Current Favourite Eyeshadows

This is more of an Eye of the Day than a Face of the Day. I used 3 different eyeshadows (ooh aren't I bold), which is a lot for me, since, as I've mentioned before, me and eyeshadows don't mix too well. I'm quite into neutral colours, mostly browns, as I always have been. I only own shimmery colours though because I've never got round to getting any decent matte ones, so that's basically all I've got to work with. Basically, all my make-up is gifts from family, for birthdays and Christmas, because I just never feel like going out and buying make-up, probably because I don't know what's best to pick and so on. When I do go shopping, I usually just head for clothes shops (much to the boyfriend's despair). I have asked for some neutral matte eyeshadows for Christmas, so fingers crossed! If not, I'll go to Sephora and see what they have there.

1) Catwalk Colour Cosmetics Eyeshadow Palette

I've mentioned this one before, I got it for Christmas last year from my Nan and I really like these colours. I used the bottom middle dark brown colour. It doesn't show how dark it is, but I supposed when it's on the skin it does look a lot lighter. It is shimmery (of course) but doesn't really show unless you use a lot. I just used a tiny bit on the outer corner.

2) Two Faced Eyeshadow & Lipgloss Palette

This palette used to belong to my sister, and it's ancient! But I recently rediscovered it, and the colours are quite nice (again, shimmery). I used the far right colour, which is sort of beige-y, but darker than the light cream colour on the left, all over my lid. It's nice but doesn't show up much on my eyelid, which is ok because that's the look I was going for (weird? yep). It's nice and soft, if that makes any sense and I really like the outside packaging.

3) Gio de Giovanni Creamy Eyeshadow Palette

I got this one in a little shop in Spain this Summer, and I instantly fell in love with it, especially since it cost only 4€! Which is an absolute bargain! The colours are so pretty and lovely. I don't use a brush with these because it doesn't pick the shadow up properly, so I just use my fingers, it gets the colour right. I used the bottom right dark brown colour over the first brown colour on the outer corner, just to give it a bit more sparkle. I really do love this palette, the colours, the texture, the price, everything is perfect! I even went back and got the blue palette, and it's just as nice.

1), 2), 3)

The final look, with my usual Collection 2000 Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner and Collection 2000 Super Size Fat Lash Mascara.

What are your favourite eyeshadows?

Cold & Comfy

Molly, posing for the camera

Jacket: Pimkie

Jumper:  H&M

Snood: Pimkie

Leggings: Primark

Shoes: Pimkie

Bag: my cousin's

Necklace: The French Connection, ASOS

Bracelet: gift from my grandparents

My very first Outfit Of The Day! It was quite sunny again today, but still absolutely freezing, so wrapping up nice and warm is essentiel! I'm quite into jumpers at the moment, which I'm sure most people are, and leggings of course, they're just so comfy! My boyfriend and I were about to head out when my dog, Molly, ran out and it usually takes 10 minutes to get her back in, so we ended up taking a few photos.

DIY: Advent Wreath

I'm aware I'm three days late doing this, but I was all in the Christmas spirit, because all the shops were playing christmassy songs and selling lovely decorations. I picked up some bits and bobs and decided to make a wreath, despite the fact that I'm not religious (never felt the need to be) and instead of being absolutely everything in the shop to put on, I saved some money by only getting several bits. This is mostly because we have a special way of doing our advent wreath, and partly because I've not got enough cash to splash out on anything but presents. Whenever my gran was over for Christmas, she used to help us make our wreath. We had a large green base, and some decorations and then she's say "let's go for a walk" and we would go around the village with scissors and a plastic bag, looking for nice leaves that we'd then cut and use on our wreath. This all felt quite sneaky and illegal, being a young child, but was still a lot of fun. So I thought I'd do one this year, and share 'the making of' with you.

the 'ingredients'

metal hooks, polystyrene wreath, candle holders

fruit & nut decorations, red candles, red & gold baubles

leaves we collected, a candle, the decorations

the base, second layer, the finished product

 

 

bebe Skin Care Products

 

I'd run out of my Nivea Young Care stuff that I'd been usuing since March, and I wanted to try something different, but had no idea what to pick. So I just randomly chose a BeBe Day and Night moisturiser and a three in one face wash. I have combination skin, so I picked up the face wash for normal to combination skin, and the moisturiser is for all skin types. 

