Boxing Day Traditions

Christmas is all about family traditions. We all have them, the phrases we say once a year every year, the 'in-joke' gifts we give, the places we visit, the family we see who we haven't seen for the rest of the year and the food, oh the food! 

In my family it's Boxing Day where the traditions are most obvious, we always always go for a walk to burn off the turkey tummies brought on by far too much Christmas dinner and a day of slobbing about, and we always head off to a pantomime in the evening for some good, old fashioned fun :)

I thought I'd share some of my pictures from my Boxing Day traditions, I'd love to know what you're traditions are and how you celebrate the festive season.

This year we walked up to the abandoned mental hospital which sits on top of a huge hill near my parents house.  I think this building is so beautiful, it's so sad it's fallen into such a poor state, I'd love to be able to take a look inside.

As kids we used to tell ghost stories about the hospital, my friend once claimed she'd snuck inside and found the whole place still set up like a hospital, beds made, the whole lot, as if everyone had just vanished all at once.  It was a good story if nothing else!

It's behind you! 

I hope you all had a very merry Christmas and have a fabulous new year!

Steph

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Foundation Fix

 


As Christmas draws ever closer (only 4 more sleeps!) and my purse gets ever lighter I've been doing my best to save where I can so January is not the cash strapped month it so easily can become.

Earlier in December my MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation began to run ever so low *sob* and I told myself I would search for a cheaper alternative rather than spend over £20 on a bottle which lasts me so little time.  I thought I would investigate what the high street had to offer in terms of foundation, something I've not done for a few years, and see if I could find a dupe that would see me through.

~1~
My first find was Sleek's New Skin Revive in White Rose.  I'm a fan of Sleek's eyeshadow palettes and contour kit but this has left me a little underwhelmed.  For £7.99 its definitely within my price range but I felt as if even this might be too higher price for it.  

The consistency is really thick, meaning a little goes nowhere and your face can end up looking a little cakey to say the least.  I ended up mixing it with a dollop of moisturiser to thin it out and make it go further and this did give it a better look but I feel you shouldn't have to do that every time you want to wear it.  It's also a little dark on my skin, but that is my fault for picking up what I thought was the lightest colour instead of what actually was!

~2~ After the slight disaster of the Sleek purchase I thought I might try something a little lighter than was more of a liquid than a double cream!  I found the B. Flawless Complete Coverage Foundation from B. in Superdrug and thought it looked like a good bet.  At £9.99 its still a pretty affordable product and it has the added benefits of SPF15, same as Studio Fix.

I chose the shade 10 Linen and its a really good match for my skin so definitely a similar colour to NC15 (the shade I use in MAC).  Its got a really nice consistency, like a slightly thick liquid and a little goes a pretty long way, so good value as well.  Although it says it's a full coverage foundation I've been wearing it for more casual days as I don't find it as full as Studio Fix and it does have a fairly strong smell of sun cream but I don't mind that too much!  

Bottom line I think I will be repurchasing this one as a day to day foundation that I can wear year round and have the added benefit of sun protection.

~3~ One of my more recent purchases has been the L'Oreal True Match foundation in N2 Vanilla.  The colour is slightly darker than NC15 but the blendability and the way it adjusts to your skin tone means it doesn't end up looking unnatural which is a massive plus!  At £9.99 its another affordable purchase and less than half the price of MAC.

I've been really loving this foundation and aside from the super thin consistency (which seems to run off the back of my hand every time I move!) I have only good things to say about it.  I think the thinness off the formula adds to the blending ability so as long as you're not as clumsy as me (it's on my carpet in more than one place!) you should be fine.  

~4~ Last but not least is the Maybelline FIT me! Anti-Shine Stick.  I was really curious to try this one as I've never used a foundation in a stick form before and was interested to see how it would compare to liquid foundations.  It's a  little cheaper at £8.99 but is also a lot smaller than the bottles of liquid foundation.

I've used this product  few times and so far I'm not in love with it.  It feels fairly thick on the skin and isn't the easiest thing to blend out.  I'm also not majorly keen on the fact it's a stick that goes straight onto the face, with a liquid you can wash the brush or buy a new sponge and help stop breakouts so I'm not sure sure how well my skin would fair if I were to use this every day.

On the plus side the few times I have used it it does what it says on the tin, it keeps shine at bay and I've actually been quite liking it for concealing my under eye circles before putting on foundation.  

I've not yet managed to find a high street foundation that would convince me not to repurchase Studio Fix ever again but I'll definitely be using the B.Flawless and L'Oreal True Match as alternatives on a daily basis and maybe keeping my MAC foundations for more special occasions like nights out or days when I want a really flawless look.

