Let's Chat and Catch Up

Hey my lovelies, I hope you're all well and are having a good day wherever you are in the world.

Today's post is just me chatting to you about my life and how I'm feeling right now. Sorry, it's not an exciting review or a helpful post, but I feel like rambling,I enjoy reading these sorts of posts now and again, they help get a feel and to know the blogger.

I'm really enjoying blogging again, it's something I've wanted to do and stick with for a few years now, but that's where I've failed... sticking with it! I put a lot of effort and time into my blog and posts, I haven't got much interaction from readers on my blog so I get disheartened and doubt myself and my blog, that's when I drift away from my blog. I know my blog isn't going to grow and get much interaction if I keep giving up, not sticking to a regular posting schedule, not using my social media accounts to advertise, or interacting with other bloggers and readers. But sometimes when you feel that way all you feel that's best doing is giving up.

Another topic I feel like talking about is my current job, I've been sick the past 3 weeks now with Laryngitis, if you don't know what that is then it's basically inflammation with your voice box, your voice gets hoarse, so you have difficulty speaking, you can also get a sore throat, ear aches, a cough and a fever. I literally had all of them but a fever and generally I just felt very lethargic and poorly. So I've had a few sick days from work spread over the course of those 3 weeks and now I'm feeling much better and have to be back at work I feel really anxious and don't want to go back. It's not that I'm being lazy it's just I'm not happy with my job, truth be told and I've only just admitted that to myself.

I'm feeling fed up working jobs that I never like, that I only work to earn money which sadly most people do this. It's only lately where I've figured the only way I will be happy with working is if I could work at home and be my own boss, which is what blogging can lead to. I would be ecstatic if I could earn a living making a hobby that I really love become my full-time job. Wouldn't we all though? But I'm determined to get my butt in gear, make good quality content, and grow my blog while making sure I'm having fun and enjoying it.

I hope you liked this little post, even if it was me basically moaning and be negative, but I just felt like I needed to talk about all this, and let you guys know so you can see me in a more personal way and get to me a little. Please feel free to leave comments below or on my social media's which are linked below as always, just say hi. Thank you. MWAH!

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Salon International 2016 Haul

Hey my lovelies, I hope you're all well and are having a good day wherever you are in the world.

Today's post I have for you is a haul of the goodies I got from Salon International 2016, that I went to with my sister-in-law on Sunday 16th October. And we also went to the Westfields Shopping Mall in Stratford for a look around after and I bought a few bits so I thought they can be added in.

My sister-in-law and I have been waiting for Salon International for most of the year, getting to see new releases from brands and products are sold at a cheaper price for the event which a got a couple of good deals of things I've wanted forever!

First up I'm starting with the few freebies I got handed to me as I walked around the exhibit. I got 2 products from Schwarzkopf's Fibreplex range, which I believe the 4 part range is designed to help strengthen and ready the hair before, during and after lightening, high-lifting and the colouring process. I got a 200ml bottle of the shampoo, it's meant to keep strengthening the hair and maintain the colour. The other item I got was a 100ml bottle of the no3 Bond Maintainer, this is a mask/deep conditioner, to be used twice a week from root to ends for a minimum of 5 minutes after shampooing your hair and then rinse. It's meant to maintain your improved quality of hair from using the other 3 products from this range, balance PH levels and protecting any new mechanical damage from hair colouring while locking in colour pigments. They both sound impressive, once I get around to using them and trying them out for a good amount of time, maybe I'd do a review post on them.

The third freebie I got was a 75ml tube of Phyto Elixir, it's meant for dry hair to gently cleanse and nourish hair and scalp. It's said to make your hair more shinier, subtle, softer and easier to untangle and it's says to skip conditioning completely. I have two more freebies left both by the brand Osmo, which I've never heard of before but they seemed very popular. First was a 25ml pot of Clay Wax, which I gave to my boyfriend. And lastly was a 100ml pot of Osmo Colour Radiance Mask, this is an intense nourishing sulphate free mask that smooths hair and reduces colour fade. I also got a ton, a ton of leaflets from brands and catalogs.

Now onto the products I bought, I'm going to start with a brush, the Tangle Tamer Ultra Brush from the brand Denman in black, priced at £12.50 but at Salon International it was £7, a nice bargain! I was long overdue a new brush, I previously had a many Tangle Teasers which I loved while they lasted but I hated the design of the brush, so I was looking for a paddle type brush that's was designed for very unmanageable hair which mine is, as its long and so far I'm loving it, glides right through my knotty hair,

The next 4 products are from the brand Osmo, which I previously mention a couple from a freebie pack and that I've never heard of them before. But as their stand was swamped with customers, I was drawn in and decided to try them out. I got 1000ml bottles of the Extreme Volume Shampoo and Conditioner I got them both for £10 together, once again bargain!!! The third product I got from Osmo was a 250ml tube of the Deep Repair Moisture Mask I got for £2 and the last out of the 4 is what I'm most excited for and that is a 250ml bottle of Effects Wonder 10 Leave-In Treatment priced £4. This is supposed to be a dupe of the It's A 10 Leave-In Treatment, and I've seen everyone and their mother rave about that product so I was super excited and had to get this to try, plus I was really in need of a leave-in treatment as my Aussie one is a couple sprays to empty.

