13 Resolutions For 2013

Smile more and be happy!
Truth be told I don't go out with my friends as much as I used to and a lot of my past hobbies I used to enjoy have slipped. I'd love to turn that around and find a happy balance between school work and play.

Stop being so independent and rely on others more
Because of the way I was schooled I'm a very very independent person and I hate to rely on anyone. It did me nothing but favours when I was younger however now that I'm older it causes me so many issues as I'm kind of expected to be able to let people in to my life and I can't do it! I really want to try and change that next year.

Stop using my parents as a credit card
Like I said I'm too independent, I really want to try and support myself even though I'm only 15. I hate having to use their money for my holidays and unessessary purchases. Getting a job will be the first part of this!

Blog more quality posts
I think when you post as much as I do you feel as If posting 5/7 days isn't good enough and so you throw together a post with very little thought. Posts with the most thought and love tend to be received a lot better on Blogger and so I'd like to put aside the time to write really good posts every week, while still maintaining my frequent posting track record!

Save rather than spend
I'm actually pretty good at researching products well before I buy them, thanks to Blogger of course! So I do save a lot of money in that respect but I think I'd like to start spending less on materialistic possessions so that I can spend it making memories. Festivals and holidays are high on the list of things I want to go to next year!

Go out more
Its true that your only young for a limited amount of time and strangely enough I've only come to realise than recently. To me I'm still 13 years old obsessed with Taio Cruz getting all excited because a boy spoke to me-.- however I'm nearly 16 and time really has passed me by too quickly. I wanna take a few more risks and break the rules more before I'm finally deemed an adult

Have fun
Continuing on from the last point but In my group of friends (which bare in mind is pretty large) I'm like the Mother, the responsible one that looks after everyone else. I'm a pretty serious person and don't do enough for myself so I think I'd kinda like to stop being so serious all the time and just have fun!

Value sleep more
Now I'll admit I'm a crammer, as shameful as it is. I do no revision for exams until the night before where I pull an all-nighter and do it all at once, sometimes it pays of sometimes it doesn't. Now that I'm in year 11 and have tons and tons and tons of exams (silly me took on 4 extra GCSE's) I really need to respect my body a bit more and stop putting it through so much torture. No more staying up until 4am everyday!


Read more books
I'm pretty sure the last book I read was 'An Inspector Calls', a 60-page compulsory book. I'd cover it up by saying something like 'I'm more in to films' but truth is I'm not! Anybody that's got any good book recommendations leave me a comment or tweet me @aisforaylablog

Drink more water
I'm actually quite good when it comes to drinking water but I'd love to see if it changes my skin at all.

Stop being scared of public transport
Don't even question me on this on. I'm absolutely petrified of public transport but I should really get used to that before I go to sixth form. My sixth form is an hour and a half away from my house so theres no way I'm walking to this one!

Gain 8 pounds
Sounds ridiculous I know but I have certain medical conditions that make it hard for me to gain weight. I'd love to get in to the 'normal' BMI category, I've tried for years but 2013 WILL be the year!

Finalise plans for the future
I know the career I want, but the path I'm going down is a bit wishy-washy at the moment. I feel better when plans are set in stone and so I'd like to decide exactly where I'm going this year and start making steps towards getting me there. Hopefully I'll have a savings fund set up by the end of the year.

If you've done any New Years Resolution posts send me a link! I'd love to read them!

December In Photos

New Addiction / Personalised Baubles Ooer! / FINALLY found a panja / My Stockings / Woo Hairs Getting Longer / Who Cares If I'm 15 / Primark Mens mmm / Fully Stocked Up! / Anybody Else Neatly Unwrap Everything, No? Just me? / Cuteness! / Maybe A Few To Many Parties / Absolutely Love This / Snow ...For The 3rd Week Running / More parties / Making Christmas Cookies / Cute Gift / Even more Parties / Sky Lanterns / Birthday Card lols / Christmas Isn't Christmas Without Bokeh!

The 'What I Got For Christmas' Haul 2012!

I know a lot of people hate these kinds of posts as they find them really 'braggy' however I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have clicked this on your reading list unless you wanted to see what I recieved! The gifts above are mostly from my parents, with the odd few like the Ciate set, Carole Hochman PJs and some other bits which were from my Grandma (trendy grandma, right?) and a few of the beauty sets and perfume from aunts and great-aunts. I stupidly forgot to photograph the presents that my friends got me, I think I might do that in a seperate post, I haven't made up my mind yet.

