Amie

I'm no longer a teenager (sob) but I see no reason to not use Amie skin-care - they say it's 'natural skincare for young and teenage skin' and I'm unsure if by young they mean younger than a teenager. Anyway, I did start using these products when I was still a teen, barely though, and I LOVE them and their pretty packaging.

The Morning Clear Purifying Facial Wash truly is something else though. First of all the smell is the most gorgeous thing I've ever smelled. I think they should make a perfume of it. It's very creamy and thick and it doesn't dry your skin out at all, this is probably because it's soap free. I always go for soap free, otherwise your face is too tight. It contains 'harmonising natural extracts' of orange blossom, mayblossom, elderflower and raspberry. I originally bought this because it has elderflower. I LOVE elderflower cordial. I always brought it to sleepovers when I was in primary school. But I think this is one of the best face washes I've ever used. It's so delicious, I love washing my face with it because you can smell it for the rest of the day. It's a really comforting smell. But I love how my skin looks once I've washed it, just so clear straight away and my pores look smaller and it cleans better than any face wash I've used, I'd normally use a scrub to get my skin looking as clear as this leaves it.

The Morning Dew Matte-Finish Moisturiser has an entirely different scent but is also really, really lovely. I don't know how I could describe it, but it's quite fresh and sweet. This is the sort of thing I'd have went for when I was younger and my skin was oily but now my skin can get quite dry it's sometimes not enough. It really depends on the day, but what's so good about it is the areas like my nose than can be oily look really great after I've used it. It's light enough to use on those areas and you should always moisturise an oily T-Zone. It's 'harmonising natural extracts' are bilberry, rosehip and vitamin E.
I do think that these products really would be brilliant for younger people. Especially if you're just starting your first skincare routine. I always thought the choices for teenage skin were so harsh, which seems really counter-productive to me. Things like Clearasil or Freederm sound like they're full of chemicals, although I know that's not true for every product. The Amie products are pH balanced, suitable for sensitive skin and if it matters to you, vegans and vegetarians too. Also, does anyone else sing the song in the Freederm advert when they're washing their face - even if you don't use it? If you don't know what I mean, this is it here.

I don't know if you still can, I certainly couldn't find it last time I went, but I have bought this in Superdrug and more recently in Tesco. But you can go straight to the Amie website where they have a whole host of other products.

ASOS and piano lessons

I was excited to receive this in the post yesterday. It's so much easier to look at than trailing through their busy website. I was wondering, did anyone ever go on ASOS like 7 years ago when they mostly sold things like Urban Outfitters does? I was just thinking they never used to sell as many clothes.
On the Cover is Juno Temple, I've only ever seen her in Atonement but her she seems lovely in her interview and what they've dressed her in is really nice. There's also an interview with Kaya Scodelario from Skins. Features on tomboy jackets, textured jumpers, plaid trousers (so cute when Jennifer Anniston wore them in Friends) but my favourite is the beauty section at the back.
ASOS WANT

1. Nails Inc Autumn Winter Mini Collection - if I can stop biting my nails long enough, these will look gorgeous when it's starting to get colder. STARTING?
2. ASOS Chunky Tres Cool Jumper - I'm not Tres Cool, but I still love this.
3. Johnstons Merino Wool Check Scarf - There was so many patterns and colours to choose from, but I think this is my favourite. So cute.
4. ASOS Tortoiseshell Watch with Brown Dial - A cheaper version of Michael Kors? Love this anyway.

Today my piano lessons start up again. My piano teacher had a small summer holiday and I can't wait to get back into the routine of going to the lesson and watching how I progress. I've really slacked off so I'm looking forward to tonight.

Oh and I only started learning this year. I'd love to do a piano recital, so if you're super into The Old Grey Mare or For He's a Jollly Good Fellow, I'm your girl.
But I have progressed quite fast, it's probably because I already know how to read music a bit. It'll definitely get harder.

Last night could tell it was really starting to feel colder at night, so I guess Winter's on its way. I don't care, I love it. Did anyone else always squish those red berries? Those poisonous red berries?

Review | Sanctuary Therapist's Secret Facial Oil

When I was younger I thought I had very oily skin, until I went to a facialist who told me that my skin was actually very dry. This was definitely down to me using a facial scrub every day, morning and night like it was a facial wash. My nose would be oily after a few hours, but once I had my first facial my skin was transformed because I started buying the right products for my face. And this included oily products. Which I know makes no sense, but it's a stupid cycle. 

You try and get rid of the oil, your face is too dry so it produces more oil to try and compensate and you continue trying to get rid of it, using harsher products unaware that you're making it worse. 

