New Year resolutions: 2014

Last year I wrote a New Years resolution post, so I thought this year I would do the same. It's nice posting it on my blog as then I can look back over it at the end of the year, or just throughout the year, to see how I am doing!

Exercise

During 2014 I definitely want to be more active. Last year I used to walk for about 2 hours per day and I really enjoyed it. Now I'm working though, it's only a 30 minute walk from my house and if I stay at my boyfriends, I only walk 20 minutes! My eating isn't that healthy, so I would like to improve that as well, but my main focus is being more fit and active.

Blog

I absolutely love blogging, so I definitely want to carry on improving throughout this year. Blogging makes me feel very happy and I love chatting to you all and seeing the lovely comments you leave on my posts. I am also going to try and carry on improving my Youtube videos. I posted a New Years Eve makeup tutorial the other week which was so fun to film and a type of video I had never done before!

Money

Save more money. I am pretty good at saving money when I set my mind to it, however over Christmas I tend to spend a little too much! I want to focus on saving lots during this next year so I can put it away for the future.

Travel

I love discovering and visiting new places, so travelling more is something I would love to do. It doesn't have to be far, I just like going to places I have never been before. This year I am possibly going to Ireland again which will be great. My boyfriend and I are planning on going away to a couple of places and we always go on fun days out!

Please let me know your New Year goals and resolutions in the comments below!

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Beauty giveaway

When I reached 1000 followers, I started buying some products to do a giveaway with. I kept looking for more products to buy to add to the giveaway and I just never got around to doing it! I thought I would do a nice little giveaway for you today with the products I bought because I think you will like them.

These are all products which I love and use, so I thought they would be lovely things to giveaway. Also, next month is Valentine's day, so if you are going out you could use some of these to get ready!

I am using Rafflecopter for this giveaway so to enter just follow the steps on there.

This giveaway is international!

All you need to do is sign in on the Rafflecopter widget below and complete the entries. Some are compulsory and others will just give you extra extries.

There will be one winner and I will contact them within 24 hours of the giveaway ending.

This giveaway will run for 3 weeks, so from 5th January to 26th January. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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MaryJane Fashion

I am definitely getting into fashion a lot more since I started blogging. My blog mainly started as a beauty blog, however I am starting to do outfit posts and write about fashion more often now! I find it really inspiring and I love seeing all the new trends.

Recently I discovered Mary Jane fashion and their clothes look lovely! They pride themselves on offering a vast collection of fashion, including the latest trends and mens fashion.

I am constantly wearing tights with skirts or dresses lately, however when I want to change it up, I always go for skinny jeans or leggings as I find them so comfy and easy to wear.

They have a great range of skinny jeans online which are such a good price! I usually go for black or acid wash jeans and their blue acid wash jeans look exactly like something I would wear. In the description of the item, they even give you ideas of which clothes you could pair them with.

There are some lovely cute printed leggings from MaryJane fashion. They have a huge variety, ranging from velvet, tartan, floral and even disco style leggings! I was so tempted to try disco pants for a very long time, however they are quite pricey, so these would be a great way to try out something similar.

My favourite leggings may have to be the velvet ones I put in the photo above. I have a velvet skirt and I love it, so it would be great to have more velvet items in my wardrobe! The ones above are high-waisted because I think they would be more comfortable and flattering, however they have a non high-waisted version too.

There is one high-street store in Bolton High Street, however if you spend £25 online, you receive free delivery which is brilliant!

I would love to know your favourite places to shop for clothes online.

- Sponsored post -

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New Year advertising offer

Happy New Year! I thought to celebrate the start of 2014, I would do a special New Years offer on my advertising prices.
 

I am going to be offering 40% off all advertising spaces purchased in January! If you would like to book a space, please email me. The different advertising packages I offer can be found on my advertising page, which includes all the details of what each package provides.

The discounted prices will be as follows:

Exclusive - £6

Large - £4.20

Medium - £2.40

Small - £1.20

 

I hope you are all having a lovely day and had a wonderful New Years Eve yesterday! I am going to be posting my New Year resolutions at the end of this week, so keep a look out for that if you would like to know what they are.

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What I got for Christmas

I really enjoy reading what other people have been given for Christmas, so I thought I would write my own 'What I got for Christmas' post. I did this last year and a lot of you seemed to like it. I personally love reading them as I always spot a few products that I add to my list of things to buy!

Beauty

I didn't ask for much makeup this year, so my parents only bought me a couple of things. First of all I received the Max Factor Creme Puff powder which I have heard lots of lovely things about. I have only used it a few times so far and it seems lovely. Also, I received the Clarins Graphic Expression face & blush palette. Both of these products I wore on Christmas day, so you can see me wearing them here.

