Beauty Products Haul Pt1

This post is long over due but I didn't want to do it until I had my new camera.. I'm not suddenly Miss Photographer since getting it but it does take much better quality pictures!
I've tried to keep it as short as possible most of these products have been around long enough for you to have seen 400 reviews on them already.

I haven't bought all of this at once, it's over the last month or so and I'll be doing it in 2 parts. The second part will be just the MUA brushes, everything else will be this post. As you can tell, I really like natural looking make up.. a "my face but better" kind of look, I'm not sure if I do it cause it suits me or cause I'm too chicken to try something different! Anyway, here goes!

Revlon lip butter - Creme Brulee.
I have wanted this since it come out so I finally stopped umming and ahhing and just bought it! To me, it is the perfect lip colour. It's a well pigmented, easily buildable, natural/nudey colour with a shimmer, I just love it. I also really like the packaging, it doesn't feel cheap. Unfortunately, it doesn't last ages but I love it enough not to care.

MUA - Heaven and Earth palette
I bought the Undressed palette first but was only really using the neutral colours so I thought I may as well get this one too! I love it, the colours have good pigmentation and although they all look very similar, they do look different when you actually use them. This is the only palette I tend to use now..

MUA blusher - Shade 2
I didn't own a blusher before but was wanting to give it a try since wearing make up more often.. This is a nice dusky, natural looking pink, highly pigmented so it will last a while but it's quite soft so be careful if you're heavy handed like me!

MUA mascara - Shade 1 (clear)
I bought this just for my eyebrows as they tend to have a mind of their own! I have never liked clear mascara on my eyes as it doesn't do anything on me but it does a good job of keeping my eyebrows in check :)

MUA Sheer Finish Lipgloss - Some Me Time.
I bought the brown one of these a couple of months back and knew I wanted to get more because they smell soo good! It comes out sheer but has a very slight shimmer to it and like most lipglosses, it doesn't last too long but for the price you can't really moan. I like how you don't need to dip your germy finger in it to apply it.

MUA lipstick - Shade 11.
This is a brownish matte colour but applied once it gives a "my lips but better" look which I really like. I don't tend to layer it up as I don't think it would suit me. It isn't drying and it doesn't last forever but again, for the price you can't moan. Oh it smells nice too :D

17 - Miracle Matte pressed powder - Ivory Porcelain. 
I spotted this in Boots last week and couldn't leave without it, I have oily skin so this sounded perfect for me as it's oil free and claims "up to 16 hours shine control" - I don't think I've ever worn make up that long but I did find I needed a top up after around 4 hours but until that point it's great. I like how it has a mirror in the top too, handy!

Collection - Shade 47/Milkshake.
This is the kind of colour I've been looking for for a while now. I have a lot of similar shades but this one is spot on for me. It is a neutral creamy light pinky brown colour and I only needed ONE COAT! :O With a good base/top coat I found it lasted 3/4 days which is good for me. I got on ok with the brush, it's not super duper but it's not crap. I will definitely repurchase.

Collection - Cream Puff - Angel Delight.
This stuff is like velvet on your lips, ooh it's soft! This is a brown matte colour and I like to team it up with the brown MUA Sheer Finish lipgloss. It lasts reasonably well and it isn't drying when using on it's own. I use it a lot and really want to try the other colours but they're always sold out in my local Superdrug :(

Collection - Super Size Fat Lash mascara - Ultra Black.
I have to be honest, I only picked this up because it's pink! I'm not completely disappointed by this mascara, although I wouldn't repurchase because it just didn't amaze me. It does give volume but it also gives a lot of fall out by the end of the day so I tend to wear this if I know I won't have make up on for long, like a meal out.


Aand that is it for part 1! Phew that felt long! I will get part 2 up in the next few days.
Have you tried any of these items? - What were your thoughts?

New Years Resolutions

To be honest, I'm not usually one to make new years resolutions because I know myself well enough to know I probably won't stick to any of them. However, this year I have decided that instead of making resolutions I'm going to put a list here on my blog of things I would like to have done or would like to get done by the end of 2013.. Like a to-do list I suppose.