• bebe Young Care 3in1 Fresh Washgel for normal to combination skin

It claims to remove makeup and leave your skin feeling soft and fresh, and it's also soap free. And it actually does what it claims to do. It made my skin feel really nice and soft, and it felt clean, which is always a good thing haha. I really like this product, despit being all about nice smells, because obviously it doesn't have a smell, being soap free. I actually prefer this to my old Nivea one, because it seemed quite heavy. This even looks soft when you put it in your hands. It also looks quite shimmery and silky, if that makes sense.

• bebe Young Care Relaxing Care Day and Night Cream

Whereas the face wash doesn't have a smell, this cream smells absolutely wonderful! I really love this smell! I do realise that there is more to life and products than their smell, but for me it is really important. The moment I used this, I knew it was good. Every other moisturiser I've used makes me skin so oily, and makes my face really shiny. This one just does it's job, and keeps my skin moisturised without overdoing it. It also leaves my face very soft and nice smelling, of course. 

So I think I'm sold. I really do like these products, and until I find something even better, I'll stick with these.

New Hair, International Bazaar & Filming

On Saturday, I went to the International Bazaar, a big indoor market, where every country has their own stand, where they sell that country's food, books clothes and other stuff. We just had a look around and had something to eat, because it was packed. The smells were amazing, and made me feel so hungry, and we really couldn't chose what to eat. My boyfriend had some pork curry, and then we went to Greece's stand and tried their Gyros, which was really nice. 

Please excuse the blurry pictures, I must shake the camera like a crazy person without realising.

After that we went home, because I had to get up at 4 in the morning on Sunday, to be an extra in a film. The things I do for money! But it was fun, and I didn't really have to do much, apart from wait around a lot, and then do the occasional scene. It was filmed in a hospital and we'd been told to bring our pyjamas, to play patients. So we arrived at 5 in the morning, quite zombie-like, and were sent to the dressing truck, where we changed into our jimjams, which was actually quite nice, because after that we had to wait in a waiting room in the actual hospital, and it was more comfortable to be in pyjamas. My sister even fell asleep at one point. I wasn't used much, which I really didn't mind, being so tired (I'd had one of those nights, where I feel very energetic and can't fall asleep until 1ish) and I ended up reading my mum's book while waiting, and when they did eventually use me, I had to sit in a wheelchair reading my book. My mum laughed at me when she saw me. So I spent most of my time sitting down. We finished at 11:30 and went home, and I went to sleep for a few hours. Unfortunately, all the pictures my mum took turned out quite blurry, because she only had her iPhone with her. 

I've finally remembered to take a decent picture of my hair. It looks quite short in the photos, but that's because I've let it go a bit curly/wavy. It looks and feels a lot healthier than before, but that's what you get when you have a year of constantly straightening your hair because you hate your frizzy curls. It's ok though, I have actually learnt my lesson. I've taken better care of it this year and looking back I realised that, despite styling it the year before, I never really cared about how healthy it was, just about how good it looked.

I always ask for a fringe like this whenever I go to the hairdresser, because this way (straight, and layered sides) it can grow out to be a side swept fringe. I never really experiment that much, when I get it cut, I know how I like it, and what suits me. I have made the mistake of having layers all over, which I know looks nice on some people, but personally I really don't like them and mine are growing out now. I also prefer curls with this kind of fringe, because otherwise the top of my head looks extremely flat, and I end up resembling an egg.

BEFORE.

Sorry (it seems all I do is apologise for things) that this post is such a mish-mash.

A different kind of review & FOTD

Hey guys! I got my hair cut today, but I haven't managed to get a decent photo yet, because it was dark by the time we got back so the lighting was crap. So anyway, I went to RyanHair for the first time, and I'm not a snob, but I thought they'd be really old fashioned and well, just not any good. And I was kind of embarrassed of going there. I don't even know why, I mean it's just a normal hair dressers, right? But I was still ashamed. And it wasn't as terrible as I thought! In fact it was quite good, better even than the one I usually go to (Ferbers). For example, I got exactly what I'd usually get but for 10€ less. And they ASKED me everytime, whether or not I wanted this product, and if I did it'd be added to the price. Which is really nice and refreshing, because every other place I've been too, they just assume I want some weird, silkyfying whatever put in my hair, and at this place I was given a choice, which really kept the price reasonable. They were all very friendly and chatty, and they even cut my mum's fringe for free (which is rare here in Luxembourg, considering all anyone thinks about is getting every cent they can from the customer.) So yeah, I was quite impressed and I'd definitely go back. For young people (age 17-25) it costs 24€, which is very cheap compared to all the other places!

photo from Ryanhair

On another note, I was quite happy with how my make up turned out today (I'm sort of new to make up, apart from eyeliner and mascara, which I've been using since I was about 13/14, I never really used much until now) . I did the "usual" dark outer corner and added a really light colour on the inner corner. It looked quite nice, if I do say so myself, and I was quite proud.

