Sunday Catch-Up

This week has consisted mostly of receiving belated birthday goodies in the post, and then wearing/using them! 

I finally received a package my mum had sent over pushing five weeks ago - if that's not ridiculously slow then I don't know what is, especially since it was outside the UK within the first few days. It seems that as soon as packages arrive in Brazil, they are just tossed to the bottom of some big old pile and forgotten about for a few weeks before eventually being sent onwards - most annoying when you are in dire need of replacement of skincare etc. and were led to believe you had planned far enough in advance, as you can imagine. I'm still waiting on a new cleanser that my mother also sent over in a different package, but that one hasn't shown up yet, so goodness knows where it is. On the upside thought, all these sporadic arrivals mean that most weeks I get something to brighten things up a bit, rather than getting it all in one go and being done with it!

This weekend has been a bit of a mix. On Friday, I was off, and started off feeling so motivated that I was able to get loads of stuff done, including boring housework, more enjoyable blog posts and Youtube videos, and the Jillian Michaels Fat Boost Metabolism Work Out. I do my own interval training anyway, but I do like to follow videos on those days where I feel less motivated or, in this case am lacking a bit of inspiration, as it can get quite boring when you do the same routines all the time, and in turn that tends to make me more prone to taking days off from it. I've done the 30 Day Shred videos a few times, mainly because they've been so talked about that I was intrigued as to what they were all about, but this time I felt like doing some high-intensity cardio and mixing it up a bit.

So it started off well, but then we popped out for a couple of cocktails in the evening, so I wasn't feeling my best the next day. I don't really drink very often any more, so when I do I'm a bit of a light-weight and it doesn't take much! Ha. All I really managed to do on Saturday was make tacos for dinner, which were pretty darn good if I do say so myself! Actually, I picked up a kit containing the shells and a spice mix at the supermarket, which was a first - usually it's near-on impossible to find any sort of international food where I am at the moment, so it was a bit of a treat. I pretty much just ate and watched Youtube videos after that, so not the most productive of days! I did, however, manage a bit of a pamper session with my two current favourite face masks - the Elemental Herbology Facial Glow Radiance Peel and the Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Mask - both absolute treats.

I woke up feeling a bit lazy on Sunday too, so didn't do much in the morning, but later on I found some energy and since then have written up four blog posts and done the Jillian Michael's video again, so I've finished just as well as I started. Fingers crossed I can keep it up.

Hope everyone has had a lovely weekend.

xx

Sunday Catch-Up

1. Coffee and magazines on Saturday afternoon, after exhausting myself interval training.

2. Yummy lunch on our little trip away.

3. Detox juice the morning after a few drinks for the hubby's birthday - pineapple, spinach, lemon and ginger.

4. A cheeky bit of shopping at Mac.

5. My outfit for the hubby's birthday dinner and drinks,

6. Cocktails.

7. Homemade chocolate Easter truffles from a friend.

8. A failed attempt at baking birthday cupcakes for the other half (the oven broke halfway through!)

Afternoon lovelies, hope everyone is having a very Happy Easter! Judging by my Instagram feed this morning, most of you have been indulging in some serious chocolate eating! In my neck of the woods, things are slightly different, as I've decided to really cut back on sugar and milk to see if it helps my skin. You've probably heard me bemoaning the fact that, out of nowhere, I've recently started to suffer from breakouts, and having always been lucky with my skin in the past, I haven't quite known what to do. I started by going back to basics on my skincare routine, but having cut out most things 'm now starting to think it might have something to do with the fact that I've been eating quiiite a lot of sweet things of late. I do have a healthy diet and always make sure I eat pretty clean, but lately I just haven't been able to keep my paws of the chocolate in the evenings. So I'm taking a step back - Easter or not - and will let you know if there is any joy.

This week has been a pretty good one, although stressful in parts. On Tuesday, the hubby and I were due to go away for his birthday, but typically, that morning we had some car troubles and couldn't leave. Cue us waiting around all day and finally getting to go in the late afternoon. All was not lost though, as we did a quick bit of shopping (I feel slightly bad saying that I picked up a couple of Mac goodies when t was his birthday, but in my defence he did get some nice pressies of his own!). We then popped for dinner in the Outback Steakhouse, where we shared the Spicey Shrimp Dip and Ribs on the Barbie (how people manage a starter and a main EACH in that place is beyond me), and followed up with a couple of cocktails out in the open air while listening to some live samba music.

