Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturiser

One thing I really hate and never seem to have any time for (or make time for) is moisturising so when I came across this little beauty in Boots recently I knew I had to give it a go. Vaseline Spray & Go moisturiser comes in a 190ml can with a spray nozzle attachment. I chose the cocoa radiant scent but it also comes in aloe fresh and essential moisture varieties.

My overall impression so far after using it several times is that I really like it, its handy, easy to use and quick drying, basically everything it claims to do on the back of the can, it does! I keep it by my make up bag so when I step out of the shower I reach for this spray it all over and voila done.

It's also great to use after swimming which I am trying to fit in once a week (hopefully more) as it means I don't have to linger in the changing rooms longer than I need to.

I've used it all over my body about 5 or 6 times now and it feels like there is still over half the can left. My skin definitely feels softer even after only a few uses. It's much more fuss free than cream moisturisers which I hate getting all over my hands and which leave my hands feeling greasy. You can instantly feel this formula soaking into your skin and if you really didn't want to rub it in at all you wouldn't need to.

The moisturiser is priced at (I think) a very reasonable price of £4.99 each. I bought mine in Boots but I'm pretty sure most places will stock this, including supermarkets. I think I am going to pick up the aloe one next.

Have you tried this? What do you think?

30 before 30

With another birthday just gone I've started to think about all the things I would like to achieve in my life. I'm now only a few years off 30 so I've decided to take part in the 30 before 30 challenge that I have seen on a few blogs recently. I hope to achieve most of this list before then although some may be a little out of my reach! 

If you read through and can think of any ways I can achieve my goals I would really appreciate any ideas!

1 - Save £1000 (or more)

2 - Buy something from Tiffany's

3 - Lose at least 1 stone

4 - Watch a TV show being filmed

5 - Visit Paris

6 - Go to Disneyland Paris (impossible without completing number 5)

7 - Go up the Eiffel Tower (also impossible without completing number 5!)

8 - Have a full body massage

9 - Meet David Tennant

10 - Buy a blog domain

11 - Visit Wembley Stadium

12 - Go for a brow wax

13 - Visit Las Vegas

14 - Visit New York

15 - Spend New Years Eve in London

16 - Buy a 'grown up' camera

17 - Bake and decorate a proper cake

18 - See a live comedy act

19 - Buy at least 12 sets of matching underwear!

20 - Have a wee baby (this was the way hubby described this one!)

21 - Learn to knit/crochet

22 - Do a craft fair

23 - Stay in a 5* hotel

24 - Go to a movie premiere in Leicester Square

25 - Go on the Eurostar

26 - Do a food challenge (Man V Food style)

27 - Go on a helicopter trip over London

28 - Go up the Shard

29 - Buy a dog (or two)

30 - Send a fan letter to an actor/actress I like and receive a reply

Do you think I will be able to achieve my goals? Have you got any tips on how to complete them?

How to decorate a rented property...

I feel like I haven't done a lifestyle post in ages so today I'm going to write about how to make your rented flat/house look pretty without upsetting your landlord!

Hubby and I have lived in a few different places in our town all of which have been rental properties and each time they are kitted out with the same boring magnolia walls and beige carpets. Obviously whilst it's good to make sure that rental properties suitable for all kinds of tenants it's nice to be able to put your own little stamp on the place so it feels a little bit more like home.

So here are a few idea's I have come up with to make your place a little more homely...

Buy a new bedspread

We have recently done this and were so surprised as to how different the room looked after changing the colour. Bedspread are surprisingly cheap these days too, Primark have a fairly good selection as do most supermarket home sections, also remember that places like Homebase also allow you to spend Nectar points so if you have some saved up you could take them off the total.

 Spruce up your sofa with cushions 

I love cushions, I love cuddling one whilst I watch TV or hide behind it if I'm watching something scary! Cushions are also quite cheap which means you can swap them around. If you just buy the outer covers you could use the same inner pads. It's sometimes cheaper to buy the cover without the inner. When I've changed mine around I put the ones I'm not using into a vacuum bag and hide them in our ottoman so no one can see them!