Lose weight - I know I'm not alone on this one (especially after over eating during Christmas) but I've been saying it a while, giving it a go then giving up. I think if I do an update on my weightloss journey on my blog then I'm more likely to stick to it - I'm not going to want to write about how I gave up so that will egg me on/keep me going.. Hopefully! Instead of saying I want to lose X amount, my aim is to not put any more weight on by the end of the year as a minimum. This way, anything I lose will be a bonus :)

Job - I've been jobless a year and a half now and although I like spending time with the cats, keeping the house nice and having Aarons meals ready when he gets home, I hate not contributing/earning my own wage. I know Aaron isn't bothered as he earns enough for both of us but I do get bored sometimes and I would like to have a cheeky spend more often. We agreed I will only be going for something part time as it wouldn't be fair on the cats otherwise, plus the house and nice dinners will still get done.

Divorce - If you've been following me a while, you'll probably know that while Aaron and I are engaged, he is legally still married to his ex. She wouldn't cooperate because she found out he was with someone else meaning he had to wait until they'd been separated 5 years..  Which they have been now but he only has proof from June so we have to wait a bit longer. Once that headache is out the way, we have a wedding to plan which we're hoping will be in 2014. Fingers crossed!

Blog - I've been blogging around 6 months now and have to say, I absolutely LOVE it! I love the small handful of people that I chat with regularly, they've made it a warm place for me and kept me coming back (thanks guyyysss!) My aim is to reach 200 followers this year. I actually have a giveaway lined up already! I would also like to find my feet more and improve improve improve! If you have any tips on how I could be better, please do leave a comment.

Camera - I got a new camera for Christmas, not a super duper expensive one like top bloggers because my parents just would never spend that amount but it's the best one I've had so far, a really nice looking bridge camera. I have been reading through the manual as I want to get out of the habit of using "auto" on pictures and actually make use of the settings, thus hopefully making my pictures look better. By the end of the year I'd like to be confident in using it without carrying the manual around everywhere, hahaha :)

Get out more - The past year me and Aaron have been getting back on our feet after shit at work made us both walk out of our jobs. We gave up our old home and moved back to his parents (nightmare) for a year before finding a new home. Because of all this, nearly every bit of money has gone into the new house meaning (apart from the cheap week in Wales) we haven't really had days out or weekends away like we used to. We both agreed we need to do more this year. Also, I need to see my friends more.. I rarely see anyone anymore!

So there we have it, those are my 6 things I would like to say I've done by the end of 2013.
Do you have any resolutions/goals?

Goodbye 2012 tag.

What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before?

Made my blog :)

Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn't make any for 2012 but in 2013 I really want to lose weight.. Not like half my body weight but a couple of stone at least.

Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes, my little sister Ocean gave birth in October to her beautiful daughter, Skye.

A picture I took last month.

What countries did you visit?

We had a week away in Wales, didn't go abroad this year.

Betws-y-Coed

What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?
Motivation to lose weight! And a job, that would be good too!

What date from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory?
26th August probably as that's when we signed the tenancy agreement on our house :)

What was your biggest achievement of the year?
My blog I guess! To be fair I haven't done a lot else haha..

What was your biggest failure?
Still not having a job.. Although it's not my fault there isn't enough jobs cause the government don't wanna do anything about all the people coming into the country!!!! I will stop there before I rant.

Did you suffer illness or injury?

Just the usual cold and migraine.. Nothing exciting I'm afraid!

What was the best thing you bought?
My phone & phone case!

HTC phone, Rilakkuma bear case.

Where did most of your money go?
Towards things for the house.

What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Our kitties :) We saved them from our neighbour who didn't look after them, the night before he was going to take them to be put down. They're the cutest, they've settled in so well and as I write this one is sleeping on my legs and the other next to me on the arm of the sofa, aw :)

Curled up together on the sofa.

