FOTD & OOTD #12 - Strappy Shoulders - 11/09/14

Hello everyone! Jeez, another FOTD & OOTD?! I know I know.. I've just been a busy girl who happens to be going out a lot in the month of September! It's my last month before I start back at Uni so I'm filling up my free time with going out before I lock myself in my study for 8 months.. You think I'm kidding?

Please ignore that random hair in the centre of my face. It's annoying me more than it's annoying you, trust me.

Make-up:

bareMinerals Prime Time Foundation Primer

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream in Light

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in 001 Transparent

Mac Blush in Buff

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Original

Urban Decay Naked Palette in Sin and Toasted
Topshop Kohl Eyeliner in Sable

Lancôme Définicils Mascara

Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte by Kate Moss Lipstick in 107 

When my hair is a mess (which on this particular day it was) I usually just shove it up in a bun/ponytail and hope for the best. What does this mean? Red lipstick. It's my go to confidence boost and I just love wearing a deep red lip, especially now that we are going into Autumn - saying that though, on this day my boyfriend and I went out for dinner and it was roasting! Hence the bare shoulders. I paired my lips with glowing rose gold lids, which I think compliment my blue eyes perfectly.

Playsuit - Forever 21

I bought this playsuit whilst on holiday in Florida and I love it so much. I've gotten more into jumpsuits this summer and I feel it's the perfect thing to wear if you want to be more dressy but still very comfortable. I dislike that I have to wear a strapless bra, as who actually likes wearing them?! However I love that my shoulders are out, the detailing at the bust, and also the detailing at the waist and how it accentuates it. Also, the pattern itself is so cool and the colours are bright and beautiful, you couldn't miss me walking about! 

I'm hoping to try and work out a way to wear this into the colder months, however I feel like it'll end up getting dusty in my wardrobe until next year :( Do you guys have any recommendations on how I can wear this into Autumn and possibly Winter? Please let me know! I hope you enjoyed reading this post, what have you been wearing recently?

Have a lovely day, and don't stop smiling. :)

Hannah, xx

Soap & Glory The Scrub Of Your Life Body Scrub Review!

Hello everyone! Today I'm here reviewing the exfoliator I've been using for the past couple of months and I've actually just finished it so I feel it's the right time to talk about it. I cannot be the only one who loves the feeling of pure silky smooth legs and who genuinely enjoys the sensation of exfoliating their legs, right?! Spoilers, this exfoliator does that for me. Oh by the way, I'm talking about the Soap & Glory The Scrub Of Your Life Body Scrub, if you hadn't guessed that already. Which you most probably have. Anyway..

Coming in at £7, it's on the cheaper side (in my opinion) for Soap & Glory. You get 200ml of product and I used it up in a couple of months, which for me was quite quick and I wished there was more in it but for £7 that's still a good deal!

First off, the packaging is standard Soap and Glory, nothing too exciting but I do have a love hate relationship with the fact it's a tube. I love it because when you use it in the shower no water is getting into the actual tube so it doesn't go all watery (wow, really?! Yep.) However, it also kinda annoys me because even after a couple of months of using it I couldn't work out the exact amount I wanted to exfoliate so most of the time I used too much product.. I think I love the packaging more than I hate it though, as the tube packaging is overall just really handy and practical.

I'd also like to point out that Soap & Glory do not test on animals, which is a huge bonus for me personally.

When you squeeze the product out of the tube, it comes out in a kinda gel consistency with little pink beads inside the gel. I personally use this on my legs in the shower as my arms are quite sensitive and can break out extremely easily so I stay clear of using any products that aren't super natural on them. Since I do still have sensitive skin on my legs, I do tend to gravitate towards more gentle exfoliators. I wouldn't say this was super gentle, however it wasn't too harsh or rough for my skin and it didn't break me out at all, so I would still recommend this for sensitive skin. Just to be safe though, if you do have sensitive skin/suffer from eczema and want to try this, maybe buy the mini and test it out on a small patch of skin first, I do this quite a lot just to be safe, however I do suffer from both sensitive skin and eczema and so far, no Soap & Glory product has broke me out at all and I've tried quite a few!

