax outdoors, others have a certain chair or room that makes them feel good. For me, it is my bed and bedroom. I feel so safe and snug when there, it is my favourite place to lay back (literally) and relax.

As soon as I am here, with the door closed and the curtains drawn, that is my time to relax. Mostly, that involves tapping away on my Macbook and watching TV, scrolling through Instagram or reading a book. But it doesn't really matter what I do, it's just being there that makes me feel better.

I thought I would share some small snippets of my space.

 

So, there you have it. My space.

Where is your favourite place to relax? Let me know!

Lots of love, 

Hayley

xxx

being poorly creates dreams

This past week, I have been sick with the flu. 

This means a few things, 

1. I have had to stay off work, therefor I have watched so much TV, I think I have filled my quota for the year.
2. I have eaten so much junk food it is unreal. 
3. I have spent too much time thinking.

And thinking can be a right pain.

One of the things I have been thinking about today in particular is the internet. 

I miss social media and London Fashion Week always brings this out of me. London is the most beautiful city in the planet. Living there is a dream (cliche, much) and fashion is something I have alway admired, although I myself, do not have the eye. 

I also think the cooler months have this effect on me. I have always been at my happiest during this time, and it is when I feel the most confident. 

This all leads up to the fact that I want to start blogging and producing youtube videos again. I may not be great at it, and when it comes to summer I may pack it in, again! I cannot stand summer beauty and fashion. But I still want to do it, because it makes me feel like I have accomplished something when I can see something that I have produced all by myself. 

Now I don't know if this post is the drugs talking or it's because of the slight temperature I currently have, but now I have written it down, it's kind of a commitment, right? 

Anyway, have a picture of my cat to break up all the text.

There!

Now, I hope that you all had a lovely summer, and that it was everything that you dreamed. Summer is never that for me. 

But keep a weather eye on this blogs horizon, because I am sure there will be more to come. If not, I will eat my hat. But I will have to buy one first.

Lots of love, 

Hayley 

xx

The Best Cream Blush, for Under £3?!

Cream blush is slowly becoming a Spring/Summer staple in my make up bag & this is one of the products that really got me hooked.

 It is the NYC Beautifying Blushable Cream Stick in the shade Never Sleeping Pink (weird name right??)

Mine is looking pretty beaten up now as it has been used so much, some of the writing has come off of the packaging!

I got this product in a Glossybox about a year ago & didn't think too much of it at the time as NYC is a brand I haven't heard much about, but when I started using it I was seriously blown away! This is a cream to powder blush, but even when it sets as a powder it gives off a wonderful healthy glow & because of it's formulation it's extremely long wearing on my skin. 

One swipe!

The colour is a gorgeous slightly peachy pink which suits my ghosty pale skin perfectly & it's a seriously generous amount of product for the mere £2.99 price tag! It is so incredibley pigmented so you don't need much, a couple of dabs onto a finger, sponge or brush (though my preferred way is fingers) is more than enough to add a flush of colour to your cheeks. 

Blended out with fingers

I seriously could not recommend this product enough, I don't ever want to be without it & the next time i'm in Superdrug I will be heading straight to the NYC stand to add another colour or two of these blushers to my basket. 

 Are you a cream blush fan? Which is your favourite?

Stepping Out of My Denim Comfort Zone

Okay, so I haven't done this yet, but I think i'm going to.

Guys. I am a super skinny jeans girl through and through, always have been & figured I always would be. But recently when browsing online, the flared and bootleg style of jean has been getting a lot more of my attention. They are a super flattering, leg lengthening style that I think will be a style staple this Spring & Summer. 

Here are some that are on my wish list:

ASOS Lennox Kick Flare Jeans in Mid Wash Blue

ASOS Baby Kick Flare Jeans in Paloma Light Wash with Thigh Rip & Abrasion

Moto Clean-Cut Flares Jeans

Levis Demi Curve Bootcut Jeans

I think i'm going to try getting into these styles by starting with a small subtle bootcut jean, and work up to full on flaryness.

