Late Night Shopping On A Thursday

So I went shopping last week just before Christmas to have a bit of a wander and see if anything took my fancy. It's normally dangerous when I decide to go shopping for nothing in particular, but I don't think I did too badly in keeping control.

So the first thing I got was this Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub. I got it from Boots as part of a 3 for 2, but retails itself for £8.  Now the smell of this product is divine, I mean it has more of a citrus scent than I would normally choose for myself but it is seriously moreish as it just smells so fresh and natural without having a chemically smell. The mixture of lime, almond and brown sugar seems like a strange mix and before I smelt it for myself I was apprehensive, but it's seriously seriously good! I have seen many bloggers rave about this product and always wondered what it was like, but I must say it is living up to the hype. I use it every other bath, I tend to bathe a lot so this is ample. I don't have to use a lot at a time, in fact I've barely made a dent in it and I've had it for a few weeks now and it leaves my skin feeling gorgeous. The only thing I would grumble about is I find it to be a tad sticky, but not overbearingly.

While I was in the Soap and Glory section I picked up the Hand Food, hand moisturiser, as I feel you can never have enough moisturisers! I got the 50ml for £2.50 which is perfect for popping into my hand bag as I always need one on the go in the Winter months. This again has an unbelievable smell, like most of the Soap and Glory range, with shea butter, macadamia and marshmallow, it has a real cute and girly smell. The Hand Food claims to be a 'non-greasy hand cream' and I must admit it isn't greasy in the slightest, again perfect for those who needs a quick moisturise on the go.

 I then popped into Superdrug just to pick up a few MUA eyeshadows, as I find this really inexpensive and great for everyday use. I picked up this lovely gold shimmery eyeshadow for just £1, it's surprisingly pigmented for the price and lasted all day when I chose to wear it for Christmas Day!

 I then picked up this pallet which I had been eyeing up for a little while, as I love the purpley plum shades, as I think I will probably steer this way for eye make-up in the Winter season. I picked this up for £4, which for 12 different shades is really amazing value. Again they are really pigmented and vivid colours and just what I want for going to uni or popping to the shops.

 Unfortunately I couldn't find either of these products to link for you anywhere! But they will most likely be in your local Superdrug store.

I then did a naughty... I went to the Barry M nail varnishes, the glitter ones to be exact.. This is dangerous territory for me, I really do have enough glittery nail varnishes, but I decided I needed another. This one is lovely though, and it was only £2.99. It has specs of blue, purple and silver shimmer through it, in large chunks so you can build it up for an all over coverage or just use a quick sweep for something subtle.

I am thinking about doing a blog post on my favourite products, what do you think?

Nicola Mai..x

New Year... A Better Me?

So it's the 29th of December, Christmas has gone, the turkey has been eaten and I for one am left with this impending doom on how to celebrate New Year. Do I go out into town where it will be packed mostly full of strangers and celebrate it with them, or do I sit in watching everyone elses festivities on the box? Neither seems outwardly appealing to me.

But, it is that time of year where we make false promises to ourselves! Although they are only false because they are unrealistic, I mean who's going to go from a size 24 to a size 10 in a year?! I am not going to put myself on some ridiculous diet and suffer for a month, just to end up crying into a family size bar of Galaxy and hating myself for not achieving.

This year I told myself I would set goals that are realistic and that will change me for the better, not just a quick change for 3 months of the year. So here they are:

• Save money each week- I am a terrible terrible shopper, I am horrific with money and I shouldn't be allowed to go near it... I'm just one of those people. But, this year I am going to try and save as much money as I can, even if it's a fiver some weeks and fifty on others I will save something each week. This is with good incentive as Oliver and I want to buy a house together, but it will also prove to me that I can save and can get something nice at the end of it. Besides, I have a million and one eyeshadow pallets... So do I really need another one? (My head is saying yes.)
• Organise my time- As I study English Literature at uni I have an awful lot of reading and essay writing to do, this first semester I ended up making myself very ill as I stressed myself out. I realise that perhaps some of this stress stemmed from the fact I did not take a step back from what I was doing and plan. I am a good planner, I love lists and I like to know exactly what is what, so that's what I'm going to do this year.
• Get more sleep!- I don't tend to sleep very often and when I do it's at weird times of the day and only for a few hours. I seem to have tried everything; sleeping tablets, relaxing before bed, making myself abnormally tired so I sleep through the night. It's frustrating and in turn not doing my body any favours so this is something I would like to tackle as soon as possible.
• Stop putting myself out- Take note that is putting myself out, not putting out ;) I have spent the past few years putting myself out for 'friends' who quite clearly couldn't give two fucks about me. This year I am going to be selfish. I am not going to get my bank account down to 0 to come and visit you in another city for you to not text me at all when I get back, I am not going to come to a family event and come to your house every time you call for you to disappear on me for weeks at a time. I do not need people like this in my life, they give me nothing positive.

