My September GlossyBox

 First impressions, I loved it! The design of the box is absolutely gorgeous, so cute! It's designed by Maggie Li, a London based designer, and I think she's done a fantastic job. As it's my first ever GlossyBox, I don't know if they always come like this inside, with the cool black paper, bow and everything, but I loved it at first sight. Honestly, I didn't know where to start when I opened the box!

You can see all the products above, I'll list them going from left to right:

01: Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream - "A triple-action cream designed to soothe tired eyes, smooth away dark shadows and reduce the appearance of fine lines."
I don't know about you, but work tires me out horribly. I don't get to bed until quite late and have to get up super early (6.30 am!!) which is an absolute killer. I don't often get really bad dark shadows, but my eyes are in definite need of some soothing.

02: Rodial: Glamoxy Snake Serum and 5 Minute Facial - "Snake Serum is a revolutionary product with instantly visible results, helping to reduce the appearances of frown lines and wrinkles. 5 Minute Facial is a triple action resurfacing gommage clay mask."
I suppose this product is best served when you're a little older and perhaps looking at facial products to brighten up your skin and revitalise it. I can't see me using it very much now, but I do feel super old, and to me, it shows on my face. When I look in the mirror after work, I can't help thinking "I look so old." So I might try this out and see if it brings back some of my youth!

03: Vichy: Idealia Day Care Cream - "A smoothing and illuminating day cream that smoothens skin's texture and improves complexion radiance."
As I said previously, I fear that I'm looking a bit too old for my actual age. I don't like my complexion at all, a lot of people with pale skin are often radiant and look beautiful and glowing. My skin is dull and is more likely to blind you in the sunlight than wow you. Looking forward to see what this products brings!

04: Lady Gaga 'Fame' Fragrance: "An opulent, crushed floral fragrance that's black like the soul of fame but transparent once airborne."
I've already tried this out, seeing as it's perfume, and I actually really like it. I don't often buy perfume (too poor to even consider treating myself like that!) so I don't have much experience in what's nice and what's too strong, but personally, I think this smells darn nice and I shall be using the sampler up in about two days, most likely.

05: Maghrabian Hair Oil - "Nutrition, hydration, conditioning, softness, shine and long-term vitality. Hair absorbs the oil quickly, instantly improving its appearance."
Now, I've never used hair oil before. Truth be told, I haven't used many hair products that aren't basic, like shampoo, conditioner and hair spray. Mainly because I can't afford it. I've recently gotten into volumising mousse and a must-have is heat protection spray, so I go out of my way to get some of that. As I've never experienced hair oil before, I don't quite know how to approach this. It looks interesting though, and Argan oil has been a big hit apparently, so I'll do a bit of researching and then try it out in the next day or so.

So overall, I'm quite pleased with my spend! I'll be very happy to make this a regular occurrence (or as regular as my wage allows) and I'm excited to try all these out and let you know how they go!

Until next time,

My Very First Tattoo

So I've been wanting a tattoo for nearly two years. When I was in college, everyone started getting them, it was the new trend. Which I thought was stupid, because fashions change, and that thing inked on your skin forever won't be cool in a month or so. Therefore, I didn't get one in college. I knew I wouldn't get a tattoo for the same reason everyone else was, and I definitely knew I wouldn't get a similar design (mainly because I thought all the 'fashionable' ones were exactly the same and a tattoo should set you apart) but I daren't risk it. I was only seventeen/eighteen and far too immature to make the right decision.

After I left college, not so long ago, I was far too broke to even consider having one. Instead, I lounged around doodling what I might want. I tried saving up for one once, but that went down the drain when I wasn't a hundred percent sure on what I wanted. This was the difficult part for me.

I know a lot of people just go and point their finger at a picture in the tattoo parlor's book, saying that's the one they want because it looks the best. Me, I opted for the more personal approach. I wanted something that means something to me. Something that I'll look at in twenty years' time and won't regret a single drop of ink. Something that has a message, one that I won't forget and will stay in my mind all those years.

