Wednesday 30 December 2015

REVIEW // Neal's Yard Remedies Nourishing Orange Flower Daily Moisture


Phew, long title. Recently I went to a Neal's Yard party in aid of my mum's friends charity, The Ideas Partnership who support people in poverty in Kosovo (more information here). It was a lovely evening and we were all treated to mini facials and shown the benefits of the Neal's Yard range. Nothing instantly took my fancy but I wanted to buy something as a percentage of the money goes towards The Ideas Partnership. I finally decide on the Nourishing Orange Flower Daily Moisture as it's tailored towards dry skin and my beloved GinZing moisturiser was approaching it's final days. 

Anyway, I am so glad I bought this as it's probably the best moisturiser I've used and my skin is clearly thanking me for it. Yes, I even prefer it to GinZing. Even though Neal's Yard is on the pricey end of skincare, for me anyway, I didn't mind as you get a fairly big bottle, just look at that beautiful glass bottle, and a little bit goes a long way. Also the fact that some of the cost went to a charity was more than enough reason for me to spend a bit extra. The only downside that I've found with this product is that it does have a bot of a weird smell as Neal's Yard don't synthetically alter the scent of any of their products and you do get used to it after a while. So if you're interested in any Neal's Yard products I would recommend giving them a whiff first. But I am very happy that I will be taking this moisturiser into the new year with me.

Have you tried any other Neal's Yard products? What are your skincare saviours right now?

- Millie xx

Sunday 27 December 2015

Currently Reading // After The Crash by Michel Bussi

As I am a massive bookworm I thought I would start a little series to give you a little insight into what I'm reading at the moment.

The blurb
On the night of 22 December, a plane crashed on the Franco-Swiss border.
All the passengers are killed instantly, apart from one miraculous survivor - a three-month-old baby girl. But who is she? Two families step forward to claim her, but is she Lyse Rose or Emilie?
Two decades later, on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, the detective who investigated the case makes a discovery that could change everything...


So far, I'm really enjoying this book. The story is set in France, 1980 and follows an 18 year old mystery of the identity of a plane crash survivor. The narrative jumps around a lot to different main characters to journal entries which makes it quite hard to get into to start. But the story pulls you in as each chapter reveals something new about the original mystery to events in the present day making it an interesting, if slightly confusing, read.

What are you currently reading? Any recommendations?

- Millie xx

Tuesday 22 December 2015

Old Faithfuls


Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer
Of course this product was going to end up in this post. I use this concealer every day that I put make up on. I actually have about 5 tubes of it at the moment because my local Boots doesn't stock Collection so I bulk buy whenever I can.

Carmex
I will always have some form of this product in every bag. I have so many of these little guys because I lose one, buy a new one and then find the lost one. So they just keep piling up. But it shows you how much I cannot live without Carmex.

Simple Cleansing Wipes
I know these are basically a sin in the beauty world but I'm happy to admit they are my guilty secret. Whether I'm just using them to wipe make up off my hands, correcting mistakes or using them to remove make up when I just really can't be arsed with a full skincare routine I will forever have these wipes in my stash.

Aussie Curl Define + Shine
This is the only product that continuously works with my hair. And I have tried a lot of different brands. Curl Define + Shine never makes my hair go crispy or sticky which I find a lot of other brands do. The only downside is that is so hard to find in Cornwall, me and my mum are constantly on the look out for it!

Garnier Micellar Water
I love this micellar water and it's the best one I've tried. And if that's not a good enough excuse as to why it's in this post then I don't know what is.

What products will you always repurchase?

- Millie xx

Sunday 20 December 2015

20 Facts About Me

So, let's skip the usual routine of me apologising for being so absent. Life kind of got in the way. Aaaand, let's leave it at that. On with the post!

I realised that I've not shared a lot about myself on this blog minus the exception of my first post. So here are 20 Facts About Me for all you lovely people.

  1. I am 19 years old
  2. My birthday is 7th March so that makes me a Pisces
  3. I am a super messy person but am also very organised
  4. I am a total book worm
  5. I'm allergic to blueberry muffins but not blueberries or muffins on their own. Strange right?
  6. I am a slave to reality TV. Don't judge
  7. I'm a very independent person and hate asking for help
  8. When I'm on my own, I sleep with fairy lights. Such a sad excuse for a 19 year old
  9. Right now, I'm lactose intolerant. Basically I was really ill last year and the enzymes that digest lactose got killed but I should be fine soon
  10. I like to watch TV with subtitles
  11. I've worn glasses since I was 9. Should really wear them full time but sometimes vanity gets in the way...
  12. I'm claustrophobic and will avoid going in lifts even if it means endless flights of stairs
  13. I drink so much water
  14. I have double jointed thumbs
  15. My dream since I was young is to write and publish my own book
  16. I used to swim for my home county
  17. Swimming is one of the only things that properly chills me out
  18. I'm 5'4 and have size 4 feet
  19. I used to straighten my hair everyday and hated my natural curly hair 
  20. I'm a massive procrastinator

Well, I hope you all know me a little bit better now. Leave some facts about yourself so I can get to know you better!

- Millie xx

Sunday 7 June 2015

9 Things To Do Whilst I'm 19

Well, this is it. My last year as a teenager - and yes nineteen is still a teenager. And I've decided that before I get into my 20s, I wanted to create a sort of bucket list for myself. So, in no particular order, here are nine things I want to do whilst I'm 19!

