Month In Review - June

This month has flown by! I can't believe I'm writing my second little month in review post! Last months was quite a hit and I really enjoyed putting it together so I'm definitely going to keep it up and share my top 3's every month.

3 things I enjoyed this month

1. Discovering the VSCO CAM app and other photo editing apps on my iPhone (instagram doesn't count). I've been having a lot of fun this month taking pictures on my iPhone and editing them with various apps! My favourite has to be the vsco app as the effects are really something special, I also like PicFrame which I didn't realise had some amazing filters until a few days ago! 

2. Passing my first year of university! That was a nice little bit of news this month :)

3. Seeing my pets! Yes that really is a highlight of my month! We travelled down to 'flatland' (Cambridgeshire, where there isn't a hill in sight) for the summer, and I haven't seen my kitty cats and puppy for so long! I really missed having animals around at uni this year. I've been surrounded by pets since day 1 (at one point we had 5 cats!) and as this year went by seeing any animal drove me to a sappy mess of 'awwww's!'.

3 blogs I really loved reading this month
Sparkly Vodka  /  A Beautiful Mess  /  Plastic Hearts

3 posts I enjoyed writing this month
Art Appreciation / My first Giveaway! (go enter!!) / Empties #1

3 things I really wished for this monthEbay maxi skirt / This Works 5-in-1 water / Clarins Lotus oil
3 things I bought this monthREN clearcalm 3 clay cleanser  /  Mini size Liquid Gold  /  A Joliebox subscription 

I thought I'd keep it brief with simple links for you to click and enjoy instead of huge bulks of text about each thing, if you do only click a few things though, I REALLY recommend you check out those blogs! Caroline of Sparkly Vodka's photography style and lovely reviews make for an amazing afternoon read, A Beautiful Mess has been one of my favourite blogs for years, so inspiring! & finally, A new discovery, Hayley of Plastic hearts has a wonderful blog, I read the whole thing in one go, she needs more followers! :)

Hope you're having a great weekend! Don't forget to enter my first giveaway!!!
xo Annabel

P.S. How gorgeous is that rose from my neighbours garden? I love orange roses :)

A celebratory thank-you giveaway!

 

So a few days ago I hit the iconic 100 Google friend connect followers. It's odd how your blog is judged by that follower count. I'm nearly at 300 thanks to secret google reader followers I discovered (hello there!) ;)

I thought it was time to say thank-you to all my beautiful followers (yes, you!) and offer up something I've made with my own two hands!

I've decided to offer up one of my spiked gemstone collar necklaces, as I now have 4 different coloured stones for you to choose from so you're bound to find one you like! :)
There's the original Opalite (pearly white) Kyanite (blue) and then I got 2 new strings of gemstone spikes a few days ago, Amethyst (purple) and the Jasper (polka dot cream). I love them! There's more  stones/colours I'd love to get my paws on, including quartz, goldstone, green agate and some tourmaline but I should probably just calm down a bit first! ;)

The winner will get to choose their stone of choice and colour of chain (gold/silver) to be made into a necklace like the ones in my shop here.
The rules are you must be a follower of my blog to enter! that's mandatory, as it's a special giveaway for followers of course. There's a few extra entries you can earn such as tweeting, or leaving a comment.

This is a rafflecopter giveaway so if you're in a reader you'll need to click here to see my blog and the post! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

(You must follow my blog via GFC or hellocotton to enter, these are the only methods I can see followers individually, sorry to my RSS and bloglovin followers you'll have to follow another way to enter, there is an extra entry for bloglovin followers though!)

Good luck! the giveaway will run for 2 weeks and I will then announce the winner on the 13th of July!

xo Annabel

Insta-Wednesday

1. Warming up  2. Weird face & wonky glasses  3. Mint M&M's4. lights  5. face out of stones  6. car journey with that..7. Lancashire  8. the BEST crisps  9. he fell asleep sat up!
I don't instagram my life all day everyday, it takes me a while to get enough pictures for a post like this!  As you cans see though, nothing much has happened over here! I'm finally at home and so the pet spam has begun, I'm sorry but in my opinion they're all the most gorgeous animals, anywhere, ever ;).
It's finally starting to warm up again too so I even got to wear my brand new sandals out yesterday! It was only to take the dog for a walk, but it was quite exciting still as I've had them for over 3 weeks now!
Also, I'm having a mini melt down with this southern hard water, my hair and skin feels like crap and I have no idea what to do! I wash my hair it and it's greasy a few hours later, even with clarifying shampoo. Any tips? I don't know how people in London cope, soft water from the north is heavenly water to me now!
xo Annabel - Follow me via bloglovin / hellocotton / twitter / google reader

Stop Cracking Up!