So there I had it - a phoenix. My name is derived from Anastasia, which means 'she will rise again,' brings you onto the thought train of phoenixes, no? I think they're cool mythological beasts anyway, Fawkes from Harry Potter is pretty awesome, so that made a good mix. It's linked to my name, looks darn cool, and has a meaningful message: always rise again. No matter how many times you fall down or get pushed to the ground, always get back up and carry on fighting.

I don't know about you, but I'm one of those people who fall down quite a lot. Both literally and figuratively. I have a history of people pushing me back and keeping me in my little place on the ground. I fought hard to rise above them, yet it didn't stop. I doubt it ever will. Sometimes people find it hard to believe in me, and when it's those people I care about the most, it hurts and makes me want to give up. But then I think, this is what I want. Why should I do what they think is best when I know this is right? Still, I don't have a lot of confidence in myself so other people's confidence in me is a big help. I can't do very many things on my own, so it's hard for me to get back on my feet.

This on my stomach is a reminder that it isn't impossible. I've done it before and I can bloody well do it again. I will never regret this tattoo like a lot of people regret theirs, because in twenty years' time, there will be someone trying to push me down, and I'll look at my tattoo, and I'll remember that I can and will fight. This phoenix will rise from her ashes, even if she has to do it alone.

So if you get a tattoo, try and think beyond the image, just for kicks. You never know, it might help. It did for me, I was originally going to get a bumblebee!

Look Forward to the Little Things

I've never had the money for expensive make up or the latest trends, so it's nice when I can afford a taste of it.

To say I don't have a car to pay for, I only pay £80 board to my grandma and so don't have my own flat and bills to worry about, I do tend to have a bit left over when pay day comes around. I always moan about my low wage, but when I have a relaxing, not much to do month, it isn't so bad.

Alright, so I can't afford to go out every weekend or catch the train to see my friends at uni, but I can afford to splurge out on some nice clothes and make up that I've been missing out on, and maybe a new pair of shoes (okay, mostly those things have to be either/or, maybe compromised to less nice things). My wardrobe contains clothes I've owned for the past five years, and nothing looks like I've ripped it right out of a magazine. I'm not trendy, I don't follow fashion, I just like to look presentable. Actually, I tend to dislike fashion because clothes these days look a right state.

So yeah, I get so excited when I can afford a new dress, or a couple of new pairs of jeans because I've been wearing faded ones for the past two months, or new shoes because I've had to wear my work shoes whenever I've needed a black pair for my outfit. Coming from a relatively poor childhood, I'm used to not being the belle of the ball. My grandparents actually got us a lot of things we wanted to say they didn't have much money, they tried so hard, so I would never, ever complain. I actually prefer my upbringing. I'm don't have a spoilt attitude and I'm grateful for the smallest gesture or bit of extra cash. Lots of people scoff at winning an extra pound on the scratchcard, but I always say "well, I could do with an extra quid, every little helps" and it does. Put that in a money box, save for a bit, and see what you have when you open it.

Growing older, I have to admit I've been jealous of basically all my friends. I have unbelievable lifestyle envy and can't help noticing how much better other people look than me. So I get a bit upset when I can't get new clothes, because I feel like I look horrible. I make do, though, and buy what I can, when I can. I know that I can wear all my clothes to absolute death because I won't buy something unless I adore it. If I just think it looks nice, I won't get it. Like my new dress, I've worn that three times since I bought it, and that was only Saturday afternoon (it's now Monday evening). It's much better than buying something, wearing it once, then throwing it. What a waste of money! I would much rather people adopted Kate Middleton's ideology of wearing an outfit more than once than chucking it in the wardrobe to never see the light of day again (preferably not an outfit that costs over a grand, though)

But this month, as I said, I had a bit left over. So I ordered this month's Glossybox (glossybox.co.uk), for just £12.95 - including p&p - it's a bargain. I can't wait to see what's in it! And I also ordered a small bottle of Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray, that's meant to create lovely beach waves. I adore beach waves and have always wanted them, but being terrible at styling hair, I've been on the search for a product that does that for me. Let's see if Bumble & Bumble is worth the cash! But for free delivery from Lookfantastic.com, I can't complain there either.

