First OOTD! Joules Navy Dress

Being a person that has very little 'style' and wearing my clothes until they can be used no more; 'fashion' posts seemed out of the question when it came to blogging.

However, when I was contacted by Laura & Joules, a British clothes company, I decided it would be nice to maybe just get on with it and take the plunge into this fashion world.

And here I am. Taking said plunge.

So this lovely Leila Printed Dress* (£69.95) is a size 16, which, I'm not ashamed in saying, nor should any 'curvier' lady be afraid to say. Admittedly, it is a little big around the waist and shoulders (my fault, not Joules! I'm just a bit oddly shaped) but this dress is so pretty, I really do love it!

It may not be everyone's style but I think it would look really nice for Christmas parties/meals out. The sleeves make it cosy and I love the button detail on the back! The dress does crease a little easily, but, nothing you can't handle. I added a belt for a bit of extra 'definition' as it is a tad big, and also to hide the elasticated band a little (which I failed at). Did I mention it has pockets? Gotta love a dress that has pockets.

Other bits: Coat - Topshop (last year). Snood - Joy (last year - sorry!). Earrings - Topshop. Belt - Warehouse. Lipstick - Creme in your Coffee by MAC.

I think Joules is a really great brand, with good quality clothes. If I'm being honest, I'd say it is perhaps aimed at a slightly older audience, however there are some great statement animal themed jumpers which I think would be to everyones taste!

So what do you think?

Do I pass the #fbloggers exam? :)

xo

Warm Eyes : MAC Fabulousness Palette

It seems I've gone a tad crazy for eyeshadow recently.

While I was out in the hallway playing with my ratties, my phone magically ordered one of the new Fabulousness palettes by MAC. 'Warm Eyes', to be exact.

Just from the site I could tell I would love the colours, the quirky, quilted packaging - and I do.

The majority of the time I prefer a 'warmer' tone on my eyes. I have blue eyes and yellow undertones in my skin, so I find gold based eyeshadows are more flattering than silver, so this palette seemed right up my street!

The shades are :

Left to right : Glamour Light - pale golden beige; satin finish // Retrospeck - light/medium gold subdued by brown; lustre finish // Honesty -  copper orange/brown with copper shimmer; lustre finish // Cognac - molten golden bronze; frost finish // Sketch - deep burgundy with slight sparkle; velvet finish

One word that would describe the palette is - SPARKLY! It is slight shimmer over load, but for Christmas and parties I think it would look lovely. Having used & tested the colours, I would say out of them all  'Honesty' is my favourite, followed by Sketch and Cognac. Glamour Light is my least favourite as it is a very light shade, not very pigmented and seems to disappear on my skin slightly! (although makes a nice eyebrow bone highlight).

Also, there is very little fall out from the eyeshadows, I don't own a eyelid primer, tut tut, so I would say that is a positive attribute!

Honesty all over lid, Sketch outer corner, Cognac in crease and under bottom lashes, Retrospeck inner corner, Glamour Light on brow-bone. 

This palette retails at £32, a little pricey, but the sizes are great and I can see it being well used over the Winter months. Plus, the overall look & little bow makes it a very girly & pretty gift!

Now, please, somebody keep me away from online shopping.

What do you think? What's your go-to palette?

xo

Sunday Snap #8

Its been a while since Herbert's face has graced my blog so - here he is!

Recently I've been so busy I just haven't had the time to even think about blogging, so I apologise for that big gap last week! Although I now have lots of time & ideas for future posts, so stick with me guys! :)

I don't have too much to report on, apart from I am still in the middle of applying for my PGCE and I'm down to my last option... Every email I get I come over all flustered. So fingers crossed, pretty please! 

Oh! And the man himself (Herbert) is going to be a dad!... Well, he has been asked for a pairing and we've agreed to let him go forth and um... y'know. But YAY! Herbert babies. How adorable will they be?

Apart from that, not much else is happening! Today I plan on having a pretty relaxed day; x factor, sunday dinner & animal cuddles.

So I'll just let Herbert do the talking... 

... or maybe not.

Have a nice Sunday!

xo

An Honest Liz Earle Review

Back in August, I was aimlessly browsing the internet, when I decided I 'needed' some new skincare products.

Now, you don't have to go very far to find a glowing Liz Earle review when you're friends with other beauty bloggers. Trust me, it was like some kind of big Cleanse & Polish explosion all over my Twitter timeline as hundreds of ladies discovered this brand a few months back. Having heard nothing but great things, I decided I should invest too.

I'd tried a few Liz Earle products, back when the hype wasn't as big, but this time I figured I would go for their August Skincare Essentials package - Cleanse & Polish, Toner & Moisturiser, priced at £41 with a 'free' skin tint (something else I'd wanted to try) thrown in for good measure.