1. Go on my first holiday on my own. 
And by on my own, I mean without parents/ school etc.

2. See a musical in London
It's been a long time since I last went to see a musical in London - Sound of Music btw - and me and my sister are always saying we're going to save and go up to London and go to the theatre. Has it happened yet? No. Hopefully this year it actually will.

3. Be genuinely content with myself
Ever since I was a young teenager, I have never been truly happy with my body. Since I've started going to the gym this year - see the post here - I've gradually started to feel happy with myself. I would just really like to get to a place where I think 'Yeah, this is good. I'm happy with this.'

4. Get a tattoo? 
I want one soooo badly and I have for ages. But, I have no idea what to get? I obviously don't want to rush into anything but if I do finally decide before I hit my 20s, it would be excellent.

5. Successfully continuing blogging
Ok, ok. Don't laugh. I would love to make it to 20 knowing that I have put all I can into this blog and see it continue to grow.

6. Travel
Whether it's abroad or just in the UK, I want to see more of the world.

7. Save, save, save
I am so bad at saving money. Even if I have a word with myself on payday about not throwing money away on those shoes I need to have the following month, my bank balance is always at a much smaller number than I'd like it to be by the end of the month.

8. Take more photos
I've said it before, I am crap at taking photos. I just completely forget at the time and then a year later I hate that I haven't got a single photo of a particular event. So until I'm 20, hopefully my camera will be glued to my hand.

9. Experiment more with clothes
My sense of style has always been pretty safe and I would love to explore different styles more.

What's on your bucket list?

- Millie xx

Wednesday 3 June 2015

Jumping on the GinZing Bandwagon


Oh. My. God. Why didn’t I succumb to the Origins counter before?

On a very stressful solo shopping trip after my birthday, I decided to treat myself with my first luxury skincare item. OK, so I may not be luxury, but for me anything over £10 is a luxury – poor apprentice over here. I can honestly say I have not regretted the decision to fork over £23 for this little jar of goodness at all. The lady who served me at the Origins counter was so lovely as well, she took me through all their moisturisers suited to my skin type and let me test them all out. I love how she wasn’t pushy and she didn’t try to tell me what was best for my skin – the choice was completely left to me after she had explained all the benefits of each.

Being a citrus lover, I obviously went for the GinZing moisturiser. I freaking love the smell of this stuff – in the best way possible, it smells like the orange fruit winder I used to have in my lunchbox in primary school! But you know that Origins only uses the best ingredients and its completely natural, which makes that amazing smell all the better. As soon as I put in on in the morning I feel so refreshed and awake. Not to mention that this has done my skin wonders. I’ve always suffered with tight, dry skin and this moisturiser just makes it feel amazing – I only use this in the morning as I have a heavier moisturise for overnight. And this has lasted so well! I’ve had it since the start of March, I use it every day and, as you can sort of see from the photos, I still have so much of it left.

I could ramble on about this product until the cows come home, but I’ll just leave it at this. I would very happily fork out another £23 on the little orange pot of miracles!

What’s  your skin saviour?

- Millie xx

Sunday 31 May 2015

Getting My Gym On

Sports Bra - Marks and Spencers (similar) : Shorts - Primark ; Water bottle - Primark
Hi. My name’s Millie and I am a converted gym goer.

If you asked me before Christmas if I would find myself in a gym, getting my sweat on in front of other people 4 – 5 times a week I would have laughed in your face. But now, I am 100% that girl.

I didn’t start going to the gym to lose weight, to be honest I never weigh myself anyway. For me, it was always more of a confidence thing. I wanted to feel happy, confident and sexy, not be a certain number on a set of scales or clothing tags. If anyone asked me what my goal was I’d say ‘to feel good in myself and be a little less wobbly’!

I know you don’t need the gym to get fit as there are so many amazing work out plans and DVDs that you can do in the comfort of your own home or in your local park. But for me I wanted to keep my exercising and my home separate. If I really cannot be bothered to get out of the house I will put on a fitness DVD, but 9 times out of 10 I’ll drag my butt to the gym.

I started going to the gym in late January and it’s been a slow but steady journey. I never wanted to change my diet as I eat pretty healithly anyway so I compensate for that in the gym and just know that if I want a pudding (or two!) I’ll just do another circuit or an extra ten minutes on the treadmill. For me, it’s all about balance and moderation. Now it's now nearly June and I'm still persevering with the gym and I feel so much better about myself for doing it. if you're umming and ahhing about starting to get yourself fitter, do it! You definitely won't regret it!

I'm planning on doing more fitness related posts, what do you think?

- Millie xx

Wednesday 27 May 2015

Long time, no see...

Death to the stock photo

No doubt you're all thinking "I'm sorry, who are you again?" Well, to refresh your memories, I'm the awful blogger full of apologies.

But lets let bygones be bygones shall we? I'll start with the formalities. 

Hi, my name's Millie. I'm 19 and started this blog about a year ago - has it really been that long? After umming and ahhing for literally months, I've decided to throw myself back into it. Hopefully. And let's start fresh. I promise I'll be a better blogger this time around - no, those aren't my fingers crossed behind my back...

Anyway, I just thought I'd reintroduce myself before I launch into blogger mode again. I've got ideas and posts lined up for you all and let's hope for the best this time round. Second time lucky - right?

- Millie xx