I received some lovely skincare items this year. My Granny very kindly bought me the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish which is my favourite cleanser! I ran out of it earlier this year so was very pleased to receive it. On my Christmas list I asked for the Origins Ginzing moisturiser and Origins Night-A-Mins moisturiser. My mum managed to find a fantastic gift set with both these moistrisers in, plus a mini Ginzing eye cream and Drink-Up Intensive Overnight mask. It's not very often I see a gift set where I love every single product, however this one is perfect.

I love little Christmas gift sets and I was lucky enough to receive a nice Soap & Glory set which I am excited to use!

I received two perfumes this year. A few months ago I was in town with my mum smelling perfumes and I chose Hugo Boss Jour as one I really liked. I also received Avon Little Black Dress. I like using Avon perfumes as they aren't very expensive at all, so perfect for throwing in my handbag and using throughout the day to top up!

Finally for beauty products, I received the Body Shop Hemp hand cream from my Granny which is my favourite hand cream! I mentioned it in my Best beauty products of 2013 post. My boyfriends mum was extremely lovely and made me up a little stocking. Inside was lots of chocolate and also two Avon Frizz Control shampoos.

Other bits and bobs!

Every year from my parents I receive a calender and the one I love having lately is Fred and Ginger! I find it so cute and funny. They also bought me a desk calender for my desk at work. I received a couple of jumpers from them and one of them I wore as part of my Christmas day outfit!

I got a beautiful little charm for my Pandora bracelet. It's a little silver reindeer and 'Merry Christmas' is engraved on the bottom of the charm. My parents let me go into Build-A-Bear the other month to buy a toy for Christmas and I chose a panda!

Very, very kindly my parents bought me a voucher for a day spa near where we live. They offer wonderful treatments so I am very excited to go! My dad bought a voucher for my mum as well, so we will probably go there for the day together!

My boyfriend bought me some lovely things. In November we went to Birmingham for the weekend which was an early present for me. He also bought me some Christmas jumpers, teddy bears, a photo of us on a canvas and a ridiculous amount of chocolate! The whole box in the photo above is stuffed full with chocolate, plus I have three giant Thorntons reindeer, Santa and snowman that wont fit in.

I would love to know what you received for Christmas this year!

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Christmas day makeup

I mentioned in my Christmas day outfit post that I would write about the makeup I wore that day, so here it is!

For my face makeup, I wore Laura Mercier Silk Crème foundation, Collection Lasting Perfection concealer and my Bobbi Brown Corrector. To set all of that I used my new Max Factor Crème Puff powder which I received for Christmas! I am planning to review this once I have used it more. Finally I used another product I received for Christmas - my Clarins Graphic Expression face and blush palette which is currently on sale here!

I kept my makeup pretty natural. My eyes just had some L'Oreal Superliner for definition and my Max Factor Clump Defy mascara. I dusted some Mac Charcoal Brown through my eyebrows and set them with Maybelline Browdrama.

I kept my lips very bare, just popping some of my tinted lip balm on them.

I would love to know what makeup products you received or used on Christmas day!

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Christmas party makeup, hair & nails

I recently posted my Christmas party outfit and mentioned that I was going to post an accompanying makeup, hair and nails post. On a daily basis I tend to keep my makeup very natural, so I like making it a little more special when I go out for events.

Makeup



For foundation I went for my Bobbi Brown Longwear foundation because I knew this one would stay put all night. This is the only foundation that I apply with a traditional foundation brush, as I find it works a lot better than a buffing brush. I then used my Bobbi Brown Corrector underneath my eyes and my Collection Lasting Perfection concealer on any redness and blemishes.

I set this all with my Rimmel Stay Matte powder. I love this powder, especially when my makeup needs to last a while. I then dusted some of the Hourglass Ambient powder all over my skin. I don't like my face to be too matte, however my skin does get very oily so I find the best combination for me is to control the oil with a matte powder, then add some radiance powder to brighten my skin and stop it looking too matte.

To add some colour to my face, I buffed in some Dior Nude Tan Bronzer and applied a little bit of Nars Deep Throat blush on the apples of my cheeks.

Eye shadow is something I don't wear on an everyday basis, but when it comes to parties and meals, I always rely on my Mac eye shadows and an Urban Decay Naked palette. I wore Mac Bare Study paint pot and Mac Naked Lunch all over my lid. I then added some Woodwinked to the outer corner, crease and a little bit on my lower lash line.