The last 2 products I got from Salon International were also both from the same brand and that is Moroccan Oil. I got a 100ml bottle of the oil treatment, I bought it for £18, bargain!!! I've wanted to get my hands on this oil since forever, again everyone and their mother loves this stuff and I'm so excited to finally have it. The last product is a 50ml bottle of the Blow-Dry Concentrate, this is a new release from the brand and at the exhibit it was being sold for £10. This is meant to seal in shine and tames the most rebellious, unruly hair for a smooth, frizz-free look.It's infused with conditioning argan oil to increase softness and silkiness for easier brush glide and a speedier blow-out. Natural antioxidants work to help protect hair while enhancing texture and quality to leave it soft and lustrous.

All together these products cost me only £51 but if I were to have bought them all at regular retail price including the freebies they would have cost me so so much more!

As I said at the beginning of this post I went to Westfields Shopping Mall after Salon International, so I'm going to add the 3 items I bought in Superdrug onto this post. 2 of the 3 products were Sleek Matte Me Lip Creams priced at £4.99, in the shade Birthday Suit and Velvet Slipper. I had Birthday Suit before but I lost it on a night out which I was gutted about as I enjoyed that shade and the product which is a liquid lipstick. The last product was the Freedom Pro Highlight Palette priced at £6, I'm loving this brand and my highlight collection needed a palette as I was lacking in the highlight departments and I love it so far!

Phew I got to the end eventually, that was a fair amount of products to get through. If you want to see me do a review post on any of the items I bought then please leave me a comment below or contact me on my social media, all linked below. Thank you for reading. MWAH.

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NYX Lip Lingerie Liquid Lipstick Review

Hey my lovelies, I hope you're all well and are having a good day wherever you are in the world.

Today I am reviewing the NYX Lip Lingerie Liquid Lipsticks. Matte liquid lips are all the rage right now and have been all year all because of Kylie Jenner and her highly popular lip kits. Which is why I wanted to try these out, I didn't want to spend £23.32 per lip kit and £12.02 for shipping plus most probably at least £15 customs, I just don't see the lip kits worth all that extra money so I was so happy when NYX released these.

There are 12 shades in the collection, but at the moment I only have 3 which are Lace Detail, Embellishment and Push up. Lace Detail is a nude shade, more on the peach side, I don't think this one suits me though. Embellishment is a dusty grey toned purple shade which is my favourite one, I think it's so unique. The last out of the 3 is Push Up and again this is a nude but more of a beige tone. It's a your lips but better shade which I love.

The price per liquid lipstick is £6.50 which is very affordable as NYX is a good affordable Drugstore brand. The coverage and colour pay off is very good, I don't find them patchy or uneven. The feel of them on your lips feels tacky and tends to stay like that even when it drys and goes matte which could be a turn off for some people but it doesn't bother me that much, some times I put translucent powder over top to take away the tacky feeling. They don't transfer and I find them nicely long wearing, they do start to wear off when eating greasy and messy foods such as burgers but when drinking I find it lasts nicely. The doe foot applicator is very stiff, so it's tricky when applying product around edges of the lip, I would recommend you use a lip liner of a similar colour before using the liquid lipstick. I'm going to mention the smell as some people do like to know if lip products have a scent as obviously your lips are under your nose and you do pick up the scents which this smells like plastic but only while applying, after that there is no scent.

I am hoping to expand my collection to all of the 12 shades eventually as I do really like these liquid lipsticks and recommend them very much! Below I have 2 pictures for each 1 of the 3 shades I have on my lips for you to see.

I hope you enjoyed this post and that it maybe helped you out whether you had your eye on these but wanted to know what others think of them before buying. Feel free to leave a comment with any questions you may have or contact me on any of my social media linked below as always. Thank you. MWAH!

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I Saw Justin Bieber At His Purpose Tour!!!

Hey my lovelies, I hope you're all well and are having a good day wherever you are in the world.

On Wednesday 12th October I went to see Justin Bieber on his Purpose Tour at the O2 Arena, in London. So I thought I'd write a post on my wonderful time witnessing Justin's heavenly presence performing live in front of me with the very few pictures I took.

