March Favourites | 2015

Hi! I can't quite believe we are now at the end of March, like what, where is this year going?! Anyway... This month I have had quite a few favourites so I thought I'd put them all in one post :)


Liz Earle - Deep Cleansing Mask- Link


I've made a review before about a few Liz Earle products which you can read here and if you follow me on Twitter you will know how much I love them, but this month my favourite has been the Deep Cleansing Mask. It makes my skin feel SO soft and clears up any spots I have.  I love it.

Soap and Glory The Righteous Butter- Link 



I've never really used many Soap and Glory products, but at Christmas I got a set of lots of body products and I've been using them and oh my goodness, my skin has never felt so soft after I use this butter. It also smells amazing and it sinks into the skin really well, and moisturises really well.

Maybelline Falsies Mascara Very Black- Link

This always use to be my go to mascara, but I started to get bored of using the same product every day so I tried a few others.  These were ok, but I never really loved them. So I've eventually came back to this one and I have fallen back in love with it! It makes my eyelashes look really nice and it is a good one to use while I save up for Roller Lash haha.

MUA Hall of Fame Eyeshadow Palette - Link




I've only recently purchased this, but I am in love.  I don't own that many eyeshadow palettes and I wasn't really expecting to love this as much as I do. I love neutral eye shadow colours so this looked perfect to me, and it is.  I wear it most days and I love it.

MUA Lipgloss in Smooch - Link

 I find it hard to find a nice lipgloss, but this one I've purchased from MUA is lovely.  It is so cheap but the quality is really good. It is not sticky and it just gives the lips a really nice shine and this is another product I normally wear everyday.

Rimmel Lipstick in Divine Wine (I don't know a link for it anywhere, sorry!)


I discovered this lipstick at the bottom of my makeup bag a few weeks ago and decided to try it.  As you may know, Im not really one for lipsticks but I really like this one.  The colour is really niI ce and stays on all day.  It's a really creamy, moisturising lipstick. 

Real Techniques eyeliner brush from the Nic's Picks set - Link 


I've never been good at eyeliner no matter what type I use (liquid, gel etc) so I never thought about even attempting an eyeliner brush, but since it came with the set I thought I should! I use this with a gel liner and it makes it SO easy.  My eyeliner has never looked so good haha. Definitely recommend using a eyeliner brush.

So there's all my March favourites! I hope you enjoyed reading this post and let me know what some of your favourites have been in the comments! 

Jessica
xxx



Sisterhood Of the World Blogger Award!

Hellooo everyone!
I'm really happy that I've been nominated by Lucy from Daisy Smiler! Thank you Lucy! Please all go and check out her lovely blog :)

The rules:
-Link and thank the blogger who nominated you
-Answer the 10 questions they created for you
-Create 10 question for your nominees
-Nominate 10 bloggers to receive the award

Lucy's Questions

1. Beauty or Fashion?
I'd have to say beauty.  I do like fashion, but I'm not really one for keeping on top of current trends and I find beauty much more fun.  Don't get me wrong though, I do like blogging about both and I  do enjoy buying clothes! 

2.What do you think you have gained from your blog?
I haven't had this blog for too long (in my opinion anyway) but I like to think my writing skills have improved slightly.  

3. What sort of posts do you enjoy writing the most?
This is a hard question for me because I enjoy all type of posts. I do really enjoy writing review posts on products I have purchased and also hauls.

4. Who inspires you?
Zoe Sugg (Zoella)

5. What are your top three beauty products? 
Rimmel Stay Matte Powder, Maybelline EyeStudio Colour Tattoo in 'Pink Gold' and 'And On Bronze' and Maybelline Falsies Mascara Very Black.