The next day, I snuck back to Mac again to pick up a new concealer (review coming soon) and we treated ourselves to falafel, humous, baba ganoush, pitta and tabbouleh for lunch, followed by a huge iced hazelnut latte each and half an Eclair (we shared - but see where I was going with the sugar thing!?).

We had a walk along the beach and sat in the sunshine for  bit before driving home, and had a lazy evening in front of the TV.

Since Friday we've been very much doing a bit of chilling, and with the long weekend it's meant that I've had a pretty relaxed week overall, which is just what I needed after some of the stresses earlier in the week (which I won't bore you with).

Today is all about doing some reading and getting my blog organised - for the last few weeks I've been posting a bit sporadically, for one reason or another, and haven't been able to get back into the swing of things with posting every day. So I'm dedicating my evening to prepping some posts and getting back on track, as I genuinely miss getting content up on a daily basis and feel so much prouder of my blog when I do.

If any of you have been trying to head over to my Youtube channel via the button in my sidebar then you ma have found that the link wasn't working, but that's all fixed now, and you can also find me on Bloglovin' and Instagram via the buttons next to it.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday!

xx

Week in Pictures

A Sunday post on a Monday? Yeah, that's right. Actually, I wasn't feeling at my best over the weekend, so I didn't manage to get much blogging done. I did, however, get to catch up on my Youtube feed, which is always a pleasure at this time in the month, as everyone's favourites videos are up and I always seem to come away with a mental list of new products I want to try. Apart from that, I lay around with a headache all evening yesterday, browsing some online shops and trying to pick out what I'd like for my birthday, as requested by my mother.

Last week was pretty uneventful, but I did seem to manage to document it pretty thoroughly on Instagram nonetheless. I ate healthily, dodged the chocolate eggs in the supermarket, did a teeny tiny bit of shopping and mixed up my daily makeup routine. I've really been getting into Instagram lately, as while I've had it for some time, I was only really following close friends. But now that I'm using it more as a 'blogging account', I'm having lots of fun keeping up with everyone's daily antics, whether it be what they had for lunch (which gives me a constant case of food envy) or what makeup they have been using that day. I've also been taking a lot more photos myself, and I find that it really helps you to pick out the nice parts of an otherwise boring day, which in turn makes me feel more positive. And that can only be a good thing, right?

Today is a bit of a novelty, as I've got most of the day free before working later on this evening, so I'm quite enjoying having my Monday morning free to do a bit of blogging and catch up on some of your posts.

Hope everyone has a lovely week.

xx

Week in Pictures

1. Japanese lunch   2. Vanilla Latte and Pain au Chocolat   3. Chilling in a book shop with iced coffee and magazines   4. Mini VW Vans   5. Patisserie cakes   6. Looking at vintage bits for the house   7. Duck Tagliatelle - out for an Italian meal to celebrate five years together   8. My outfit of the night (Studded-collar Zara blouse and River Island leather-look shorts)   9. Giveaway goodies!   10. Outfit of the day - lace and denim   11. More giveaway goodies (Oops!! Just realised I accidentally used the same photo twice! Fail.)   12. Treats in the post from my mum   13. Zara mini-spree   14. More cute VW vans...I was so tempted to buy these for the house but they cost a fortune!   15. Weekend nails   16. Pitta and dips for lunch

I've had such a lovely weekend!  Up until Friday, my week had been pretty uneventful, as I had been at work as usual. But when Friday arrived, the hubby and I decided a mini-roadtrip was in order and so we headed off for a couple of days in honour of our having been together for five years. Five years!! I actually cannot believe it has been so long. 