To add a little definition to my upper lash line, I used my L'Oreal Superliner. Sometimes I prefer to use a black eye shadow as it's a little softer, however I decided to go for a liquid liner as it adds more definition and I felt it may last longer without smudging.

As there was a disco and it may get warm, I decided to wear a waterproof mascara to prevent any smudging. I only own one which is my Max Factor Clump Defy. I wear this very regularly anyway as it separates, lengthens and thickens my lashes.

I like my eyebrows to be defined, but I didn't want them too dark as my eyes and lips were darker than I usually go for. I used my Mac Charcoal Brown eye shadow through them and then set them with my new Maybelline Browdrama which I really like, as it defines my eyebrows without being too noticeable and full on.

I decided to wear a lip-gloss rather than a lipstick, so I went for Barry M Coral. I like this lip-gloss as it's very glossy and not sticky at all.

Hair

I don't really do a lot with my hair on a daily basis but I like making more of an effort for events. I washed and dried my hair in the morning and then before the meal in the evening, I used my Cloud Nine straighteners to straighten my hair, adding a little curl at the ends.

Nails

For my nails I wore my Deborah Lippmann 'Across the Universe' nail polish. I wore this over the top of Barry M 'Navy' as I don't find it opaque enough on it's own. I like wearing my Deborah Lippmann nail polish at Christmas as I think it looks really festive!

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Christmas day outfit 2013

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas day yesterday! I always spend Christmas day with my family and I thought I would show you what I wore. We all spent the afternoon at my Auntie and Uncle's house for Christmas lunch, so we don't tend to dress up massively.

My parents bought me such an adorable Christmas jumper this year from Topshop, so I decided to wear that. It's so soft and comfy, plus it's covered in cute little gingerbread men!

Underneath this I wore my Urban Outfitters pinafore style dress. I like wearing dresses under jumpers as it's an extra layer to keep me warm, plus it looks pretty. I am planning on writing a Winter Outfits post soon, so you will definitely see more photos of this dress as I wear it a lot!

I just wore black tights with this, plus some little black shoes from Newlook.

For jewellery I had on my everyday bracelets from Pandora, Monica Vinader and some cute ones from little shops. My parents kindly bought me a new Pandora charm for my bracelet which is so sweet! It's a little reindeer and it says Merry Christmas.

I have taken photos of my makeup, so I will post that up soon. I hope you're all having a fun Boxing Day!

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Christmas party outfit 2013

Christmas is my favourite time of year, so I thought I'd do another Christmas party outfit post like last year!

My work decided to go for a meal and disco this year for Christmas which was lovely and my boyfriend came along with me! The meal was delicious and the disco was so fun, it was a great evening.
 

I am planning on posting a separate, more in-depth post on my makeup, hair and nails for the Christmas party, so please let me know if that is something you would like to see!

Discos usually get quite warm, so I decided to go for a top and jacket rather than a jumper, therefore if I got too hot I could take my jacket off! My top is from Monki which I bought about a year ago now. It's really lightweight and floaty which I like.

My jacket is from Primark and I really like it. I think it looks like a casual blazer which was perfect for the meal. The colours went well with my top and it kept me nice and warm.

I decided to pair this all with my velvet skater skirt from Topshop. This is exactly the same skirt I wore to my Christmas party last year! I think velvet is quite festive and the skirt is very comfy to wear.

It was really cold outside so I decided to wear black tights. I was going to wear nude but they were so thin, whereas my black ones are warm and thick!

For shoes I went for my nude patent Kurt Geiger heels. I like wearing these for meals as they are low enough for me to walk in and I think they look smart and nice. I don't think black tights and nude shoes always look that good together but I was too cold for nude tights!

Finally for jewellery I wore my everyday bracelets and my little owl necklace. I don't wear necklaces very often but I think this one is really cute and dainty. I also took a little black clutch bag which I forgot to photograph!

 

I hope you are all having a wonderful day and are looking forward to Christmas tomorrow! I will post my Christmas day outfit soon. Let me know if you went to a Christmas party and what you wore, as I'd love to know.

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Meet My Advertisers | August

Hello! Today I'm going to introduce you to my two lovely advertisers this month :) 

The links to their blogs are below and it would be so lovely if you pop over and say hello!

Curl and Pearls

Hey everybody, I write fashion, lifestyle and beauty reviews/posts over at curlandpearls.blogspot.co.uk. I have made a few changes to my blog over the last week or so, so I’d love for you to have a look and let me know what you think.