Steph
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Winter Essentials

It's that time of year again, when the cold sets in and staying warm and cosy becomes top priority.  There are a few things I couldn't live without when winter hits and I thought I'd share them with you :) 

Hats ~ Keeping warm is always top of my list when the weather turns.  Each year my collection of beanies, berets and any other form of winter hat seems to grow considerably (I think they must be multiplying in the wardrobe!)  My faves so far this winter have been this 'Bad Hair Day' beanie from New Look and the gorgeously cosy Cream Cable Knit beanie from Topshop.

Candles ~ This year I've gotten really into scented candles (I'm going through them at a rate of knots!) and am just loving having a festive smelling room.  My most used candles are the Caramel Apple scent from Green Earth and Yankee Candle's 'Sparkling Cinnamon'.  I'd have them all over the house if the family would let me!

A Good Book ~ There's something about being curled up under a blanket as the night draws in with a candle burning reading a really good book, heaven!  I'm currently reading 'Dolly' by Susan Hill and really enjoying the creepiness of it.  If scary stories aren't your thing 'Chasing Harry Winston' and 'Last Night as Chateau Marmont' by Lauren Weisburger are both really good 'chick-lit' reads as is the new Bridget Jones installment.  I'm looking forward to reading 'Chanel - An Intimate Life' next too, gotta keep it classy!

Festive Manicures ~ I've gone into nail painting overdrive recently and have the urge to constantly have something festive on my nails.  I've gone for something a little more subtle this weekend with gold glitter over a Christmassy red.

Mini Purses ~ I recently discovered these gorgeous little purses in Primark after a friend showed me hers.  Aside from being the perfect size to keep a couple of cards and enough change for a night out they've also got a section to strap in a phone.  As someone who has lost more than one phone to a club toilet I had to invest!  The purses have little wrist straps (which you can remove if you're less clumsy than I am!) and at only £4 were a bargain, not to mention a little cheaper than a new phone!  I can't wait for the Christmas parties to begin so I can take them out!

Eye Cream ~ As someone who could sleep forever and still have bags under my eyes, I'm always after a goof eye cream to perk them up a little.  I recently discovered the 'Puffy Eye Attack' from Soap&Glory and have been really enjoying it.  It's been keeping my under eye area really moisturised and, as it's a gel, it lasts for hours.  I've been slicking it on morning and night and only have good things to say so far.

Gradual Tan ~ Dove's Summer Glow gradual tan has become my new best friend this winter.  Aside from preventing me from looking like a Twilight extra it also moisturises my skin and leaves it feeling really soft, a must when the weather can be so drying.  I've been using the lighter shade so that I don't look to obviously tanned but it's been giving me a really lovely colour and is much easier to control than a regular self tanner.

Exfoliater ~ Soap&Glory always have the best smelling exfoliaters and 'The Scrub of Your Life' if no exception.  I've been using this one for a few weeks now and it's been helping to keep my skin buffed to perfection!  The winter weather can really dry skin out and this helps to keep it smooth as well as providing a great base for moisturiser.

Winter Shoes ~ I recently gave into my love for Aldo and picked up a pair of wedge trainer I'd been eyeing up for about 3 months! I blame the Cyber Monday discounts partially for this purchase but the Aldo sale was definitely a contributing factor too!  Since they arrived they've barely been off my feet and are soo comfy.  The heel isn't too high for day wear and I've been rocking them with jeans, leggings, skirts and dresses as they're such an all-round shoe, I think it might be love!

Big Hair ~ Winter can leave hair feeling a little flat, especially if its been crammed under a beanie all day!  So far this winter I've been making a little more effort to give my hair some added volume using the Bumble and Bumble Thickening Hairspray or the Fat Hair Amplifying Mousse.  Both are great for creating volume at the roots and the size of the Bumble and Bumble spray makes it super handy for travelling.

Hair Oils ~ On the hair theme I've also been making an effort to keep my hair moisturised and glossy.  The combination of cold weather and heating can dry out your hair just as much as your skin so a hair oil can really help to combat the effect.  I've been loving L'Oreal's Extraordinary Oil for Coloured Hair.  I use a tiny amount all over my hair when its damp as added heat protection and focus more toward the ends on dry hair to prevent drying and split ends.

So there you have it, just a few of my winter faves for 2013, I honestly think I could go on all day with the products I'm loving at the minute but these are definitely my top picks.  Let me know what you've been loving so for this winter, I'd love to try out some new things!

Steph

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