Anyway, we spent the majority of Friday doing a bit of shopping and had a bit of a splurge in Zara. I got a sleeveless version of the iconic cream chiffon shirt with the studded collar, which I was absolutely ecstatic to find, as I hadn't seen it before. It's got a dipped hem at the back and I am so in love with it! I also got a cute pair of mint shorts with tiny pink polkadots, and then just a plain, thin cardigan, because who doesn't always need more of those? The hubby also picked up a few bits, and then we went and refuelled with some hummous, Baba Ganoush and pitta, followed by vanilla lattes and Pain Au Chocolat.....nom.

That evening, we decided to head out for dinner, so I wore my new Zara shirt with a pair of black leather-look shorts, my spiked necklace and black suede peep-toe heels from Primark. We went to an Italian restaurant which does the most amazing food. We have really similar tastes, and are equally indecisive when faced with too many delicious-sounding options, so we ordered two dishes and then sneakily shared them. One was a goats cheese ravioli in a pear sauce with pine nuts, and the other was a wholegrain tagliatelle with duck. Both were amazing and we finished off every last bite - washed down with a cocktail, of course.

The next day, we had breakfast at the hotel and then went back to the shopping centre, as the hubby had to change one of the t-shirts he'd bought for a different size. While we were there, we had a browse in the book shop and then sat in the cafe drinking iced coffees and reading magazines. I had a little browse in Mac too, but shockingly managed to leave without buying anything (!), and then we had Japanese for lunch before heading down to the beach to enjoy the afternoon sun. We had to come back that night, so when we got home we just chilled out with some films and munch. The diet went totally out the window for those couple of days!

Today has just been a really chilled one back at home. We had a lie-in and then went for a lazy lunch, before coming back and drinking cups of tea and reading our books . My poor little cat is not feeling himself and has been really quiet and withdrawn all day, so I think a trip to the vet might be in order tomorrow, plus it's back to work....wah.

How was your weekend?

xx

Week in Pictures

Custard Apple - Outfit - Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies - New necklace - My dog wearing a hoodie - Nails - Baking Banana Bread - Stirfry for dinner last night - Being an organised blogger

I've had a pretty good this week. Of course, I have mostly been at work, but I have been going running in the park every morning, and am actually really enjoying it. I am finding that it really makes a difference if I just get up and go straight away, as I seem to be much more motivated to do it. Until now, I have always left exercise to the afternoons, and more often than not, after lunch I can't be bothered! I'm definitely going to stick to the new routine, as getting it out of the way first thing means I am free to relax for the rest of the day at the weekends.

I FINALLY got round to doing some baking. After putting it on my 'To Do' list two months in a row and failing to get around to it, I didn't bother planning to do it in August, and typically, this is the time I actually do it! We had a few bananas that needed using up, so I decided to bake some banana bread, and it was delicious - the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea. My hubby had never tried it before, and he loved it, so I am inspired to get back into baking more regularly now - maybe a couple of times per month, as I don't want to go overboard!

On Thursday, we felt like treating ourselves, as I had had a busy day at work and it's one off the only two evenings we get to spend together each week, so we popped to Subway after I finished work for some Subs and some Raspberry Cheesecake cookies - the best flavour ever created, in my opinion. Yum. After that, we just chilled out at home and watched some films. I honestly cannot understand why 'Winter's Bones' was nominated for so many Oscars - it was rubbish!

Today is going to consist of yet more chilling - maybe some sunbathing in the garden, a nice lunch and coffee out and, of course, some blogging.

Hope you've all enjoyed your weekend.

xx

Week in Pictures

I feel like I pretty much told you all about my week in yesterday's post, as I was feeling a bit chatty, and to be honest, there wasn't really much to tell! I have more or less been somewhere beneath a pile of paperwork in what little free time I did have, and the rest of it was, of course, spent at work. I did manage to pop out for a nice lunch on Saturday, and the hubby and I shared a delicious miniature lemon meringue pie for dessert, before spending a while relaxing in our favourite coffee shop drinking hazelnut lattes. He wasn't best pleased that Brazil lost out in the Olympic football to Mexico, although they still won a silver medal, and a gold in the women's volleyball, so it wasn't all bad. Speaking of medals, I must admit that I'm quite disappointed that the Olympics are coming to an end. Tom Daley did us proud today, although it's a shame he missed out on the gold after coming so close, though to be honest, I think I would have enjoyed watching him however he had done, if you know what I mean! Ha. I'm especially proud, with him being from my neck of the woods, although Luke Campbell did a fantastic job bagging us another gold in the boxing, too. I actually can't believe how many medals we've won this year! Amazing.