Ever since, I always look out for oil based products. For me, they make my skin really soft and even out my complexion. I especially love using oil face washes, when they're washed off you're left with the smoothest, plumpest skin.

Today I'm reviewing Sactuary's Therapist's Secret Facial Oil. I've never been to one of their spas before, but according to their website this is the secret to their spa facials.

What really drew me to this product was the packaging. It's very grown-up and classic looking bottle looks beautiful on my dressing table and I find the dropper on the top really helpful and much easier to use than if I had to pour it on my hand. It's simple, cleaner and gives you the right amount of product. Inside the bottle, the oil is said to include a 'potent' mixture of different oils; sunflower, jojoba, rosehip and wheatgerm oil.  

I prefer products I use to have little or no scent, or to be natural. I know that a floral scent is indicative that it's very natural but I still dislike it. That is how this smells, however, I let my friend use it and she really liked it so it's really about personal taste. 

You do not have to use a lot of this, I use the dropper (love this) and put a single drop on three or four fingers and rub it together with the finger tips of my other hand and pat around my face. Then I smooth it all in and those areas I thought were so oily before just soak it right up and my skin fells really hydrated. Normally I'd use oils only at night but I like using this in the morning, before I put on my foundation. I think it gives a really healthy glow. Another thing I decided to do, only because I love it so much, was to put a few drops in with my body moisturiser. This was really moisturising and much easier than using oil all over the body, it lasts longer that way, too. I would say though that it's not particularly better or worse than other facial oils, but I like how natural this product is and how many oils have been packed into it. And, I can say that it has made my skin look better the longer I've been using it.

The bottle is 30ml and I bought it from Boots for £17.35. You can get it here. I've been using a couple of Sanctuary's products one of which is also from the Youth Boosting Facial range which I'll review when I've used them long enough. Have you had great results from this product like me?

BACK

It has been eight months and I'm deciding now, at 10pm ish on Saturday the 25th of August to start blogging more. It might just be boring things about my life, but I love the look of my thoughts written down. Starting second year of Uni in September. Now the PRESIDENT of the Film Club, learning piano, going to the gym. That's about it. Sure can't afford the newest beauty products. But I'll be uploading pictures of what I've been doing and what I will be doing, beauty, fashion, food, life related.

Hello!
Hope you are all having a good week so far! I definitely am! Last night I went with my friend Jen to see Russell Howard at the SECC.

See? It's really him! We were actually pretty close to the front, I thought the seats I'd chosen were raised seats but they weren't, he was of course hilarious, I won't say much just in-case you ever go and see the show, 'Right Here, Right Now' it's called, so he came out to this. I think my favourite part of the show was when he talked about how on the rare occasion his girlfriend gets drunk she makes their dog dance and how the dog can tell it's about to happen. There's no way I can describe it so it sounds as funny as he made it sound so I won't bother.

I bought a T-shirt too! It's a guys t-shirt but I thought I could wear it to sleep in! Anyway the night was great, everything was so well timed, we drank a lot and we just had such a good laugh. Definitely a brilliant night.

OK, so I mentioned the Deborah Lippmann nail-polish in my last post that I got with my December glossy box, I really love it but it's a nightmare because it chips really easily and it's extremely difficult to get it off. So I thought I'd do myself a favour and just re-do my nails with a different polish.

I posted a while back about the NARS Drop Dead Gorgeous Set that I bought but didn't post any samples. So here is CHINATOWN, a lovely deep red/plum shade. This nail-polish set is brilliant, I couldn't ask for nail-polish to dry quicker. It's really convenient, especially since I had to paint three layers, although it could maybe have even done with four.

As you can see I treated myself to something from my Christmas list - this is quite a sad thing, to be honest - I went for the Liz Earle skin-care set, finally, and OH MY GOD. I love it. It's so brilliant, I can't believe the different the Cleanse and Polish Hot cloth cleanser does to my skin. It's great because the muslin cloths do quite a decent job at exfoliating, I've never used muslin cloths before and I am so in love with them. There isn't really a scent to the cleanser which I prefer. It is so moisturising and it left my skin really plump and glowing. I have truly never used anything as good. Afterwards I used Instant Boost Skin Tonic Spritzer. Make sure you cover your hair before you spray this all over your face, obviously, and once your done you can leave it to dry or wipe it off, I don't think it matters, I left it to dry anyway and this is the MOST softening toner I've used yet that didn't make my pores look bigger. Finally, the moisturiser. Oh, the moisturiser. It's so good to me, I love it. First of all, although it doesn't really matter it has a lovely smell. It reminds me of something from when I was younger but I can't place it. This moisturiser is so lovely, it sinks in quickly, it isn't at all greasy and you definitely don't need to use too much, also I used this on my eye area and my eyes weren't watering and tired feeling afterwards. Always good! It makes your skin so soft feeling great on dry areas and oily areas. I posted before I wanted the moisturiser for dry skin but I changed my mind after testing it on my hand in the shop. I thought maybe it would be a little too much and I'm glad I went for the Normal/Combination moisturiser as it's perfect for me. I can NOT recommend this enough. It's the best skin products I've ever used, and I've used a LOT.