What I really love about this product is when you use it in the shower when you are obviously wet (duh), it lathers up as you massage it into your legs into a thick foamy soapy consistency (as you can see below), so it feels like your not only exfoliating your legs but also really deeply washing and cleaning them if that makes sense? Usually I massage it in for a couple of minutes then wash it off, then I shave my legs so that I get that super silky feel. Once I've washed it off, honestly, my legs literally feel like silk. They are so soft and glowy, it's unreal, and this softness lasts for a good couple of days. As always though, you do have to moisturise when you get out of the shower as they will leave your legs a little dry and needing some hydration, but that's just standard so it's not a big issue.

I should also mention how much I love the scent of this product. In general I love the smell of most of the Soap & Glory range, especially the Original Pink line which is what this product is a part of. It apparently has scents of fresh bergamot and mandarin, rose, jasmine, peach, strawberry, oakmoss, amber, woody notes and warm vanilla.. Honestly though, who smells all of that? For me, it just smells fresh and fruity which is what I gravitate towards in body products and the smell lasts all day/night (depending on when you have a shower/bath)

For me, I used it once/twice a week for a couple of months and it kept my legs feeling very soft, silky and my legs didn't look as dull as they usually do, they had a glow to them which was a nice surprise! Overall I would recommend this product, it really is good at buffing and exfoliating and I personally love that it lathers up into a foamy/soapy consistency, it feels like I'm giving my legs a deep clean whilst exfoliating them at the same time.

That's about it for this post! I feel like I rambled quite a bit so I do apologise. I'm not very good at writing concisely, I'm the type of person who has to cut down 2000 words in an essay so it fits the word limit. Not kidding. I hope you enjoyed reading this review, have you tried this product before and do you have any recommendations of other Soap & Glory products that I can try? Let me know!

Have a lovely day, and don't stop smiling. :)

Hannah, xx

My American Football Outfit ft. Fanatics!

Hello everyone! Today I'm back with a little bit of a different post. I was recently challenged to create my perfect games day ensemble, so I decided to stop by Fanatics to get some inspiration and ultimately, choose out the clothes I would wear to an American football game! Fanatics is basically a huge online store specialising in American sport clothing, merchandise, accessories.. The list is pretty much endless! However they do also have an Olympics section which I think is pretty cool, and universal for many countries.

 Now, this games day ensemble is for an NFL game (which I'm just assuming is American football) so being from Scotland, we obviously don't have American football, however I do enjoy watching it on TV! So I have taken up the challenge and this is what I feel like I'd wear if I was going to see a game, as it always looks amazing when watching it, and let's be real, it looks so fun in the movies too! Who wouldn't go if they had the chance?!

Now, when I say I've watched it on TV, you have to understand that I have no idea who anyone is or even what the teams are. So, when I got this e-mail and decided to take up the challenge, I was left with the question 'what team am I going to support so I can pick out an outfit surrounding them?' So what did I do? I asked my Dad. This is how the conversation went;

"Dad, what's your favourite American Football team?"

"Either the Miami Dolphins, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or the Green Bay Packers."

"Okay.. Which one is the coolest?"

"Probably The Green Bay Packers."

"Thanks Dad!"

"Wait, why did you want to know ab-"
"NOTHING DAD THANKS!"

So that's why I decided to go for the Green Bay Packers, don't hate on me, my Dad is always right! Now, when I think about an American Football game and what I would wear, I feel I'd go pretty crazy. I browsed the Fanactics website for quite a while before I found what I thought were necessary items for a game, as they have jerseys, banners, trousers.. Pretty much everything to be honest! 

