Beauty Resolutions 2015

Its that time of year again where everyone is given a fresh start and starts making those all important 'New Years Resolutions'. I have to say I'm probably with the majority and pretty much suck at keeping those resolutions going though out the whole year, even though I make them with the very best intentions. The new year is going to be no exceptions to me making resolutions, but I thought seeing as I'm a beauty girl, I'd make some beauty resolutions too (some/most which are probably a lot more achievable than the bigger goals I'm setting myself). I think when it comes to beauty there are always a bunch of things we slack on doing - Dirty makeup brushes I'm looking right at you! So I thought it would be fun to share the beauty resolutions I'm taking on for 2015...

Washing Makeup Brushes

There is no point beating around the bush here, I absolutely hate cleaning my makeup brushes - I find it the most boring and tedious task ever! It's really one of those things that I always put off and I think if I actually told you all how long I sometimes go without washing these everyday essentials, you would all cringe, think I'm dirty and be mortified. I really need to start getting into a regular routine of cleaning my brushes - The question is how often should I clean them? 

No To Chipped Nails

I love and adore nail polish, enjoy the process of picking a polish to coat my nails in, but my gosh sometimes I hate the actual painting part which always results in having seriously flakey and chipped nails until they reach that stage where they look so bad that I have to paint them again. I never used to be like this, a few years ago I was painting my nails every other day or so. It feels like this year I've just fallen out of love with painting my nails. Chipped nails are not a good look, so this year I need to make more effort at looking after my manicures. 

Picking of Mascara

I think I've mentioned this on my blog before, and if I remember rightly a few of you share the same weird obsession with picking off your mascara. I usually find myself doing this towards the end of the day, without even realising I'm sat there and picking off my dried mascara with my nails. Not only does this leave your nails in a sorry state, and black bits smeared across your face, I also know this is not healthy for my lashes; On the odd occasion I've even pulled a few lashes out. I find this bad beauty habit strangely satisfying, but its definitely one that I need to break - Any tips from you fellow lash pickers would be much appreciated.

Find The Perfect Skincare Routine

When it comes to skincare, I'm always chopping and changing products and trying out new things. The beauty blogger in my tells me it's totally acceptable to change my skincare products every other week, but my skin definitely tells me otherwise. I think I'm always searching for those 'Holy Grail' items that will make my skin glow and look totally flawless. Whilst I've found some amazing skincare products over the years, there has been nothing that I've kept loyal too and I think it's about time I gave my skincare some proper routine. The big question for me is how to I do this while I'm still searching for those WOW products?

Luscious Locks Need Tender Loving Care

No matter how long/short your hair is, or whatever type it maybe there is no doubt about it your locks need all the love that you can give them. I've always thought that I've gone that little extra step to look after my hair, but this year it's been on mission grow and with that challenge I've found that it requires so much more attention. The last few months my hair has been feeling a little dry and I think I should definitely introduce more hair masks into my hair routine (I'm a little lazy when it comes to this). I would love to know your hair treatment recommendations. I also think I need to be kind to my hair and treat it to a little trim or two this year.

Hello H20

When it comes to drinking, I have to say I mostly live on water but I definitely don't drink enough of it. In the back of my mind I'm always thinking I need to drink more of it, and when I do I notice such a change and improvement in my skin. I think the biggest and easiest beauty resolution of the year for me has to drink more water. I'm thinking of buying some fancy water bottles to help make this mission a little more achievable. If you've got any great tips on how to drink more then please let me know, I would love to hear them.

These beauty resolutions may sound a lot, but I think they are definitely things that I need to work on and with a little change of my routine I should be able to put right all my beauty wrong doings. I would love to know if you have any beauty resolutions for the new year, please let me know in the comments below - Especially if any of yours match mine.

Lots of Love

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What I Got For Christmas - 2014

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you all had an amazing one, got spoilt rotten and are still pigging out on all those yummy chocolate treats. Christmas for me this year has been such a busy one, but its been an amazing few days and there's nothing quite like spending quality time with your family, eating good food and laughing for what seams hours on end.  I thought today I would get up my standard 'What I got For Christmas' post as I just love reading these and I think it's great seeing what everyone received from Santa! Again this year I've been totally and utterly spoilt with the gifts that I've received from family and friends and I can't thank them enough for the well thought out gifts. 

