Mini Stationery Haul

There's nothing quite like a little stationery haul to perk up my boring old week. I'm not sure it's normal to get so excited about stationery, but hey, it's the little things, right?

I popped to Hobby Craft this week, on the hunt for a pen to cheat calligraphy. I love beautiful inky handwriting, which is something I definitely don't have. I'm left handed and my teacher in primary school basically though left handed people weren't worth teaching handwriting, so my chicken scrawl leaves a little to be desired. I found this pen in the calligraphy aisle, it's a flat tipped felt tip essentially, which means it gives the effect of pretty calligraphy without any effort. It was only a pound, and I want to use it in my Project Life scrapbook!

I also picked up this pretty mint sketchbook, for practicing different calligraphy styles too, it's pretty, got gorgeous thick pages, and was a steal at £1.80! I also picked up this pretty starry notebook in the sale, for keeping in my handbag for on the go notes!

I managed to resist buying a ton of Project Life bits, but I did pick up these little sticky notes from the SmashBook section. I figured they'd be cute for my scrapbook, but also in my planner.

I popped into Home Sense after, which is normally my downfall, but I actually only picked up one thing that I needed, a little set of cute notecards! I love the pastel pink and the gold foil, these will be perfect for sending to my friends, and to use as thank you cards!

3 Things: For Tired Eyes

I can't remember the last time I woke up and didn't immediately want to go straight back to sleep. Left to their own devices, my eyes are trying to close for at least the first six hours of the day.

The first thing that helps is going straight in with my Optrex Eye Drops, which I like because they're literally just saline solution, so they aren't bad for you, but they really help get rid of that dry itchy feeling first thing, and help your eyes feel a little more human!

I follow up with my new favourite thing, the First Aid Beauty Eye Duty Triple Remedy, the metal tip applicator cools and depuffs the under eye area, which feels like AMAZING WITCHCRAFT. Sometimes I reapply this throughout the day just because it FEELS SO GOOD. While the applicator works its cooling soothing magic, cream hydrates and conceals under eye bags. Best. Eye Cream. Ever.

The last thing isn't a beauty product as lifestyle saviour. I've taken to sleeping with an eye mask, I sleep with the lights off anyway, but this really does seem to improve the quality of my sleep, and how rested my eyes feel. I've also been trying to take twenty minutes out midday, to relax, rest and regroup, and popping this on and lying down in bed with my Headspace app has been doing wonders, not just for my eyes but my general mind set too! This one is from Victoria's Secret, and I like it because it doesn't feel tight, and it's super soft! It's pretty cute too!

What are your tired eye saviours?

Products I Don't Love From Brands I Do

I try a lot of different brands, and I'm pretty lucky that it's pretty rare for me to dislike a product. I tend to shop with the same brands, ones I love and trust, but occasionally the odd thing lets me down. Obviously, it goes without saying that this comes down to personal opinion and experience, these products don't work well for me but that doesn't mean they won't for you!

Let's start with a controversial ones, and I'm just gonna get it out there. I don't like the Rimmel Apocalips. They are just messy and they don't always set and they make my lips look dry, and I just don't like them. For a reasonably priced high-street brand, I think Rimmel are pretty awesome, but for me these just miss the mark. I know a lot of people love them though, so maybe I've just had, er, five bad ones.

Another lip product from the highstreet, and another one that everyone else seems to love, I keep trying to love the Revlon Lip Butters, but they just aren't working for me. They're either really sticky and messy, or they're weird glittery shades. I just can't make them work for me, there are so many sheer, lipstick-balm hybrids I love more!

Maybelline is another brand that for me is consistently on point, but I just can't seem to get to grips with their mascaras. I've tried loads, The Rocket, The Falsies and Colossal Volume to name a few. But none of them really do the job for me! As far as drugstore mascaras go, I prefer L'Oreal and Max Factor!

Moving on to more expensive disappointments, I worked for YSL for a while, which gave me a chance to try out all of their products, and I loved everything except the shadows. For a quad that comes in at £39.00, the shadows essentially just look like sheer glitter on the lid. Seriously disappointing, especially considering how beautiful the palette is!

I've tried a lot of Bobbi Brown products and they've always impressed me, so I had no qualms about shelling out for the limited edition Rich Chocolate Palette, but for me this was a bit of a miss. The palette is beautiful, but the shadows are just nowhere near as pigmented as they should be for the price. Not a bad palette, but not a great one either.

Are there any products you felt that missed the mark, from brands you love?

The Best Of: Nail Polish Formulas

When it comes to nail polish, I know what I like and I stick to it. The majority of the polishes I own come from the same four brands!

The star of the show for me is of course, Essie. I just feel like the brand hits every point I expect, good price point, nice wide brush, quick drying formula, gel like finish, longevity good colour range and fantastic formula. You really can't go wrong with Essie! My favourites include Watermelon, Summit of Style, Blanc, Dress To Kilt, Tarte Deco, Splash of Grenadine & Bahama Mama!

Coming in a close second is an offering from Rimmel, specifically, the Salon Pro polishes. Again, these come in tops for longevity, good brush and long lasting formula, however the colour range is a little limited, and some of the shades need 3 coats for a good finish! Worth the compromise though for the awesome price! I love Hip Hop, Saturn and Disco Fever.

Other amazing options come from the likes of Maybelline & Max Factor. Maybelline's Super Stay Gel Polishes are incredibly long lasting, and whilst the colour range is minimal, there's some real crackers in there. I love Berry Sorbet & Salsa, and I've got my eye on Pink Whisper, a pretty dusky pink. I've had a couple of minis of the Max Factor Glossfinity Polishes over the years and I've always been pleasantly surprised. The brush isn't the best but these are seriously long lasting polishes, and the formula is a one coat wonder! I love the shades

What are your favourite polishes?

Little Things #2

1. Lots of lunch dates with my mum. I got lucky, my mum has been in London three times in the last two weeks, which means two lunch and two dinner dates. I'm a total home-bod and I miss my family so much whilst I'm hear, so I relish all the time I get to spend with them. I'm lucky that my parents have pretty flexible work schedules and can be around a lot! This week Mum and I went to Scandinavian Kitchen, and ate giant salads topped with Swedish meatballs!
2. Rewatching Parks and Recreation with Con. Leslie Knope never gets boring. Also, Chris Pratt.
3. Connor. I had a bit of a rubbish start to the week, but Con's been a total babe. I'm lucky to have someone around who is so supportive and kind and loving, who does lovely things like bring me hot water bottles, takes me to lunch and puts up with my constant nagging for hugs. 
4.  Teapigs Spiced Winter Tea. It's just my favourite, so warming and delicious on these cold winter days.
5. New jeans. Is there anything better than new jeans? I finally branched out from my staple Topshop Leighs, to, err, Topshop Jamie jeans. It's a small branch anyway. I feel like these are more like real jeans, and Leighs are more like jeggings, so I'm hoping these will keep their shape a little more!
6. Having a makeup clear out, it feels so good to say goodbye to products that just weren't getting the love they deserve!
7. The This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray. Why did nobody tell me about this before? I've been sleeping so much better since I've had this in my life!
8. I bought the latest issue of Frankie Magazine, and remembered how much I love it. It's just filled with different, interesting opinion pieces, and it's just refreshing to read something a little different. 
9. Cosy winter evenings burning cinnamon scented candles. Cinnamon candles are the best, especially when it's raining really heavily outside!
10. Feeling like I'm getting somewhere with my uni project. I've got a lot of research done, and a lot of amazingly helpful people giving me a hand too! I'm excited to share the finished result with you all!