Thursday 28 February 2013

Insta-Fortnight

I'm in a pretty sad state of mind right now that these are the last 'fun' Instagram snaps I am going to take in a while, as I have a dissertation due date looming, a digital marketing pitch in the final of a competition in two weeks time and three final year exams to prepare for :( Brace yourselves for lots of Starbucks cups and Red Bull cans amongst an array of highlighters and textbooks for the next Insta-fortnight. For now at least, here's some Instagram photos I have taken over the last two weeks :)


My best friend graduated from Law last Monday so after her ceremony we celebrated with peach bellinis, a chinese feast (this wasn't just for two!) and drinks at Marco Pierre White's restaurant at the top of the Cube in Birmingham.


I surpassed the double digits and reached 100 followers on my blog!


The day I naughtily broke my spending ban for lent and went on a rampage in Boots. Haul post here.


Gossip Girl is now on Netflix! I already have boxsets of series 1-4, but this reignited my love and I am now rewatching from the very first episode :)


 How cute are Lush's new range?!


 Early morning trains call for a Starbucks breakfast! On the way home I spotted this floating man on New Street and had to Instagram him!


 I love my new candle!


Yummy Eggs Benedict brunch at Yorks. Full post here.


Not exactly the healthiest start to the day...


 Getting excited for Easter and huge Lindt Gold Bunnies! This bench appeared in Victoria Square this week as part of Lindt's easter egg hunt :)

Hope you've enjoyed my photos! Has anyone else been up to anything exciting in the last fortnight?

xxx

Wednesday 27 February 2013

How I blog..

I've seen a few posts circulating around recently about blogger's methods to blogging, so here's mine.

I like to schedule my blogging week, so I know what I want to write about and when. I'm a very organised person, a planner if you will, so this will come as no surprise to anyone who knows me. I bought this little Pantone notebook and use it to plan the next seven days of blog posts. It's on hand at all times to scribble down ideas and proves invaluable when I have a sudden train of thought. Of course sometimes something will arise that I have to blog about that second, but usually I plan on a Sunday for the week ahead.


Some bloggers will take all of their photos in one go, but I usually leave this to just before I start writing my post. It gives me more inspiration to write and I enjoy editing the pictures at the same time as producing the content.

How do you blog?

xxx

Tuesday 26 February 2013

Garnier Moisture Match - Shine Be Gone Mattifying Cream

I featured this Garnier moisturiser in my naughty haul on Saturday, so as promised, here is the review!

As I've previously mentioned on this blog, my skin type is combination, I have a oily T-Zone but dry skin on my cheeks. Therefore, when it comes to moisturisers I need something which can provide an effective solution for both, something to combat oil but moisturise dry patches at the same time. I really struggle with finding a good moisturiser to serve this purpose well, and have tried many which are only capable of one of these, despite claiming to do both.


I spotted Garnier Moisture Match on a point of sale in Boots on Saturday, and at only £5.99 thought 'why not' and chucked it into my basket. The cream claims to mattify and reduce shine to leave your skin looking more uniformed. Great, I thought, so I read on. Moisture Match is a new range which consists of 4 tailor made moisturisers, designed to suit different skin types. 'Shine Be Gone' promises to fulfil the following; quick to absorb, mattifies all day long and reinforces the skin's barrier function helping your skin to maintain its level of hydration.

Let's put it to the test...

Shine Be Gone smells amazing, it's a light clean scent which feels gorgeous to rub into my skin. When I first squeezed the bottle I was surprised at the formula, as it feels like an oily cream and not something you would usually buy for combination skin. The cream is really lightweight and rubs in really easily.


Once applied, it sunk in almost immediately and applying makeup over the top was easy. It mattified my forehead to a certain extent, but I was still reapplying powder after 5 hours of first applying my makeup. A little disappointing, but I think I'm coming to the conclusion that there just isn't a product out there which can completely combat oil!

The best thing about this moisturiser is the price. At only £5.99, (and I spotted it in Superdrug today on offer for £3.99!) it is such good value. Even if you already own a few moisturisers which do the trick for you, consider picking up one of these Moisture Match's and using it for a spare. Shine Be Gone gets the thumbs up from me.

Can you reccomend any good moisturisers that I should try?

xxx

Monday 25 February 2013

Yorks Bakery Cafe, Birmingham

On Sunday, despite waking up to a gloomy overcast day and having to boost the central heating immediately to avoid frostbite (yes, it is that cold in England at the moment), my boyfriend and I decided to venture to a little cafe we walk past everyday but have not yet gone into. Yorks Bakery Cafe is a small independent bakery on Newhall Street in Birmingham, and is subject to my longing gazes at their delicious breakfast buffet everytime I walk to the train station in the morning.

With empty stomachs and excited about what was in store, we grabbed our coats and scarves and walked down to the little bakery at around midday for brunch. As we opened the doors we were greeted by a lovely friendly atmosphere and immediately sat down to pour ourselves over the menu. Everything looked delicious, which may have been the hunger speaking, but there are certainly a few dishes I will be trying the next time I visit!