Apparently, my camera didn't want the light colour to show up.

Mindless Drivel

Quite a non eventful day today, and I couldn't decide whether I should do a favourtie shoes post or not. (I will, but not today.) My boyfriend drove me to the dentist, but we got there early, so we I decided to take some posey pictures. And, miraculously, my hair behaved itself yet again! It must be my new L'Oréal Elsève conditioner. It was all soft and not frizzy, which is rare! So I'm quite impressed with it so far. It's just silly timing (and so typical haha) because I'm off to the hairdresser's tomorrow.
The pictures of my boyfriend are quite blurry because I kept laughing at his facial expression, hence shaking the camera.

Another good thing about tomorrow is the fact that the Christmas market in town opens! Yay! I can't wait to go and have churros and a hot chocolate. Maybe not together though, because that would be a major sweet overload and I'd feel ill. But I always buy these really cute mugs whenever I do get a hot chocolate. They're shaped like boots with little christmassy designs on them and I love them! So far I  have two, and I plan on getting more.

Also, there's an international bazaar going on this weekend. It's a big indoor market, where there are stands with food and other products from all over the world, and each country has it's own stand. So that'll be good fun too. I'll probably take some pictures of all the different food.

On a completely different note, my mum, sister, brother and I will be extras in a film on Sunday. Which is quite exciting, but means getting up really early, but ho hum, it's all for the money. Everyone is in desperate need at the mo, due to Christmas shopping. Like I said, we have a big family. Plus boyfriends, their families, etc. Anyway, my brother is incredibly loved by directors, and has been in movies with some well known actors. He just goes along with it like it's an everyday thing, while we're all incredibly jealous. Nowadays, he's just interested in killing people. On the playstation, obviously not in real life.

So yeah, a lot of things to look forward to!

Spaghetti alla Carbonara...But Not Really

This is going to be another recipe. It's not exactly real Carbonara, and I'm sure most Italians would probably slap me for calling it that but oh well. Mum and I have changed this recipe over and over so that it's just how we like it. I usually use brown pasta, but this was all I had today. I also added peas at the end, because I love peas and I wanted some vegetable with it. I'm aware it doesn't really sound like it goes but if you like peas, then it does.

Ingredients:

1 small onion or 1/2 a big one

2 garlic cloves

250g chopped bacon

350g dried spaghetti (or fresh, it's up to you)

100 g parmesan cheese

250-300g light crème fraiche

pepper

This will serve 4 plus leftovers :)

Fill a large deep pan just over halfway with water and add a little bit of salt and olive oil. Then leave it to boil.

While you're waiting, peel and then chop the onion and the garlic into small pieces.

Then put the bacon in a frying pan, without adding any extra oil, because the natural oil of the bacon will come out anyway. After it's just starting to crisp, add the garlic and onion, because by adding it later it won't burn with the bacon. 

Once the water has boiled, you can add the spaghetti. I usually check how long it takes before doing anything else, so you have to time it well.

When the spaghetti is almost done, and the bacon, garlic and onion is cooked and softened, then you can turn the heat right down and add the cream and the parmesan to the bacon. Mix it all in, so that the cheese melts nicely, then drain your spaghetti and add it to the sauce. I then put it back in the bigger, deep pan, because it's easier to serve that way. Put some pepper on top, and voila, it's done!

Buon appetito!

Favourite Hair Care Products

My current favourite hair products

I change my shampoo and conditioner very, very often and I'm very fussy about it too. It has to look nice on the outside, it has to claim to do incredible things to my hair, it can't be too expensive and most importantly, it must smell nice! And that's where I'm most picky, because certain smells really put me off, like for example the Schwarzkopf Asia Straight Shampoo and Conditioner. Yuck.