I have been absolutely loving my Topshop Baroque jeans this week, and if you are a regular then you'll know that I snapped these beauts up off Ebay, having missed out on them in my size when they were in the shops. I wore them on a little afternoon out we had on Friday, which is when the rest of the snaps were taken - how cute are those colourful buildings? We just visited a small village nearby, which I had never been to before, and had a little wander around and a spot of lunch.

That's me for today, hope to catch up with many of you later on this evening during the #bbloggers chat!

Hope you're all having a fantastic weekend!

xx

Week in Pictures

I've had quite a relaxing week this time around, and have mostly been taking it easy after being ill all last week. Thankfully, it's been lovely and sunny, so I spent a lot of time out in the garden, reading and sunbathing. I've just got started on David Nicholls' 'Starter for Ten', and am really enjoying it so far. He's such a good writer, and his books are so funny. For anyone who isn't aware, Nicholls is the one who wrote 'One Day', which in my opinion was absolutely brilliant, and was completely ruined when they made it into a film!

On Wednesday evening, the hubby and I popped out for some pizza, and it was lovely to sit outside afterwards drinking Mojitos. A Mojito is my ultmate summer time drink - they are so delicious and refreshing on a hot, muggy evening.

I made a few cosmetic purchases this week, these unfortunately including the fake Mac Blush I blogged about earlier in the week. If you missed the post, you can find it HERE. I think you'll find it worth having a look if you are worried about whether or not your products are genuine, as I have pointed out all the tell-tale signs for you so that you can keep your eyes peeled.

I also got my hands on the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Stain in Rendezvous, which I will tell you more about next week, and another new Revlon Lip Butter in Raspberry Pie, which I won't be reviewing as I think it's safe to say the blogosphere has been absolutely saturated with posts about them! I will let you know what I think in brief at some point soon though.

Yesterday, I spent the day at work - on a Saturday - as we had to complete some training. It was ok, but to be honest I think they were just going over old ground for the sake of the new teachers, so I didn't find it all that enlightening.

Today I have been mostly watching the Olympics with the hubby. I have been really enjoying seeing the gymnastics, and I even feel a little bit emotional for the girls when they do really well or if they make a mistake. It's just crazy to imagine how both of those things must make them feel. They are at THE OLYMPICS - things don't get much bigger than that for them. I was a bit gutted to have missed the show jumping, as that's my absolute favourite event. It's funny, as in the lead up to the games, I wasn't hugely bothered about any of it, but watching and realising what a huge moment this is in some peoples' lives somehow changes things, a lot.

Hope you've had a nice weekend so far, whether you are at a festival, chilling in the garden or indoors watching the sports. I also hope you enjoyed the first instalment in my new 'Splurge or Save' series, which looks at the best of the new A/W cosmetics collections from big names such as Dior and Chanel, followed up each time with a more affordable collection you can spend your pennies on to get a similar look. The first post, published today, was on Dior's new Golden Jungle Collection (definitely a SPLURGE), and I will be following it up within the next couple of days with the best purse-friendly alternatives. If you missed the post, you can find it here.

Hope to catch up with some of you during the #bbloggers chat on Twitter later this evening!

xx

Tuesday Chit Chat

So, as I said yesterday, I'm catching up on some missed blog posts after being ill. I won't bore you with the details again.

As I was ill, I didn't really do a whole lot last week, which means I also didn't really take many pictures. At all. I've already mentioned my health problems over the weekend, but I also started the week off on Monday with a nasty cold, so it really hasn't been my week. This idea was confounded on Thursday when we found out the almighty sum it would cost to fix our car, pictured above in the car hospital where it is now being seen to and won't be on day release until next week. Not handy.

Other than that, it seems, looking at the pictures, that I was doing mainly superficial things like painting and photographing my own nails, and doing the same with my outfits and shopping (not painting them, obviously).