My boyfriend's paying for my tattoo, I'm paying for my own Netflix bill (okay, it's only £6 a month, but that's a lot to me!), I have all these lovely clothes, new make up and beauty goodies on the way and it's my birthday in just over a month. Fair to say, I feel like such a princess! I feel really lucky when I experience moments like these in life. I've worked so hard for it, yet I'm still grateful because it's not just me who worked hard to get me here. I'll never be complacent. I'll never be smug.

Life's better when you can smile at the little things because they make you feel special too.

Here's to an Indian Summer!

I like having good weekends. It gives me something to look forward to when I go back to work.

When you work eight hours a day, every day, doing the same thing day in, day out, it's nice to break the routine at the weekend (unless you're doing overtime!). Seeing as it was payday, my first port of call was shopping.

When toiletries and basic makeup (e.g. concealer) become a boring old bill, it's nice to branch out a bit and try out different things. I don't tend to use concealer, when I use foundation and pressed powder, it just seems like spending a lot more money on something I can do without, but even so, it's nice to try. Last time I bought Maybelline, which didn't astound me, but it was okay.

 This time I've gone for the amazingly cheap but mostly impressive MUA gear. I'm trying out their lipsticks too because I've heard they're brilliant for £1 a pop, so I can't really complain there. I got a lovely sophisticated pink-coloured lipstick that suits both work and casual day time wear, it's shade 11 and has definitely kept up the good reputation MUA lipsticks have. I also bought the brush on concealer pen in Radiance, it looked like the lightest shade (out of the two that were there) although I took a bit of a risk because there were no testers. When I got home, I found that the shade is a tad too dark for my ghostly white skin, even though I have darkened a little over time. It blends in alright if you put a lot of effort in to it, but I still found a couple of dark patches that I had to scrub with my fingers to get it to blend in. It also didn't do much to cover up my troublesome freckles, so I'm not giving up the search just yet.

I tend to stick with Maybelline mascara because it never usually lets me down. I've gone for Colossal the past few times, but, in my attempt to branch out, I tried out Cat Eyes this time. When I apply new mascara, I don't tend to like it because, being brand new, it's quite watery. My eyelashes fall out all the time so watery mascara clumps them up or makes them look thin and sparse. I'm not going to give up on this one yet though because, as I said, Maybelline mascara tends to be my favourite. Since the two for £10 deal is still on, I bought Maybelline's Master Precise liquid eyeliner. I'm used to a brush, so I'm still getting used to the pen, it was quite difficult to begin with! It looks nice and dries quick though, so at first glance, I'm content.

I also like buying Tresemme products. The shampoo and conditioner make my hair feel lovely and thick, which is brilliant for me who has thin, flat hair. I originally went in for hairspray but, being a complete ditz, picked up volumising mousse instead. It isn't a complete loss though as I've wanted to try out their mousse for a while, so you'll get a review on here pretty soon!

After my usual stay in Superdrug, I went around clothes shops for what else I can blow my money on. I went to New Look to find some new black shoes that would also be suitable for work. I wore my old black brogues to death, they were basically the only pair that I'd wear in college. New Look is usually my first stop when shoe shopping, as they do some beautiful - yet also surprisingly cheap - shoes. A good three quarters of my heels are from there. So, I was browsing, and came across these! I adore brogues, as you might've guessed, and these are just too cute! Just £14.99 too. They're very comfy and easy to slip on and off, which is great for me as I hate spending about three hours tying up shoes. Let's see how long these ones last though, eh? 

