REFLECTION: 2013

Hello all! I hope you will all bringing in the New Year in the way you want tonight. We're just having a chilled night in.

At the start of the year, I posted THIS blog talking about New Years Resolutions and things I wanted to do this year. I'm not usually one for the whole Resolutions thing but there was a few things I wanted to do so I did it.
My main two things for this year where to become a blood donor and join the bone marrow donor list. I went for my first blood donation at the start of January but as I had been unwell, I wasn't allowed to donate so I went back in March and successfully gave my first pint. I was buzzing! It was nowhere near as bad as expecting and I felt great afterwards. I went to do my 2nd donation a few months later and afterwards I was a bit ill and the same thing happened the 3rd time and unfortunately I've been told I can't give blood anymore, or at least for a few years. BUT, I managed to give as many pints of blood this year as a female can and I did join the bone marrow donor list so I have done some good and I'm proud that I managed to do it.

The other main thing I wanted to do this year was to basically sort my life out. I wanted to get myself a more stable job and at the end of May I left behind the world of retail after 4 and a half years and got myself a full time office job. I do a lot of admin, marketing and sales work now and it still feels a bit weird not being in a shop (especially at Christmas! I've never had time off at Christmas!) and I miss the girls I used to work with so much but I am enjoying my new job. Before, my hours would fluctuate so much and some weeks I would be doing nearly 40 hours and some I'd only do 20 but now I have a solid work schedule that doesn't change and it's helping me get a more settled routine.

The other two resolutions mentioned on the post were to try be healthier and stress less... I think we all knew they were unachievable pipe dreams! I did try eat healthy for a good month but now that I am in the office, I'm not surround by fast food shops and I only work round the corner from home so I go home to eat so I guess I have become a teeeeeeny bit healthier. As for stress, that is something that is apparently never leaving my life. The joys of being an adult.
One thing I did want to do that I didn't have on that post was to drive on the motorway. I've been driving 2 and a half years and still haven't done it. I don't know why but now I'm probably too scared to do it but 2014, I will do it!

So, what will 2014 see for me?

Other than driving on the motorway, I'm going to start doing some serious saving so that maybe this time next year I'll be in a position to move out of my parents house and fend for myself. I'm very much at that stage where I know I want to move out but I don't have the funds to allow me to do it.
Then there's Laddered Tights. I know that I've not been the world's greatest blogger and I have neglected this site a little, especially in the last few months, but I'm going to make a conscious effort with it next year. I said how I've got more in to a settled routine now with work so I'm going to plan more and hopefully get a decent schedule going because when I do post things on here, I do get really into it and I really enjoy it but finding time and not wanting to be as "samey" as everyone else has proved difficult this year. But I do hope you'll bear with me and stick around!

I have quite a busy January coming up (which is definitely not norm!) so it may take a while for this "schedule" to action. I've a few shows/gigs booked and I'm also heading to Russia for a week on the 19th! (I know, I know. I am mental. I am aware of this.)

I really wish you all the best for 2014. Thanks for leaving such kind comments this year.

And if you missed it, I posted a 2013 Favourites the other day. Click HERE to read that. And remember to hit the follow on Bloglovin' button in the right hand sidebar, or leave your email to subscribe to my posts.

xxxx

2013 FAVOURITES

I mentioned in the previous post how I wouldn't be posting Monthly Favourites anymore, more just little reviews of new products I've been using, but I thought a nice way to round off the year would be to share my best of the best across the board.

First up, beauty!

Clarins Cleansing Milk | Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Wash | The Body Shop Tea Tree Toner | Bourjois 1 Second Nail Varnish Remover | MAC Mineralised Skin Finish Natural | Rimmel Nail Rescue | Benefit Pore-fessional

NEW IN: REVIEWS #1

I didn't do a Favourites post in November and I don't have one planned for December. And the last few I did weren't that great, to be honest. It's mainly that I've just not been trying new products lately and the ones that I have bought haven't blown me away.
I have bought a few new bits over the last couple of months however that I haven't mentioned on here so far so I've decided that every so often I'll do Mini Reviews to show you new things I've been using and my thoughts on them.

