My Anti-Bucket List

You know those days when you are in the perfect mood to blog yet it's too dark to take any pictures. Yeah, that. Today is one of those days for me. As today is my only day off this week (minus the weekend but I rarely blog then) I wanted to get a whole load of blog posts done and dusted. I've been trying to turn my blog into something that is not just beauty and fashion, but something a little bit personal too, so it keeps my blog a little more original.

Today, I decided to write an anti-bucket list. If you've seen the film The Bucket List, you'll understand but basically this is a list of things I'm not going to do, ever. A lot of people write bucket lists in order to achieve more in life, and in a way my 101 Things in 1001 Days challenge does that for me. But we are all so keen to do so many great things, why not be more positive about the things we don't do, because let's face it, it's a lot easier.

My Anti-Bucket List.

Don't climb Mount Everest. I was given the opportunity to do this, and most of you will think "You should have done it, it would have been so rewarding and a lifetime achievement". Don't get me wrong, it is a huge achievement and I admire anyone who does it but to me, the idea of dragging myself up a cold mountain, putting my life at risk, and doing my business in a pot, does not appeal to me.

Don't give up. I've always been a strong believer in the quote 'Everything will be okay in the end, and if it's not okay, it's not the end." and I will forever agree with that. We come across so many challenges in life, some big, some small, yet all big enough to make us want to give up on life. But I know I never will, because there are many bad days, but there are also so many good, and that's what we should focus on.

Don't appear on The Jeremy Kyle Show. A bit of a funny one, yet true. As much as I love the show, I'd hate to be on there myself. Life may be bad, but it will never get that bad.

Don't fall out of love. Most of you know I'm currently madly in love with Aiden, but I honestly know I will never stop loving him. He has made my life a million times better since being in it, and I'm so happy we are together.

What's on your anti-bucket list?

GlossyBox May 2011

Yes, another GlossyBox review hitting your dashboards. I do apologise but then again you don't have to read it and I've tried to do a bit of a different post so it's not too simliar to the others. You all know what was in it, you've all seen swatches, and you've heard what people think, obviously I'll give my opinion on the products but I also wanted to do a lot of talking about GlossyBox itself.

Firstly, I love the packaging. Nothing beats it (apart from good things inside obviously!) but you could tell a lot of effort went in to making it all pretty. I'm in love with the pink box it comes in and I'm already thinking of many uses for it.

Now for the actual products itself. I won't talk to much about them, I'll just give my overall opinion.

NARS Orgasm Illuminator - First NARS product for me and I'm impressed. Felt a little nervous applying it but it made my skin look radiant all day.

All For Eve Eve Red Lipstick - A little too red for me, but it had amazing lasting power.

Bionova Lab Bioactive Cleanser - I haven't got round to trying this as I keep forgetting and I'm under a strict skincare regime at the moment and don't want to use this just yet as I want to see the results of the current products I'm using.

Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Rapid Repair Spray - This smells divine! After spraying on my hair, it immediately left it feeling incredbily soft. Didn't notice much difference to how it looks though.

COMO Shambhala Invigorate Body Lotion - Very strong smell of lavender, so I would only use this at night before going to sleep. I love travel size lotions but this one felt slightly sticky when first applied, but left my skin feeling soft.

Products I'd repurchase: I'm going to look into other NARS products, although I don't feel I can justify the price. I'm also going to look at the All For Eve Lipsticks as I love the lipstick itself just not this colour.

I'd also like to quickly mention GlossyBox and their customer service. If you follow them on Twitter, you'll know what I'm talking about. Any question anyone had was answered almost immediately (unless you asked at 4am, they do sleep!) but they were always quick to help out anyone with a question, no matter how big or small their problem. They also ensured that the boxes got sent out quickly despite having a problem with postage stickers or something like that. Whoever is behind the scenes at GlossyBox gets a big round of applause from me. My only negative point would be to create more boxes! There are people desperate to get on board but can't because they've sold out!

Any GlossyBox fans out there?

Sunday Ramble 002.