My mum definitely knows that makeup is the way to my heart, so I was so made up when I opened up these Smashbox 'On The Rocks' gift sets. My mum knows I've been totally obsessed with the Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer this year and so you can only imagine my excitement when I saw not only the trio sample sized primers, but also some other amazing Smashbox goodies for me to try out. The Luminzing Primer has been on my wish list since it came out, and I cannot wait to try and test it. The lip glosses also look stunning, and as lipstick is my weakness, I'm sure I'm going to get a lot of use out of these glittery pigmented wands. 

You all know that I love penguins, but my other favourite animal has to be our beloved fury friends - Dogs. My favourite breed has to be labradors, chocolate ones in particular and if you follow me on Instagram you will know that we have our very own chocolate fury bundle of fluff, Hugo. Before Hugo we also had Glover, who we lost a few summers ago - he was such a huge part of our family and we all still miss him loads, so my mum decided to get me more of a personal Pandora Charm this Christmas, which is this adorable little Labrador that wears a sparkly heart collar. I just love this charm so much and the meaning behind it.

Out of all the Christmas present that I've received over the years, my Mac Book Pro has to be the one present that really took me by surprise and had that WOW factor. Admittedly this was a bit of an early Christmas present as James just couldn't wait to give this to me (secretly I think he couldn't wait until Christmas to have a go on it too). But this baby has been the ultimate Christmas present and I just know it's going to make blogging all the more easier and fun - You guys should have seen the laptop I had been using, ancient is not the word. I honestly can't thank James enough for this, I'm still speechless.

Another present that took my breath away a little and completely surprised me was another special gift from James - He seriously gets full marks for being the best man ever right now. Like most girls, I love my handbags, but if I'm honest I've never been THAT girl to want a designer handbag or anything too fancy. I don't know if it was me just being tight, but I could never justify spending a lot of money on a bag. James must have thought it was about time I had better arm candy, because he picked out the most beautiful leather Ted Baker bag for me and matching purse to go along with it. I am a huge Ted Baker fan, and I am blown away at just how gorgeous this bag is, I can't wait to take it out on it's first outing. 

My sister was also a little treasure this Christmas and treated me to a gorgeous grey and pink tartan scarf. It's one of those really soft blanket kind of ones which I've been wanting all winter, so I cannot wait to get snuggled and cosy with this on those chilly winter walks to work. Along side the blanket scarf was a box filled with falsies and a £50.00 gift card to spend at Debenhams. I have no idea what to spend it on, I'm thinking of picking up the Naked 3 Palette or the Too Faced Chocolate Bar, what do you think?

Along side all these amazing gifts I also received some of those essentials that you get for stocking fillers - Cosy Pajamas, socks and of course chocolate! Lots of it.

I honestly am so grateful for everything I received this Christmas and it's been such a perfect one. Like I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I love reading these type of posts so if you've done one please leave your link below in the comments and I'll be sure to head over and take a look. I hope you all had an amazing Christmas and have special new year. 

Lots of Love

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Birthday Haul

Hi guys, I hope your all well and excited now that the countdown to Christmas is well underway. I can't believe there is less than a week to go, that's just crazy. Firstly I just want to apologise for what seams like a disappearing act, as some of you may have noticed I've not blogged in well over two weeks, which is very unlike me - Life has just been so busy, and anyone who else works in retail knows how busy this time of year is, the shops literally go crazy. Not only has work been busy, but I've been working six days a week which has left no time to take blog pictures.Also life been a little hectic to say the least, I celebrated my birthday last week and I'd just like to point out that it takes more than one day now to fully recover from a hangover, oh the joys of getting older.