For me, a jersey is obviously the most essential thing for a games day outfit, followed closely by a hat, scarf and bracelet for the added touch! But in all seriousness, in a weird way I related this to what the students wore to the Quidditch matches in Harry Potter (I know I'm a weirdo) and they all wear their houses' scarves and hats and I just feel like I'd do the same! Plus, how nice is that hat?! Honestly, I would wear that now, I have a huge obsession with hats and looks so cool.

I thought that pairing the jersey and accessories with ripped jeans, hi top converse and a bag pack would bring the outfit together and make it equally stylish. These are three items that I personally am loving at the moment and they are all things I wear frequently.

Ripped jeans are on trend right now and I think practically every shop is selling them! I have a pair from Abercrombie & Fitch, however these ones are from Topshop and they are beautiful. I love how distressed they are and also how they look a bit worn at the thighs - I actually saw them in the shop today and fell in love with them.

I have these converse in black and I really get a lot of use out of them. I really feel the white hi tops are just perfect for sporty occasions as, well, they do have the baseball link! In general they look sporty and the white colour is fresh and will go well with the jersey. I used to have these in the canvas white sneaker style however I had to throw them out recently as they were falling apart. RIP :'(. Instead I now have the leather white sneaker style which are equally as nice!

This bag pack is actually the one I use for Uni and it's so comfortable, even when you are carrying a lot of stuff around. I'd imagine when going to a game you'd need a lot of things with you, like food and drink, a camera, a jacket in case it gets cold or rains.. Right? So surely a bag pack would be the best choice, well in my opinion it is anyway!

Challenge complete! I hope you enjoyed reading this post, I really loved thinking up ideas for what I would wear and how Harry Potter inspired me with this outfit - only I'd someone link American Football to Harry Potter!

Have a lovely day, and don't stop smiling. :)

Hannah, xx

Nivea Lip Butter In Caramel Cream Review!

Hello everyone! How are you today? I feel as though I never ask you how you are, this should be a thing. Anyway, today I'm here to tell you about a lip balm/butter that I just really really love (spoilers this is a good 'un) and that is the Nivea Lip Butter in Caramel Cream! I personally haven't seen anyone blog about this, however I know these have been out for a while so I'm only assuming when they first came out there were lots of blog posts over them! I discovered this beauty earlier on this year when my friend at Uni let me smell it and I bought it the next day - it was love at first sniff guys, not kidding.

The packaging is just a typical, normal tin.. Nothing overly special or anything, however the lid is secure which is always a plus, so you don't need to worry about it coming open when your flinging your bag about or anything (which I do most of the time.) In hygiene terms, obviously make sure your hands are reasonably clean before using it as you don't want to spread those nasty germs! I assume though that most people do keep their hands clean anyway but in case you don't.. Hand sanitiser is your new best friend!

The actual product itself in the tin is a muted caramel colour however when you apply it initially on your finger it will be white and blended in it goes clear and gives a lovely gloss to the lips. 

The texture of this lip butter is so creamy and smooth, honestly it's so nice. It's thick, but not in a bad way if you get me. It's not as if your lips are drowning in a horrible sticky mess and you can feel it on your lips really bad as I personally HATE that feeling. Obviously, you can feel it on your lips but it's not uncomfortable, it's really nice and and makes your lips super soft. This lasts on the lips for a good couple of hours and afterwards still leaves your lips moisturised and soft.

Now, I said that I initially fell in love with this lip butter just because of the smell but guys. GUYS. This smells absolutely delicious, yummy scrummy, get in my belly kinda good. Honestly, if I could eat it, I would. It smells of caramel obviously, but it's so sweet and just smells gorgeous. The smell also isn't overpowering, it's just right in my opinion.

The only thing(s) I would say that aren't essentially bad, just things to watch out for are that if you put too much on at once, your lips will get a white tinge as this lip butter is very creamy so a little goes a long way and leaves your lips nice and glossy, not white! Also, I wouldn't recommend to use this as your only lip butter/moisturiser for your lips as a couple of times I used this overnight and when I woke up in the morning my lips felt tight and uncomfortable; not exactly dry, but they needed a lip balm/my trusty Vaseline on them ASAP. 