Radiator Covers

I personally love these but Hubby hates them as he says they stop the heat from coming out properly but if you hate the sight of radiators these are a great way of disguising them, you could even paint the white ones to match your living room or bedroom accessory colour scheme.

Temporarily upgrade fixtures

In one flat we rented we bought a new loo seat as it suited the colours of the bathroom and added our own personal touch and then when we left we just replaced it with the old one we had hidden in a cupboard! We have also changed shower heads which come with us to every property as there's nothing better than a good shower! When we move to a new place we always replace the lightshades too, we have a cream shell chandelier in the lounge and a purple one in the bedroom which were bought for under £10 from Wilkinsons.

Buy a rug

Buying a coloured or patterned rug will instantly bring colour into a room. Try visiting places like The Range or Dunelm as they usually have lots of different colours and styles. Ebay is another place to look if you want to try and find one quite cheaply as some rugs can set you back around £60!

Have you tried any of these techniques in your property?

*this post is in no way sponsored - just something I wanted to share :) all photos are from Pinterest

Autumn Accessories

I absolutely LOVE Autumn, it's my favourite time of year, the time for cosy knitted jumpers and Starbucks hazelnut hot chocolate!

I've put together a few key accessory pieces I would love to be wearing this autumn.

First up is this lovely grey snood from Accessorize. There is just something about snoods that makes me feel all warm and cosy and this basic snood is only £14 - a staple for any winter wardrobe.

Next is the Chunky Knit Beanie Hat from Matalan which is an absolute bargain at £6! They also do several other colours of this which I'll probably end up getting too!

I have had my eye on this Lulu Guinness umbrella for ages. I think it's probably last seasons as I have had my eye on it for so long but I adore it. It's a birdcage print which is very feminine and pretty. I love crook umbrellas as I find that they withstand the wind so much better than fold up ones which fit in your bag, even though they are a bit of a pain to carry. In my opinion it's a bit pricey for an umbrella as it costs £29.50 but it's just so pretty!

I love these Grey Fairisle Fox Slipper Boots which are £17 from River Island. I have a pair of slipper boots already that my sisters bought me as a present years ago but they're so loved they're falling apart so these would be a great replacement!

Also from Matalan is this purple Chunky Knit Scarf. This also £6 and the colour is perfect for this season. You could colour coordinate the hat and scarf together or choose two different colours.

Finally, from Accessorize is this Lucy Shoulder Bag which is £22. I love having large bags this time of year, just in case I want to take off my hat/scarf/gloves etc and shove them in my bag out the way! This bag is the perfect size and the perfect colour for this season.

What do you think to my autumn accessory picks?

Hello autumn...

image from we heart it

I may be a little bit late with this post as it seems the weather has already started to change but better late than never - right?

Autumn is my most favourite time of year and I thought I would share with you my reasons why...

Cosy nights in
TV always seems to get better during the autumn season, there are a lot more drama series, which are my favourites. It's great cosying up in front of the TV with a hot chocolate and a blanket rather than going out into town when its all wet and cold!

Hiding under/in the duvet
Even better when you don't have to go to work but it's great dragging the duvet from the bedroom to the lounge and enveloping yourself inside!

Autumn fashion
Chunky knits, scarves, hats, gloves - I love them all! Also wearing dresses with thick colourful tights and covering up as much as possible! Oh and knee high thick socks!

Wearing Boots
I love digging out my old boots from the back of the wardrobe and wearing them again.

Autumn menus in Starbucks
Starbucks always bring out their best flavours in autumn, my favourite is their hazelnut hot chocolate, I'm lucky to have a Starbucks opposite my work so i'll be popping in there as soon as the new flavours are out!

Colours
Not just in fashion or make-uo but all around, colourful leaves, purples, oranges, browns.

Crisp mornings
I love walking to work on cold, crisp mornings. I hate the wind and rain but on that rare day that you get a dry crisp morning, its an amazing feeling crunching through the leaves and making horses breath!