I spent several days laid up in bed, so was grateful to have a stack of magazines to hand, although to be honest, for the most part I was too weak to even hold one up, and spent the majority of the time sleeping.

I wish there was an interesting story behind the chilli peppers to liven up this dull story of a week, but there really isn't - I just snapped them in a local health food shop as I thought they looked pretty. Wow, I'm really selling myself here as an interesting blogger, aren't I? Well, I promise to try and be a bit more exciting with both my life and my snaps next week, that's all I can say!

This week, I will be mostly without a car, which means plenty of walking everywhere, so I'm grateful for the reasonable weather we've been having so far. I have already indulged in a(nother) spot of retail therapy so far this week, as obviously, I need cheering up after my terrible ordeal ;)   Just to offset the guilt a little bit, I've also ordered a couple of bits for my hubby, also in the hope that they will arrive in between my purchases so as to 'break them up' a bit (ie, so it doesn't seem as though I've got that much! ;)

Anyway, that is all for now, I hope you've all had a pleasant start to the week and are enjoying the lovely weather.

Over and out.

xx

Week in Pictures #3

1. Sunset on the river

2. Found a favourite Primark ring I thought I'd lost!

3. Mmmm....cake

4. Getting some crafting inspiration

5. My cat being cheeky

6. What I wore one day this week....it involved studs, of course!

7. Another OOTD, featured in Friday's post.

8. Ebay goodies arrived in cute packaging!

9. Benefit samples to try out!

It's been a relatively chilled week this week. We have spent a lot of time with the hubby's sister and her children, who were down visiting the in-laws for a couple of weeks, and as I mentioned before, we have basically done nothing but eat! Seriously, I don't know what it is with that side of the family, but when they get together, all they do is make cakes and desserts and force-feed everyone second and third helpings of everything! Haha. Not really the best timing when I've just lost a couple of pounds for 'Summer', but I'm hardly likely to be getting my bikini on any time soon if this grey weather continues, so I think I'll let myself off!

I've started taking pictures of my outfits a bit more this week, as I have been wanting to throw the odd outfit post into the mix on here for a while now. But that doesn't mean I have abandoned my beauty posts, though I'm aware I haven't really done any reviews and such like this week. Well, worry not, because I've got plenty lined up for you, including reviews of Benefit Hoola, Dallas, Coralista and Posie Tint, as well as Revlon Photoready Foundation and Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse, amongst others.

I dug my 'Queen of Crafts' book out this week, as I am determined to find the time to get creative by the end of the month. This book is by Jazz Domino Holly, and I received it for Christmas from my sister. It's a good read, but I had been hoping for more clothes and accessories DIYs. I think I have now decided what I am going to do though, having seen the screw-in studs you can get on Ebay on Gh0st Parties' post this weekend. Given my current all-consuming obsession with all-things studded, I am going to basically stud every item of clothing I own to within an inch of it's life! And bake, of course. I STILL haven't got around to it! Good job I gave myself until the end of the month!

Hope you've all had a splendid weekend! What did you get up to?

Do you have any crafting projects in the pipeline?

xx

Last Week in Pictures

1. Sunset on the river

2. Cute cupcake money box

3. Pretty flowers at the garden centre

4. Vintage suitcases

5. Healthy breakfast! Porridge, chia, linseed and raisins.

6. A goat and her baby :)

7. Antique owls

8. Hubby Instagramming

9. Sunset on the way back from a road trip

Not a very rock and roll week for me last week! 

I'm off work at the moment as I've got some holiday, but unfortunately won't be doing anything particularly exciting as funds are running a bit low! Well, actually, it's not really that, it's just that I've got to save as much as I can for a trip at the end of the year. Note the lack of shopping-related photos!

On Wednesday, we went on a little road trip, not to anywhere in particular, just to explore the nearby countryside. We also went to stay with the other half's family for a couple of days and, er, climbed a mountain...pics of that to come soon! Other than that, I feel like I've just had a really chilled week, although I have, of course, been doing a little bit of exercise each day, as I did promise myself I would. Go me!

How was your week?

Did you do anything exciting?

xx