Stop cracking up lip balm from anatomicals - £2.55 from ASOS (though I got mine from boots)
My current lip balm of choice after carmex just wouldn't cut it for my wickedly chapped lips! It was a bargain and you get an awful lot of product = double bargain! 
It contains almond oil, coconut oil and beeswax so is full of moisture replenishing ingredients for your lips. It instantly soothes and makes my my lips smoother, repeated use has really helped my lips when I need it, though I will admit I am awful at remembering to apply lip balm so they probably could be a lot better with regular use!The balm is a clear thick gloss, it lasts a good long while on my lips, however doesn't fare well with eating and drinking. I don't find it too have a scent but it does taste faintly of something but I can't put my finger on it, it's not unpleasant though.
A quick little review of my current favourite balm for you, I think the next lip balm I'll be purchasing will be the NUXE reve de miel, faaancy!
xo Annabel - Follow me via bloglovin / hellocotton / twitter / google reader
PS. I hit 100 google friend connect followers yesterday! Thank you all so much for following my little blog, I'm thinking of a little way to celebrate soon, perhaps offering up a special piece of my jewellery for a lucky follower! :) 

Weekend update.

This weekend has been eventful and at the same time pretty uneventful! I fully moved out of my uni halls yesterday, I've been gone for a few weeks already but still had a few bits hanging around my room and it needed a quick clean to make sure I didn't get charged! (Though I still think I will as there's a huge mark appeared on my wall!) Also, a certain one of my flatmates had gone on holiday and left his washing up by the sink, it was full on green and mouldy - yuck! 
Anyway, after that everything was packed up into the car, including my current luggage, my boyfriend, the dog and more and off we all went to cambridgeshire! It took over 4 hours and was an all round exhausting journey except for a quick stop to good old m&s for snacks! yum ;)I took the above picture as we were leaving my home town, so many pretty hills and little towns in valleys. Everything in cambridgeshire is so flat compared to this, beautiful, but flat! I refer to where my mum now lives as just Cambridgeshire, or just 'near cambridge' because the tiny little village they live in is basically a pin prick on google maps, it doesn't even get a name until your nearly fully zoomed in! We're staying here now for a few weeks, so might have a few pretty pictures to share! We're hopefully going strawberry picking next week which I can't wait for :)
Hope you all had a little bit more of a relaxing weekend than me!xo Annabel

Empties number 1.

I've been hesitant to do an empties/used up/products for the bin, post for a while now. Not sure why, maybe I'm just odd. Maybe it's because this batch is a pretty negative bunch (not everything though!) I'm not one for too much negativity, I try to keep my blog a happy place. I'll try to keep this short and sweet :)

James Brown intensive moisture mask - A poor old forgotten about hair mask that I didn't use nearly often enough, in fact so rarely that it went out of date... by a lot. This was embarrassingly old and smelt a tad funny so to the bin it goes! Would I repurchase? Nah.

Batiste brunette dry shampoo - I do like batiste, the white cast is pretty outdated though and they need to update their formula to be invisible! I won't be repurchasing this at the moment because I can't find a definite answer if they test on animals or not, annoying! Sticking to Superdrug's own for now as I know thats BUAV approved.

Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Relaxing Balm - I used this sample up absolutely ages ago! I really enjoyed using it and felt it did slightly relax my hair instead of it flicking out everywhere. Not sure if I'll repurchase just yet as it's pricey and I'd like to try other things.

Benefit bad gal lash mascara - This is the only mascara I have found to not irritate my eyes at all. I hardly wear mascara because of my glasses and I'm pretty lazy about it. This sample was also another thing desperate for the bin! talk about being out of date. No need to repurchase as I have the full size anyway.

Barry M Liquid Liner (black) - This had dried up a little and the end was all bent so it was hard to use, plus it smudged at the slightest touch.. It didn't irritate my eyes though, so repurchase? maybe if I can't find another alternative. 

Bliss blood orange and white pepper body butter - I think the world knows my love for this by now! the scent, talk about YUM. Repurchase? already have of course! (Cheers land of bargains we know as ebay)

Molton Brown lip balm - This was just 'meh' and I need something better than that for my sahara desert dry lips. Repurchase? Nope.

No7 Beautiful Skin t-zone rescue - This is a product for the bin.... I have no idea why I bought it without looking into it first, curse buying things on a whim! Does absolutely nothing of what it's meant to, perhaps even the opposite. Bin.