The sort of smells that I love are usually Herbal Essences, Garnier Fructis, all the fruity stuff. I also LOVE anything by Lee Stafford. His products smell so lovely!

• Nivea Nutri Cashmere:

The other day, while standing in the check-out queue, I realised I'd forgotten to pick up shampoo and conditioner, so I dashed off to get some and just picked the first thing I saw, which was Nivea Nutri Cashmere for dry hair. I was quite surprised to find out it actually smelt really nice. I can't really explain the smell, but it's sort of flowery but not too sweet. I just really like it. The shampoo/conditioner itself is really good too. It made my hair nice and soft, and not at all greasy (which does sometimes happen) and the smell actually stayed in my hair after a few days, which I really like. It's also quite cheap. I got the shampoo for 3,15€and the conditioner for 3,20€ in Cactus but I've found them cheaper in Auchan, where they're 2,99€.

• L'Oréal Elsève Total Repair 5:

I recently bought the L'Oréal Elsève Total Repair 5 conditioner, that's been advertised on the TV for the past few weeks (in England it's the L'Oréal Elvive Total Repair 5). I found it in Delhaize and got it for 4,95€ which I thought was reasonable enough. It supposedly repairs damaged hair, but since I've only just started using it, I don't think I've seen much of a difference yet, but it's still early days. It has made my hair really, really soft and manageable. I'm not quite sure if I like the smell, like I get wafts of it and I think 'ooh that's nice' but then other times I think it smells slightly sickly. It's a bit weird. But so far I do like it.

• Herbal Essences Beautiful Ends Split End Protection Cream:

I got the Herbal Essences Split End Protection Cream after having used the Beautiful Ends deep conditioner, because I really loved the smell. It's smells of raspberries, and although I don't like to eat them, the smell is delicious.I got this in July this year and haven't really noticed a difference, but then again my ends are really damaged so that's mostly my fault. I do like the product though, so once I've had the ends cut off, I'll give you an updated review. I got it in Boots for £5,10, which is slightly overpriced in my opinion but oh well.

• TREsemmé Heat Defence Styling Spray:

I got this in July as well, because I'd heard a lot about this, and I'd never used a heat protection spray before (shame on me!) and I quite like this one. It has protected my hair whenever I've used heat (apart from those damaged ends of course) and it doesn't make my hair feel greasy or full of product which is a nice change from other leave-in products. The smell is okay, I suppose, I just sometimes feel it smells a bit like peanut butter. I know, what the hell, right? I can't explain it, it just smells like that to me. Not all the time of course, just sometimes. I think it's when I spray it on dry hair. So I just spray it on wet hair before drying it. I got it in Boots for £4.99, which I find reasonable.

Other products I like:

Lee Staffords Professional Straightning Mist

Lee Staffords Deep Conditioner For Hair That Never Grows Past a Certain Length

Garnier Fructis Nutri Repair Deep Conditioner

Eyeliner & Mascara

I have another FOTD for you all today. Didn't do much with my face, because I feel slightly blah today. I half-straightened my hair with my GHD's but I'm really fed up with it at the moment, so I'll be going to chop it all off sometime this week. Ok, not really chopping it all off, but getting the ends cut and a different fringe.

It was quite sunny earlier, so I took the opportunity to take some pictures, since the lighting was nice. It was all going really well until I heard a buzzing sound and immediately jumped up. It was a bee! A BEE!! In November! I was disgusted and outraged (and really scared. I have an insect/flying things phobia. I start crying and stuff. Really). So I just stood there, rooted to the spot while it was buzzing around my room, bumping into walls and windows, which by the way were open, and the silly thing flew out twice and flew back in! I scoured the room for weapons, but the only things I had were books, and I wasn't going to squish it with a book now, was I? I texted my mum despite being in the same house (I was scared it would fly in my mouth) and she came up and I was thinking 'I bet the minute she comes in, the bee will have flown out' and it did! The silly bugger made me look like a fool! Now my mum thinks I'm imagining bees.

I'm not because I have photographic proof (look at how dirty my windows are hah)

Eyes:

L'Oréal Paris Super Liner Carbon Gloss Eye Liner

Collection 2000 Super Size Fat Lash Mascara

And I must apologise that my 'eye pictures' are so blurry. I haven't yet mastered the art of not wobbling the camera around too much. Sorry!