6. What is your favourite song and what is your favourite lyric from it? 
My favourite song always changes, but probably my all time favourite is Iris by GooGoo Dolls (Old I know) and my favourite lyric from it is "I don't want the world to see me 'cause I don't think that they'd understand"

7. Where do you find peace?
Hm, I'm not sure really! I enjoy being by the beach, so maybe that?

8. Where do you see yourself next year? 
Hopefully, at university or if not, working

9. Whats your hidden talent? 
I'm at grade 6 on Piano

10. Whats the best thing you've experienced while blogging so far? 
Speaking to new people!

I nominate: 








My questions for you:
1. What is your favourite thing about blogging? 
2. Where is one place you want to visit and why? 
3. What is your favourite book? 
4. What is the biggest thing you've learnt from blogging? 
5. What made you start blogging?
6. Is there a word or phrase you use too much, if so, what is it? 
7. What do you like to do that helps you de-stress? 
8. What is your dream job? 
9. Your house is burning down and you can only grab 3 things, what do you get? (Your family and everyone is safe) 
10. Name one thing that makes you happy

So there we have my answers and the questions for nominees! I hope you all enjoyed this post and remember to check out Lucy's blog and the people I've nominated :)

Jessica
xxx


Guest Post from Just Ems | Healthy Lifestyle Tips

Hello everyone! So today's post is a guest post from the lovely Emma from Just Ems.  I lover her blog and all the health tips, recipes and everything else she posts so please all go and check out her blog here! Also, can I just say well done Emma, you're doing amazing!

Onto the post...

Hi there!

I'm Emma from Just Ems, a weightloss blog that I started in November last year. I'm here to share some of my healthy lifestyle tips with you and hopefully motivate and inspire others to adopt a healthier lifestyle too! Before I start with my little pearls of wisdom that I have picked up over the years, here's a little about me and my journey so far:

I have been overweight almost my entire teenage and adult life and like many others have tried every diet going. Slimming World, Weight Watchers, Atkins, Slim Fast and VLCD (very low calorie diet in the form of 3 shakes a day). My weight has fluctuated up and down as I tried each diet and lost weight but gaining the weight back after I gave up each one. The only diet where I actually lost all the weight was the VLCD however, after getting close to goal, it prompted bouts of binging and purging in my eating habits and I gained all the weight back and more! 
In July 2014 I weighed in at 16 stone 2lbs (my highest weight ever!) and after seeing that 16 number on the scales, I knew I had to do something. I knew deep down that whichever way I chose to lose it, it had to be for life and the weight would have to stay off. I discovered Clean Eating and started my journey in October 2014. So far I've lost 3 stone and 5lbs / 21.3 kgs / 47lbs and I am halfway through my journey with another 2 stone and 11lbs / 17.6 kgs / 39lbs to go. My aim is to reach my goal weight of 10 stone / 81 kgs / 140lbs by July (my birthday) and losing around 2.5lbs a week, I should get there.



So I've compiled a list of healthy lifestyle tips that I do my best to adhere to every day. I definitely feel that each of these tips have helped me to lose weight and have a healthier body on the inside and out! Of course, we're not perfect and there are days that we're unable to stay 100% healthy but if you try these tips you could potentially lose weight and have a healthier lifestyle!
*Green Tea - there are many benefits to drinking green tea due to the antioxidants and nutrients it contains. It also boosts your metabolism which can aid to weightloss. Personally I find normal green tea too bitter and prefer the flavoured ones from Tetley. Twinings also good a good range of flavoured green teas and there is a seller on eBay who does an assortment of flavours so you don't have to buy all the boxes, click here to see the listing

*Drink at least 2 litres of water each day - I don't include any cups of green tea or coffee that I have in this amount, I only count the pure water that I drink. I am alittle strange in that I don't like the taste of tap water so I've bought a Bobble which has a built in filter so you can fill it up with tap water and filter out the nasties! I shop in Asda which sell them and you can get them online too. They may seem alittle pricey at £8 each for the bottle and filter but once you've bought the bottle, you only need to buy a replacement filter every 3 months, think of how much money you'll be saving on bottled water. I know that water can be boring so you can infuse your water with fruit if you like. I haven't reached that stage yet but maybe in the summer I'll try it with strawberries!

*Exercise 3 times a week - Exercise can really depend on many factors; how much weight you want to lose, how much you want to improve your fitness, how dedicated you are/can be to an exercise routine, what you enjoy, the list goes on. For a general tip, I would say to do something that you enjoy doing so that you'll look forward to doing it and you'll actually do it. There's no point in signing up at a gym if you can't stand going to the gym as after a few sessions, you may stop going and you'll have wasted your money on a membership that you can't cancel. If you enjoy cycling, invest in a bike. If you enjoy classes, sign up to some. If you enjoy running get the Couch25k app on your phone. The possibilities are endless with exercise. Do whatever is right for you and get new clothes to do it in, I love getting new gym clothes as it motivates me to go! Weird huh!