Basically I won't go through everything and a lot of this you'll recognise from my Wishlist I did on the second DOC. I know on a few of the photos you can't actually tell what they are but the beauty products in the black boxes are Smashbox Photo Flawless Light, Nars Laguna and MAC Angel. The perfume is Gucci Flora and the Muji Storage boxes are 2 sets of 2 Drawer Wide, one normal and the other with flip top for those who are wondering. You can see how all my makup fitted in to the drawers on my Instagram rachaelocowell

I hope you guys had a wonderful Christmas full of lovely people and lovely presents. Now for the boxing day shopping, eh! Do I ever stop?

DOC#10 Christmas Wishes!

I know it's Christmas day and I probably shouldn't be sat on Blogger but you guys are like family so I wanna wish you all a  Merry Christmas. Enjoy your gifts, eat lots of food and brace yourselves for tomorrows shopping! Lots of love! xox

Barry M & Primark Haul

Berry Ice Cream / Mint Green / Strawberry Ice Cream / Gold / Aqua Glitter

Barry M @ Boots £2.99

I popped in for the Aqua Glitter as I'd seen a picture on Twitter of a girl wearing it and I LOVED it! I'm wearing it on top of a turquoise metallic nail polish at the moment and it's perfect for party season! While there I took it upon myself to buy 3 colours from the pastels line, probably because I was subconsciously thinking of next season. Boots had an offer on where if you spent £6 you got a free LE nail polish, the choices were this gold and a pink-gold, I wish I'd gone for the pink-gold now come to think of it, I have way to many gold nail polishes!

Facial Wipes £1 / Super Cosy Tights £3.50 / Thick Black Skater Skirt £8 / Belt w/skirt / Chain Belt £2.50

Sorry for the awful photos, my camera and black don't work well together. I went to Primark looking for the plain skater skirts that are £6 however whilst I was there I noticed this one for just £2 extra. The material is 100x better than the £6 which are very very flimsy and almost see-through. The material of this skirt is hard to describe, sort of knitted but stiff, very sports-luxe-esque, great for S/S!

A Few Christmas Photos

This will be the last Christmas post, promise! I mentioned In my Christmas Haul that I had forgotten to photograph the gifts my friends got me, I managed to do a few as some of them had already been put away and what not. I figured I'd show you them today along with a few of the decorations in my house, which I also forgot to share!

I got some really really pretty chocolate scented bath bombs from The Bomb Cosmetics, this sweet little feathered owl pendant from Accessorize and a years supply of sweets. Anybody else find that their guy friends just buy them sweets? Although they are one of my favourite presents as rosy apples are my favourite sweets ever and I have an ongoing joke with some of my guy friends so really it was a super thoughtful gift from them!

DOC#7: Featured Blogger #4

 Now for the second of this months featured bloggers. This time round is Ellie from Misellyre, a beauty fashion and lifestyle blog. Her blog has so quickly become one of my favourites because she has a great layout and some of the best quality photos and swatches I've ever seen on Blogger! Why not pop over to Ellies for a bit of a read or stick around and learn a little bit more about her first?

In less than 50 words tell us a little about yourself and your blog.
I'm Ellie, a 22 year old born and bred in Leeds! My blog is my own little place where I can share reviews about beauty products, tidbits about what I get up to in my day-to-day life and occasional fashion posts.

When and why did you initially start blogging?
I started blogging in April 2012, so my blog is still young! I started blogging after following several others for a few months, and wanted my to have my own input in the beauty world. I also wanted to talk to other girls like me that are just as obsessed with beauty, as none of my friends are into it quite as much as I am!

Do you have any tips or ideas for someone wishing to start a successful blog?
My blog is still in its early stages, but what I have learnt is to interact with other bloggers as much as possible. Taking part in the #bbloggers chat, for example, has really helped me to get my little blog out there and I've met some lovely girls too. Also write about what you want and find your own style - people really enjoy reading blogs with a bit of character.

Do you feel you've taken anything out of being part of the blogger community?