So for the first installment...

#TBSXMASBONANZA MEET UP

Last week the lovely Rachelle organised a little Christmas Blogger event at The Body Shop in Preston. We got an exclusive 40% discount off anything we bought, signed up for a Loyalty Card for free and we could choose our own samples. As well as munching on yummy cupcakes, drinking mulled punch and having a good old natter with some lovely bloggers. It was so nice to see a load of the #nwbloggers and meet some new people too.
And I certainly didn't hold back when it came to throwing new products in my basket!

Just going to apologise now for shoddy iPhone photos. I'm such a fail when it comes to remembering I own a camera and actually using it.

HAIRSPIRATION: BRAIDS

Over the last two years I have stopped attacking my hair with straighteners (bar my fringe), I haven't used a hair dryer or dyed my hair and now my hair is in such a better condition and has finally got to a length that I want it.

I've recently found myself constantly putting little braids in my hair. Sometimes purposely. Other times, through boredom and I don't even realise I'm doing it. I've also cracked the fishtail plait! But as my hair is still in the process of growing out layers, they don't always look that great.

So yeah, I've found myself getting a little braid obsessed and so here is a bit of "hairspiration" for you for some cute and simple hairstyles.

OOTD: MORE FLUFFY THINGS

Smock dress; Topshop | Cardigan; New Look | Nails; "Punk Rock" Kate Moss x Rimmel

I have wanted one of the fluffy cardigans that are doing the rounds for a while now and this morning when I went to get dressed I realised I don't own a black cardigan..! How did that happen? I popped in to New Look when I nipped into town and saw this. It's incredibly similar to the Primark ones that are like a tenner but there's no Primark in town and I just instantly fell in love with how soft and cosy this is so I skipped over to the till with it and I don't think I'll be taking it off for a while.

I probably should have took photos minus the cardigan so you could see the dress but I am a total fail. I'm really into smock dresses at the moment and I was in the Trafford Centre on Wednesday night and spied this one on a mannequin. I found it on the rails and didn't even think twice about it. Complete impulse buy but I love it. It's quite thick jersey material and really over-sized so works perfectly for the time of year and team with the cardigan. Here's the link to it to see it better.

And on my face today...

Benefit Pore-fessional Primer

No7 Beautifully Matte Foundation "Calico"

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer "Ivory"

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer "Fair"

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder "Transparent"

Benefit Browzings "Dark"

ELF Eyelid Primer

MUA Undress Me Too Palette "Naked" & "Lavish"

Rimmel Glam Eyes Eyeliner

Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara

NYX Blush "Taupe"

Sleek Blush By 3 'Sweet Cheeks' Palette "Dolly Mix"

MAC "Rebel" Lipstick

REVIEW: QUINODERM ANTIBACTERIAL FACEWASH

I mentioned in my October favourites about my discovery of the Quinoderm cream that had come to save the day in terms of fighting my spots.

The face wash* is designed to be a soap replacement which, through lots of scientific stuff (see here), gets rid of excess grease and oil as well as combating the acne. I've been using this for a few weeks now. The first time I used it my skin felt quite dry, just as when I first used the cream, but I kept with it using it morning and night and my skin really feels so clean afterwards.
It's a bit stranger that it doesn't lather up at all, which is due to how it's designed to work, but it has calmed down the areas I get spots and my skin also doesn't seem as red.

You can get Quinoderm products just over the counter at the pharmacy and they are so cheap! If you're really struggling with finding products to help your skin, definitely give these a go.


*Quinoderm kindly sent me this facewash to review but all opinions are my own.