*Eat natural wholesome foods - I'm a strong believer in that Clean Eating is the way to go. Cut out as much processed foods that you can and eat food that is as natural as possible. As with exercise, food is another broad spectrum that can be taken in many ways. Find a food plan that works for you and your lifestyle. I know lots of people who have found success with Weight Watchers and Slimming World and its about finding the right plan to fit around you, your job, your family and your social life.

*Be as active as possible - take the stairs instead of the lift, park further away and walk where you can instead of taking the car. Every bit of exercise adds up to burning calories and boosting your metabolism

*Be mindful of what you're eating - are you eating that cupcake because everyone else in the office is eating one? Are you having a second helping of your dinner because it's there? Taking a couple of seconds to ask yourself 'do you really want it?' can make the difference of several hundred calories. Don't be afraid to say no to something and any leftovers can be chilled/frozen for another meal to have on another day. Your health is in your hands, no one is going to force feed you a cup cake!

*Be organised - One of my favourite quotes is 'Fail to prepare, prepare to fail' and it is something that in order to lose weight, I have to adhere to otherwise I can find myself in a situation where I'm starving and making the wrong choices because I'm hungry! Each week I make a meal plan where I work out what I'm having for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the next 7 days. I write up a shopping list based on what I need and head to the supermarket. I then try and cook as many meals as I can in advance on a Sunday ready for the week so that I don't have to spend as much time cooking during the week. Of course, I appreciate not everyone can allocate this much time but if you can take some time to plan ahead and only purchase what you need you will save time and money and you will be eating healthier.

*Most of all.. enjoy it! If you're doing something that you don't enjoy then it will be harder to stick to. Find an exercise plan that you enjoy doing and you'll want to do it 3 times a week. Find a food plan that you believe in and that fits in with your lifestyle. Discover recipes that you will want to eat and cook again and again and share with family and friends. I hate using the word 'diet' as to me it means a short term restrictive fad that people use to lose weight quickly, myself included! Eating clean for me is for the long haul and its not just about losing weight and looking good, its about the health benefits from eating natural foods and reducing my risk of diseases. 

I hope you have enjoyed reading some of my healthy lifestyle tips! 
If you are interesting in following my weight loss journey please feel free to check out my blog where I also feature recipes, meal plans and transformation pics too:

Much Love


Just Ems

Start Date: 7th October 2014
Start Weight: 15 stone 8lbs
Current Weight: 12 Stone 11lbs
Total Weight Lost: 39lbs
Height 5'2

Dear Future Me

Helloooo, so this is a bit of a different post from me today.  I thought it would be cool to look back at this in a year and see how things have changed!

Dear Future Me,

Hi Jessica, I'm writing this on 15th March 2015 so when you're next reading this it will be 15th March 2016!

First things first, I hope you're well.  I hope that you had/are getting the help you need with your anxiety/depression (remember you've been writing a diary about this!)

Hopefully, you are still at university and you're enjoying and making the most of it.  If you're not then, oh well! Either way, you would have done the right thing for you.

When you wrote this, you had no idea what you wanted to do in life.  You were interested in working with children, so remember this if you're still not sure now!

Hopefully you've learnt how to drive by now because, well, YOU HATE PUBLIC TRANSPORT!

I hope that you have more friends, and you're more part of the blogging community and you have improved on your blogging skills, because they need it haha.

Finally, I hope you are genuinely happy.  I hope that every day you wake up and you feel good about yourself and feel positive at long last.

Be happy.

Love,
Old me??

I think this post might be really badly written or not make sense to any of you, but it does to me and its just something a little more personal than the normal things I post. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed reading this. Let me know if you'd like to see more personal post or tell me to just stick to beauty and fashion haha.

Jessica
xxx

Beauty Wishlist

Beauty Wishlist


First ever Wishlist for you all today! 

As I am very poor, most of these items on here I won't be able to afford for quite a while! But I am desperate for them, there's things I've never tried and things I have tried and loved (Roller Lash and Porefessional)

I've read so many good reviews on all of the products above so I'm desperate to get my hands on them and if or when I do, I will be a very happy girl!

Let me know what beauty products you want at the moment or if you liked this post and would like to see more wish lists, trust me there's lots I could make haha. 