Being part of the blogger community has been wonderful, and it has definitely given me the confidence to promote my blog, interact with other people and work with brands. There is always help or advice whenever you need it and I didn't think that still existed on the internet!

What are your 5 favourite products right now?
Right now I'm loving Models Own glitter nail polishes - particularly Pink Fizz! Also Soap & Glory's Love At First Blush, Good Things Fresh Start Creamy Cleanser, Revlon Colorstay Foundation and MUA's Undress palette.

Who are your 5 favourite bloggers right now?
This is a tough choice but I'm going to have to go with Khila from Miss Budget Beauty, Leanne from A Slice of My Life, Fee from MakeupSavvy, Jen from The PolishAholic and Adrienne from The Sunday Girl!

Where can we find you?

At the moment you can find me on Twitter (@misellyre), Bloglovin' and hellocotton.

Any final words of wisdom?

It's hard to get noticed in such a massive community, but if you are passionate about your blog don't give up on it! Remember that it's not just about the number of followers you have, concentrate on putting your all into every post and you will get the recognition you deserve in good time!

You can visit Ellie's blog by clicking here!

P.s sorry this and the next few DOC posts arent particularly festive, I'm a) running out of ideas, b) out every night and dont have the time to put my all in to posting everyday and c) really not enjoying Christmas at all so far!:(

DOC#5 Favourite Christmas Scents

Marks & Spencer Grapefruit And Ginger / Wax Lyrical Reed Diffusers In 'Dear Santa' and 'Christmas Tree' / Wax Lyrical Candle In 'Dear Santa' / Glade Candle In 'Warm Orange And Spice'

Why do candles always look so ugly once they've been burnt? Anyway! These are my favourite Winter Scents, ideally I would include a bit of Yankee Candle in here because lets face it, who doesn't love a bit of Yankee? However the truth is I just really haven't been in to their stuff this season, I'm not sure why! I have been loving Wax Lyrical though, I found their stuff at a local boutique and went back for more! Dear Santa is my favourite scent, it smells exactly like cookies with a little hint of sweet lemon in there, very warming! 'Christmas Tree' is effectively just Christmas tree needles in a solution, not that my house didn't smell of Christmas tree enough already! I'm sure the other two you can imagine their scents.

What are your favourite Winter and Christmas scents?

DOC#4 Christmas Day Dress Picks

River Island / New Look / TKMaxx (£15) / Primark (£17) 

These are my choices for my Christmas Day dress this year. I think at the moment I'm swaying more towards the backless lace skater dress but backless dresses are such a faff! The new look dress is such good quality material and has velvet accents on the flowers, very festive! The peplum I've shown before on blogger and has become a staple evening dress for me but perhaps it's not special enough for Christmas. The Primark lace dress was a whim purchase the other day, it has a very low back so it's much dressier than your typical lace skater dress. 

Which ones your favourite? 

DOC#3 Christmas Gift Guide For Friends Or Sisters

I feel like most bloggers gift guides are very samey and so I wasn't gonna do one this year, however while shopping around for my friends gifts I realised that actually my friends are completely different and some might say represent every kind of person. For that reason I figured I would do a gift guide, but one for the gifts I plan to buy my friends!

Sausage Dog Ring Holder - For the quirky but cute friend

Mushroom Mug - For the avid coffee drinker friend

Baroque iPhone Case - For the gadget freak friend

Nails Inc The Edit - For the beautician friend

REN Mini Gift Set - For the "I spend half my life in the shower" friend

Kool Aid Cherry Mix - For the American obsessed friend

P.S if any of you have done any gift guides for men I'd love to see as I'm seriously struggling this year!

DOC#2 My Christmas Wishlist 2012

Lush Snow Fairy Shower Gel / Nars Laguna / Muji Acrylic Storage / River Island Gold Watch / H&M Tartan Scarf / Real Techniques Brushes

Above is my 2012 Christmas list consisting of the things I'm currently lusting after! I bought the 500ml bottle of the famous Snow Fairy last month and I absolutley loved it, so much so that I definitely want to get a stash going  to last me next year. Nars Laguna is a life long dream of mine, this year probably won't be the year but one day I will own such a beauty! Muji makeup storage and Real Techniques brushes are the two things I really really want. My collection needs a bit of updating, storage and tools are just the start! The tartan scarf and the watch are two things I'd like to have ...if they were in stock once in a blue moon!!