 So there they are, what are your plans for New Year? What resolutions have you made?

Nicola Mai..x

Weight

This was taken of me about 3 months ago, I am the same weight/size now. I don't hate my body, but I just don't love it.

Height: 5ft3ish
Weight: 16st ish (fluctuates, but this is the biggest I get)
Clothing size: 18-20 which is about 40-44 inches on the hips.
Bra size: 40EE
Body type: Hourglass.

I'm not skinny, I never have been and frankly I don't want to be. I like how I look, if others don't they don't have to look do they? ;)  I would just like to tone up, slim down not get slim, maybe lose a stone or two, but I am in no rush so I am going to do it with healthy eating and exercise. I am lucky in the sense that I have always been on the plumper side of life, which is fine I just want to be slightly less plump :) I know I am in proportion hip to boob wise and I love the fact that I have a waist I just want a bit of a flatter tummy and less flabby arms :P

Do you guys have any tips for weight loss?
Any yummy healthy recipes?
Any confidence boosting quotes?

Nicola Mai..x

:D

On a happy note, I got a 2:1 on my first presentation and first essay.. Just two more marks to get but I am SO happy.
I have been given no help whatsoever at uni, so I have done it all off my own back and I am very proud of myself.


This is of course my current motivation on the next four I have to do by the 14th of Decemeber... FUN!
Any study tips?
Good books on literary theory?

Nicola Mai..x

Life changes

The past couple of weeks I have been on a complete downer, which is lame. I haven't been sleeping a lot, something which I have a major problem with anyway, but this has led me to feel incredibly lethargic and irritable all the time. This has resulted in me distancing myself from everyone around me and I basically sat in the same four walls (my bedroom) and only left to go to the loo, bathe or eat. I also didn't really care for much of my uni work apart from essays, I did no reading for lectures and barely showed up.
I was also getting a lot more panic attacks and night terrors, something which I suffer form awfully, which I may discuss in another blog post actually.

But anyway, this is surprisingly not going to be a miserable post because I have made a list! A list of things that will change my life.
Okay so here it goes;

• Healthy eating- I eat a lot of crappy food, either food on the go, food to give me a  boost or just something quick and easy. I realise this is making me feel horrid during the day, I am not drinking near enough fluids and basically need to revamp my eating style. So I have decided to cut down on sugar and carbs- to only have carbs with one meal a day and only a small amount. To eat breakfast, which is an important one because as we all know breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I also intend to eat a lot more fresh fruit and vegtables, which luckily I enjoy the taste of :)
• Drink more- Now I don't mean alcohol, infact the opposite. I want to make a concious effort to drink more water, also green tea and fruit juices. I will have the occasional hot chocolate or tea with sugars but not be as relient as I am on them now. Caffeine is going to be cut right down, no more energy drinks or anything like that as I know these are incredibly bad for me. 
• Get a normal sleeping pattern- Basic but it's so hard for me to get to sleep and settle on a night. But I am going to start by getting up when Ollie wakes up to go to work and actually get up and get active. Then go to sleep when I am tired.
• Stop worrying- As a human it is only natural that I worry, but I am a worry wart. I am irrastional when it comes to worrying and I think this is what's getting in the way of me sleeping properly. So I am going to make a concious effort to stop getting weighed down with things I can't control. If something is going to happen it will happen anyway.
• Go to uni- I have found some motivation for uni again after a rocky month and I know it's what I want to do so I am going to force myself to go, even if I have only had an hour or twos sleep.
• Be a generally better person- Ollie is one of the most genuine people I have ever met and he has taught me so much about how you should be as a person. He doesn't seem to have a bad bone in his body and doesn't get himself down about what he doesn't like about a person he just gets on with things. Sometimes being civil and being the bigger person is better for your body and mind than arguing your way through life. I can tend to be slightly hot-headed.
• Love myself- If you don't love you how can you expect anyone else to love you?

So, sorry for the wordy post but I thinnk writing it down will help me. Also if you read this and see that one of these things could benefit you in some way that'd be amazing! Any other tips you can give me. drop me a comment.

Nicola Mai..x

Kukee Jewellery

Well I am very very happy today as my Kukee jewellery arrived!