Instantly you cant deny, you get a great deal. Each month that 'free' product is different but | was pleased with the Sheer Skin Tint. 

Four months on from using it & near empty bottles, this is my verdict...

Cleanse & Polish £14.25

Claimed to be the holy grail of cleansers in the blogosphere; I would have to disagree. 

With all things blogged & hyped up about, you have to take them with a pinch of salt. I wasn't expecting miracles but I wasn't expecting to hate it either. The C&P is now sat to one side as I try out something else (Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm, if we're being specific!). 

Firstly, I really disliked the smell. Whether it be the eucalyptus or rosemary; I just didn't enjoy putting that scent on my face. Particularly near my eyes. It doesn't sting but the menthol scent generally put me off. It definitely left my face 'feeling' clean/fresh, but I was never convinced it was all truly gone.

Secondly, although it is supposed to take all your make up off I really struggled with mascara - mine isn't waterproof or 780 hr super long last - just your average mascara, so I found that a little frustrating. 

I also found it very drying. Despite containing beeswax my skin would feel dry afterwards and in need of a good moisturiser. I dont suffer with greatly dry skin, more combination and so I genuinely felt it was doing more harm than good. I also wondered about the cocoa butter - it seemed to  be 'clogging' rather than removing, apparently this was added in after they took almond milk out. 

Oh, and I found the fact that you can't see where you're up to in the bottle pretty irritating - as I'd not know when to repurchase.

Overall? I now use it as a quick morning 'cleanser' as I want to use it up (not a fan of waste). I enjoy the calming feeling it gives, however I won't repurchase, although the price tag isn't too bad if you're looking to try it. You cant deny this product has many fans and so this may work for you - however I'm just personally not convinced.

Instant Boost Skin Tonic Toner £12.50

This is probably my most disliked of the trio. I dont have particularly problematic skin : combination, odd blackhead, spots once a month type, of which I am very grateful for! 

Once I started using the toner, I quite liked the smell and the refreshing feeling - however after a while I noticed it was making my skin uncomfortably tight & drier than usual. I also received the biggest pimple known to man, right in the centre of my forehead, just before my graduation, thanks to using this Liz Earle combo.

Of course, I can't entirely blame it on the Toner but in basic terms I can only say that I felt that the toner was keeping dirt in, rather than removing it; especially as I had issues with removing mascara with the cleanser in the first place. 

I stopped using it since & didn't have half as many issues with blemishes. 

Overall? Maybe I have it in my head, but I definitely would never repurchase this as I think it is just too harsh for my skin.

Skin Repair Moisturiser £18.75

You may think I have nothing at all positive to say in this review, but I promise, I do! 

This is my favourite, of all the moisturisers I've tried so far - this wins, hands down. 

I love that you can choose a moisturiser according to your skin type. As I have combination/normal; that's exactly what I picked. And to my surprise, it does just the job! It isn't overly oily on my t-zone and yet hydrates my dry areas.

It leaves my skin feeling plump & healthy, plus it isn't too much to wear under make up. It takes a little while to sink in but nothing ridiculous, the scent is very neutral and soothing.

If theres anything I will repurchase from this bunch, it is this! Hurrah!

Overall

I promise I'm not a Liz Earle basher, this is just my genuinely honest opinion (hence the title). Normally I leave things I haven't enjoyed out of my blog however I don't think one negative summary will effect the many that love it. I think Liz Earle are very clever to have targeted mainstream bloggers and have done well in spreading the word.

As much as I wanted to like this trio, I don't, however I do feel Liz Earle deserve a pat on the back for being a cruelty free, natural skincare brand - as you don't come across too many at this current time.

I wont give up on this brand just yet, but for me, this trio didn't live up to expectations.

What do you think? Are you a fan?

xo

Foundation of Choice : NARS Sheerglow

It's always difficult to try and find that perfect, holy grail foundation, but one brand I keep coming back to is NARS.

I tried NARS for the first time last year after a holiday in Spain, having a little tan I was matched as Santa Fe... Fast forward to October & I'm as pale as a sheet again (and in need of a new winter foundation).

So a few weeks back, I headed off to Harvey Nichols. After a little chat with the MUA, I purchased Sheerglow in Ceylan (£29.50), aka : 'light six, for asian skin. light/medium with yellow undertones'. 

Clearly I'm not Asian, but this foundation is the absolute perfect match for my skin tone. It's obvious I have very yellow undertones, or at least to me, and so it was nice to find one that fit so wonderfully. 