DOC#1 Christmas Tag

Okay so I know the twelve days of Christmas start on the 25th, however I've decided I'm gonna do 12 Christmas themed post up until the 27th to share with you both my run up to Christmas and my actual celebration! Starting today, for the next 11 days there'll be a Christmassy themed post everyday whether it be a tag, DIY, beauty post or wishlist! So on the 1st day of Christmas I give to you a Christmas tag!

1.Whats Your Favourite Holiday Movie?
The Grinch for sure

2. Whats Your Favourite Christmas Colour?
Gold! You can never have too much!

3. Do You Like To Stay in Your PJs Or Dress Up For Christmas?
PJ's for opening presents but hair, makeup and pretty dress on for the dinner!

4. If You Could Only Buy One Person a Present This Year Who Would It Be?
The boy! He buys me presents for every occasion and I neverrrrr give them back, I'm trying to make up the figures so definitely him!

5. Do You Open Your Present Christmas Eve Or Christmas Morning?
Christmas morning! The earlier the better, it'd be 6am if I had it my way!

6. Have You Ever Built a Ginger Bread House?
I have indeed! It was actually pretty good to say it was made by me (from scratch!)

7. What Do You Like To Do On Your Christmas Break?
Chill (literally) with my friends, free my room of clutter and give it a deep clean to make way for new things and of course some boxing day shopping!

8. Any Christmas Wishes?
That my Mother will for once like her gifts hahah!

9. Favourite Christmas Smell?
Christmas tree needles! We get a real tree every year. It might be a pain in the bum but the smell is amazing!

10. Favourite Christmas Meal Or Treat?
Gingerbread and pigs in blankets (not together though!)

11. Share A Christmas Themed Photo
Above is a photo of a tiny wooden angel I picked out when I was younger. It's sat on our tree every year for over a decade! Some of my first followers may remember this photo from last year!

If any of you guys wanna do the tag, leave me your links below as I'd love to check out your answers!

Featured Blogger #3

It's that time of the month again my friends, featured blogger timeeeeee! The observant amongst you may have noticed that I magically skipped Novembers FB, on purpose of course, I was just testing you see;) I feel like a meany not giving somebody the chance to be featured so to compensate I'm going to do two featured bloggers this month. Today is the turn of Rachel from Lost In Lipstick. Her blog has amaaaazing photography, genuinely helpful reviews and has quickly become a new favourite of mine. I recommend you pop over to Lost In Lipstick, you definitely won't regret it! And so, in true Rachael (confused by the spellings yet?) I pestered her to answer my questions so that you guys could learn a little bit more about Rachel and how she blogs! Over to you!

In less than 50 words tell us a little about yourself and your blog.
As I work in a school, I don't wear much make-up day to day but I love make-up and beauty. I love applying make-up and wear more at the weekend, even if I'm not going out! I love nothing more than soaking in the bath with lots of products and candles. (I actually think that's 51 words, sorry!)

When and why did you initially start blogging?
I'm a beginner really. I started my blog in September so I've only been blogging for 3 months. I had been reading beauty and fashion blogs for quite a long time and watching videos on YouTube. I began by commenting on videos and blog posts offering my opinion and sharing tips. One day I wrote a long comment on a YouTube video and I just decided from there that I was going to start a blog. It actually took me a while to think of a name because there are so many blogs out there!

Do you have any tips or ideas for someone wishing to start a successful blog?

Rachael informs me that my blog is successful as I have over 60 followers in 3 months but I'm no expert. Blogging isn't about followers for me. Obviously it's nice seeing people want to follow my blog, but it's not the be all and end all of blogging. Don't beg for followers. If your blog is worthy, they will want to follow you. I just do what I think and feel is right. You need to be unique and blog about things that you would want to read about. I try to keep my blog clear and well organised. I hate reading blogs where everything is all over the place. Content is very important. I don't have a fantastic camera but I take my photos in daylight and it helps. Also, there is nothing worse than reading a blog and the blogger hasn't checked their post before publishing. It doesn't take long and you look like you look like you care about your blog.

What do you think you've taken from blogging and what do you hope to learn?