As you can see here it is all sweetly packaged and cute as anything.
Top to bottom, left to right I have; Navajo Feather necklace/earrings (£3.50), Swirly Stone earrings in Black (£1.50), Reaper Hand necklace (£2.50), Colourful Owl necklace (£2.50), Dangly Pendant Ear Cuff in Cross (£1.50), Multi Spike Ear Cuff (£1.00), Out of this world necklace in Planet (£2.50) & a cute over knuckle ring which was thrown in for free.
I also got a Skull bangle bracelet in gunmetal (£3.50)and tiny skull earrings (£1.50) but the pictures wouldn't focus, boo!
All of this came to £20!! Can you believe it? P&P was only £2.20, I ordered this in the early hours on Sunday and it arrived this morning, so quick delievery. Now Kukee is based in the UK, but I do believe products are shipped everywhere your P&P will just differ :)

I am really impressed with both the service and the products and I can tell I will be getting a lot of wear out of them. I can't wait for another splurge on the site, though I will wait for a little while.. I also think these would be perfect as stocking fillers and little presents for Christmas (don't shoot me it is nearing the end of Novemeber!)

You can find the website here: http://www.kukee.co.uk/
Hopefully you find some cute bits and get ordering!


Nicola Mai..x

Sooo...

I have neglected my blog, sorry!
I have been super busy with uni work, trying to find a part-time job which isn't Christmas temp (to no avail) and having birthday celebrations, yay me!
But I am going to try extra hard to get going on my blog properly and not neglect it again.. :)





Nicola Mai.. x

My Week In Pictures

1) Chilling with Pepsi, 2) Xboxing on Fable 3, 3) Dinner date with Chloe :)

4) Outfit at the pub 5) Nails, black and glittery! 6) Hair disaster!

7) Posey posey 8) Playfighting with Oliver 9) Dippy eggs and soldiers!

Nicola Mai..x

Boredom

So with uni not starting for a few days and no money I have being incredibly bored...

Think i'll have a look round for some posts to do today, that'll keep me busy :)

Nicola Mai..x

Degree at 22?

I have recently being accepted to start an English Literature degree at University Centre Peterborough, which I am very very exicted about! I enrol this week and start my lectures on the 24th so it's all systems go to get everything sorted quickly.
After phoning the uni I had to sort out my UCAS, which if any of you have done this will know is one of the most tedious things known to man. I am now in the process in sorting out Student Finace, who I am convinced I will hate untill my loan actually comes in. I just have to send off one letter today and then that should all be fine, here's hoping anyway.
Now you may be wondering why I didn't do the convetional thing and go to uni at 18, also why i'm not moving away from home. I have always wanted a degree, but when the time came for me to go at 18 I freaked. Decided it wasn't for me and cancelled my place, I did this again when I was 20. Now I don't know whether this is due to being away from home or whatever, but I do know it was mainly due to a fear of failure. I mean it's a big deal to come home and admit defeat with your tail between your legs. As for moving away, well it's just more practical for me to stay with my parents. Also I have Ollie here and we're thinking of getting our own place at some point too, so it'd be silly for me to spend money to move away.
One day late August I finally thought, 'You know what you're wasting yourself.' I've been working in dead end retail jobs, when I have a half decent brain on my shoulders, so I rang my local uni up.
It's safe to say I am shitting a brick or two, but that's just due to never being in this situation yet. As for being nearly 22 and just starting university, i'm not too fussed. I've started my degree when it's right for me, when I won't get distracted by clubbing and cheap drink nights (not as much as I would've anyway) as I've done it all before. Besdies I have a baby-face so people will think i'm 18 anyway :P

Are any of you going to uni this year? What are you studying? What do you think on leaving it late to go to uni?



Nicola Mai..x

NEW PHONE! :D

So, I finally have my new phone in my hands, charged, registered and ready to go! I have traded in my Blackberry Torch for the iPhone 4s, as much as I loved using my Blackberry I just couldn't be bothered with it any more the BBM service was the only thing I really used on it and everyone else had moved to iPhone, which left me with a total of 3 people to talk too.... Not fun!
So far I have downloaded, Twitter, Facebook, Instragram and a Horoscope app.. No clue as to what to download next.. Any ideas?


Nicola Mai..x

This Week's Music Playlist

So this is basically what i've been listening to this week, well my favourites of the week anyway. I literally listen to music constantly and i'll listen to anything, though I tend to lean more towards Indie, Rock and Acoustic stuff. So here's my list.