That morning, I went to town with a mission to buy new denim shorts in my head, seeing as mine are about two sizes too small now I've put some weight on (I knew I wouldn't fit in a size six for very long with how I eat!) but, typically, I couldn't find any I liked. So instead, I bought two pairs of skinny jeans from H&M which I adore - only £10 each too!! The colours are lovely and their sizes are brilliant, my legs are quite short so it's hard to get some that aren't too loose, but H&M saved the day! Also they have a cool deal on, if you buy any pair of jeans, you get a free Divided tee, which is quite nice to say it's free. Unfortunately, I spilt tea on the white top, a stain that isn't coming out any time soon, so I'm going to run back and return one of the pairs of jeans as I bought one a size too big because I couldn't find a smaller one, then buy the right size and get another tee ;)

My boyfriend owes me a bit of money as I helped him out when he was in a bit of a fix, even though I hate spending his money, he is lovely and adamant that I take it. When I couldn't resist this adorable patterned Miso dress from Republic, he offered right away. It's one of those pieces that you can wear in the day time or throw on some tights and a blazer and wear to work, which I'm planning on doing! It has a sweet little bow detail at the neckline and is patterned with tiny hearts and dots. Comfortable and lovely to wear, it has a zip fastening at the back and a silky underskirt that pads out the thin top fabric. So far, it's my favourite thing in my wardrobe.

To top off an already awesome day (shopping for nice things always makes me happy) I went to a tattoo parlour to book my very first tattoo. My birthday's in about a month and I've wanted a tattoo for around two years, so I thought it was about time. I'm going to Pierce of Art in Chesterfield, which is the cleanest, shiniest place I've ever been too, so it was a darn good first impression. The person who talked to me about my tattoo was really nice (and not too bad looking ;D) so, despite the initial nerves, I feel alright about going back in a week. It's a weird feeling. I feel really excited and literally cannot wait to have my tattoo, but I'm also terrified of the pain haha. I'll let you know how it goes!

Maybelline Super Stay 10h Tint Gloss

My first make-up review... here goes!

I recently went to Superdrug in dire need of some new foundation. I tend to leave it until I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel (figuratively, not literally) before purchasing more. Maybe the reason for this is because I have to use expensive foundation as they're the only ones that seem to do super pale colours that cover the worst and most visible types of freckles. My skin seems to believe I'm a redhead when actually I'm a brunette, it sucks. As an apprentice, I don't earn enough to stock up on this stuff, so I make the most of what I've got.

So it was a welcome sight to see a 2 for £10 deal on selected Maybelline products. On the display smack bang in front of the doors were mascara, foundation, a smoky-eye effect pencil and lip gloss. As usual, I spent about half an hour trying to decide what to get. Obviously I had to choose foundation, as I wanted to try out Maybelline's Dream Satin Liquid foundation anyway. It is a less expensive alternative to the No. 7 foundation I'm using at the minute. I do like the No. 7 product, but it really kills my bank account.

Always in search of decent coloured lip glosses and lipsticks, I went for the gloss. There were only a handful of colours to choose from and I already have about ten different reds, so I chose pink. I don't really like dark pink colours, they always turn out more red-coloured, so I tried to get the lightest one there. It looked and smelt nice, so I was already onto a winner in my books.

On inspection, the applicator is a pliable, soft, spongy paddle-type brush that's shaped a bit like a spoon. It's relatively easy to apply, though I had to practice a bit as I'm used to lip pens and lipsticks. It tastes as good as it smells, and looks lovely. It is exactly the same colour as it is on the packaging (surprised me, I have to say!) but isn't really light, so I'd go for normal lip glosses if you're wanting a bright pink.

It felt smooth and looked super glossy on my lips at first, but as it dried (like any normal lip pen) it lost a lot of its shimmer. It still looks glossier than lipsticks and feels nice and soft though. True to the advertising, it stayed on for a good few hours, even when I drank. It only came off when I decided to treat myself to a galaxy caramel McFlurry - oops!

I must say, I prefer it to other lip pens I've used, although they have tended to be cheap ones. I used to be forever applying vaseline as my lips felt tight and dry, but this one tries to keep my lips at least a little hydrated.

Have you tried this product out yet? Or are traditional lipsticks still your way to go?