After much deliberation, I went with a quirky take on Eggs Benedict with portobello mushrooms instead of smoked ham and a bubble and squeak base instead of a muffin, and a White chocolate hot chocolate. If you're not from the UK, bubble and squeak is shallow fried potato and cabbage. My boyfriend decided to get a bacon sandwich on thick farmhouse bread with homemade tomato ketchup.

It was delicious. I love poached eggs and the hollandaise sauce glaze really complimented the bubble and squeak, so I was glad I took a a gamble and got it.


I would without a doubt go back to Yorks, in fact I'm thinking of using it as a revision chillout destination! I already have a vision of me sitting in there with a White chocolate hot chocolate, pouring over my Digital Marketing textbooks and trying not to procrastinate on Twitter!

If you are from the West Midlands or happen to be visiting Birmingham, it's definitely worth checking out. Their website can be viewed here for further information.

What do you think of my review? Would you like to see more posts like this alongside my beauty posts?

xxx

Sunday 24 February 2013

Nails on Sunday

 I've been doing these Nails on Sunday for a few weeks now and I'm overwhelmed by the lovely feedback I get on each one, so thank you all! For this week's post I wanted to try out a design I had never painted before. My inital thoughts were that I would try a Tiger stripe design, but after a quick search on Pinterest I decided to turn it into more of a stripy pattern.

This is an easy - medium skill look to recreate, you only need a base coat, an Orange-y colour and a Black nail art pen.


Here's the nail polishes I chose:


Bourjois 1 Seconde nail polish remover
Nails Inc nail polish in Basil Street
Barry M nail polish in 296 Coral
Models Own Black nail art pen

Firstly I removed my current nail polish using the Bourjois 1 Seconde nail polish remover. This tub is a godsend if you are similar to me and hate the tedious task of removing your polish with a reel of cotton wool and a standard bottle of strong smelling remover. All you do is pop your nail in, twist, and the pull out a nail polish free nail. It doesn't exactly take a second, but for three-ish seconds you can't really complain can you?

I then painted one coat of of my base, Nails Inc Basil Street. This smoothens out the nail surface and protects against staining from the highly pigmented Coral I'm about to use later.


I then painted two coats of Barry M 296 Coral.  You can substitute any colour of your choice into here, just ensure that it is bright and vibrant! I bought this nail polish yesterday and featured it into my haul post here. Don't worry if you paint over the edges, you can always remove that with a tactical cotton bud soaked in nail polish remover afterwards.


I then started to paint my stripe pattern onto my nails. Using my Models Own Black nail pen, I carefully drew a large 'V' shape starting through the top centre of my nail and bending in to about halfway down my nail. I drew another smaller one inside it, then formed my straightline stripes around it. This creates a pattern like feel to your nail art, instead of straight stripes all the way over it.

If you are nervous about painting an entire line, try making small dots and joining them up to form a line instead, this is an easier way and will build up your confidence to paint lines!


What do you think of this design? Can you recommend any that I try out for next week?

xxx

Saturday 23 February 2013

Naughty Haul

When Ash Wednesday hit this year, I couldn't think of any better than to give up spending for lent. But, as the days drew longer and my new foundation started to run out, my lust for new products got the better of me and I went shopping. I know what you're thinking, I failed. I gave up too easily and I wasn't committed enough to stick it out. But, the feel of my card in the chip and pin device, carrying new bags home and being able to post a brand new haul for you guys... Damn, it's so good. I sound like Rebecca Bloomwood don't I?

Here's the items I purchased during my naughty haul:


I didn't buy too much, but it satisfied me all the same. 

Rimmel London True Match foundation in 201 Classic Beige - £6.99
Barry M nail polish in 296 Coral - £2.99
Denman D3 medium 7 row hairbrush - £7.09 (random price, isn't it?!)
2 True waterproof eyeliner - £1.99
Garnier Moisture Match 'Shine Be Gone' mattifying moisturiser - £5.99
Primark Home pillowcases - £1.80 each
Primark Home Elderflower and Champagne candle - £2.00

Now for the excuses behind the splurge; I've needed a new hairbrush for a long while now and I've been 'making do' with a cheap one for too long much to the dismay of my hair... my foundation and eyeliner both ran out the day before I went shopping... those beautiful pillowcases are pretty much impossible to resist and the candle was an impulse buy when queueing due to it's amazing scent. Am i forgiven? I didn't think so.

 I'm going to try out the Garnier moisturiser over the next few days and post my thoughts as part of my 'Tuesday Reviewsday' post!

In other news, I am still waiting on three of the items I purchased for my 100 followers giveaway to arrive! :( As soon as they do I will get the post up asap, I'm so excited to be doing my first giveaway!

Hope you're all having a great weekend.

xxx

Friday 22 February 2013

Statement Necklaces - eBay Guide

Recently I have been turning to eBay for accessories, mainly due to the price, but also as it means your less likely to turn up at work / university wearing the same item as someone else. eBay is AMAZING for finding statement jewellery, and as it is usually imported from Hong Kong and China, the prices are rock bottom compared to the ten and twenty pounds price tags you find in Topshop.