So, I'd recommend to use this just as a day time lip butter for when your lips need a little moisturising or if you just want to put lip balm on! Overall I really do like this, it makes my lips moisturised, soft and glossy and the smell is just divine, and it's £2.10. How can I complain?

So, I hope you enjoyed reading this long winded post, probably doesn't need to be this detailed but details matter guys! Have you tried this or any other one from their range, did you like it? Or do you have any recommendations of lip butters you like? Let me know :)

Have a lovely day, and don't stop smiling. :)

Hannah, xx

Enjoy The Little Things - Snapshots Of My Life #1 - 07/09/14

Hello everyone! Today I thought I'd start a little new series/just start branching out on what I'm posting on my blog. As much as I love reading beauty/fashion posts, I also really enjoy reading more personal posts on blogs, like what someone does day-to-day or if they go out somewhere for the day or even when people talk about their thoughts on a certain topic or just their thoughts in general. I don't know if that makes sense, I'm just trying to say I also enjoy reading more personal posts/posts not related to beauty and fashion and I've decided to give writing more personal posts to see if I like it and ultimately, if you like it! So please let me know :)

So the 7th September was a Sunday (I'm writing this at 11.43pm that night) and I had a lie in, which I really didn't want. I go back to Uni at the end of this month and I'm trying to train myself (yes, I did say train myself) to wake up early and not want to hate the world.. However I am quickly realising that if you stay up late the night before, it will not help you getting up the next morning. So, I set my alarm for 8am, 8.05am and 8.15am.. Slept through them all obviously and woke up at around 10ish and then got up just before 11.. I'm also just trying to get up early so I'm not wasting half the day, but that might be another blog post coming up soon. ANYWAY.

For some reason this morning I woke up to pretty good hair, so a selfie was due. There you go.

Over the past few months I've been feeling more and more uncomfortable and unconfident with my body, no idea when it started but I realised I was getting into the loop of when I felt uncomfortable, I would eat junk food and then feel more uncomfortable afterwards. I've actually had a gym membership for a long time however I didn't really good a lot for the first year I had it but this summer I've been trying my best to go as much as possible, not just to tone up but to also get fit. I suffer from asthma and I've decided to build my stamina so I don't feel like I'm going to have an asthma attack when I run for the bus.. No joke. So yeah, this summer I've been on and off on a huge health kick to try and improve my diet, exercise more and in general try and feel happier with the stuff I'm putting in my body, and trying to feel happier on how my body looks. Anyway, I went to the gym!

This may seem weird to some people, yes I did have 2 little bowls of soup for lunch. The reason for this was that I had two open cartons of soup and I hate leaving stuff open for too long as I get paranoid it'll go off and go to waste.. Therefore, two soups for lunch; country veg and tomato, they were really good! M&S are da bomb.

Part of my health kick/my Dad's new love for smoothies meant that we got a smoothie machine! I'm super happy about this as I don't really eat fruit at all, I just never feel in the mood to think "I want to eat grapes" or whatever, but smoothies solve this problem. I absolutely love making smoothies, I usually have one a day and I've only very recently been making them (as in this week) so I'm still making new one's each day to see which one's I like best. This was a strawberry and banana smoothie that I had as a snack between lunch and dinner. In this I obviously had some strawberries and a banana, along with strawberry yoghurt and ice and it was so so yummy. To me it was sweet and had the right balance of both strawberry and banana so it was gone fast! Will definitely be making that one again.

After dinner I went for a walk down the beach with my Mum, as I realised this morning that I've hardly went to the beach at all this summer and it made me really sad. If you didn't know, which you probably didn't, I live in Scotland right by the sea and I do not go to the beach enough, despite it being one of my favourite places in the world. It was super windy and a little bit chilly, but you could still go out in a hoody and jeans and not freeze to death; the view however, just made the weather irrelevant. Every time I go to the beach I forget how beautiful the view is and am reminded of how I live 5 minutes away from such a gorgeous view, and I neglect it too much for my own liking.

