Friday 29 May 2015

BLACKOUT

Now I know this might sound like a weird topic to be writing about but since moving again I've realized that blackout curtains are an absolute must for me. I'm not the kinda gal that struggles to sleep but if I'm trying to have a Netflix marathon during the day then they are a total God send. I've added a few of my faves below in hope that they help some of you equally as film obsessed guys and gals.


Mink Yorkshire Linen Blackout Curtains - Is it weird to say that you can tell these curtains are high quality just by looking at the picture? They look really heavy and well made, perfect for the bedroom or somewhere that you want a little more privacy but adding a softer, warm toned touch to the room.

Dunelm Grey Curtains - Although a really cool toned colour, these curtains go perfectly with the theme in my living room (tour to follow once complete), and even if I decide to change the colour scheme I know these will still match perfectly. Big shout out to Dunelm for creating such simplistic pieces.

Hillarys Blackout Designs - Who knew it was possible to make curtains glamorous? Hillarys are known for their great designs and although not cheap they would look amazing in any house if you're willing to spend the money! 

Asda Blackout Curtains - These are similar to the Dunelm pair in the price and effect that they give to the room, super streamline and modern with a teeny tiny price tag. 

Be sure to head over to Bloglovin to stay up to date with all my posts! 

Charlotte x

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Wednesday 27 May 2015

OH BOBBI



It's been way over a month since my birthday and somehow during the house move I had managed to totally forget about this amazing Bobbi Brown palette. It was given to me by one of my friends I was absolutely gobsmacked when I opened the little box - lets just say it was a very emotional moment (after a few too many glasses of Prosecco).

The palette consists of 9 neutral colours - 5 shimmer shades and 4 matte shades. They're all absolutely beautiful tones and the colour pay off is unreal, it only takes a minute or so to have created the perfect blend. I used it for the first time the a couple of weeks ago and was totally sold. I've had endless compliments about my eye make up and it's all thanks to these shadows.  It's safe to say this won't be my last Bobbi Brown product and I can't wait to explore more options.

Let me know in the comments if you would like to see some make up looks using this palette, and as always head over to my Bloglovin page if you want updates every time I post.


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Monday 25 May 2015

COCONUT OIL



I know, I know I'm pretty late on the whole coconut oil bandwagon but after watching Emma's video on Oil Pulling the other day I couldn't help but pick some up for my own beauty purposes. I'm tempted starting off tonight by using it to shave my legs (glamorous) - I'll let you know how I get on but I'm thinking of doing a few posts related to the benefits of coconut oil. Let me know in the comments if that's something you would enjoy reading!

Charlotte x
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Friday 22 May 2015

AT THE RACES WITH LYST

If you know me personally you'll know that the town I'm from has the most amazing racecourse just outside of the town center, and although I know nothing about betting or horses - I know plenty about getting dressed up and drinking Prosecco with my friends. I've got a couple of race meets coming up soon and I always find planning my outfits in advance a way to ensure the day runs smoother. Lyst is a website where you can scour pieces from all kinds of fashion websites in one place and create the perfect outfit for any event - imagine it as Pinterest meets a personal stylist.


I've created a wishlyst for a day At The Races to give me plenty of choices for the upcoming race meets with pieces from Asos, Mango and high end designers. When you sign up you get to choose your favourite brands and they send you recommended pieces, which is perfect when you're lacking that initial outfit inspiration. It's a great way to save all your outfits in one place and it even gives you the choice to share them on Twitter!

Be sure to stay up to date with my posts on Bloglovin here.

Charlotte x
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Wednesday 20 May 2015

CREAM PUFF



Now when it comes to lipsticks I can sometimes take the whole "If it ain't MAC send it back" attitude a little too far, and rarely give any other brand a chance just because I know I can rely on their amazing formulas, so it wasn't until I was browsing my local Superdrug the other day when I came across the Collection Cream Puff lip cream and decided to give it a go. It's a similar shade to MAC Pink Plaid but more of a vibrant colour and without the drying effect.

On first impression I wasn't expecting much for the teeny tiny price tag of £2.99  but I was soon convinced otherwise - the super creamy formula leaves you with a matte finish without being drying on the lips making it perfect to chuck in your handbag for those on the go touch ups. The staying power isn't that great but teamed with a good quality lip liner I think we could be on to a real winner!

Don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin to stay up to date with my posts and head over to my Instagram where I post daily!

Charlotte x
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Monday 18 May 2015

THE PERFECT SUMMER MOCKTAIL




I'm loving doing lifestyle, recipe and home related posts recently but trust me its thirsty work. That's where working in hospitality and being a total foodie comes in helpful when I whisked up this super refreshing mocktail a while back, perfect for warm days.

You will need:
- Crushed ice
- Half a lime
- Elder flower cordial
- Fresh mint
- Sugar syrup (optional)

Fill your glass 3/4 full with crushed ice, (cubed will work exactly the same) add a generous amount of soda, garnish with mint and muddle together. Squeeze in half a fresh lime and a dash of sugar syrup then add an extra sprig of mint for decoration - voila`!

Tag me in your pictures on Instagram if you try this for yourself, I can't wait to hear what you think.

Charlotte x

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Friday 15 May 2015

EVERYDAY MAKE UP ESSENTIALS




Since when did this space of the internet turn into a lifestyle blog? I rarely seem to be posting about beauty at the moment and I have no idea why! However, I always get a tonne of compliments about my simple everyday make up look so I'm going to share with you which products I use. 