I also decided to treat myself to a new perfume as I have gone right off Thierry Mugler's Womanity, which is a shame since I only bought it about a month and a half ago. I went for Marc Jacob's Daisy Eau so Fresh. I have tested Daisy before and felt nohting for it but I love this one. It's so sweet smelling. I don't know anything about perfume, but The Perfume Shop, where I bought it from, says the Heart notes are wild rose, violet and apple blossom. Violet is one of my favourite scents actually - I also love Parma Violets. Top notes are raspberry, grapefruit and pear and the Base notes are Plum, Cedarwood and Musk. They say this is a Fruity Floral scent. I dunno, whatever, I just love it. Whenever I get a sweet smelling perfume and I let my mum smell it she ALWAYS says it smells like YSL's Paris, now I've smelled this and I hate it, so, she's wrong. She says it must be because of the lavender - no lavender in this. She's so silly. I normally don't really like big sets that come with moisturisers but I can't believe how much I love the lotion that comes with this, it's only 75ml and I love it, it lasts for ages and is really similar to the perfume, but also different in it's own way. I think if it was exactly the same people would think you had sprayed yourself too much. I was also really happy to get the little miniature perfume with this, I'm saying perfume it's an eau de toilette, anyway, they made a lot of effort with this miniature as it has a flower topper too. I've been searching for the lotion online and it's £22 for 150ml most places, I have seen a few on eBay but I keep missing them because I'm not there. And me, the eBay princess (not queen yet) of all people. Very disappointing.

So, if you feel like buying me a present for no reason then the lotion would be great (wishful thinking).
I'm going to finish watching Love Actually now, my favourite parts are when Liam Neeson tries to help his step-son with the girl he loves. Why is it when Liam Neeson plays a dad he is always a really awesome one?
I have an early night tonight because I STILL have this Games Programming coursework to finish. After some thinking I've decided to get the bus again after my pretty bad experience last week, never felt so sick in ages! I just think this would make much more sense if I'm wearing wedged boots as it takes me straight to Uni!

Anyway, I hope you're all in a wintery, cosy mood and relaxing lots, I can't wait to join you when I'm finished all this rubbish work!
xxx

December Glossy Box and other things

Hello lovelies, I am so pleased to have more followers, I am just having the best week! Uni is almost over for me and I'm feeling proud of myself for getting through the rest of this term and getting my coursework done when I didn't feel up to it at all. But that's gone now. I have been doing well on my diet and although at first it was really the heart break diet, when that feeling was gone I still managed to stick to my diet and now I feel great. On Sunday me and my friend are going to see Russell Howard at the SECC and I really can not way, that is really my idea of fun! I am not really into going out and drinking loads and I hate crowded places, that's just me though and I know everyone is different!
I have just downloaded spotify, it's quite good apart from the ads, I bet most people think I'm putting it to waste though... I keep listening to Cher Lloyd's 'With Ur Love' I like that, that spelling of your. I don't care anyway! It's soo catchy and I'll never be one of those Kerrang/NME readers, I mean I love movies way more than I like music and I'd never read a magazine about them and I bet there would be so much more to say about movies too. Which is clearly why these people are just show offs...

OK, so this months Glossy Box arrived

It's been my favourite so far because I actually liked EVERYTHING that came in it. Also, they changed the box to red for Christmas, aw! This box was so worth £10 (not including p&p...) and let me show you why!

First of all I was so excited to see this in the box, a full size mascara called Nouveau Lashes. The shade I was given was black which I was glad of. The brush size is small and I prefer these sort of brushes, I tried it out quickly and it was really quite good, but next time I'll make more effort to sit down and use it but so far I really like what I've seen. The full size product which I was sent costs £14.99. Already with this I get more than my moneys worth, but there is more goodies!!