- I feel like I haven't blogged at all this week. I'm not sure why, I think it was a mixture of awkward work rotas (they texted me the wrong one!), swapping rooms with my mum, and spending a well earned weekend off with my boyfriend. I have a lot of posts planned so hopefully I'll be able to get a few done this week, which I'm not sure of, considering my normal 12 hour week at work is going to be 32!

- I have some really exciting news to tell you all, which I'm not sure you'll all be excited about, but if you follow me on Twitter, you'll know how excited I was. Today, I went to an event held at one of my local parks where Levi Roots was showing his new products and offering samples and a lot of full sized samples. He also did a live show on how he makes the ready made meals which you can buy, and I got a photo with him and spoke to him (something I can cross of my list!) He is someone who I have always loved ever since he came onto Dragon's Den with his guitar. And considering he grew up in the same area (ish) as me, I'm very proud.

- On Saturday morning, my mum, Aiden and I went to a car boot sale. Considering it was a very small one, we made quite a lot of money. I was hoping to snap up some amazing bargains like I've seen other bloggers do but sadly there wasn't much there. Anyone know of any good car boot sales in London?

- I received a lot of support for my Dear Body post and I thought I'd do a quick update. The first two days went really well, but sadly I damaged my leg very badly to the point where I couldn't even walk on it. (shows how unfit I am!) I then sadly took the whole week off to recover so am pretty much back to square one BUT I will be starting again tomorrow so I'm not letting this week get to me.

- I've also got a problem! Blogger is not letting me comment on ANY blogs and it is really stressing me out. Does anyone know how I can fix this? It keeps telling me to sign in, but I am, and when I sign in again, it still won't let me comment, it just keeps going back to the sign in page! Help!

- Blog of the week: Sophie is such a lovely girl and her blog is growing by the day! She writes amazing reviews and I always always look forward to her posts. You won't regret following her!

x

Want To Get To Know Me Better?

I've seen this on one or two blogs (if you did it please let me know as I can't find who it was!) I thought I'd give it a go. I'm not sure how many people are interested in knowing more about me, but if you're anything like me, then you'll be a bit nosy and read it anyway! Feel free to do it yourself too!

About Me:

1. Do you have a middle name?
Yes, it's Rayna. Don't laugh.
2. What was your favourite subject in school?
Business Studies or Psychology.
3. What's your favourite drink?
I love Dr Pepper and Orange Juice (not together!) My favourite alcoholic drink would be Archers and Lemonade, yummy.
4. Favourite song at the moment?
It's got to be LMFAO - Party Rockers. Put's me in a good mood every time!
5. What would you name your children?
Boys: Dylan and Jamie. Girls: Still undecided!
6. Do you participate in any sports?
Not at the moment but I hope to. I've just started skipping for 20 minutes a day so that must count.
7. Favourite book?
I love anything by Jodi Picoult, her books are amazing.
8. Favourite colour?
Pink. :)
9. Favourite animal?
Ducks! It sounds weird but I get so excited when they dunk their heads underwater and look all cute.
10. Favourite perfume?
Benefit So Hooked On Carmella. It is amazing!
11. Favourite holiday?
Hmm, either Turkey or China. Both great in different ways.
12. Have you graduated high school?
Yes.
13. Have you been out of the country?
Yes, but not as much as I'd have liked. I've been to France, Spain, Maderia, Turkey & China.
14. Do you speak any other languages?
I did German GCSE but I can't remember much of it.
15. Do you have any siblings?
One younger brother. :)
16. What's your favourite store?
Boots LOL.
17. Favourite restaurant?
Probably Nando's.
18. Do you like school?
Now I've left, there are certain things I miss, but I didn't particularly like it no.
19. Favourite Youtubers?
I don't have sound on my laptop so I don't watch many Youtubers! I know I need a new laptop...
20. Favourite movie?
I never really know this answer, at the moment I think it's He's Not That Into You, or maybe The Hangover, but only because I'm super excited about The Hangover 2...
21. Favourite TV show?
I love The Hunks! Seriously, it's my guilty pleasure. I also love The Graham Norton Show, he's hilarious.
22. PC or Mac?
PC. :)
23. What phone do you have?
I have a Blackberry. It's on it's last legs though.
24. How tall are you?
I'm 5 ft 8. :)