This walk actually inspired the title "Enjoy The Little Things" on this post as I forgot how nice it was just to go outside for a walk down the beach. When it gets into Autumn/Winter it will be absolutely FREEZING down the beach, you could probably still go down but you would have to literally wear 5+ layers to not freeze to death.. So you should enjoy the little things while it lasts, or in this case, I should enjoy going for a walk down the beach while it's reasonable weather.

Finally, last but not least, when my Mum and I got in from our walk we plopped ourselves on the couch and watched The Call. I won't spoil the story for you if you haven't seen it yet, but it was really good and I was completely gripped from the start. I'm the type of person who shouts at the TV when people in movies/TV shows do something and there was a lot of that when watching this! There was also a lot of hiding behind the cushion and gripping my Mum's arm, this isn't a horror movie at all, it's a thriller but I'm a complete scaredy cat and am scared of pretty much everything so keep that in mind!

So that was my day! Ultimately if I continue doing these types of posts, they won't always be over the course of one day, probably more photos over the course of a week as I feel that would be more fitted especially when I go back to Uni and have a lot less free time. Please let me know if you liked this style of post and I hope you enjoyed reading it!

Have a lovely day, and don't stop smiling. :)

Hannah, xx

FOTD & OOTD #11 - Neutral Clash - 06/09/14

Okay before I even start SPOILERS please ignore my eyebrows. Just ignore them. I didn't realise they were a train wreck, as I don't fill mine in or brush them (is that the right word, brush? Do people brush their eyebrows?) so usually I just let them do their thing but they are OUT OF CONTROL. So yeah, sorry and please continue.

Hello everyone! I feel like most of my FOTD's are very much the same.. Maybe from now on I'll only start doing them when I'm actually wearing make-up that looks different to what I wear most days and just do OOTD's by themselves.. Would you prefer that? Let me know!

I kept the two photos above in only because of how cool my eyes looked, I just love the different colours and how they fade into other colours.. Yeah. Anyway.

Make-up:

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in 001 Transparent

Benefit Big Beautiful Eyes Palette

Beauty People Snow White Special Edition Season 2 Eyeliner Set in Glimmer Brown and Glimmer Bronze

Lancome Définicils Mascara
Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in 027 Juicy Papaya

I've been getting right into the Benefit Big Beautiful Eyes Palette again, I completely forgot how beautiful the eyeshadows are and how brightening they are; I know that's a weird thing to think but it's true, they just make my eyes look so bright and fresh! I've also gotten back into the Revlon Juicy Papaya Lip Butter (unfortunately not on this exact day as you will see below) but I've been reaching for it more recently.

However, for some reason I didn't really like the Revlon lip butter with what I was wearing, to me it looked just a tad too bright for the look I was going for. I thought a pinkish nude would look much better therefore I switched to Mac's Peach Blossom which I wore for the rest of the day, as shown above.

The blue tinge is awful in the above photos, I apologise! I just wanted to show you all how gorgeous the detailing and patterns are on the dress.

Outfit:

Jacket - All Saints

Dress - Forever 21

Shoes - Mel

Bag - Prada

Apologies for the creased dress, it's been squished in my wardrobe for way too long! There were blue skies outside with little clouds in the sky and I thought, this may be the last chance this year to whip this bad boy out.. So I did it! I absolutely love this white dress, and I paired it with my trusty leather jacket for when it got colder in the evening. I also threw in some baby pink jelly sandals from Mel that I got years ago in Brazil and a little baby pink Prada bag that my Dad got me! :)

That's about it for this post guys, hope you enjoyed reading it as per. I'm actually writing this on the 7th and it's currently 01.07 and my alarm is set for less than 7 hours away to go to the gym. Ugh, the thought of it is giving me a sore head!

Have a lovely day, and don't stop smiling. :)

Hannah, xx