As I've only been blogging for 3 months, I have so much to learn. I would love a better camera but it's just not an option due to money and I would love to make some great blogging friends but there is time. In three months, I have learnt so much about make-up. I am loving my blogging journey so far. There are lots of lovely bloggers out there and the community is so friendly as a whole.

What are your 5 favourite products right now?

This is a tough one! I would have to say: Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer as it's amazing for £4/5, Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish (I would choose everything Liz Earle if I could!), Revlon Colourburst Lip Butter in Peach Parfait, MUA Undressed Eyeshadow palette and Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte Lipstick by Kate Moss in 101.

Who are your 5 favourite bloggers right now?

In no particular order (I feel like I should be presenting The X Factor saying that!)

Cupcakes and Cashmere

Fleur De Force

gh0stparties

Couture Girl

milkteef

I read a lot of blogs and these change on a regular basis!

Where can we find you?

twitter - @lostinlipstick

Instagram - lostinlipstick

Facebook - Lost In Lipstick

bloglovin' - Lost In Lipstick

hello cotton - Lost In Lipstick

Any final words of wisdom?

Take inspiration from everything!

December Empties

Sanctuary Luxury Bath Float
I believe this was part of a set as the size is so small, but I can't say I've ever seen a full size in store. I'm really not a picky person when it comes to bath gels so this was nothing special for me. I wouldn't repurchase purely because I'm constantly changing what I use.

Impulse New York Mini Body Spray
I've been trying to use this up for so long it's unreal, why do aerosols always seem to last forever? This is the scent I used to use when I was 9 or 10 and so for that reason my 15 year old self will not repurchase! It's a nice fresh mix of florals and fruits and a perfect handbag size though!

Clean & Clear Morning Energy Brightening Facial Scrub
Probably my favourite item in this post, I absolutley worship this scrub! It's pretty much a gel with abrasive particles in so it's a lot softer and less agitating in comparison to most other facial scrubs. At first I doubted its brightening claims however I do feel as though it makes me look much more awake and gives the appearance of healthier, glowy skin. I will 100% repurchase!

Clearasil Rapid Action Gel Wash
From best to worst now! I didn't get on insanely well with this product, it's not the best suited for my skin. It has a crazy high alcohol makeup and dried my skin out terribly. I'd say this would maybe work for those with breakouts or acne but even then I think it would agitate the skin so much. I just can't seem to make this work - a no repurchase for me I'm afraid!

Rimmel Max Volume Flash Mascara
I absolutley loved this all the time I was using it. It's quite a dry mascara and it coats the lashes well, some might think it was quite a clumpy mascara although I can't comment because I'm kinda a fan of insanely defined lashes. I loved the way it looked and thought I'd never go back to another however, after falling in love with my Maybelline falsies I'm not sure any more. Perhaps I'll repurchase!

Leave your empties post links below, I'd love to see what you've been using up!

L'Oreal Everpure No Sulphates Shampoo And Hair Mask

After my rather wonderful encounter with L'Oreal's extraordinary oil I decided to try their even more recent line, the 'Everpure' line which features sulphate free (yes L'oreal even went to the trouble of changing the spelling throughout different countries) haircare at a low cost.

If you don't already know, sulphates strip the hair of moisture, colour and generally just any signs of life. Sulphate free products aren't incredibly available on the market at the minute unless you buy from salons which can cost a fortune. L'Oreal hopefully will lead the way in sulphate free haircare, just has others have done with ingredients such as Argan oil. But less of the background talk, let's get on to the products themselves!

The shampoo ideally should be used for people who use dyes, I myself do not so I can't fully test the colour claims. However, as a general everyday shampoo it works very very well. I'd say it's slightly better than the average shampoo, although nothing that will change the way you wash your hair. It lathers as any other would and adds noticeable moisture to the hair. It's not marketed as a volumizing shampoo yet I find it to be considerably better than those specifically designed to add volume and body to the hair when blow dried.

The mask is the better product out of the two for me. A little goes a long way in adding moisture and shine even to hair as long as mine. Did that just rhyme? I think it did. Hair masks in general seem to do nothing but good for hair, but this one goes above and beyond others I've tried. I would definitely recommend the mask to you guys. I think I'll stick to my Daniel Galvin shampoo though!  

The Everpure line also includes a conditioner and UV protecting spray.

Natural Collection Lipstick Comparison

This is the last you'll hear of these lippies for a while I promise!