13 Personal Questions
1. What do you normally order at Starbucks?
A chocolate frappuccino or hot chocolate.
2. One thing in your closet you cannot live without?
My Topshop cropped denim jacket.
3. What's one thing most people probably don't know about you?
I had an operation to remove a cyst from my face when I was younger. I have a scar but it never ever bothers me.
4. Name one thing you want to do before you die.
Have children.
5. What's one food you cannot live without?
Chinese (that counts as one food right?)
6. What quote or phrase do you live by?
There are millions. The biggest one would be 'Keep Calm & Carry On'. I even have a picture of it on my wall.
7. What do you like/dislike about the blogging community?
I like how there are so many people I now consider friends. I dislike anonymous people who decide to be horrible. It's not necessary.
8. What's your most listened to song on itunes?
*goes to check* The Script - For The First Time. Awww :)
9. What kind of style would you define yourself as having?
Casual. :)
10. Favourite number?
27. :)
11. Two hobbies?
Skipping Blogging and reading.
12. Two pet peeves?
One thing I hate is when parents put coke into a child's bottle! I know some parent's do it, but I really think it's so uneccesary and it makes me so angry! Another is when people barge into you like you're not even there. Being on Oxford Street at least 3 times a week makes me experience this a lot but it never fails to get me mad.
13. Guilty pleasures?
I love squeezing spots, and I get such a thrill when they come out, especially blackheads! Most of you are probably sick at the thought but I can't help it. My brother would probably kill me for putting this on the internet but he recently had an acne problem on his back (it's all sorted now, docs fixed it) but before that he had about a million blackheads on his back and one night he let me get them all, I was in heaven! Lol please don't unfollow me because I'm weird

x

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Review

Before blogging, I was never really interested in Liz Earle. I'm not sure why to be honest, I just stuck to brands that I was used to. Recently, I won Nicoletta's giveaway, which consisted of my very own Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish. I was so happy as this was a product I'd wanted to buy for a very long time but never actually got round to purchasing.

It arrived in gorgeous packaging (not pictured) and I also received a lovely little note from Nicoletta herself, a little booklet on 15 reasons to love Cleanse & Polish, and step by step instructions on how to use (which came in very handy when I learned you needed to apply to dry skin!)

I found that using the muslin cloth helped clean my skin so much more. It was soft enough to not harm my skin or cause any redness, yet it removed all traces of make up, including liquid eyeliner which I normally find manages to stay on your eyes even when you think it's all off, yet you wake up with panda eyes. It left my skin feeling extremely  soft and I cannot explain how clean it felt.

I'd always known Liz Earle was a big love among bloggers but until trying myself I never really understood the hype. I love this product, and will continue using it and then I'll buy another! I'm also very tempted to get the other products in this range, but I think I'll have to wait until I've got a few more pennies in the bank. Cleanse & Polish costs £11.75 for 100ml and is available here. For other Liz Earle products or information check out their website and Twitter.

x

Dear Body

I am writing to you just to let you know that there are going to be a lot of changes. I know I always say this and end up scoffing more McDonands than you can handle but this time I mean it, and I'm writing this letter to prove it. I have realised that although I am almost 19, I need to do things now in order to prevent you from failing on me in the future. I know I love those elderly car things that whizz down the pavements, but to be honest I love my active legs more.

I know that I respect your outside. I apply day and night cream religiously and I always remove my make up at night (except for last Friday where I was so tired I fell asleep dressed and fully made up, only to wake up at 3am and say something to Aiden along the lines of 'need...make up wipe.. now') and I'm a Factor 15 girl, but if my insides were on the outside, then it would not be pretty at all. I don't even want to imagine what is going on..

This letter is a promise to you that I will change my habits. I won't be a five a day 5 mile jogging girl straight away, but I will be healthier.

I vow to:

- Keep a food diary
- Buy a skipping rope and skip for 20 minutes a day NO EXCUSES.
- Walk my lovely dog every day. (unless I'm not at home obviously)
- Drink 1L of water a day.
- Do 50 sit ups a day.
- Have no more than one takeaway a week.
- Use the graze box voucher I have.
- Make better choices when eating food.