With that all being said, I'm back and finally have a bit of time to sit down at my Mac and type up a few posts, so I'm officially back. I thought it would be great to post a little Birthday haul. It was honestly one of the best birthdays I've had and I feel like I got totally utterly spoilt, so to say a little thank you to all those who made my birthday special, I thought I'd collect everything in one post for you all. Also if your like me, I'm sure you'll love having a little nosey too.

Tom Ford Black Orchid 

For the longest time this Tom Ford perfume in Black Orchid has been on my wish list. A few months back I smelt it whilst on a shopping trip with James and he must have liked it too and took note as he bought me it as a special birthday treat. I'm pretty rubbish at describing scents and Black Orchid is pretty complex, but it's definitely one of those perfumes that I'll reach for special occasions - It's what I would call a bit of a luxury perfume. I plan on dedicating a blog post to this latest edition to my perfume collection, so if your wanting to know more about it's scent then be sure to keep checking back for that.

 

Pandora Charms

My Birthday is the one time of year where the charms on my Pandora bracelet increase, and this year I had four new charms to pop onto my bracelet. My favourite has to be the sparkly butterfly, it's just so cute and pretty. I don't know why but there is something so satisfying about adding a new charm to your bracelet! 

Olivia & Joy Purse 

Right now I am loving the shade green, so I was delighted to receive this lovely green Olivia & Joy purse/clutch from my mum. This is honestly one of the nicest purses that I have owned, silly me didn't think to photograph inside, but it has so many sections which are perfect for everyday - My favourite has to be the slot in which my iPhone fits into perfectly. I also love the chain on the side of this purse because it means I could use it as a little clutch in the evening if I wanted too. It's all about the details with this purse, and it has loads.

Black & Gold Clutch

One good thing about having a birthday in December is that it's officially party season, so usually my birthday gifts tie in with that theme. My sister treated me to this gorgeous black and gold clutch bag which is sure to go with every outfit over the festive season. I absolutely adore it.

Penguin Bits and Bobs

If you've followed my blog for some time you will know that one of my favourite animals are  penguins. It's fair to say I'm a little obsessed and have been for some time (way before Monty came on the scene). Last year one of my best friends adopted me a pet penguin called Ricky and this year one of my other best friends has showered me a box filled with penguin bits. Above are just a few of the penguin madness that was in my little chick box, including a sparkly penguin keyring, penguin socks, and some penguin hand warmers - She definitely knows that penguins are the way to my heart.

Penguin Christmas Jumper 

Sticking with the penguin theme, I also received the cutest penguin Christmas jumper - How adorable is this? I have been wearing this to death since my birthday, its just so cosy and cute and I love the little pom poms which make this jumper all that more Christmasy.

Motel Rocks - Gabby Dress

And lastly was a little Birthday treat to me from me! Being a December baby means I definitely have best pick of of dresses to choose from because everything is just so sparkly and over the top for Christmas. I'm sure most of you will have seen the Gabby Dress posted around the bloggosphere as its quite a hit amongst us bloggers, I for one had been eyeing it up for some time. I decided to treat myself and I have been obsessed with this gorgeous sequined dress ever since it arrived in the post. I wore this at the weekend for my Birthday and I felt like the queen of sparkle, its such  beaut! I plan on featuring this in an OOTD post soon, but if your wanting to see what it looks like on head over to my Instagram @sunshinesprkle for a closer look.

So like I said I feel that I have been totally spoilt this birthday and I can't thank everyone enough for making it so special. I'm also so pleased and happy to be blogging again, again I really am sorry for being a bit missing in action, but expect to see a lot more posts from me over the next few weeks.

I hope you all have a fabulous Friday.

Lots of Love

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Bourjois Mega Liner 'Ultra Black'

Bourjois Mega Liner 'Ultra Black'* £7.49

Right now for me Bourjois are a brand that can seriously do no wrong, and their continuous release of new products always amazes me. At the Bourjois 24Hr Party Ready event that I attended a little while ago I was able to try and test some gorgeous makeup to get us looking party perfect for the festive season. One of their most recent recent launches was the Mega Liner in Ultra Black, and if your a fan of doing winged liner then this is a must have product for you.