Christmas is coming!
The best thing about Autumn is that Christmas is just around the corner. Time with family, buying and wrapping presents, Christmas trees and decorations. I also love shopping when it's dark. My local shopping centre is open until 8pm weekdays and its so lovely to finish work and go shopping when it's dark outside!

What's your favourite time of year? Do you love Autumn?

Tooti's Gelato Bar | Bedford Square Southampton

I should possibly have warned you about the photo heavy post before you got to this point but, I think you'll forgive me considering the content! I've literally just come out of my sugary induced coma after visiting Tooti's Gelato Bar on Friday for my birthday. I knew in advance that I wanted to visit Tooti's so my husband drove me the 30 miles to Southampton so I could get my sugary birthday fix (with a little ice cream bribery)!

Tooti's is an amazing ice cream parlour located in Bedford Square, Southampton who have the most amazing flavours of ice cream which they can turn into sundaes, milkshakes, make into cones or scoop into tubs. They also have waffles and crepes if you fancy a sugary breakfast fix as they are open from 7am until Midnight!

Before we left I had already decided that I wanted the peanut butter fudge sundae but when we got there I was so overwhelmed by all the variety of flavours on offer I had to choose a cone instead so I could try three different ones! I opted for Millionaires Shortcake, Reeses Peanut butter and Ferrero Rocher and oh my god it was amazing!

If that wasn't enough as it was my birthday I was recommended the Birthday Cake Cocktail which was made up with vanilla gelato, real birthday cake, raspberry liqueur and vanilla vodka, topped with whipped cream and sprinkles! It was only after I had paid that I realised that as it was my actual birthday I was supposed to get it free but by then it was too late :(

I think my husband captured the delight on my face perfectly with the last photo!

Have you ever been to Tooti's or an ice cream bar like this before?

Kimmy Case | iPhone Case Review

I was recently contacted by the lovely people at Kimmy Case to see if I would like to review one of their iPhone cases and of course I jumped at the chance. I'm always on the look out for new designs to jazz up my phone and I'm always changing my mind about what to put on it so I couldn't wait to add to my collection.

The case I chose was the Vertical Bold Stripe in pink which I love.The idea is that Kimmy Cases are designed to stand out from the crowd. They are designed in a way that doesn't just make them stylish and fashionable but also offer great protection for your phone. All the cases at Kimmy Case are made out of a strong polycarbonate material which is both tough and flexible. I was really surprised by how lightweight the case is, the iphone 4 is quite a heavy phone but the addition of the case didn't really add much to the feel of the weight at all. It was really easy to fit to my phone and easy to remove. I have had covers I have bought in the past that I have snapped trying to take them off (needless to say I didn't purchase those again!)

There are a wide choice of different styles available so there is something to suit everyone, stripes, flowers and geometric prints. Each one comes in two different model options, so you can get it for your iPhone 4/S or the iPhone 5. The cases are formed to the exact specification of each model so they offer full access to all buttons and ports.

The cases are priced between £14.99 and £19.99 each depending on which design you choose, which is pretty reasonable if you want a hard wearing stylish cover.

Delivery is really quick as all cases are dispatched by Royal Mail First Class and if you spend over £35 delivery is free.

You can browse their latest designs here in the Rosanna range and the Simona range or you can take a look at their Instagram account where you can see all their latest designs.

What case do you have on your phone? Do you like to change yours regularly?

MAC | Russian Red

For those of you who don't know, I'll let you into a secret...this is my first MAC lipstick! I actually won this lipstick from Lil Miss Chickas blog competition and have been desperate to try it since I found out I won and I am completely and utterly in love!

I was slightly dubious to begin with as the colour is a little out of my comfort zone and I thought it would be better suited to blondes as Charlotte from LMC is blonde and it looks great on her, but I think that I can pull it off fairly well! I think it will be more of a going out/evening lipstick rather than an everyday one. It will probably have its first outing this Friday for my birthday meal.