So, body, I hope that if I respect you, you'll reward me with a nice toned stomach and legs that I can bare to the world this summer (subtly!)

Love from,

Me. :)

P.S Sorry to anyone reading this who isn't interested. If you are, any tips would be amazing! Moral support wouldn't go a miss too. ;)

Long Term Relationships.

I'm no relationship expert. In fact, I've only ever been in two relationships; one lasted for 5 months; the other I'm still in. You may say I've had both good and bad experiences in both relationships, but haven't we all? I've never been one to tell people what to do, but I do love a bit of advice. And so in this post, I thought I'd share my tips on how to survive (lol!)

Just a little background information for you all. I've been with Aiden since 27th September 2008, which works out to over 2 and a half years. All this time, he has lived in Fareham, Hampshire, and I've lived in London. We also met online. Most people regularly dismiss long distance relationships and online relationships, but we are living proof that some do actually work out. Yes, it causes problems, and I sometimes get so jealous and even angry at people who don't take advantage of the fact their boyfriend lives around the corner. But then, I'm also happy, as there are some benefits to him living 60ish miles away (hello personal space).

When in long term relationships, close or far, it can be difficult to stay happy, and keep the "spark". I hope that my little bits of advice will help those of you who have, or may in future, fallen into a rut.

001. Remember the small things.

It sounds so simple, and a majority of the time you may think you are making an effort when in reality you're not. We sometimes forget how great the small things are. Whether it's running them a bath after knowing they've had a stressful day at work, or simply telling them you love them. They will be grateful and should ultimately do the same. (I'm not sure my blog interests Aiden but he asks about it all the same, and I appreciate it.)

002. Make an effort.

Just because your boyfriend has seen you at your worse, doesn't mean that is all he should see. Sometimes it's easy to get a little too comfy and not worry about how you look. Yes, this is a good thing, and they obviously love you no matter what, but men don't really fancy unshaven legs and unbrushed hair. It doesn't mean look glamourous 24/7 (who doesn't love lazy days?!), but a little effort goes a long way. And plus, you'll feel a bit better and happier too. :)

003. Take an interest.

No matter what it is, if it means something to them, it should mean something to you. You are quite frankly a team, and although you have seperate interests, you should still be interested in what they do Whether it's lion taming or just playing xbox, if you're interested, he'll be grateful. An example for me in this case is my blog. Aiden has no clue why I need so much make up, yet he will still point out nail polishes he knows I want, and it puts the biggest smile on my face because I know he's taken an interest.

004. Don't be afraid to argue.

This sounds silly, right? But it's true. I spent part of my relationship trying to not argue about anything, and found myself agreeing just to not argue, which ended up making us both unhappy. If you disagree, say it. If you're unhappy, say it. And if you do argue, it obviously means you both care too much. The only thing is, deal with arguments in the right way, and say sorry when it's your fault.

005. Keep things private.

Don't argue on Facebook. Don't tell their embarrasing stories to your friends. Don't tell other people things he's confided in you. Men like to appear like men, let them have that.

006. Give compliments.

After being with someone for so long, you sometimes forget what made you love them in the first place. Yes, he may pick his nose, grind his teeth and leave things untidy (purposely avoided Aiden's bad habits ;) haha) but he also makes you laugh until you cry, gives the best hugs, and more importantly, he puts up with your bad habits too. Remind him, and yourself, why you love him.

-x-

I think the most important thing is to remember to laugh, and not get too caught up in other things. As your relationship progresses you'll come across a lot of grown up things, like living together, money etc. but it doesn't mean you can't escape it all and have fun.

I'm sure some of you may disagree with some or all of my advice, but this is just what I think, so I ask you - What advice would you give?

*all images were found on weheartit.com

Models Own NOTD

Models Own Sophie's Pink RRP £5 - more details here

Models Own Smash Up Silver RRP £6 - more details here

First of all, I apologise for the messy application. I purchased these two a few weeks ago. The pink looked so bright and colourful - the sort of polish that would brighten up your day when you look at your nails.

I had been so excited for the release of Models Own smash up polishes. Most bloggers keep complaining about how every company is doing crackle polishes, but they all do normal polishes and no one complains about that? It adds variety, enjoy it! Models Own have an amazing array of colours coming soon, but for now it's just black and silver. As I already have Barry M Instant Nail Effects in Black, I purchased the Silver and I have to say, I love it.

