Happy Little Things

It's been a while since I shared a list of happy little things on my blog, and what better way to spend a Sunday than reflecting on the good things of the week? 

This week has been a busy but good week! I feel super tired today, but happy and content, I feel like I've achieved a lot! 

1// I started my week the best way possible - with a full body massage at the Center Parc's Spa! I felt INCREDIBLE afterwards, and totally ready to tackle the week ahead! 

2// I came home to a big stack of blogger mail stuffed with beauty bits, which definitely eased the pain of leaving the spa! It feels like forever ago that I had new makeup to play with so it's been fun testing out new products this week! 

3// A cheeky midweek brunch with my boy, we finally ticked Bunny Chow's Bunny Breakfast off our London To Do List, and it was SO good! 

4// I had some time between meetings on Wednesday, and since it was a nice, bright, crisp afternoon, I spent some time meandering around Mayfair, admiring the beautiful architecture and window shopping! It was nice to stroll without purpose and in no rush, and having a little time to myself too! 

5// Honest Burger lunch dates. This one needs little explanation. 

6// Con surprised me with my very own Night Fury! I'm totally addicted to How To Train Your Dragon (the movies & the Netflix series) and I've always wanted a Toothless! Is he not the cutest thing you've ever seen? And the little bouquet of silk roses was a nice touch too! 

7// My awesome friend Tami and I won an American Eagle gift card, and my goodies arrived this week! I now have all the beautiful workout gear!

 9// Feeling healthy! This week I started running (I have never ever been for a run before) and met my girl Tami for a Reformer Pilates class that left me feeling AMAZING. I'm so excited to feel fitter and stronger!

10// Saturday night steak & beers with my mama. Not a bad way to round off the week!

Tell me your happy things! 

Center Parcs - A Photo Diary

I had originally planned to Vlog my little staycation at Center Parcs with my mama, but when we arrived in our lodge I decided to devote myself entirely to the cause of R&R, and just let my batteries recharge without worrying about filming. That being said, I couldn't help but get out and about exploring with my camera, so I thought I'd share my snaps with you.

If you're interested, we stayed in an Executive Lodge at the Woburn village, which is a little smaller and a little quieter than the likes of the Longleat site. We stayed Friday through Monday, and other than Spa treatments we didn't book any activities, just spent our time walking in the fresh air, and snuggled up in front of the fire, reading and watching chick flicks. Blissful.

 The whole purpose of our trip was to visit the spa and treat ourselves to a little pampering. You guys know by now that the last few months have been pretty intense for my family with my granddad being ill, so whilst he was off with my dad on his bucket list trip to Vegas, we checked into the Aqua Sana Spa.

We had Saturday morning to just explore the spa, indulging in steam rooms, foot spas, relaxation rooms, herbal baths and eventually having a little nap on the water beds. I now really want a water bed, they're SO comfy, it's like being hugged! The Center Parcs Spa has a lot of sections, the Blossom Spa, The Mineral Spa, The Herbal Spa, The Fire & Ice Spa, The Sensory Spa and the Salt Spa, so you're pretty much guaranteed to find something you like. We particularly liked the Salt Steam, Sage Bath, Blossom Relaxation Room, and the Mineral Steam!

Across the weekend we both had a few treatments too, I got my nails done while my mum had a scalp massage, and we both had Elemis Superfood Facials and Swedish Body Massages. It was utterly blissful, the facial left my skin feeling plump and soft, and after the massage I felt like a whole new woman. Even if the massage therapist did say I had the tightest shoulders she'd ever worked on in her seven years as a beauty therapist - oops! 

 I think it's safe to say I hit my Fitbit goal & some whilst I was away, I spent so much time exploring the woods with my camera! There's something so satisfying about catching the light dancing on the forest floor through the lens, or the way the sky lights up as the sun begins to set. I'm so excited to get these photos printed for my Project Life album! 

 So yeah, basically, I'm pretty sad to be home now! 

Any recommendations for where I can get these photos printed?