So not necessarily all empty, but I discovered this lot when I was cleaning up my uni room ready to move out! 
xo Annabel

Caudalie Grape Water

Caudalie Grape Water - 200ml for £9
I admit I have barely used this since we had that heatwave a few weeks ago, it was perfect for the then swelteringly hot days... that I really do miss. WHERE has the sun gone?? I should not be wearing so many layers to keep warm in June! 
When I bought this I wasn't quite sure what to expect as the product description wasn't all that clear. This is a facial mist. In a can. There, was that so hard? It contains only 2 ingredients as far as I can see, grape fruit water and grape juice.I bought this as a cheaper alternative to the cult Caudalie beauty elixir, which I do own, love, and cry over how expensive it is for such a tiny amount. The grape water is much better value at £9 for 200ml, but it lacks all those beautiful essential oils and fancy ingredients that make the elixer so special. 
This product is described as a soothing, moisturising spray, and that's exactly what it is. It's incredibly cooling when your melting in the heat, it is literally like a breath of fresh air for the skin. I sprayed this all over during our week long summer, every few minutes sometimes, it was pretty much heaven.You will find that this spray, though the mist is fine is still very wet. If you spray it on your face, or go a little overboard, you're gonna look sweaty for a little bit, okay? ;) That's the only downside really, and it's not even that big of a deal!
This isn't anything like the beauty elixer to be honest, so don't go buying it thinking what I did, you'll be sorely disappointed. If however you want a lovely refreshing facial mist that's also nourishing and good for the skin, then do get this! :)
Have you tried any Caudalie products lately? xo Annabel

Art Appreciation

I'm not a photographer in any way... I'd like to be maybe but alas I don't own a fancy enough camera for all of that (when I say I'd like to be, I'm not sure if I mean it, I just mean it would aid my own work which is more often than not digital). I do love looking at some good photography though so today I thought I'd share with you an amazing discovery in the form of Dan Mountford. His double exposure series makes my heart a' flutter! And yes these are real double exposures and not photoshop made! Incredible.

Royal pavillion

Turn your head to the right

Val / Old brighton pier

Take a look at more of his work perhaps? Facebook / Behance / Flickr

xo Annabel

Wake up with Clarins Wake-up Booster!

Hello it's me again! Just working my way through my reviews of the Clarins Daily Energizer range! Today's post is on (what a surprise!) the Wake-Up Booster. The fancy named toner from the range that I'm not quite sure is actually a toner.
First up, like all the range it smells pretty amazing, very refreshing to... as the name would suggest, wake you up! because of that I only use this product in the mornings after cleansing, so I know it's going to last me a long time, which is good as it was on the pricy side (£15) for a product that on the face of it doesn't do a lot!
The lotion itself (and I'm calling it a lotion because it's on the thicker side of liquid... if that makes sense) is a light orange colour, slightly thick and very cooling on the skin. Clarins recommends applying this to a cotton pad and patting it onto the skin, which I do admit I forget to do 80% of the time and just swipe it across the skin instead. Oops!I can't say I have noticed any real difference in my skin from using this, and I've been using it every day for a month now. But it won't go to waste, I'll use it up and move on. No harm no fowl.It is very 'energizing' and makes me and my skin feel more refreshed as I'm most definitely not a morning person :P I think this would suit someone with more of a dull complexion though, my problem is blemishes really and need something to combat them, which this certainly does not.
I realise this review actually sounds quite negative which I didn't mean for it to be, I actually really like this product, it was in my May favourites post after all! :)
Have you tried anything from the Clarins Energizer range?
xo Annabel

Insta-Wednesday

New Hair  /  Carnival in a field  /  Buttercups

Dip dye wig  /  Stir-fry  /  New little bag

I bought sandals then the sun went away...  /  shop update!  / Amazing REN goodies

I haven't 'instagrammed' much in the past few weeks as things have been a bit crazy! and not very instagram worthy either to be fair. 

I got my hair cut at the end of last month and it was just one of those times where it felt like the best hair cut in the world! It's had so much weight removed and my head felt a million times lighter even though I lost barely any length, definitely getting the same hairdresser next time, she was a star.

& then of course summer arrived and everyone was happy! It was so warm that I purchased not one but two pairs of sandals! (from new look) which apparently seemed to displease the sun and it hasn't shown it's face since! It was so cold out today that I could see my breath in the air... in June! Hopefully I'll get to wear my sandals soon.