A product from Rituals! Yay! I love their website and so wanted to get some things, I'm glad it was a bath product because that collection has been on my eyes for a while. This is their T'ai Chi White Lotus & Green Tea foaming shower gel sensation. I liked this I used it this very night and while it wasn't very moisturising it was very cleansing and fresh. The scent was a little overpowering and it really just reminded me of Imperial Leathers Foamburst Japanese Spa which I have used before but this product was worse than not moisturising because it actually made my skin more dry, not good. So I'd really like to try some of the other foaming shower gels in the range and I really quite like the packaging, there's also a Dragon Mud body scrub of theirs I've got my eyes on.
Also, be careful of this, it went all over the place, I swear that's the product on my floor not something else. Haaa.... ew.

I was also sent this lipgloss by Cargo in shade Paris. I would never have chosen this for myself but I really, really like it. It's really pretty and has a little bit of colour and it's really shimmery. It's just pretty!

Probably my favourite product in the box was Deborah Lippman's Razzle Dazzle mini nail varnish. As you can see for yourself it's gorgeous and great if you have a poor technique because it's gritty tecture means you can just slap it on all over the place. A Stripped to Go sachet was also sent with this, it says for a pack of just six of these is £14, that's a bit ridiculous I think. Please excuse my short nails, three of them decided to snap off last week so I had to cut the others down to match.

First Aid Beauty or FAB's face cleanser was a nice surprise too, as skin care is what I like most out of all beauty products. Obviously, if your skin is good, make-up can only make it look better. This smelled really, really bad, it smelled exactly like Clinique's cleanser from the 3 part skin care routine of theirs which I hated. It really smells like sick. As a cleanser it was OK but I have used much better. You can see the whole range at Boots.
Finally, I think the best thing about this Glossy Box was there was no perfume samples. I'm kidding, poor old Glossy Box tries its best.

Bydaway, there is a Glossy Box for men which, if you have a boyfriend, would be so cute to get for him because I bet he'd love it even if he only does it to make you laugh as you try out the different products on him! Boys can be sweet like that!

I bought a few other goodies this week!

Oh my GOSH how lovely are these shoes, I bought them from Accessorize for £26. These are the prettiest little things I've ever seen, perfect for prancing around Paris!

I also got this scarf from Accessorize, what can I say, it was 3 for 2 that day. Although I'm not going to show you what else I got, I don't want to show you everything I wear! After telling my mum the little story of how I shall wear my shoes to Paris she tried to come up with something cute sounding for this scarf, she said I can wear it in late summer nights to cover my shoulders when it gets a little breezy. Aw!

I bought a few cosmetic bags to start storing all of my things into, it's better than just having everything scattered everywhere and also they were cute. Next time I think I'll give more thought into it and search for something with compartments, but I really did need these because I keep on buying make-up and products!

Also I am going to become a dentist.
Sorry, no really I bought these for my own teeth because I really want to have sparkling white teeth, I have used Blanx toothpaste before and it's really good.

You may also be wondering how I got on with the new Herbal Essences care range. One word to describe it would be shite, but I'll try a bit harder and say that it made my hair crispy, too puffy on top, my short layers looked like I had some sort of mullet and the lengths were all fluffy and straight. I would say if you have the sort of hair that it says this product would be good for, then don't get it and if you have really fine hair then go for it.

Apart from that I have just been having some fun and like I said can't wait for the weekend! Oh, also, I have become a little addicted to looking at meme sites, when I have the time to now... Seriously can not stop laughing at these stupid things, as well as that, after having a really good discussion with my Games Programming module leader I found it interesting how games programming works which is so not what I wanted to happen...
Anyway I hope everyone else who gets their monthly Glossy Box enjoyed theirs as much as me, if you are in need of a good laugh I will leave you with Scumbag Steve, or Blake Boston, who thinks Scumbag Steve is his alter ego... ‎'I think the original person who made up Scumbag Steve was actually trying to ruin me, because I'm an aspiring hip-hop artist.' Yeah, they did it out of jealousy. xxx

Hope everyone has had a lovely week, today I visited my gran with my mum, my gran stays in Biggar. She was recently in hospital for a month she's back home now after having a few renovations done to her house to make things easier. She fell a couple of days ago and hit her head, she had her alert necklace so that was OK and someone came to help her up. I do love my gran very much she is so wonderful and funny, I think she is such a cool gran but I am also really worried about her and a bit upset that these things are happening. Before we left she told me she loves me to bits, I definitely am closer to her than my brothers are, I visit her quite a lot actually, I'm a pretty great grand-daughter! But she makes it so easy. Anyway, I took my little brother around the shops as they have some really cute, unique shops in Biggar.