What do you think about bootcut & flared jeans? Would you wear them? And if so how would you/do you style them?

Lots of love,

Hayley

xxx

A Girl In Need

Dear World. Actually, maybe that's a bit dramatic.

I am asking you to help me. There are a couple of things on my wish list, and have been for a while, bus as i'm currently on a budget I need a hand finding these things on the first try. I figured if there was one place I could turn to, it was the beauty blogger community!

So, to my wish list.

1) I am really lusting after a pale peach nail polish, think Blair Waldorf classic.

2) A new liquid foundation, and by liquid I mean full on liquid with a very thin, watery texture and natural looking finish. Preferably more coverage than a tinted moisturiser though. I'm very fussy, aren't I.

3) And lastly, a deep coral lip gloss, almost orange but slightly darker. Preferably more pigment than gloop, but i'm not too fussy when it comes to lip products!

I hope that one of you lovely people can help me out here, I would really appreciate it!

Lots of love,
Hayley
xxx

2014 - 2015

I am going to be completely honest here. I really don't enjoy New Years. The whole idea of a 'new year, new me' really winds me up because honestly, how much can you change?! 

But then I realised that in 2014 I changed quite a lot. I decided to reach for my dream job as a make up artist, & quit my not so dream job to achieve success (not quite there yet, but I'm sure I will some day soon) which is 100% not something I would do. I mean, for a girl who has zilcho self confidence to pursue a dream that is not completely financially secure, who am I anymore? Luckily, I passed the assessment, my coursework was successful & everything is going pretty well. Hopefully soon I can start handing out my beautiful business cards with confidence that I can do anything with my tools & bring confidence & happiness to other ladies, or men, who ever really!

Which brings me on to my next point, Youtube. I decided this year to start creating videos for the internet, prominently make-up videos, which people might actually see. I have never been so far out of my comfort zone in my entire life & all I was doing was sitting in my bedroom, talking to a camera about my favourite eyebrow pencil & body lotion. Normally I feel uncomfortable in big social situations, like walking into a pub, club or bar, not sat on my bed with the door closed & nobody else around. My first one was just a '50 Facts About Me' video, telling the world what I liked & disliked, but it was the biggest rush when I started to edit it & actually liked what I saw. This was the best, most confident version of myself, & I loved it. Uploading it to the internet was terrifying, but when it hit 100 views (not much I know, but still a small milestone for me) it felt like I had just finished a marathon, except I wasn't out of breath or at all sweaty. So even if sometimes I don't feel up to filming a video, I will continue to do it when I fancy, & when I WANT to. 

Obviously, there have been things that I have succeeded a lot less at, I am no fitter now than I was at the start of the year. I have no more friends now than I had in January & this blog hasn't received a post a week like I really wanted it too. But it's hard to put things out there when they have been forced, & sometimes I just don't feel inspired enough to put words to paper (or words to keyboard, should I say?), but at least I am trying & that's pretty good I think. 

So, I am going to end this long & rambling post with 3 more 'resolutions' (damn I hate that word), which I am going to TRY to achieve. And yes, trying your hardest is enough. 

1) Reach my 2015 reading target of 35 books! It's not 50, but I would be chuffed if I hit that!

2) Travel more, if money allows! Even going to a few more cities in the UK would do. 

3) Be more confident. This is a pretty general one, but I want to be more confident about myself & my abilities. I CAN do things! And I need to remember it more often. 

Also, the usual apply, get fitter, eat healthier, become totally sexy but they don't count as 'resolutions' (eugh!), because by the beginning of 2016 I will have consumed within the last month or two approximately 100 cocktail sausages, three tins of celebrations & 2 gammon joints with all of the trimmings, & I will not purposely bring myself down because I have enjoyed my christmas, a little more than I should have!

So, what did you do in 2014 that you are proud of? I would really like to know (and don't try & tell me that there's nothing, because you have & I know it!)

Lots of Love,

Hayley!

xxx