I also updated my little shop last week and made a cheeky purchase from REN when they had a fab offer on (also made me incredibly poor, spending ban starts now!)

I'm also finally nearing 100 followers via google friend connect which is rather exciting! Though I actually just passed the 300 mark in total readers from bloglovin, hellocotton and google reader the other day which is a-mazing! who knew so many people wanted to read my blog! I only just discovered how to find out how many followers I have via google reader the other day and the number shocked me! :D So thank you all for following! I'm going to have to think of a special way to celebrate with you all soon!

xo Annabel

Mint lip combo.

LUSH Mint Julips lip scrub - £4.95 & Carmex Mint lip balm - £2.55
I thought today I'd share with you a mintylicious combo I like to use when my lips are sahara desert dry. I'm talking chapped and chunks of skin peeling away. Not pretty! I've always had dry lips, no matter what lip balm I use, nothing seems to work all that well. I'm also quite bad at remembering to re-apply throughout the day, so it's probably my own fault! 
The carmex lip balm is not one I would recommend personally, it's not all that moisturising and doesn't last that long on the lips. What I do like though is the tingle! and it's a great feeling after having just scrubbed your lips! I got the scrub on a whim as it smelt heavenly when I was wandering around Lush, I didn't realise it was edible at first so that was a nice surprise when I came to use it! (though I mainly wash it away as I feel odd eating it afterwards, especially with all the dead skin that might be around ... it does taste nice though! ;)) The scrub leaves my lips softer and a lot less chapped, making a great base for lip balm to get to work. I use the carmex straight after for the tingles and more minty goodness (obsessed) then use my regular lip balm of choice which is currently an anatomicals one!
I would love to try the Nuxe reve de miel balm to sort out my dry smackers, it'll probably sneak it's way into my next feelunique order soon, but shh don't tell ;)
xo Annabel

A weekend lust list.

A really huge wish list for my teeny tiny purse! I have a serious problem when it comes to new skincare and ASOS too. Oh my. The total for this list is nearly £117! It's a crying shame I don't have that going spare or these would be MINE... well maybe ;)

1. ASOS Scarf - Technically this is a 'snood' but I don't like that word, it's creepy. I really like the pattern here, it'd really brighten up any outfit, especially now the weather has turned sour once more and it's freezing.

2. Topshop stud slouch cardi - I really don't know how topshop can get away with their prices, £42 for a cardigan! If I get my paws on a decent discount code I might buy this, otherwise I'll have to hope it ends up in the sale or on ebay! as I really do love it and I don't yet own any cream cardigans.

3. Warehouse mini satchel - What a cutie pie bag! I love the colour and it's sweet little shape, too bad it's so bloody expensive for it's tiny size!

4. REN blemish travel kit - I recently made my first REN purchase and the quality has definitely fuelled the desire for more! This little trial kit would be great saved for when my skin is acting up, like a little s.o.s kit for my skin! 

5. Nip+Fab dry hand fix - I read a review on this a few days ago and it has been stuck at the back of my mind ever since. My hands are like old woman lizard hands and I should probably do something about it... This hand cream is apparently brightening too, which I think is slightly strange. 

I'd love some hand cream recommendations if you have any!

xo Annabel

MUA shade 19

MUA shade 19 - £1
I'd describe this colour as a mushroom-y gray with a hint of purple. It's pugly (A term I may or may not have stolen from The Sunday Girl blog...) pretty but ugly. To be honest though, I love it! I can't believe it cost me a pound! I can't remember if this took 2 or 3 coats to be full coverage, I think it was two. I did use a base coat and a topcoat or 2 for lasting power, as I don't like painting my nails more than once a week, call me lazy. I found it lasted around 4/5 days with only the tiniest of tip wear if you can see (the pictures were taken then). But I do have creepy strong nails that grow quite fast.I messed up my index finger as it went bubbly and smudged a little, but I'd already re-painted 2 of my nails at that point as I'd caught them on something when they weren't dry, so couldn't be bothered to paint it again!The second coat took ages to dry, even though the first was pretty quick. I'm sure if I forked out for a fancy fast drying topcoat I'd be fine, but oh well! ;)
xo Annabel

Origins Out of Trouble mask.