BATTLE OF THE EYE LINER

If you've read my blog for some time you will know how much I am on the constant search for THE eyeliner. I want the most perfect liquid liner and I've have used so many brands and types and I'm always left deflated and unimpressed.
For me, I don't feel like me without a black stroke on my lash line. I mean, I don't exactly make this battle easy for myself with my criteria; I want it solid black with one stroke, I want it to last all day, I don't want it transferring up my brow bone, a good applicator making easy use and the ability to create a decent wing. So yeah, not picky really...

I've been planning this post for about 2 or so months after I was having a tidy and realised just how many liners I owned. So, I've been re-trying and testing them all to see if maybe I do already own the perfect liner...

I will start with the absolute worst ones that I own. First of all the complete worst of the worst... The Dainty Doll Mascara/Eyeliner duo. I got this off Fragrance Direct for about £2 and I am so glad I only paid that and not the original retail price of the brand. The mascara is okay, nothing dramatic but I didn't buy it for that. The liner wand/brush is brilliant. It is just what I want but the actual liquid is not very pigmented and it seemed a bit watery. It definitely didn't last all day either. So very impressed.
On to Boujois' Effacable Erasable 16 Hour Liner. I bought this a few months back as I really like one of their other liners (see further down..!) however this one was so disappointing. I think it was one of the new releases from this year but I found the consistency really gloopy and that seemed to make it take ages to dry resulting in me getting eyeliner all over my eyelid and brown bone. Not ideal. It was way too gloopy to create a wing too. The eraser that is on the other end is rubbish too! You have to press really hard and that's not a great feature for the eyes.

I forgot to include the L'oreal Blockbuster pen in these photos but my opinion on it is similar to these too. Felt tip liners are just something I cannot get used to and everyone else seems to love them. I really don't think they make things easy and I don't find them to be very pigmented at all. The Soap & Glory Supercat liner has been so raved about but I can't get used to it. It takes so long to get a good solid black line and it doesn't seem to last all that long.
The Be A Bombshell pen is definitely the best of the felt tip liners I've used. It is relatively pigmented and did last a decent amount of time but the wing/flick ability isn't all that great.
I imagine felt tip liners aren't going to be that good for those with oily eyelids either.

I've put Sleek's Dip-It and Revlon's ColorStay together as they have very similar applicators and I really like them. The actual applicator is quite short and ~sharp which I believe makes it so much easier to get a straight line and a good wing. I've only had the Revlon one for a couple of weeks but I've been reaching for it most days and I prefer the formula to Sleek's but they are incredibly similar and I would recommend them however, there's just something that means it's not THE one.
(Told you I'm fussy...)

On to the home straight and still not entirely sure if I like any of them to commit myself to it...

The Rimmel Glam Eyes liner is another I've not had for very long but I do like it. It does a pretty decent job on all the basis and is a good price but nothing about it is very WOW to me. It does seem to leave a bit of transfer on the brow bone.
The Seventeen Tattoo Me liner is a very strange invention. I did a full review here. The consistency is very thick and it's near impossible to create a wing with it. If you try, it's probably going to go wrong and this stuff can only be removed with oil based remover. If you're just after a lash line stroke, then this stuff is great. It's solid black and does last bloody ages! But it takes a while to get used to it.
In terms of gel eyeliner the Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Liner is the only one I've tried (though there doesn't appear to be many of them on the high street?) and I do really like it. It does last and wings can be created very easily. I don't like the brush it comes with and I have found it a bit tricky to find a good brush to use with it which makes my application of it not look brilliant. Also, sometimes I do get the brow bone transfer but it only seems to have after I've left the house and then I only notice after a few hours. Fail.

Finally (and as previously mentioned) the Bourjois Liner Clubbing liner. I've been using this liner the longest and I've left it til the end which is probably testament to just stick with your original choices as they're probably the best. This gets tickets across the board. Some days I do get frustrated with the applicator because I can't get a good flick but on the whole it's pigmented, lasts well, doesn't transfer, dries quickly and I can get a flick from it so..!

Maybe I have found THE ONE after all.

Which liners do you use? Found the perfect one?