First we went to Plaisir I picked out a locket for my gran to give me for Christmas and bought my brother a dinosaur origami kit... it's what he wanted. Look at the website and you can see some picture from inside the shop, the staff are sooo friendly. They also do a free gift-wrapping service and since the present was for John I let him pick. Of course he chose the least Christmassy looking paper.

Next we went to Cloud Nine and I bought some lovely candles, they have the fanciness of Diptyque candles but without the price they were both £6.99 and pretty large. I don't really like scented candles, I really just like candles for their cosy glow. These are scented amber and smell dark and wintery.

Finally to Atkinson Pryce bookshop and this is a really proper old looking bookshop it's lovely and has a little fireplace. The children's section has to be the best it's full of cute little finds. I bought four books and also two books yesterday from Tesco (the two with the £11 stickers).

I have read a book by Sarah Waters before The Night Watch set during the 40s around the second world war and it follows 3 women and one man in London. It's so great I love the setting, that's all I'll say, definitely read it. I've started reading Fingersmith already because the really nice lady in the shop told me it's absolutely brilliant. I am finding the language hard - 1862, it just makes the story go so slow. Anyway it's about an orphan and she was brought up by and around petty thieves. Thieving is all that has happened so far. I'll persevere. I also bought Night Circus, it's a circus that is only on at night and everything in it is black and white, it's also set in the 1800's, I like circus' and I think they seem really exciting especially old ones, maybe this is my obsession with The Famous Five that makes me think they're so special. The Catcher in the Rye only because I've always wanted a copy of it rather than the one that I once renewed for about a year from the Library. I think this book is hilarious and the character is complicated but he reminds me of another complicated boy I know. There's also a new Sherlock Holmes book there that's meant to be set after he is dead, I bet lots of people no doubt threw a fit over this book, but I haven't read any of the original ones, although I have always intended to.

I'm also reading...

I get this for the pictures and the beauty section, definitely not for the clothes, although I can still look. My favourite magazine is Glamour, for the price, the funny articles and balance between affordable and expensive pieces as well as all the other junk they cram into it is so worth £2. Unlike the £4.10 I paid for Vogue. I really wanted it for the interview with Florence Welch.
I can enjoy this with some G&Ts later on.

Yeahhhh.

Well we got our Christmas TreeS up, yes more than one. I bought one because my mum said she'd like another one in our dining room/family room thing. We just really call it the extension.

I absolutely do not believe my mum when she says she had John help her, more like she yelled out co-ordinates. Why so perfect?! We used to have loads of old baubles she kept some, but only ones that matched her red and gold theme.

Here is mine

I like mine, it's cute I think but not too bright. I have had a lot of my own baubles for years and never used them, that probably sounds sad. So I really only had to buy the 4ft tree which was £15 from Homebase, two bits of tinsel some fairy lights and my angel, and oh man, how cute is she? Kind of ugly too. I should have been decorating this tree with someone special at our own place, regret can make you feel sick.

Finally this week I bought a few new things, on Friday I bought this new top from Dorothy Perkins.

I got some Vaseline intensive rescue moisture locking body lotion for dry and very dry skin. It says it's new but I dunno how new, but this stuff is great, it really DOES sink in quickly which I love and the vaseline moisturisers always smell so nice. I used this on my patch of eczema on my hand last night and it wasn't itchy at all today. I know, EWWW, eczema, I've never had eczema before and then it appeared about a few months ago, I think it's stress. The simple face wipes just for days when I don't plan on wearing any make-up and I can freshen up in the morning. The simple face wipes are the best I've ever tried, they make my pores look really clean and don't leave my skin dry, shiny and red.

Finally saw an ad for this and was tempted, I haven't used it yet and I will review this but I guess the whole point of this is to not then straighten or curl your hair, so it would have to be really smoothing if you have rough hair. I can tell how I'll probably feel about this already, I'll hate it. But I'll give it a shot, who knows

Oh, I can NOT stop listening to Ed Sheeran's Lego House on spotify. I don't know what I like better, the lyrics or the video where Rupert Grint plays a crazed fan who dresses like him, styles his hair like him, breaks into his tour bus and chews on some used chewing gum of Ed's.
If you were to go onto my old Sims games, in a lot of the houses you'd find Rupert and Nicole Grint. HAHA. 'Buns of steel and washboard abs. Rupert received 1 Body Skill point!' And you are all welcome, clearly that paid off, he looks good.
Me and my mum were listening to this song on the way home from my grans today, 'Oh, that reminds me I have a paint by numbers from last year I've still to use'. 'That's what you got from this song, mum? Also, PAINT BY NUMBERS??' She is so cute.