I picked up the Origins Out of Trouble mask at the beginning of last month when I went to Manchester for the day, it was my first time actually going to an origins counter and getting a bit of advice... though to be honest I got hurried through the whole process so the sales ladies could go back to chatting, it was  horrible and I left feeling extremely disappointed.Now, luckily it hasn't put me off Origins entirely, it's still one of my favourite brands, but I certainly wont be heading back to Manchester any time soon. (& I wont need to as they just opened a new counter in my local Debenhams!) 
Anyway... I've used the mask a good 5 or 6 times now and I really love it. It's designed to absorb shine, gently exfoliate and also soothe problematic areas all at the same time, fancy!The mask is a very very thick white creamy paste, it smells very strongly too, personally I think it smells a lot like vicks vapor rub which is amazing as I used to adore that stuff as a kid. Once I've finished applying the mask all over in a thin layer it starts to make my skin tingle slightly and feel warm. At first I thought I was having an allergic reaction and was extremely worried as this is never mentioned on the tube. But I persevered and after 5 minutes those feelings are almost gone (I actually quite like the sensation now I'm used to it!).The mask doesn't really 'set' like a clay mask and it doesn't tighten on the skin all that much... most likely because there's no clay in it! After ten minutes it's almost dry/set and I wash it off using a muslin cloth, I did leave it on for nearly half an hour once and my face didn't drop off so ... that's good?!Straight after using the mask my skin feels super clean and soft, there isn't much more of a noticeable change immediately after other than that, but the next few days my skin seems a lot happier and not as oily. 
It's not a miracle mask by any means, but it is a lovely treat for combination/oily skin. I find that there's either nourishing/moisturising masks or clay oil absorbing masks out there to buy and not always a lot in-between unless you're familiar with an awful lot of brands. This mask is a lovely 'speciality' mask  if you will that fits more specific problems. Plus it doesn't contain any harmful skin ingredients, only the good stuff that really works, in this masks' case it's zink oxide, salicylic acid and camphor.
The mask cost me £19 from Boots which might seem pricey at first but the tube does contains 100ml of product and will last you a long time even with regular use (I've not even dented mine yet). And even if you don't use it regularly, it has a shelf life of 2 years once opened! :)
Have you tried this mask or any Origins products? I'm obsessed with them recently! 
xo Annabel

Shop-aholique

It's embarrassing how long it has taken me to get around to this little update... however I have completely redesigned my shop and moved it to a new home in the process! So I can be forgiven right??

I'm truly excited to share with you the first part of my "spring/summer" collection for Fragmented Splendour! Everything is handmade and designed by me (and as time slipped by I didn't realise it had taken me so long!)

The second instalment of this collection will be coming towards the middle of next month I hope, but for now you have plenty to ogle at, be warned 80% of my shop contains one of a kind (rather quirky) pieces, so don't delay if you fall in love! ;)

As always blog readers can use the code 'hellolovely' for 10% off anything and everything! Plus, any orders placed between now and tuesday will get a little something extra in their parcel, y'know cause' its the Jubilee! :)

So, please do go have a nosy at my newly designed shop and tell me what you think!

xo Annabel

A Mini May Favourites

Caudalie Grape Water - I have the Beauty Elixer from Caudalie but was curious to see what this was as I had heard that it was even better for cheaper?! I'm not sure about those claims as it is only a facial mist and has as far as I can see only 2 ingredients (Fruit water and Grape juice (but with fancier names)). This however has been my go to product this week, as I'm sure the whole world knows by now England has been shockingly hot and I for one am not a big fan of melting so this has come in handy! It is instantly cooling, soothing and refreshing on uncomfortably hot skin. I've literally been spraying this top to toe and sighing in happiness as it cools me down. 

Clarins Wake-Up Booster - I have the whole clarins energizer range now and really love it but this is my favourite! I plan on reviewing it fully in the next week as it deserves it's own post! I use this in the mornings as a toner and it smells amazing, plus it makes my skin (and me!) feel more awake... probably because of the fancy coffee extracts? 

H&M 99p nail polish - I have the shades Coral Rose, Lime and Purple Glitter (very imaginative!) and for 99p there's not really much to fault. The shades are lovely, Purple glitter is my favourite and it's practically opaque in one impressive coat. I have quite strong nails so polish doesn't chip too easily on me, I got an easy 5 days wear out of Lime without a single chip before I removed it (base coat, 3 coats and a top coat) Not bad for 99p!

Inika Organic Eye Liner - I received this in Aprils Glossybox and was so pleased with it! I love a good black eye liner, I can't go without them. My face feels naked without a dark line on my waterline! (I'm deadly serious here people...) Bonus points for that line on my face being organic and cruelty free too! It doesn't drag at all either and has pretty good lasting power without smudging.

Real Techniques Buffing Brush - Where has this brush been all my life? That is all.

Have you been loving any of these products this month, or even loathing??

xo Annabel