What's your favourite crackle polish?

What If?

What if 'followers' didn't exist, would you still promote your blog?

What if giveaways didn't gain you any followers, would you still hold one?

What if anonymous didn't exist, would you still write that?

What if companies didn't care about your blog, would you still write that positive review?

What if companies didn't send products, would you even have a blog?

What if you had 1000+ followers, would you still pre-judge other 'popular' bloggers as big headed?

What if you had hardly any followers, would you ignore someone's tweets then?

What if success wasn't based on number of followers, would you still want people to follow so badly?

I think there are some question's that some bloggers may need to ask themselves. I for one, know that I blog for myself. Anyone who enjoys it as well is a bonus (a very big bonus at that). Some people can get a bit carried away and try too hard to get to the top of the so-called hierachy in the 'blogging world'.

Most of you are aware of the #bbloggers Twitter chat on Sunday night. The main topic was 'How to gain readers' but of course other topics were also raised. Although gaining readers is not the be all and end all, it was a lovely conversation and it opened my eyes to how other bloggers think. It also made me realise that there are so so so many lovely, super friendly people in the 'blogging world'. I haven't had a chance to catch up on following other blogs so if you were involved in the chat, tweet me your link :)

This post sort of highlights questions that were related to what people mentioned. It made me think how people would act if things were different. I hope you like the post and I look forward to speaking to you all again on Sunday. Big thank you to Fee for coming up with the idea.

Naked Palette FOTD

I'm never normally one to post FOTD's but new start and all that. Since getting my Urban Decay Naked Palette, I've had a ridiculous amount of fun playing with it and trying out different things. I just put on whatever I feel and sometimes it looks great, other times not so great. This was Wednesday's FOTD. I didn't really do much, apart from play around with make up (hence the FOTD) and visit my dad who I haven't seen in a while.

I'd also like to do a quick mention about my hair. Firstly, you can see it is slightly longer than beforehand, and it's also a lot darker than before. I've honestly had enough of styling my hair, I never know what to do and always end up having it down or in a messy bun. I need simple, quick styles please! Anyway, enough of my rambling, here's what I used:

Face:

Mac Studio Fix Fluid NW15

MUA Pressed Powder Shade 2

Accessorize Bronzer (don't know what shade as the writing has worn away!)

Lips:

Natural Collection Sheer Natural Lip Colour - Lotus

Eyeko Lipgloss - Primrose Hill

Eyes:

Urban Decay Naked Palette:

Sin on lids

Virgin in corner of my eyes

Half baked in crease

Darkhorse on edges

The Body Shop Kajal Eyeliner

Maybelline Falsies Mascara

Sunday Ramble 001.

+ What a week ay? First of all, how annoying was blogger? It's been all over the place. I had posts scheduled for this week that didn't post but luckily I still have them so I will post them this week instead. I hope everyone's blogs aren't too hectic!

+ TV has been pretty good this week. Did you all watch Eurovision? If you follow me on Twitter, you'll know how excited (and proud!) I was. I honestly thought Blue were amazing, it's a shame it's too political. Oh, and thumbs up to everyone who voted for Moldovia! Gotta love the UK's sense of humour! I also loved The Apprentice and I don't think I'll be watching Made In Chelsea again. Team Essex all the way!

+ My spending ban has been very difficult. I accidently purchased two nail polishes from Hayley's blog sale - I couldn't resist! With that aside, I've done very well. For some reason, I've had a lot of outgoings this month and although it doesn't seem like I'm saving anything, I'm hoping it will pay off at the end of the month.

+ I'm really thankful to everyone who has re-followed my blog and helped promote it again. I won't be doing as much promotion on Twitter anymore as I went a bit overboard and I am sorry for that. I must admit, it feels weird having less followers, but I'm still happy all the same.

+ My favourite blog of the week: Charli has a lovely blog and I really do look forward to reading her posts. Not only that, but she is one of the nicest girls, so follow her on Twitter too!

Your Feet Look Gorgeous!