What's In My Makeup Bag - The Long Weekend

I thought I'd let you peek into my makeup bag from the weekend today, mostly because I'm so nosey that I LOVE these kinds of posts, so I figured you guys would too! 

I spent a long weekend in Center Parcs with my mum, relaxing in the spa & recharging our batteries after a pretty stressful couple of months. Whilst I knew the chances of me wearing makeup in the day were slim to none, I knew I'd end up wearing it on the travelling days, and I wanted to have the option of makeup if we went out in the evening for dinner! The products in here are all products I'm loving at the moment anyway, and are pretty much my current daily staples!

Starting with base, I wanted to keep things light and comfortable, whilst my skin isn't dry, it is pretty dehydrated at the moment so I wanted something quite hydrating. The Too Faced Hangover Primer is perfect for my skin right now, it gives it a boost of moisture, and makes my skin feel comfortable & ready for makeup. I also packed the Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue Gel, which is just a base product, it's like a moisturising gel with a hint of complexion evening coverage. I chucked in a new tube of my beloved NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, because it looks natural on the skin but also covers everything and anything. I don't usually wear powder often with this base combo, but I chucked in my Bourjois Healthy Balance Powder in case I wanted to bump up the coverage. 

I kept things simple with eyes, opting to pack my Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 Palette. I love this palette for travel, it can create simple or smokey eye looks to go with any lip and cheek colour, it's super pigmented and easy to blend, and the shadows don't need a primer. The palette itself is super compact with a decent mirror too, which is always handy when you travel. I also packed a miniature tube of my favourite Kat Von D Tatto Liner in Trooper, and my pencil liner of choice, the Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Stag. Mascara-wise I took my Makeup Forever Smokey Lash Mascara which is fast becoming a firm favourite. This is my second tube of the stuff, and I love how the tapered wand gives me thick & fluttery lashes. On the  brow front, I just packed my Bobbi Brown Perfectly Defined Long-Wear Brow Pencil, which handily has a built in spoolie.

For cheeks, I packed my beautiful MAC X Ellie Goulding Collection Powder Blush in I'll Hold My Breath, a beautiful natural matte bronzer & peachy pink blush duo. Very natural looking and goes with everything, this compact is perfect for travel! I also packed my Becca X Jaclyn Hill Pressed Shimmering Skin Perfector Highlighter in Champagne Pop, because I'm utterly obsessed with it and couldn't bare to leave it behind! 

Lips is the one place that I struggled to contain myself, but I figure three products for five days wasn't THAT bad, right? I packed my By Terry Hyaluronic Sheer Rouge Hydra-Balm in Nudissimo, my current favourite everyday pick, since it's really hydrating, and a pretty nude peach shade. I chucked in my MAC X Ellie Goulding Cremesheen Lipstick in Only You because I just can't resist that pinky nude, and then the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector, for an easy to wear berry lip.

And that's that! I know it's a lot of makeup but you know, what else did you expect?

Valentine's Gift Guide

It may feel like only yesterday we were chowing down on turkey and chocolate, but what do you know, Valentine's day is almost upon us. For Connor and I, Valentine's day is a good excuse to just spend time together, but we still like to indulge in some little token gifts. It's not about the money spent, but rather an excuse to spoil each other a little, and spend some quality time together. Whilst searching for gifts for him (and you know, online shopping for myself) I found a lot of great gifts, so I thought I'd round them up for you. Whether you're buying for a partner or a friend, hopefully there's something for every budget here! 

Starting with the budget-friendly, little token gifts, everything in this category comes in at under £5. Starting with one of my favourite Lush products the Unicorn Horn Bubble Bar, which not only is super darn cute, it also is amazing for sending you right off to sleep - and every girl wants to be pampered right? This cute little pen from Kikki K is only £2.50, and is such a cute little everyday reminder to have that someone loves you. I am obsessed with this bearded mug, I quite want to buy one for Con except I'm on a strict mug buying ban. You can't go wrong with chocolate on V Day, and I can't decide what I like the sound of more, this vanilla and raspberry chocolate pop, or the caramel counters. I'm a sucker for a good pun, especially food based ones, so this card has been bookmarked for future use. And really, who doesn't want a heart covered nail file or little pack of tissues for their handbag? 