I have to say when it comes to eyeliner I'm not really that fussy on what kind of liner I use; I'm always chopping and changing, but its usually a liquid liner that I get on better with. I have dipped my toes into felt tip liners before, but I find them to not be as long lasting so I usually leave them on the shelves.

Since having this Mega Liner in my makeup collection, I've found myself reaching for it everyday because it's just so easy to use. The nib of the pen is angled which makes it perfect for creating different thickness of lines. I also find that the slant of the pen makes doing that all important flick in the outer corner of your eye super easy, which is something that can take me forever in the mornings. No matter how hard I try and how much I practice, I still haven't got my winged liner perfect. This liner very much reminds me of a calligraphy pen (just like the ones they used to make you practice with at school) and I just find that the unique way this pen is shaped makes it perfect for lining your lids. I will be honest it does take a few attempts to get used to, but once you've mastered it, you'll realise just how much quicker it is to do your liner in the morning!

As for staying power, I'm really impressed - There is nothing worse than having an eyeliner fade and smudge though out the day. The Mega Liner might as well be waterproof because once its on, it stays on and won't budge, which is perfect. The shade I've been using is in 'Ultra Black' and I know I've said this about mascara before, but that 'Extra' really does make all the difference when it comes to your eye products. This liner is jet black and it's intense shade puts other liners to shame. 

Overall I love this liner and it's definitely worth a pick me up next time your in Boots and browsing the Bourjois stand. You can pick this little beauty up for £7.49. If you've tried this liner be sure to let me know in the comments below, I would love to hear your thoughts.

Lots of Love

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Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream & 123 CC Perfect Eye Cream

Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream £9.99 & 123 Perfect CC Eye Cream £7.99

When it comes to BB and CC creams I've always been one of these girls that have never understood the hype or buzz surrounding them. I thought I would jump on the BB cream bandwagon at the time everyone was going crazy for them and I just found that for me they were a complete waste of my money - I never noticed or saw any benefits of using them and I was left out of pocket and disappointed. So when the CC cream came on the scene I decided to avoid it at all costs. However time and time again I kept seeing some amazing reviews of the Bourjous 123 Perfect CC Cream and Eye Cream and my curiosity definitely got the better of me, because a few swatches later at Boots I had popped one of each in my basket and brought them home with me. Before I start this review, I would just like to say Bourjous have converted me to the CC cream way of life, I just love these two products! So if you would like to see why these two products changed my mind, be sure to keep reading.

The 123 Perfect CC Cream (CC meaning colour correcting) contains three different pigments which are there to help cancel out any pigments in your skin. There is Apricot, which helps with anti-fatigue; Green which will help cancel out any redness in your skin and White, which helps with any darker pigmentation. Not only does this cream help you on hiding any imperfections in your skin, it also claims to add a 'luminous completion and smooth skin' which all in all sounds like a pretty incredible product. And I can promise you it is....

Like I mentioned I really wasn't expecting this cream to do much, when it comes to foundation I'm a full coverage heavy duty kind of girl. I love the idea of using light dewy foundations, but having oily/combination skin means I have to be careful because these kind of products cause my makeup to slip and slide. However as this CC cream is oil free I found it worked with my skin rather than against it, I was so impressed that it lasted so well on my skin with only a few touch ups needed during the day.

As for the way it made my skin looked, again I was so impressed. This CC cream is by no means full coverage, but because of all the colour correcting pigments I find that my skin looks so even, smooth and natural when I use this and dare I say pretty perfect. The 123 Perfect CC Cream gives you that your skin but better look. The actual cream has a lovely satin feel to it, and it feels more like a foundation than using a tinted moisturiser which I prefer. Whilst I love that fresh faced dewy look, I find that using a little bit of powder to set it, just creates a lovely natural looking finish.