I thought I would share with you some of the incredible pieces I have found during my latest browse through the site. All I did was search 'statement necklace' and voila! these babys popped up on my screen. The only downside is that as they are coming straight to your letterbox from the other side of the world you have to wait around three weeks for shipping. Whilst this is a major disadvantage to purchasing these, it's always nice to forget about something you have ordered and then have it surprise you one day, right?



1 - £6.50 + £1.10 shipping (from the UK!). Find it here.

2 - £3.39 with free shipping. Find it here.

3 - £5.99 with free shipping. Find it here.

4 - £2.99 with free shipping. Find it here.

5 - £4.58 with free shipping. Find it here. 

6 - £4.89 with free shipping. Find it here.

7 - £2.19 with free shipping. Find it here.

8 - £3.39 with free shipping. Find it here.

9 - £2.26 with free shipping. Find it here. 

It's crazy how the only one that you have to pay postage for is from your own country isn't it? 

Let me know if you purchase any of these of would like to see more posts like this!

xxx

Thursday 21 February 2013

100 followers!

Today marks a very special day for Here's One I Made Earlier, it's the day I reached 100 followers!

Image from Pinterest

A big thank you to everyone who has read any of my posts, commented or followed! It means the world that anyone even takes time to look at my blog, and the amount of comments I have been receiving recently on my 'Nails on Sunday' posts is overwhelming.

I'm still pretty new to the blogging world, I only started last November, but I like to think that my blog is improving with every post I construct, and my layout and design is constantly evolving as I start to understand a little more about the html behind it.

I'm planning a nail themed giveaway to celebrate and say thank you once again. I've been purchasing a few little gifts today and researching where I can buy some others! Keep your eyes peeled, because as soon as all of the items arrive in the post, the giveaway will be live!

xxx

Wednesday 20 February 2013

Bomb Cosmetics 'Love United' Candle

I so desperately want to do another haul blog post for you all but as I have given up spending for lent (and somehow am still abiding by it) I'm not buying any new things! :( For today, I thought I would share with you this gorgeous candle from Bomb Cosmetics that I picked up in December at the Clothes Show Live.

When I first saw their stand at the show I was intrigued as I had not heard of the brand before, but the lush-like aroma coming from their unit was enough to draw me in. I then discovered that Bomb Cosmetics is actually very similar to Lush, they sell bath melts, 'blasters' and handmade soaps.


As part of a £10 on-the-day-deal giftbag, I purchased this beautiful looking Love United candle. With floral notes and containing Rose and Jasmine essential oils, this candle smells incredible and even without burning it, the scent it leaves around my room just from sitting pretty on my bedside table is beautiful.

In a similar way to Lush, Bomb Cosmetics is kind of your one stop shop for a present for a beauty lover. I have just checked out their website and they sell 'Whoopie Blasters' which are essentially bath bombs which look like doughnuts... amazing! The tinned candles like this one all retail for a very reasonable £7.99 and if you are browsing I highly recommend you check out their teacup candles whilst you're there!


I don't even want to start burning this candle because I love the appearance of the top, but when I run out I think I will 100% be making a very large order from their website. (After lent... of course!)

This was not a sponsored post in any way, I purchased the candle myself and just wanted to share a beautiful new brand with all of my lovely followers :)

What do you think of this candle? Have you ever purchased from Bomb Cosmetics before? 

xxx

Tuesday 19 February 2013

Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream - Review

Tuesdays are 'Reviewsdays' !

Today I wanted to review a cult classic, so I wracked my brains and raided my beauty stash to find a well known beauty favourite. I have owned Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream for about four months now, so I feel qualified enough to give it a pretty thorough and honest review.

In case you are unaware of this product, 8 Hour Cream is a skincare protectant which relieves dry skin and smoothes chapping and redness.


When I first unscrewed my tube, I was pretty surprised to find the formula is not actually a cream at all, but a very thick and greasy gel. I was almost hesitant to apply this to my skin, as I feared anything that greasy would not do my skin any favours.

I have however found this cream to be pretty much amazing on eliminating dry skin. As the name suggests, all winter long I have applied it to my lips and any dry patches before going to bed and woken up with completely revitalised skin. It really does work wonders on chapped lips, and it's one million times better than any lip-balm I have ever tried. I have recently started to slather a little bit of it onto my eyebrows after I have plucked them, and again found that it soothes my skin really effectively.



I opted for the fragrance free version as I had heard others say that the smell is a little old fashioned, but to be honest I find that even mine has a little bit of an odd scent to it.

I would throrougly recommend 8 Hour Cream to anyone who suffers with dry skin, or to anyone who's skin does not agree with wintertime! On the back of the tube it advises that this product can also be used to soothe minor skin irritations and patches of sore redness.

Have you ever used 8 Hour Cream? I would love to hear what you think!

xxx
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