I love the MAC packaging, I have a few other products from them and have always felt that its quite sophisticated. The actual lipstick has a really lovely smell (is that weird??) and it doesn't feel drying on my lips at all. So far I have been wearing it for a good few hours and haven't needed to reapply.

I can't wait to get a lot of wear out of it this a/w season as reds are supposed to be a key colour this season.

I'm definitely going to be picking up some more shades soon and may even start a little MAC lippy collection!

What shades would you recommend for my hair colour/skin type?

Recent Purchases

I've been trying to be good on the spending front, especially as with my birthday coming up, I never know what people are going to get me, I never know if I speak about something I like whether it comes across as a hint so with that in mind I've only made a few purchases this month.

The majority is from Primark as that's pretty much all I can afford right now! I had my eye on some floral printed leggings from New Look which were £12.99 but my local New Look only had the black and white ones, so when I walked into Primark and saw near enough identical ones for half the price and in my size they pretty much jumped into my basket!

I also picked up a pair of thick purple tights (I'm really loving purple right now) which are so silky to touch! Next time I go back i'm going to pick up a few more pairs as there were quite a few colours as I have a few dresses I like to wear over the winter which will go perfectly.

The black shoes are also from Primark and were only £5. I have a pair which are similar from Dorothy Perkins which are on their last legs so got these as a replacement.

In the Primark section hubby spotted this cute throw for £5. He has been after a throw to use at Christmas for ages and this seemed like the perfect one. I can't wait to get it out and cuddle up under it in December!

Finally, I got this bath bomb from Lush, my baths never seem to end up that bubbly with normal bubble bath so I decided to try this. It was only £2.50 and it made the bath so bubbly!

 Also, just underneath the photos you can see the new duvet set I bought from Argos for £20. You can see a better picture of it here.

Have you make any new purchases recently?

A/W Plum Picks

I absolutely LOVE this time of year, when the nights draw in, when you wrap up in chunky knits, scarves and boots and most of all I can don dark lips and nail polishes. So today I'm going to share with you my top picks for plum shades this season....

MAC lipstick in Rebel: £15 from MAC at Debenhams

I feel like I have been talking about buying this lipstick for aaaages and I STILL haven't got it. It is definitely going to be mine this autumn! Rest assured there will be a review once I've got my mitts on it!

Rimmel Apocalips in Galaxy: £7.99 from Boots

I reviewed this item when it was first released way back in February (you can see my review here) and it's still been floating around in my make-up bag. It's an affordable high street buy that has a great wand for application and gives you an instant pop of colour.

L'Oreal Glam Shine Stain Splash in Milady: £7.99 from Boots

A recent(ish) addition to my plum collection, it looks quite fuchsia here but it applies a lovely dark plum shade. I love how this gloss isn't sticky like some I've tried (I'm looking at you Stila) and it lasts a good while before needing a new application. The packaging also feels very luxurious which is why L'Oreal is one of my favourite high street brands.

Topshop Beguiled Lipstick: £8 from Topshop 

Another recent addition to my make-up bag, I love the dark plum shade although I was initially disappointed with the application and length of wear, I'm going to persevere and try to use a lip brush to apply instead and maybe use a topcoat like Lipcote to try and make it last longer.

Urban Decay Revolution lipstick in Venom: £15 from Urban Decay at Debenhams

I swatched this in Selfridges at the London Bloggy Meet and have been thinking about it ever since, why I didn't pick it up at the time I don't know (it could have possibly been that I had spent too much money already!) I've heard so many good reviews about these and I can't wait to try it!

What are your top lipstick shades for the A/W season? Do you have any of these shades?

A creative way to advertise your blog...

Whilst browsing the twittersphere last weekend I came across @blogboxesnet (www.blogboxes.net) who have come up with an innovative idea to advertise blogs. Basically, they have created a blog directory website using a gigantic square (with 750 spaces) and each little square can be purchased for £12 for an entire year (which works out at £1 per month!)