I've seen Justin 3 times now, once for each of his 3 Worldwide Tours, My World Tour, Believe Tour and his current Purpose Tour. I've loved him since the summer of 2009 and back then I said to myself that I would make it to each of his Worldwide Tours, and thus far I've been successful and I'm very grateful to have been able to do so. But I'm not only seeing him the once on his current tour, I'm seeing him twice. I'm going to see him November 28th, when he comes back to the O2 Arena in London for another 2 shows.

I'd heard from articles online that throughout this tour all he does is mainly lip sync, so I was a bit annoyed if this actually was true but he sung live on every song except his finale which was Sorry and he has water pouring down on him so it makes sense that he doesn't sing for that as electrics have to be off. Yes he did have playback playing on his dance songs so he can dance but I could clearly hear him singing along, and that was mainly only on the chorus of the songs.

The opening acts for his Europe Tour are Mic Lowry and The Knocks. I've never heard of either of them if I'm honest. Mic Lowry were a 5 part boy band from Liverpool, they were so good and had amazing vocals and harmonies. The Knocks are an EDM duo from America, they were good but they're not my type of genre so I didn't enjoy their set as much as I did Mic Lowry.

Justin opens the show singing Mark My Words, in which he comes from underground in a clear windowed box that he stays in for the whole song, he writes words such as 'hope' etc on the windows while he's singing the song. Then he performs, Where Are U Now, Get Used To It, I'll Show You, The Feeling. He then has an acoustic set of the songs Cold Water and Love Yourself. After his chilled and intimate acoustic set, he's back to dancing to Been You, Company, No Sense, Hold Tight, No Pressure, As Long As You Love Me, Children, Let Me Love You, Life Is Worth Living, What Do You Mean, Baby, Purpose and ends with Sorry.

He was so amazing, he's definitely gotten better, he was in such great spirits and was so hyper. It was lovely to see as when he was here for the Believe Tour, he didn't have such a great time here as that's when he was going through a bit of trouble. And the show I went to was when he was an hour late and the papers said he was basically being a diva but we were told while we were waiting that they were having technical difficulties which no one believed.

Oh I didn't mention my seat, I didn't have floor, front row seats or standing in the pit unfortunately, I sat on Level 4 in block 20. Yeah the top level but I was on the side and I could see very well and I went all on my own. For when I see him in November I've got a better seat on Level 1, block 107 and I can't wait to experience it all over again, with my brother and sister-in-law this time. I'll be sure to take more pictures then as I'll be with people and feel much for comfortable.

If you saw Justin tell me your experience in the comments below and what Tour(s) it/they were. If you are yet to see Justin then tell me your Tour date, maybe your going the date I'm going to November 28th. I have some of the performances up on my YouTube now if you'd like to check them out, I still have yet to upload them all though. Thank you for reading, I hope you liked it. MWAH.

    

   

  

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Autumn Tag 2016

Hey my lovelies, I hope you're all well and are having a good day wherever you are in the world!

This is my first official post since starting blogging back up, and what a post to start with! Autumn is my favourite time of year, and I love doing/reading tag posts, they're a lot of fun and informative!

This tag is a mix up of two versions of the tag that I came across, one of them appeared on my feed and then I searched for the tag on Bloglovin' and added some questions from another post I liked together. The posts I got the questions from were MakeUpSavvy and EMJBarker.

What signifies the start of Autumn for you?

I don't really need anything to signify that it's Autumn, it's my favourite season so literally as soon as August is over with I'm already in the Autumn spirit! 

Favourite thing about Autumn?
The cooler weather, is my most favourite as I don't and have never got on with hot weather.. I don't know how people like it. I'd much rather feel cold and be able to wrap up than be hot and sweaty, even though all through summer my body is almost all wrapped up (Majorly insecure of my body) I love the darker nights, it feels so much more cosy. The beautiful colours of the leaves off tree's, all over the floor making everywhere look pretty. And last but not least getting my jumpers out, I like dressing comfortable and nice big jumpers are the best. By the way I have a post about 10 of my favourite reasons why I love Autumn coming up next Thursday (20th Oct) so be sure to keep an eye out for that.

What is your favourite Autumn scent/Candle?
I love the Spiced Apple scent and candles, they remind me of Autumn the most and make the room feel so much more comfortable. At the moment I'm burning a candle from Air Wick called Mulled Wine and Crackling Fire, it's similar to Spiced Apple which is why I like it so much.

What is your favourite Autumn colour?
Burgundy and Cranberry colours to me are all time Autumn colours and I love them regardless of the season.

What is your favourite Autumn drink?
I don't have a specific favourite Autumn drink, but during autumn I do tend to drink hot drinks more, mostly filtered coffee with a drop of vanilla syrup or Nescafé Gingerbread Latte sachets, yummy.