Jessica
xxx

MUA Haul

Hi again! I recently purchased a few things from MUA so I thought I would do a post on them!

MUA makeup is known for being a cheap brand, you can get a lipstick for £1! But the price does not reflect the quality of the makeup at all. I really love all of the things I purchased so I thought that it was only right that I wrote a post for you all to see.



Hall Of Fame- Eyeshadow Palette (£4)


An eyeshadow palette for £4?! How could I not buy this haha. I've heard lots about this palette so I knew I wanted it and it would be good. I wasn't disappointed.  I love it! I haven't actually tried all the colours yet (e.g. the blue at the end) but the rest are lovely.  I prefer nude shade shadows and so the pale pinks and golds/reds are perfect for me.  The actual eye shadows themselves are really pigmented and they stay all day, what more could you want?!

Eyeshadow- Misty Rose





















I ordered these products during a valentines offer that was going on so I got this eyeshadow for free.  As I've said, I love pale eye shadows so this one is perfect. I'm in love, haha.  It has a very gentle shimmer and comes out as a lovely pale pink.  I like using it as a base colour and then using a darker shade from the palette in my crease.

Lipstick- Tulip




















This lipstick also came free with the rest of my purchases. Now I don't really wear lipstick, I mainly stick to lipgloss.  However, when this arrived I thought I may as well try it! Its a really nice creamy, quite pigmented lipstick in a pink shade.  I have to admit, I don't think I will be wearing this until it is really properly summer or I'm on holiday... When I tried it, it was quite bright and I don't think I really pulled it off, haha. But it is a really nice creamy lipstick.

Lipstick - Bare, £1




















As I've said, I don't really wear lipsticks, but I thought if I am going to buy one, it may as well be a cheap one so that if I never wear it, I don't really waste my money.  I went for a nude shade, but as I'm pale I don't think this was the best idea I've had.  It does wash me out a bit when I wear it, but with a lipgloss on top, I quite like.  Like the other lipstick, it is really creamy and fairly pigmented.  So, yes I do like this lipstick.

Lipgloss- Smooch




















This is the lipgloss I like to put over the Bare Lipstick, or I usually wear the lipgloss by its self.  The swatch above definitely does not show clearly how much sparkle you get with this lipgloss.  It is a really nice everyday lipgloss with a nice shine to it.  I was worried if it would be sticky (there is nothing worse than a sticky lipgloss) but it wasn't, its lovely and goes on really nicely. Taste nice too... Haha.

So that's all the products I bought! I hope you enjoyed this Haul blogpost.  Let me know any products you like from MUA or any other good makeup brands you know of in the comments! :)

Jessica
xxx

P.S. I'm aware the pictures have gone a bit crazy but I don't know how to fix it so please forgive me and if anyone knows, please let me know what I need to do haha. 

Versatile Blogger Award!

Hi everyone!

So happy to say I was nominated for The Versatile Blogger Award by the lovely Elise - Check out her blog here! 

The Rules are:
Show the award on your blog
Thank the person who nominated you
Share seven facts about your self
Nominate 15 blogs

Seven facts about me:

1) I'm a student. I'm not entirely sure if I like it or not, but either way I plan/hope to stick at it!

2) I would love to travel.  I particularly want to visit America (New York and Florida) and Australia. I just need some more money.

3) My favourite fruit is strawberries (but I don't like strawberry flavoured things such as Strawberry Ice-Cream)

4) I have a 7 month old Puppy who is losing her teeth and has massive ears. Its very funny but also quite cute haha.

5) I use to love swimming when I was younger and I was actually quite good at it.  I regret quitting so much and would love to start again.

6) I really, really love baking.  It is very calming, fun and the end product is very tasty!

7) I hate all hot drinks.

So there are 7 facts about me and these are the blogs I nominate:

-Beth (Birds Words)
-Ellie (The Girl in the Blue dress)
-Eve (Eve Bennett)
-Beth (Birds Words)
-Bex (Weight loss, life and all that jazz)
-Lucy (Hola Lucy here)
-Jessica (Cocoa Chelsea)

As I'm still quite new I don't quite have 15 blogs to nominate, sorry!

Let me know if any of you have done this in the comments so I can have a read of them :)

Jessica 
xxx