What song will always remind you of 2012?
Ooh I'm not sure on that one, I really love my music so it's way too hard to choose one song.

Compared to this time last year, are you:
Happier or sadder?

Way happier as we have our own place again!

Thinner or fatter?

Fatter :(

Richer or poorer?

Richer, Aaron is earning more on his own than we both earned where we worked together before.

What do you wish you’d done more of?
See friends.. It works both ways though..

What do you wish you’d done less of?
Eating stuff that's baaaddddd!

Who were your best friends?
Aaron is my best friend and my other half, we get on so well.

Weekend in Milton Keynes.

What thing did you do that was meaningful to others?
Moved out from Aarons parents, again.. Made us all happy cause we'd had enough of each other!!

What were your favorite TV programs?

Home and Away, Big Brother, Jamie and Jimmys Food Fight.

Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Yeah, Aarons brothers other half. I never liked her but now I hate the bitch. She doesn't like us (no idea why but she is very stuck up and an ignorant twat, she never spoke to me from the start despite me always trying to make an effort) and we tried to sort it out so we could all get on but she flipped out and stopped us seeing Aarons nieces. We were never allowed to take them for a day out though (the eldest told us "daddy said yes but mummy said no") but now she won't even take them to Aarons mums if she knows we'll be there.

What was the best book you read in 2012?
 I didn't do a lot of reading this year to be honest.. Nothing is standing out.

What was your greatest musical discovery?
Stooshe, I love them.

(image credit)

What did you want and get?
To move out again.. So we did. Yayy :)

What did you want but did NOT get?
A job!! :(

What was your favorite film of this year?
Nothing is sticking out.. I could have said Twilight but Aaron never took me to see it :(

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

Aaron took me out for a nice meal.. I turned 24.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Getting a job, without a doubt.

What kept you sane?
Moving out from Aarons parents!!

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Jimmy Doherty from Jimmys Farm.. Witwoo! (He tweeted me the other week, was so chuffed!)

(image credit)

What political issue stirred you the most?
Don't get me started..

Who did you miss?
My cousin, Stacy and her daughter, Mia. I can't get to her and she can't get to me in the week although I did invite them a few times on the weekend as they haven't even seen our new place yet but never saw her so..

Who was the best new person you met this year? 

My sisters little girl, Skye :) She is adorable. We looked after her yesterday for the day and it was brilliant!

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012.

I don't think I learned a life lesson this year..

Tiffany + Aaron + 4 years = happy :)

Yesterday, 20th December, Aaron and I had been together 4 whole years! :O
I have no idea where the 4 years have gone but at the same time, I feel like I've always been with him.. Does that make any kind of sense to anyone?!

New years eve in London, 2008.

To celebrate, Aaron took me out for lunch to Beefeater as we love it there and I really wanted to go again :) Afterwards to went to Jimmys Farm and bought some yummy sausages... Which I tweeted about and Jimmy replied!!! (with a 'x'!!!!) Made my day that did :D

Soaked through at Thorpe Park, 2009.

4 and a half years ago, I was out clubbing on a Friday (like always) with my cousin and we drunkenly got talking to 2 blokes in the smoking area.. After that, every time we saw them when we were out, we'd end up spending the night chatting/having a laugh with them. I absolutely fancied the pants off Aaron straight away but for ages, although he flirted with me, he kept saying he didn't like me! After 6 months we started meeting up on our own (nothing like that!!) and after getting to know each other more, we booked a weekend away together and that's when he asked me if I wanted to be his girlfriend. Er, YES!!! I can remember I text EVERYONE cause I was soo happy!!

My favourite pic of him :) Ibiza, 2009.

I was worried at first about what my parents would say, they knew I fancied him cause I didn't shut up about him but he's 12 years older than me - I was 20 and he was 32 - they were really happy for me though and said if I'm happy, they're happy :) To be fair, I don't think Aaron looks his age and he certainly doesn't act it! Do you think we look like we have a 12 year age gap?

After a night out, 2010.