As you'll probably already know I recently delved in to the Natural Collection's lipstick offerings. I had mixed views on the lipsticks and so figured I would do an overall summary kind of post for anyone wanting to see how the shades fair against each other and which are the nicest in my opinion!

The photo shows the swatches as Apple Blossom / Sorbet / Autumn Sunset, in order of how much I like them. Apple Blossom has pretty much no use to me as it's far too 'concealer lips' and the only thing I find it remotely useful for is as a skin base to neutralise the shade of my lips when wearing colours like Kate Moss 103. Sorbet is very very pretty and a perfect everyday shade, perhaps for those who are in high school. Autumn Sunset is (as you can see in the photo) very similar to Apple Blossom but slightly more orange toned with a frosty finish. Sorbet & Autumn Sunset are part of the 'Sheer Natural' line which I find to be great for light washes of colour and long lasting moisture. The 'Moisture Shine' collection which Apple Blossom belongs to is very drying in my opinion, however this line does have a much better choice of shades.

Overall I would most certainly purchase Natural Collection lipsticks again as they're fantastic quality for the price. I would however try to buy from the 'Sheer Natural' line only as I much prefer the formulation.

Current Wishlist

1 / 2 / 3 /4 / 5

Yet again there's neon yellow in my wishlist, surprise surprise! *rolls eyes* No but seriously I've wanted that bracelet for a freaking year and it's just gone on sale and sold out -______- impressed is not the word. Perhaps I'll drown my sorrows with a Panja, some sparkly nail polish and the Topshop geek tee that everyone and their cat has by now. Alternatively I could finally take the plunge and buy the poppy cami because lets face it, I've been wanting a cami style top for the longest time but fear it will make my boyish figure look well... boyish?

November Empties

Nivea Creme Soft Shower Cream
This is a little mini I got in a small gift set months and months ago. I didn't expect much, just the usual crappy shower gels you get in gift sets but I absolutely loveeeeee it! I have never known a product to lather so well and feel so soft on the skin! Its a very fresh, unisex scent too! I'm definitely going on the hunt for the full size of this!

Natural Collection Vanilla Body Spray
So I have had this product for literally the longest time. I included it in a haul here on the 17th January!!! I love it and I used it so frequently but I could never get rid of it so I made a special effort this month, purely because I was sick of the sight of it! The scent is a gorgeous sweet vanilla (that my friends all seem to think smells just like white chocolate buttons?!?) that lingers for hours! Probably the best thing about this product is the price - a measly £2.03 from Boots. Let's face it, £2 for a body spray that lasts a year ain't half bad! I'd repurchase this, just in a few months when I've finally managed to get the scent out of my system!

Garnier Fresh Essentials Grape Toner
I've banged on about this product so many times, I guarantee at least 3 of the related posts below include it! Strangely enough I also bought this at the same time as the body spray (weird) Basically it's a very gentle toner with a lovely grape scent. I used this for my skin in Summer so I've finally used it all up! I think I would repurchase this next year when Winter is on it's way out because I don't necessarily think it's the best product for dry skin!

Colgate Sensitive Whitening Toothpaste

I always feel so weird talking about toothpaste on a beauty blog but whatever! I'm literally obsessed with this product, I've become almost as dependent on this as my Batiste Blush dry shampoo! It makes you teeth unbelievably white and I will repurchase for ever more, end of!

Primark 4 in 1 Deep Cleaning Face Wipes

I should probably state before I go on that I at no point used these on my face! I used these generally for 'baby wipe showers' (festival goers or teens who spent too much time getting drunk in field will understand)  or just generally body cleaning but not on the face, I can't say I trust Primark with my face really! Overall they're an all round good wipe for a rather nice price of £0.50 a pack! I would repurchase, although I'm interested to see what other variations they have as I've seen quite a few. I'm probably best of picking up their baby wipes next time!

How many empties have you manage to collect this month?

November

College applications suck / MARBELLAAA! / Aw so pretty / So glad Leticia won / Crop tops in Winter? / Started a cat sanctuary within 5 minutes of being in Spain / Far too many of these hanging around / Attempt at 'Autumn clean' / This is pretty / This on the other hand... / I worship IKEA Tindra candles / Got 2nd degree burns off our malfunctioning jacuzzi / Can't wait for more of these / Onsie sleepovers / First F21 purchase / Examination failure / Lipstick obsession / Walking through this is like heaven / I get bored sometimes / RAINBOWW!