What TV show, new or old, are you looking forward to this Autumn?
SCREAM! If you haven't watched this show then you should, its a television series adaption of the horror-slasher movies Scream. (obviously!) The show takes in the fictional town called Lakewood, where many murders take place. It's all happening around Emma Duval, who's a teenage girl and is somehow tied to the town's dark past. I am OBSESSED, but it's such an underrated show and has way less than a million viewers every episode! It has 2 seasons on Netflix so far, which I'm not quite sure if their doing another season as the views are very low, I'm so annoyed if that does happen as it's so good honestly! On October 18th it has a 2 hour special Halloween episode which is what I'm so excited for. I mean come on it's a Halloween Special and it's a horror show so obviously it's going to be so good! So go watch the 2 seasons on Netflix now ready for the Halloween special.

What is your favourite Autumn fashion trend?
I'm not a fashion lover when it comes to clothes, make-up and hair OH YES! I'm on that but I never follow the trend for clothing fashion. Like I mentioned earlier in the post I wear what I feel comfortable in and that leads my wardrobe not to be very adventurous as I'm very insecure of my body as I'm not lets just say a small size. But as for make-up trends literally love all the bronze, gold, cranberry or burgundy smokey eyes with a bold dark lip, they never go out of style!

What is your favourite frugal Autumn activity?
Evening walks with my puppies! The weather is nice and cool, its dark and I feel much more comfortable walking when its not hot and so light out.

Are you a bigger fan of Thanksgiving or Halloween?
In the UK we don't celebrate Thanksgiving, and even if we did I would still say Halloween is the better holiday! I love Horror movies, spending evenings snuggled in bed getting scared is fun to me. Plus the lead up to Halloween is fun, and the Halloween parties (Adult parties of course) Dressing up in fancy dress whether its scary or not with your friends, having a good laugh and drinking alcohol always makes a good Halloween night! I usually go to my local pub with family and friends as a party is usually hosted there.

What is your favourite makeup look come Autumnal weather? 
As I said for the Fashion trend question, bronze, gold, cranberry and burgundy smokey eyes. Orange as my transition shade, burgundy or brown in my crease, matte cream all over the lid or a shimmery bronze with a bold dark lip.

Where is your favourite place to be?
At home, I am a hermit there's nothing better than snuggling up at home watch your evening TV programs or a good film with your partner, family, pet(s) etc.

Well that's all the questions done, I hope you enjoyed reading my take on this tag and please if you liked this tag feel free to do it and link me to your post in the comments below. Also if you'd wish to use the image above for your post then you are welcome to but please give credit either linking to this post or the homepage of my blog. Thank you! MWAH.

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Hi! Hello! I'm back! Where have I been?

Hey my lovelies, I hope you're all well and are having a good day wherever you are in the world.

Long time no post! Do you remember me? Probably not, my blog didn't really have much interaction from viewers to be remembered. So hey, hello... my name's Lauren, I'm 22 will be 23 next month (November 18th) I mostly blog about make-up, hair and with with a little lifestyle thrown in there. They're my interests and what I love to blog about.

Now let me get to why I stopped blogging for almost 16 months, not that I had much reason to stop. I stopped as work took over pretty much everyday, I was a barmaid in a pub 6 days a week and I'd also clean the pub every morning 6 days a week and some weeks that meant I didn't have one day off which took its toll on me. I literally felt so stressed, fed up and unhappy and all I wanted to do when I did have free time was relax or go out with my boyfriend as like I said I didn't get much free time. So I put blogging on hold while I searched for a job, one which was 9-5 weekday job so I could finally have weekends free to enjoy and to start blogging again.

In April this year I did finally get a new job, at a children's nursery as their cook which I'm enjoying but being in a kitchen with time limits to keep up with can be stressful but I deal with it. I do the washing and drying of blankets, aprons for dinner etc. I make their AM and PM snacks, set up and dish up their lunch (A catering company cooks and delivers the lunch) Clean everything up after lunch, and after that's all done I prepare and cook their tea, it never stops haha!

But anyway even though I've been at this new job for 6 months now, I've only now just started to get back to blogging... I think for that while I was just enjoying having my evenings and weekends back as my previous jobs have been awful shift work that were taking away my evenings and weekends. Now I'm back, ready with a few posts written and scheduled and have future post ideas written down!

I will be posting on Tuesday's, Thursday's and the occasional Sunday at 6pm, the same as my blogging schedule before this hiatus. My first blog post will be Thursday (13th Oct) at 6pm and it's The Autumn Tag 2016, it's already done and scheduled for posting. I had fun doing it and I hope you like it. Please feel free to leave comments below with any feedback or questions or contact me on my social media if you'd like to chat. Thank you. MWAH.

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