How to get your box...
Visit blogboxes.net or click on the colourful square button in my blogs sidebar

Email images@blogboxes.net with the number of the box you would like to buy

Tell them which category your blog comes under e.g. Beauty/Lifestyle/Fashion

 Choose a caption which will appear when people hover over your sqaure (I chose Impatience is a Virtue | Lifestyle & Beauty Blog)

Attach a 100x100 pixel blog button as a jpeg image

Let them know the link to your blog

Complete payment via PayPal (using the link on the website)


The beauty of it is that if all the squares get filled, they can just add more! 

I love this idea as it's much more fun than joining a blog hop as you can see the blog buttons too and you can find a variety of blogs all in one place.

You can see my blog square on the blog boxes website here!

Have you heard of blogboxes.net before? What do you think to this idea?

Birthday Wishlist

Essie Candy Apple//Yankee Candle in Strawberry Buttercream//MAC Lipstick in New York Apple//Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual//Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Venom//Benefit Stay Flawless Primer//Benefit The POREfessional//Derren Brown Svengali DVD//Viktor and Rolf Flowerbomb Perfume//The Big Bang Theory DVD Season 6

It's my birthday in a weeks time and as you can see above I've got quite a mixed bag of products that I would love to get! Usually, no-one knows what to get me and I never really have an idea myself (or I'm just too picky!) so I usually receive money that I end up spending on rent or bills! So this year I tried to work out what I would really like so I can use it on this alone!

I'm really looking forward to getting my first MAC lipstick (yes I know I must be the only beauty blogger that doesn't own one yet!) and have been obsessing over shades every time I visit a MAC shop or my local Beales store!

Are any of these products on your wishlists?

Topshop Lipstick | Beguiled

I've heard a lot of good things about Topshop make-up and I've got a nice little collection of their nail varnishes and a blush so I thought I would branch out a little more and try one of their lipsticks next. 

I picked up the shade Begiled, which is a plum/wine shade, its been likened to MAC's Rebel which I'm yet to try but hoping to pick up for my birthday. I love the shade, it swatches really nicely and looks really pretty on my lips BUT I have found that not long after application it gathers around the edge of my lips and just looks like I'm wearing lip liner on its own. 

As I'm not really used to wearing lipsticks and mainly wear glosses I need to ask, is this normal for lipsticks?? Can it be rectified by applying using a brush instead of from the bullet? Or is this just because it's not a very good lipstick?? Any info would be really appreciated!

This lipstick costs £8 and can be purchased from the Topshop website here or in selected Topshop stores.

Have you tried any Topshop lipsticks? What shades do you own?

HealGel Corrective Eye Formula

I am always a little skeptical about trying new products, especially on my face as I never know how they are going to affect my skin, let's face it, your face is the area that everyone is going to see, unless you stay holed up indoors for days and unfortunately I have to go to work.

In the case of trying HealGel Eye, I needn't  have worried as this little beauty is an absolute gem. HealGel was created by a team of leading British plastic and cosmetic surgeons with the help of a renowned dermatological biochemist. They wanted to create products that helped them with their work, and to be able to provide the reassurance of genuinely effective skin care.

I absolutely adore my bed, but never seem to spend enough time in it, which takes it's toll on my body and most of all my face. I usually end up with bags under my eyes and don't even get me started on how I look during hayfever season when I've had a bad night! HealGel Eye is a corrective formula which lifts and brightens the eye area. Application is extremely easy as all you have to do is apply a small amount (like in the photo above) morning and night to clean skin and gently massage it in until its absorbed. 

HealGel Eye is suitable for all skin types and contains a duel action hyaluronic acid complex which locks moisture deep into the skin and firms the eye contours which soften the appearance of fine lines and evens skin tone.

I have been using it for a few weeks now and although luckily I'm not yet at an age to have too many fine lines, its worked really well on my eye baggage. I feel much more confident taking photos of myself and I've noticed that my skin looks much more revitalised. The formula is lightweight and provides a really good base for make-up.

HealGel is available from their website here and is priced at £32.00 for 15ml

Have you tried anything from the HealGel range before?