Twitter

Instagram

The Caribbean Flower

Hello everyone! My name is Zoe and I blog at The Caribbean Flower. My blog consists of makeup reviews, fashion reviews of collections and students posts since I am a sophomore in University. I've been blogging since about six months and I absolutely love it because thanks to it I have made incredible friends from all over the world who share my same interests as well as my love for makeup. If you'd like to see a bit more of that you can hop on my blog to check it out if you'd like. Thanks for reading! 

Zoe | The Caribbean Flower 

I hope you have enjoyed meeting my two lovely advertisers this month! This has been quite a busy month for me as it was my birthday this week and I have also been to London for a couple of days as a holiday!

If you would like to advertise with me next month then I still have spaces so you can email me at beautybeckyblog@gmail.com :) All of the packages I offer are here.

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Skincare Routine: Evening

Hello! Todays post is going to be my evening skincare routine. If you would like to read more about my skin type and products I use in the morning then I wrote a morning skincare routine post the other week! I love reading skincare posts and seeing which products work for other people so I hope you enjoy this.

I start off by cleansing my skin and recently I have been using the Soap and Glory Peaches and Clean cleanser. I used to use my Emma Hardie cleanser morning and evening, however my mum bought this so I tried it and I really like it! It definitely doesn't feel as luxurious as the Emma Hardie balm but I love the texture as it's very soft and creamy. I usually use a muslin cloth with this to remove it which I find works well and it removes face and waterproof eye makeup brilliantly! Also, it smells so yummy!

When I bought my Origins Ginzing moisturiser, I also bought the High Potency Night-A-Mins cream for the evening. I absolutely love this moisturiser and it smells incredible! I have never been happy with my moisturisers before but I am really happy with my morning and evening Origins ones. This feels very hydrating and nourishing on my skin without leaving it greasy or heavy! I bought the oil free version as my skin is combination and for drier skin there is a non oil free one!

The eye cream I use is the Origins Ginzing eye cream. I also use this in the morning so spoke about it a lot in my morning skincare post. You can pop over there if you'd like to read about it to save me rambling again!

Finally I thought I would also mention the lip balm I use because I love this! I mentioned this a while ago in my lip balms post and have been using it religiously ever since! I use this morning, during the day and then I use a lot at night as I find it really hydrates my lips and leaves them nice and soft.

That's everything I use in the evening on my skin, I hope you have enjoyed this post! I am planning on writing a skincare post of extras such as masks, treatments and more targeted products so please let me know if you would like me to write that!

I hope you're all having a lovely day and please let me know in the comments what your favourite skincare products are!

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Skincare Routine: Morning

Hello! I hope you are all having a great week and summer! I am back from my holiday to Ireland which was so much fun. I thought I would write a skincare post for you because I am so happy with this routine and haven't changed it for months now which is very rare for me!

This post is going to be my morning skincare routine! My morning routine is very short so I thought I would do another post on my evening skincare routine and masks/treatments as well if you would like to read one of those! 

My skin is combination as my nose gets very oily throughout the day and the rest of my face is pretty normal. I do get the occasional breakout now and then, however my skin has actually been very good and clear since I have been using all of these products!

I start the morning by cleansing my face using my Emma Hardie Amazing Face Cleansing Balm. I absolutely love this cleanser and I can honestly say it is the best I have ever tried! It is fairly expensive though so if you know of any other cleansing balms that are nice then please let me know! I do love this one though as my skin is left feeling so soft and hydrated. It also removes all of my makeup, including waterproof eye makeup very easily and gently so I don't need a separate makeup remover.

I recently bought the Origins Ginzing Energy Boosting Moisturiser which is amazing! Moisturisers are the one product I have never been happy with. I am constantly trying different moisturisers and I never repurchase the same one twice. I bought this one about 2 months ago now though and it is my favourite as it works so well for my skin! It is oil free and leaves my skin looking hydrated and radiant without being at all greasy.

Finally, the eye cream I use is the Origins Ginzing eye cream. I rediscovered this about a month ago and I have fallen back in love with it! I had a mini one which I took with me on holiday and then when I got home I found my full size and have been using it since. This is a lovely eye cream as it's so refreshing and gentle around the eyes. You may know I was using the Elemental Herbology eye elixir before I went on holiday which I still have and it's lovely, however it's expensive and I just don't think it's worth it!

That is it for my morning skincare routine! The only thing I would like to incorporate into this is a toner, so please leave me a comment if you have any recommendations. Also let me know if you would be interested in an evening routine post :)

I hope you are all having a lovely day! Let me know in the comments below your favourite skincare products!

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