Left - CC Cream 33 Rose Beige || Right - CC Eye Cream 22 Light Beige 

Whilst I think the CC Cream is amazing, it's the 123 Perfect Eye Cream that is the winner for me. When it comes to concealer for under the eye area, I don't like anything too heavy duty and much prefer to use something illuminating than full coverage. I absolutely love the way that this eye cream instantly brightens up my eye area. The cream is so light and blends beautifully which is something you need for such a delicate area. Not only does this eye cream brighten up those nasty dark circles but the silicone nib used for application is perfect for your eye area. It's so easy to pump out the concealer with the twist tube which makes its application clean and fuss free.

I just love these two products and I've been reaching for them every day since I purchased them, they have definitely become staples in my makeup bag. I'm so pleased that I took a bit of a gamble and picked these two products up. I would love to know what your thoughts are on CC creams are and if you've tried any that are just as good as these ones from Bourjous, let me know in the comments below.

Lots of Love

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Smashbox Photo Finish Primer

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer £25.00 

If I was to pick one holy grail item in my makeup bag it would be without a doubt the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer. I know that this much hyped about primer is loved by many, but I was a little late at jumping on the bandwagon to try it. It came into my life this summer and its been an every day stable in my makeup routine since, I actually love this product so much, I don't know why it's taken me this long to blog about it. 

The beginning of this year was the year that I started introducing primers into my makeup routine, and whilst I saw the difference they made in the application of my makeup and they way they made my skin look pretty flawless, I never found one that managed to make my makeup last all day - Until I tried the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer that is...

I had always heard so many amazing things about this primer, but if I'm honest I was a little put off by the £25.00 price tag and I didn't know if paying that much for a primer would be worth it, but I can tell you its probably the best £25.00 I'ver ever spent, this primer is that good.

I am someone who has always had to re-touch my makeup constantly thoughout the day, and I often find that my skin is prone to getting oily especially around my nose and cheeks, which always causes my makeup to slip and slide though the day, and I'm sure many of you are nodding your heads agreeing with me because its just so annoying. Whilst a good powder has always come to the recuse, it can be a lot of faff and I've always wanted to find that perfect product that just keeps my makeup put. I have no idea how it does it, but the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer is that dream product for my skin that really does keep my makeup put, makes my skin look even and flawless and sometimes I don't need any powder touch ups at all, it's seriously makes me go WOW.

The Smashbox Primer is a clear gel that has a silicone feel to it, and you only need the smallest of blobs to cover your face evenly, it this just glides on to your skin so easily - It has a really velvety feel to it and it makes the perfect base for your foundation. I have to say at this stage I don't really notice a huge difference in my skin, other than it feels very soft and it makes my skin tone look a little more even. However it makes applying your foundation or any other base makeup you might use so easy, and blending and working your foundation into the skin becomes effortless.

The real noticable change I noticed using this primer, is that it really does keep my makeup in place pretty much for the whole day. During the summer I had a cheerleading event in London where I was dancing for hours in a parade, I used this primer and my makeup was still perfect, even though it was hot, humid, raining and I was rather sweaty though all the dancing (totally gross I know), but it just gives you an idea at how well this primer is and how well it works for me. It's like it somehow tells the oils in my skin to hold off and puts this barrier up between my skin and foundation. 

I know this primer will be forever in my makeup bag, and if there is one essential beauty product that I could recommend to you, this would be it. If you have a similar skin type to me, I would definitely invest. Smashbox also have such a good range of primers to work for different skin types and I know there is one for minimising pores, I've not tried any of this but I can imagine they are just as good. As for longevity, like I mentioned I bought this in the summer, use it every day and I still have a lot of product left, which I'm amazed at - Your £25.00 really does go a long way.

I totally love this product! I would love to know if your a fan of this Photo Finish Primer from Smashbox and if you've tried any other primers that work just as well - Please let me know in the comments below.

Lots of Love

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Bows And Boots

Anetta Blouse - Poppy Lux || Shorts - River Island || Bowler Hat - H&M || Ankle Boots - River Island || Bow Belt - River Island 

 Recently I have been pairing this gorgeous Anetta Blouse from Poppy Lux with everything, and as it's a little oversized it makes it a really wearable and versatile piece in my wardrobe. Today I've paired it with my textured beige high waisted shorts, tucked in and added a cute little bow belt to compliment the bow on the blouse.  I don't know why but whenever I wear a sheer blouse with a bow accent tucked into some cute high waisted shorts or skater skirt, I can't help but feel that I should be in the cast of Gossip Girl (how amazing would that be?). I absolutely love this outfit, and this pretty blouse has become such a statement piece in my wardrobe, it goes with everything. 