We're still going strong, we laugh every single day and tell each other we love each other every single day. I love how we can have a good laugh together but also talk for hours. I love how lucky I am to have him. He's pretty lucky too ;) hahaha..

We got engaged 2 years ago but we're in no real hurry to get married just yet, it's not a race is it! When we do tie the knot (probably in the next 2-3 years) it will be the happiest day of my life. Aaron asked my dads permission before he asked me and apparently mum walked in and then got super excited and found it hard to keep it secret! They love Aaron to bits and get on so well with him and his parents too which is such a bonus :)

A very sad day but I love this picture.. 2010.

Aaron took me away for a night in a very expensive hotel on Canary Warf, London for my 22nd Birthday and when I opened my card, it said "To my fiancee" and I was like OMGGGGGG!!!! I had absolutely no idea at all. It was perfect :) The ring he got me was very traditional, which he knew I'd wanted, it's beautiful.

Family meal, 2011.

I have no doubt at all that Aaron is "the one" and that we'll be together til we're old and wrinkley! We just get on so well. We have the same sense of humour and seem to know each other better than we know ourselves. We have the same morals and both want the same things in life, we just clicked, right from that first night.
I never take for granted the fact that the first man I fell in love with turned out to be the one I know I'll spend the rest of my life with or the fact that not many people are lucky enough to have found "the one" yet or that my family love him and his love me - because I know that not everyone has that and some people never will.

Weekend away, 2012.

4 years down, many, many more to go! :) If you ever read this, I love you chops :) xxxx
And my word this is a soppy post!!!

Soap & Glory - Fab Pore

I bought Soap & Glorys Fab Pore around 3 months ago now and have been using it on a regular basis since. I hadn't seen any reviews of this product in particular so took a bit of a gamble on a 3 for 2 offer in Boots. This and the other 2 products (can't remember which now!) were my first Soap & Glory purchases after hearing good things. I've nearly run out of it now so I thought I'd do a review for you.

When I first opened this product I thought it seemed quite small with not a great deal of product in it (compared to other brands and considering the price tag of 8.00) however when I used it, I soon realised that a little goes a long way and it lasts much longer than you'd expect.
Another thing I didn't realise until after I purchased it was that it doesn't peel off, despite having "facial peel" written on it. Maybe it's just me (?) but I bought it assuming it was a peel off face mask as that's what I usually prefer (cause I'm lazy) but suprisingly, that hasn't put me off.

This may sound weird but I really like the texture of the product! I just wanna keep poking about in it cause it feels unusual.. Yeah, weird! It is a thick clay with small blue beads which burst when you rub it on your face. It says to leave 5 minutes for a quick freshen or 15 minutes for a deeper clean.. Going back to what I said about being lazy, mine usually gets left on for around an hour! I like that it doesn't crack like most clay face masks, meaning I can talk (does anyone else not talk when they have a face mask on?!) and laugh (Aaron always makes me laugh so it cracks!) without flakey bits going everywhere.

I found this product relatively easy to wash off (I use quite warm water to wash it off then splash my face with cold water afterwards) and it left my skin noticeably cleaner and clearer even after the first use. Most importantly, it actually did make my pores look smaller (temporarily of course, it's not magic)! I have pretty large pores which drives me mad and I'm always looking for products that will minimise them and make them look as small as possible. I have naturally quite oily skin too (grrr) and after washing this product off, my face feels completely oil free but not to the point where it drys it out. If you're not jealous of my skin by now then I should also add that my skin can be sensitive sometimes too, however I've never had a problem with this product at all, unlike Peaches and Clean which I shall be reviewing sooooon.

LOL ;)

Overall, I'm super duper impressed with this and have since been buying lots more Soap & Glory products to try. It does what it says it will do, unlike many other brands/products I've tried in the past so it gets a massive thumbs up from me. If you have large pores/oily skin or if you're lucky like me and have both then I urge you to go and buy this, now! :)
You can purchase it from the Boots website, here or pop into your local store.

What is your favourite Soap & Glory product?