Anyway, this foundation applies like a dream, generally I buff it in with my Real Techniques buffing brush and it gives a lovely finish. Once applied it feels light, it doesn't dry my skin & it is very long lasting. However, the finish is definitely more satin (not dewy, but not matte) than 'glow-y' although there is a little sheen in there. The coverage is medium, rather than sheer... So, if theres one thing not to go by; it's the name.

Despite that, I genuinely love this product. It is pricey but a bottle will last you a long time as you only need a small amount to cover your face. It is buildable, covers blemishes, isn't too heavy and is fairly long lasting... What more can you ask for?

To me, for now, this is as close as I can get to the perfect foundation.

What do you think? Have you tried Sheerglow?

xo

ps. just for reference, in the picture above I only have this foundation on; no primer/powder/highlighter etc!

Bonfire Night

Autumn & Winter are my favourite seasons.

The holidays in particular are the best; Halloween, Bonfire Night, Christmas (Eve, Day, Boxing Day), oh and New Years! I love it all.

Although last year I didn't get to go to a bonfire, and this year I didn't do anything for Halloween but my lovely younger sister held a moving in party/firework display over the weekend and I couldn't have been more excited!

We pretty much had it all; fireworks that made you slightly scared for your life, pork pie & peas (and mint sauce, of course), parkin & homemade cupcakes, plus more wine & beer than you could shake a stick at.

All in all, a wonderful night!

What are you doing for Bonfire night? :)

xo

Sunday Snap #7 : Skye & Pebbles!

As I introduced Herbert to the blogosphere, I also wanted to let you say hey to my new little ratties; Skye & Pebbles!

Now before everybody gets all irrationally freaked out - these little babies are clean, intelligent and adorable. They're blue dumbo rats, meaning they're blue/grey in colour and have larger ears than your average rodent!

They've been with us for one week now & they're settling in wonderfully. They're the sweetest little pets and its thanks to Marvelle & PaintPotted really that I even have them (they're rattie owners too).

I'd never really considered owning a pet rat until I saw these two cuties on Preloved and I knew I wanted them. Lots of research later, one Jenny Ferplast cage and a last minute dash to get toys, food & treats - they were ours!

They love social interaction, hence why you get them in pairs or groups and they also love being with people/running around in my jumper. They're so sweet to watch when they play with each other, groom each other and try pinch each others treats!

As my DSLR is so large and clumpy, I didn't want to scare them to death, so here's whats popped up on Instagram (@sammi_x)! They also run super fast, hence why the pictures aren't the best! Wriggle, wriggle, wriggle...

I hope this has maybe changed some peoples preconceptions when you here the word 'rat', they're super adorable creatures & I hope you wont mind them appearing on the blog every now and again!

What do you think? Do you have any unusual pets?

xo

Lush : Blackberry Bath Bomb!

I do love a good bath, especially on a Sunday. 

Lush is always my 'go to' brand when it comes to fun bath products, so this Blackberry Bomb (£2.95) was no exception. 

I picked this up as the scent was just lovely, with hints of sweet Bergamot & Frankincense it is fragrant & relaxing to boot. In fact, every time I walked into the bathroom I could smell this bath bomb whilst it was still sitting in the packet!

Once added to your bath, the water turns instantly a beautiful shade of purple, the water in itself feels 'softer' and theres also a little surprise in the middle! All the things I'd  expect from a Lush product.

My skin felt nice & moisturised once I got out, so I was relaxed & ready for a cosy Sunday night infront of the tv. The scent seemed to linger a bit in my hair too, always nice! 

If you're new to bath bombs, I'd definitely recommend starting with this one!

What's your favourite?

I have Dragons Egg, Candy Mountain, Party Popper & Snow Fairy still to use if you'd like to see them?

xo

The Tiny Paint Pot

Well, who woulda thought it?!

I'm back on Blogger. I've imported all my posts from my previous blog & essentially this will be exactly the same; content, humour, over exaggerated way of typing, etc.

It's never an easy decision to up sticks & move (so to speak) but I have many reasons and it is something I was thinking about for a long, long time!

The main reason is that I am hoping to go into the teaching profession (surprise! not all bloggers want to work in PR/live in London/blog for a living etc.) - with that comes a certain sense of paranoia and your 'internet trail'. There was nothing at all bad on my previous blog, however I just wanted to remove my name (or at least most of it).

Also, I love the 'blogger' community - although it will take a while to adjust I'm sure we'll get along like a house on fire!

I guess at least one person is wondering what the name of this place means? Blog names are hard to think up, aren't they? I guess thats why I went with something so obvious last time!

Essentially, I use a small paint pot to paint with. Its a cute little thing and its where all good, creative subjects come from. This is what I want this little space of the internet to be. I also want to draw a lot more & with a name like this; I guess I have to!

So make a brew, have a nosey round and make yourself feel at home!

Chat soon!

xo