Overall November was a pretty erm... eventful? month. The highlight was definitley my holiday, it feels like so long ago though! Looking back at all these photos of the sea I soooo wish I could just walk through all the sea foam again - best.feeling.ever. Oooh and Movember supporters too, you guys are awesome! The end of my month was greeted by science and Spanish exams, I guess we'll see how that turns out next month.

My month was overall pretty good, how was yours?

November Favourites

Cherry Carmex £2.99
This is a product I'd heard tons of hype about but never actually tried. Usually I go straight to Blistex for Winter medicated lip balms, however this was actually cheaper when I went to buy my usual so I thought I'd give it a go. Not gonna lie I don't understand the cherry flavour hype with this one, to me it doesn't even taste remotely fruity. My love for this product is based purely on the fact it's a great moisturising lip balm that gets to work in no time! I've gone through so much of this already!

Monogotas Mango Body Spray 3.15e
Okay so I'm gonna be a naughty blogger and post about a product most of my readers won't be able to get hold of. However for the 5% of my readers that are Spanish this is one for you! I picked this up in the Supermarket (I believe Mercadona, but don't quote me!) while in Marbella early in the month. I just needed a cheap body spray to throw in my school bag when the new term started again. Mango is my favourite scent EVER! and I love the fruity, fresh subtle scent this one gives. I'll definitely pick some more up next time I'm in Spain, the melon one is for sure on the wishlist!

L'Oreal Ever Pure Reinforcing Hair Mask £6.99
This was featured in my recent haul, I picked it up pretty much on a whim. I've seen this line advertised recently although rumour has it it's actually being repromoted from 3 years ago! Either way I wasn't expecting great results from this product but was pleasantly surprised to find I had lovely soft hair (something that's very difficult with wavy hair!) that remained soft for a long time. It's easy to use in the shower or the bath and something I will definitely use again and again!

Lush Snow Fairy Shower Gel £10.25
November was the month I got my first bottle of Snow Fairy! I pretty much just picked it up without even sniffing it purely because I'd heard so many positive reviews. Regardless it does smell amazing! Its pretty average at being a shower gel, but it's scent and it's price means it just has to be in my November Favourites! I just wish there was a Lush closer to home!

Whats your November favourite?

My Christmas & New Year Dress Picks!

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Yumi was a brand I discovered a few years ago while in Cornwall. The downside is that it's a predominately Southern based clothing chain with very few or no stores at all in the North, but I guess that's why stores such as House of Fraser are such a beauty. They host tons and tons of concessions for all different tastes. Even better is the fact that they are currently working to offer more and more for their younger customers! Above are some of my favourite dresses for the festive season. I tried to pick out not only the dresses I thought were perfect for Christmas and New Year but also covered a broad spectrum of tastes and were in a student friendly budget of £100.*

What are your favourite festive dresses?

Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick in '04'

You should all probably note before I start that  this lipstick is from the first Kate Moss collection to avoid confusion! 04, a deep dark purple in the lasting finish collection is formulated for longevity. I find the colour wears well even after food and drink and has a glossy finish. Although the colour isn't to everyones taste, it's a perfect Winter lipstick to pair with an LBD on a festive night out. I should warn that as with many bold lipsticks the colour does bleed so I'd suggest investing in a dark purple lip liner, MAC is probably your best bet at finding an appropriate shade. The packaging is a sleek black case with red signature, the reverse to the second collection. The price is lower than the average drugstore lipstick at £5.50 making this the perfect cost effective lipstick for an outgoing girl this season!

A/W Outfit Inspiration 2012

Images: Style Pupil / Viki Imrie / Monster Diaries

It's important for me to feel comfortable and warm during the Winter while keeping fashion as a factor. I LOVE disco pants and the way Ellie pairs them with slouchy jumpers and vans - casual but stylish! Another of my favourite trends that tend to pop up around now are all black outfits. A contrast to Springs all-white outfits, I think they can work for day and night and pieces are very interchangeable. If you're not in love with the idea of dressing all in black, using metallic (neon is good too!) jewellery and small accessories such as Viki's studded collar and leather belt are a good way to break up the colour. Now although you'd probably freeze wearing Tammy's outfit in the Yorkshire Valleys I'd totally risk hypothermia to wear this out. My favourite thing about Winter fashion is the different knit textures. Tweed and boucle are two of my favourites, perfect for any Chanel fans!