Still fairly budget friendly, coming in at under £10, we've got a few gender neutral options going on here. I love this print, it affirms my love of tea and my boyfriend. Nothing says Valentine's Day quite like a red lip and this one from Topshop is pretty darn gorgeous. As mentioned earlier, I can't resist a food based pun, and biscuits shaped like matches definitely fit that bill. I know a few people I could give this key ring to, and the same can be said for Cheerz's gorgeous Love Strips (use code JAYEPO for £4 off!). And this card wallet from Oliver Bonas may accidentally come home with me this weekend. 

Moving on to the under £25 category, these pillow cases would make a very pinterest-worthy addition to any bedroom I'm sure. This copper tipped pen is meant for men but I quite fancy it myself, whilst I would have thought this Smooth Operator Shave Kit is probably not going to be much use to me. I can't get enough of this little bracelet duo, they'd make great friendship bracelets, and I've been dreaming of this Starbucks Cup since I got the email announcing it. And you can bet the next time Con and I travel, our bags will be equipped with Kate Spade Luggage Tags. 

And lastly, if you feel like really spoiling someone you love, without taking out a new mortgage, there's the under £50 category. This candle is a beautiful scent that's fairly unisex, woody and rich, whilst I think this bangle would make a great gift for any girly girls in your life. Con loves that this Fossil Wallet comes with a slide out pouch that's perfect for your Oyster, and I may have just treated myself to this purse. This phonecase is beautifully simple, whilst being a little unique, and any budding photographer would be over the moon with this personalised maple camera strap.

What's on your Valentine's Day wishlist?

Testing, Testing.

You know me, I'm always testing a bunch of new products, I just can't resist Boots okay. These days I have really high expectations for new products, I want them to tick all the boxes. Right now I've got a few things in rotations that I'm putting through their paces, and I figured I'd share my first impressions with you today.

So let's start with lip products because there's a few (isn't there always?). Firstly, and most excitingly, my girl Daphne sent me one of the new Maybelline Matte Elixir Liquid lipsticks from Taiwan and OH. MY. LORDY. No word yet on when these launch in the UK but my god I hope they do. We're talking intensely pigmented, one swipe does all, incredibly long lasting formula that mind-bogglingly, isn't drying at all. Fingers crossed these hit the UK soon.

After mentioning in this post that I'd been debating picking up the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfecter in Plum Shimmer, I decided to bite the bullet and use a Boots Voucher I had left over from Christmas to pick it up, and so far, so good. Whilst I liked the formula of the other colours of the range, I never found a colour I really liked, but this for me is perfect. Just a little gives a 'my lips but better tint', or I can add a little more for a nice juicy berry lip, that's still somewhat natural looking.

Max Factor have recently launched a 'Marilyn Monroe Reds' collection, with four shades that will supposedly contain the perfect red for every skin tone. I was most drawn to the Berry shade, and whilst I don't dislike the formula, it's different to what I imagined. I was expecting something quite pigmented and this is more like a glossy pink on me. I haven't ruled it out just yet, but we shall see.

I inherited a bunch of makeup off Daphne when she left, stuff that wouldn't fit in her suitcase essentially, and I rediscovered it all in the back of my car last week. I've been trying out the Catrice Liquid Metal Eyeshadows, and I have to say so far, I'm impressed, the pigmentation is utterly incredible. I'm looking forward to having a proper play with this soon.

I picked up the Maybelline Dr Rescue Nail Polish Remover, mostly because I was intrigued to see a makeup brand bringing out a nail polish remover. I've only used this once, it's was effective and quite gentle, but I'm not sure of any 'nail rescuing' benefits just yet.

And lastly, the Too Faced Hangover Primer has made it's way into my makeup bag and my skin is just loving it. My skin is pretty dehydrated at the moment and this makes it feel so much more comfortable before I go in with makeup. 

Have you tried anything new recently?