I would love to know whats your favourite way to style an oversized blouse and what your thoughts are on my outfit, let me know in the comments below.

Lots of Love

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Organic Surge Christmas Blogger Bundle

You guys must know by now that I am a huge fan of beauty brand Organic Surge, I've yet to try a product that I dislike and everything I have used has been used up pretty quickly - If you've not tried any of their skincare products yet, your missing out. So you can only imagine my excitement when their Christmas Blogger Bundle was released - Making the perfect little present for any beauty obsessed girl like myself. There are four products included in the bundle, all which have been much hyped by us bloggers. As I had never tried any of these Organic Surge treats yet, I was super excited to give them ago.

Overnight Sensation Night Cream*

As much as applying a good night cream is important and an essential part of my bedtime routine, I have to say I have struggled in the past to find the perfect one for my skin type. I find most overnight creams are really heavy duty and make my oil-prone skin go a little crazy, especially the following day where I find myself desperately tying to prevent my makeup sliding off my face. This little problem has always resulted in me leaving night creams well alone, and sticking to a heavy day moisturiser for night time. However this 'Overnight Sensation Night Cream' has really impressed me and I don't find it to be too heavy on my skin. Enriched with intensive and natural moisturisers - Aloe Vera and Shea Butter, this cream leaves my skin feeling hydrated but without leaving a greasy sticky feeling on my face. It does take a little while to work it into my skin, but once left on for a few minutes, it absorbs pretty quickly and my skin always looks bright in the morning. I can't use this every evening as it is a little bit too much for my skin to handle, but used a few times a week is just enough to give my skin that extra bit of nourishment that it needs.

Anti Ageing Brightening Hot Cloth Cleanser*

I'm at an age where I'm no longer put off or against using any Anti-Ageing products on my skin - After all I think it's better to look after your skin as much as possible and prevent any ageing as much as I can. My favourite way to cleanse at the end of the day is using hot cloth cleansers and I always find that it's a such a relaxing beauty treat at the end of the day. Organic Surge really do have a winning formula with their hot cloth cleanser as it really does leave my skin feeling lovely. I love the way this cleanser gets rid of dirt and any grime on your skin with ease and melts away any leftover makeup that my micellar water has failed to remove. Not only does it do an amazing job, but it's beautifully scented with orange and geranium blended into its formula. I am loving using this and its done great on any pesky outbreaks on my skin, which is always a huge plus.

Spiced Lilly Foaming Bath

It is that time of year where the bath is almost ran every night in my apartment, just because I can't cope with the cold and there is no better feeling of having a hot bath to warm yourself up and get you in the mood to hibernate for the rest of the evening. I love my bath products and this 'Spiced Lilly Foaming Bath' makes the perfect bath time treat. This bubble bath has a real festive feel to it with it's spicy floral scent and really gets me in the mood for all things Christmasy.

Gardeners Hand Cream*

A good hand cream is a handbag essential, especially for this time of year with all the cold weather. This 'Gardeners Hand Cream' has made it's way into my bag and I've been using it non stop since receiving it. This hand cream is made to use before your hard days work, setting your hands up for the rest of the day as opposed to repairing your hands after a long day at work. Although I've just been applying it as when my hands are feeling dry. This hand cream is ever so lightly scented with lime, basil and rosemary and for such an intensive cream it absorbs into my skin very quickly, which is great as I'm always on the go and hate waiting for hand cream to dry.

So that's everything in the Organic Surge Christmas Blogger Bundle, which I think will make the most amazing christmas prezzie, or as a stocking filler. If your thinking about treating someone special or yourself to these beautiful beauty treats, you can purchase all four items from the Organic Surge website here for £35.50. 

Lots of Love

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