My base always consists of a mix of the MAC Pro Longwear Concealer and the Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation, mixed together and applied with a beauty blender, followed by a touch of Collection Lasting Perfection concealer under my eyes to brighten the area. I then apply a generous amount of the Topshop Glow highlighter to the tops of my cheekbones, the bridge of my nose and my cupids bow and set everything in place with the Tarte Amazonian Clay Setting Powder. 

Moving onto my eyes, I religiously curl my eyelashes before adding 2 layers of the Maybelline Lash Sensational, and tidying up any mess with a cotton bud. After 21 years of being alive I still can't seem to apply mascara like any other normal human.. I then take my trustworthy Smashbox Pallette and apply a mix of a few colours. The only shadow I haven't used from this pallete is the black at the end because of pure fear but the rest of the shades are all amazing and super pigmented! 

The once I've popped on a bit of my MAC Brow Pencil (I cant remember which because it's rubbed off the packaging) and I'm good to go! Let me know if you'd like to see any other make up looks on here, I'd really like to start taking some action shots too.

P.s I'm super close to 200 followers on Bloglovin so head over there to stay up to date with all my 
posts!

Charlotte x
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Wednesday 13 May 2015

THE UNPACKING PLAYLIST

So after a tonne of rambling on for the past few week, I have finally moved again! I always forget just how much stuff I have and how long things take to unpack and get a place looking exactly how you want it. So I created a little Spotify playlist to keep me motivated with my unpacking - a total mix of chilled songs, cringe covers and something for a well deserved coffee break. Enjoy.


Charlotte x
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Friday 8 May 2015

INTERIOR LUSTING

In case you haven't noticed - I'm completely obsessed with home ware at the minute. I don't remember the last make up product or item of clothing that I bought but I can't help myself going to every home store when I'm in town. Does that make me an adult now?

It didn't take me long to stumble across the Made website and ohhhh boy do they have some amazing pieces! The furniture and accessories seem like amazing quality and cost a fraction of the price that most interior designers charge! Let me know in the comments if you see anything you fancy or if you've ever purchased anything from Made. Also sorry for the short post today, I get my new flat keys this morning so have fun lusting over all this beautiful home ware whilst I move 20 boxes of plates and glasses. I've also got an exciting project coming up in the near future which I'll be announcing on Twitter before my blog so head over there and follow me for updates! Also go follow the Made team to see all their new releases.


Copper wall clock / Grey armchair / Coffee table / Bed linen / Green cushion / Dining chairs  

Charlotte x
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Monday 4 May 2015

TIPS FOR BUYING FURNITURE SECOND HAND

If you read this post here, you'll know that this is the second time in a year that I'm moving house and we all know that it's not cheap. I can never justify buying a tonne of new furniture when you know there's going to be looooads of bills on their way in quickly afterwards. But nearly the entirety of my home being from IKEA, I feel like I've become quite the pro at buying furniture second hand.


I've always found that browsing online or in stores first really helps. Get an idea of what you want, the colour, the size, the style then turn to eBay or Gumtree, even your local newspaper might have something in there that catches your eye. Then if you can - go and view it! I've sold plenty of things online in my time, including furniture and its not always the first person that comes to see your item that will take it straight away. You gotta scour the market for the best deal, but also from a genuine seller with good intentions, not just to rip you off.  I've always found it so much more helpful to build a relationship with the person you're buying from too, if they're genuinely wanting to sell a good product for a good price, the chances are they will be willing to help out. Maybe by lowering the price, or helping with delivery - who knows! I bagged myself 2 sofas for the price of one once because the lady was just going to take it to the tip even though it was completely salvageable and because we wanted to help she didn't want any money for it - win.

I hope this maybe helped some of you who are looking into moving and wanted to save some money! I'll be doing some apartment snippets once I'm all set up and I'll be sure to let you know which bits were my bargain finds - you'll be so surprised! Don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin to stay up to date with my posts.

Charlotte x
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Friday 1 May 2015

HOW I EDIT MY INSTAGRAM PICTURES

Warning: Look away now if smashed iPhone screens distress you. £90 for a new screen is not going to happen any time soon..




How many of us bloggers have been known as the one out of the group that takes pictures of absolutely everything for Instagram? I know full well that I'm definitely that person and I'm totally addicted to Instagram. It's great for people that appreciate amazing pictures, it's a fantastic way to connect with other bloggers and brands and of course how else would you share your selfies with the entire world? With this said, I'm always getting questions about how I take and edit my pictures so I thought I'd let you in on a couple of my secrets!

First things first, set your camera to square! There isn't anything more depressing than taking a picture of something and having to crop loads out for it to fit the set frame size on Instagram. Too many pictures have gone to waste because of this, so "Square" is a must.

Secondly, download Afterlight - this app is an absolute miracle worker and can turn the most average selfie into one that you would be happy to have as a driving license picture for life. I think it cost 79p which is nothing for how often I use it! I bump the lighting and the contrast up and usually go for a filer called "Russ" which is really hard to explain but it adds a really lovely tone to your pictures.

Thirdly, remember to save the image! It can be such a ball ache if you forget to save an image and end up uploaded the original - trust me it's happened.

What are your top tips for editing your Instagram pictures? Head over to my IG page here and be sure to give me a follow, I'm always looking for new people to stalk!

Charlotte x
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