Images: Style & Starbucks / Monster Diaries / Style & Starbucks

The one piece I'm really on the look out for this Winter is a Tartan scarf. They'd look great with an all black outfit like mentioned before for a casual day out shopping. Another staple item for Winter is a good leather jacket. I love the way Tammy throws it over a blouse and skirt of the same colour pallet but contrasts this with a bold lip! Last but not least is Ellie's outfit which really sums up Winter fashion for me. The mix of leather, ankle boots, knits, collars, berry tones and neutral makeup highlight several A/W trends all of which are really wearable and readily available at any store for any person to pick up and style in their own way!

Again a big thank you to all the girls for letting me use their blog images! If you'd like to see who my A/W style inspirations and general favourite fashion blogs are, the ones above pretty much summarise everything! I'd love to know what/who your A/W style inspiration is!

Beauty Haul

Maybelline Falsies Mascara - £8.99 Boots / Carmex 'Cherry' Medicated Lip Balm - £2.00 Tesco / Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzer in '52' - £6.99 Boots / Superfacialist Neroli Treatment Mask - £11 Boots / Soap & Glory Flake Away - £7 Boots / Snow Fairy Shower Gel - £10.25 Lush

This recent haul is a mixture of things I've been wanting for ages and complete impulse buys. The Bourjois bronzer has been on my wishlist so long so I eventually picked it up along with Maybelline Falsies which I've heard wonderful things about (so far not too sure) along with a repurchase of my favourite exfoliant, Flake Away. The rest are complete impulse buys that I have absolutley no idea why I bought but we'll see how they fair against my current products. Possibly the most exciting thing about this haul is the fact I, Rachael *Beeeeeep* have finally bought my first ever Snow Fairy! woooo! The nearest lush is so far away that I don't visit often so I decided to go crazy and buy the biggest size!

Garnier Soothing 2-in-1 Eye Makeup Remover

For some unknown reason I felt inclined to buy this, probably because of the colour to be honest. Eye makeup removers are generally far too harsh to use on my sensitive skin no matter how 'soothing' (am I the only one that think that looks like it's spelt wrong?!) they claim to be. However this one has no alcohol and no perfumes (I'm afraid rubbing will always be a factor when your allergic to everything) so I figured I'd give it a quick try just to see if it's any better than my current alternative. Basically you shake the oil and solution layers together and apply to a cotton pad to remove even waterproof mascara. I love that this product doesn't leave an oily residue like most eye makeup removers. Regardless of my positive views on this products I won't repurchase purely because I know long term use of this will agitate my frequent allergy rashes, however I would definitely recommend this to any one with normal or midly sensitive skin.

Garnier Simply Essentials Soothing 2-in-1 Eye Makeup Remover 200ml £3.99

Soap & Glory Make Yourself Youthful Super Serum

Okay so yes this is an anti-ageing product, however if you've read my 'Olay Anti-Winkle Tinted Moisturiser' review you'll know why I sometimes buy these products specially formulated for a more mature woman.

The Soap & Glory Super Serum has been clinically proven to 'Trigger DNA repair, hyper-boost collagen and cell respiration and smooth the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.' In my experience of using this product, I can agree that it does smooth over fine lines and wrinkles and does not emphasise flaws in the skin surface. The serum also contains hyluronic acid (currently popular amongst bloggers), organic coconut oil for elasticity and Maracuja Oil for a hit of brightening vitamin C. The brand recommends you use 1-2 pumps of this morning and night for 30 days to see strong visible results. Although the few fine lines in my skin are perhaps not as deep as the ideal user of this product would have, I did see an improvement around the eye area (be careful with application around eyes!) and to the sides of my lips after around half a month, I can imagine with further use these lines will become almost invisible, definitely a winning product for me!

Although I would say if your interested in purchasing this, take a good look as Soap & Glory have two separate Make Yourself Youthful serums, a normal one and this 'super' one too.

Soap & Glory Make Yourself Youthful Super Serum £20

Available at Boots or Sephora online