When it comes to shoes, I'm not like the 'stereotypical' girl. I can probably count the amount I own on two hands. Being 5ft 8, I don't like wearing heels as I tower above everyone else. I'm also extremely fussy when it comes to choosing any shoes. Both my mum and my boyfriend try to avoid shoe shopping with me at all costs! For me, shoes need to be comfortable and affordable yet look pretty damn good!

 

New Look has always been good for me when it comes to buying shoes. Their price range is pretty decent, and they cover a wide range of shoes to fit everyone's needs. I recently purchased a gorgeous pair of pink and white stripy pumps for just £8.99 and I love them. They were immediately comfortable, and they are perfect for summer. I then looked on their website and found some other gorgeous shoes that are on my wishlist and may catch your eye.

 

Floral Ballerina - £12.99

Flower Printed Ballet - £12.99

Knotted Strappy Sandals - £14.99

Punched Brogue - £24.99

What places would you recommend for affordable, yet gorgeous shoes?

Lee Stafford Hair Growth Treatment

 'For hair that never grows past a certain length'

After reading about this product on many blogs, I was intrigued as my hair has struggled to grow other the past 3 years after getting it cut quite short (for me anyway), and then endless amounts of hair straightening. I also struggled with losing quite a lot of my hair. To give you an idea, I lost around the size of a Creme Egg amount each time I washed it, and also I ended up covered in hair every time I brushed it. Although it wasn't a scary amount, it still caused my hair to look terrible, feel terrible and ultimately, never grow.

I was slightly put off by the £7.19 price tag, especially considering you had to use an egg sized amount each time (it only contains 200ml), but I figured if it helped my hair to grow, it would be worth the money.

The packaging says:

+ Vital hair and scalp complex helps to reduce hair loss.

+ Improves follicle health which in turn increases the ability of the hair to anchor the scalp.

+ Soothing formulation reduces irritation and moisturises the scalp.

+ Addresses hair and scalp ageing at a cellular level.

+ Improvement in tensile strength to give body and texture by penetrating the hair reaching the inner cortex.

+ Improves volume and feel of the hair.

Not only is the packaging gorgeous, pink and modern, as soon as I opened it, I was overcome by the most beautiful scent. I can only describe it as 'what the hairdresser's smells like'. Nothing beats your hair smelling good and this certainly does the trick, if nothing else! After shampooing, I applied this to my hair and left for 5 minutes, then rinsed and used conditioner as normal. I noticed a dramatic change in the way my hair felt immediately. It was so soft and it still smelt amazing. I'd also noticed that slightly less hair had fallen out, but I didn't want to love the product before I'd properly tried it out.

 

I've now been using Lee Stafford Hair Growth Treatment for just over a month now and I am so happy with the results. Hardly any hair falls out whilst washing or styling and my hair always feels so smooth and looks a lot healthier. The question you're probably asking is 'Has your hair grown past a certain length?' I wasn't expecting to have ankle length hair the next day, I was expecting it to grow a little faster, and it has. I'd say my hair has grown by about 1cm which may not seem a lot, but considering I've felt like it hasn't grown at all in years, I am very very happy. I will definitely continue using this to ensure it helps to grow my hair. Whether you're looking to grow my hair, or just improve it's condition, I seriously recommend getting this - totally worth the money.

 

In the words of Lee Stafford:

"If the earth's not nourished, you'll never grow beautiful flowers"

Treat your scalp with care, and your hair will be very thankful for it. Have any of you tried this? What other Lee Stafford products would you recommend?

Fresh Start!

+ You may be getting a deja vu, or you may even be thinking "Oh no, she's only gone and started again!" I do apologise for changing my blog so much but this is it. I decided a new blog would be much easier. (For those of you who are new to my blog, my previous blog was called Away With The Fairies.) Any help with broadcasting on your own blogs or Twitter would be so so helpful.

+ I'm a little excited about a brand new blog, the down side is I have to start again on followers, but I'm sure all of my loyal readers will find me. :) A new blog is a bit like moving house, it's a bit nerveracking and stressful, but once your settled in, it feels just like home.

+ I hope you all enjoy the new blog, and I cannot wait to start blogging again!