Arctic Monkeys ft Miles Kane- 505
Arctic Monkeys- I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
Miles Kane- Quicksand
Miles Kane- First Of My Kind
Guns N Roses- Live and Let Die
Frank Turner- I Am Disappeared
Nicki Minaj- Pound The Alarm
Rihanna- Where Have You Been
The Black Keys- Little Black Submarines
The Offspring- Can't Repeat
+44- No, It Isn't
City and Colour- O' Sister

So what have your favourite tracks been this week?

Nicola Mai..x

Skincare

I don't use a lot of skincare stuff as I try to avoid using a lot of product on my face. I do however use a few things to keep spots away and make my skin feel lovely and fresh!

Skincare

• Clearasil Deep Cleansing Pads

I found these a couple of years ago, i'm a lazy person first thing in the morning and also hate getting my face wet so I tend to steer clear of face washes as much as I can. These are the next best thing, if not better! A small circular pad can be used on the whole face, you get just over a months worth in each pot, which means they're also value for money. They don't have an acidic smell and leave my skin feeling lovely and smooth.

• Lush 'Cupcake' Facemask

I use this facemask every so often, normally when I feel my skin needs a added boost. As you can imagine from the name 'Cupcake' it smells lovely, good enough to eat! The texture is quite thick and a little goes a long way which is a highlight as you only get a small pot at a time for around a fiver.

• Babywipes- any brand but I prefer Johnsons.

I use babywipes every single day, they're amazing for taking make-up off. Also if I ever dye my hair they come in handy for cleaning up around the edges as I'm quite a messy hair dyer. I will use any babywipes as they all do their job, but Johnsons are the softest I find and given that my skin can become red very easily I prefer to use these.



Nicola Mai..x

Before & After

Now i'm going to be brave and do a before and after make-up post. This is mainly because it facinates me just how different I look with and without make-up, I feel there's quite a difference. Now i'm not saying I hate myself without make-up on and i'm not the type of girl who refuses to leave the house without make-up either, but I can totally see how girls can feel so insecure about having to wear make-up all the time.

This was taken just before I had a bath, so I had taken off all my make-up and my hair is a state.... My skin looks lovely and clear here and my eyes stand out, overall not too bad.

Here I have used my everyday make-up listed in my posts below... As you can see there is quite the difference with make-up on!

Any of you guys care to bare? What's your thoughts on girls that 'have' to wear make-up before they leave the house?

Nicola Mai..x

:(

Okay so no new phone today, but my dad's going to ring up Orange so it should be delievered real soon!
So I am left to a weekend by myself as Ollie is working insane hours at The Boathouse but I have some tasks this weekend;

• Tidy and organise my room ready for wardrobe next weekend.
• Find and send off my p60 and birth certificate to Student Finance.
• See my best friend, Kirstie, for the first time in months!
• Book my eye-test, which is long overdue.
• Think up some new outfits.
• Research other blogs and look for some cool ideas to blog about..

First things first though, a long soak in a hot bath!


Nicola Mai..x

Sleepy eyes

After having a rather productive day of sorting out UCAS and Student Finance (more on this soon!), doing little or no tidying of my room which currently looks like an IKEA warehouse AND sorting out my blog  finally I am pretty much ready for bed. Just have to wait another 20 minutes for Oliver to get in from work, then Cherry & Chocolate Horlicks, cuddles and sleep. I have to be up at 8 tomorrow morning, on a Saturday, I think my dad is trying to kill me! But on the upside i'm finally updating my phone!
Night...

Nicola Mai..x

Links to the rest of my life

I thought i'd put some links for people to get in contact if they have anything to say or whatever....

Email- For any questions or anything that you don't just want to comment, or linking me to your blog or other blogs you think are fab! :)

Twitter- My day-to-day stuff, keep updated if I don't have time to blog, also many rants ;)

Facebook- Some people still use this right?!

Nicola Mai..x

Everyday Make-Up Review

Following my last post I thought it'd be great if I could review the products I cover my face in most days and discuss which I couldn't live without and which I would be willing to change.

• Foundation: Bourjois 123 Perfect Foundation in Light Vanilla£10.99

I try and only use foundation on a special occasion or when i'm on a night out as I like to let my skin breath and keep spots to a bare minimum. I  like to try and change my foundation as I think my skin gets used to each one and I never seem to be able to carry on the same coverage after a few months. This Bourjois foundation so far has served me well, doesn't make me orange, the coverage is really good and I only need a little to cover my whole face so I don't mind paying so much for it, I do think that you should invest a little bit of money into a product that goes on your face.. I would defiantly come back to this product again and i'm thinking maybe my next foundation will be Borjois too.
8/10

• Concealer: Rimmel Hide The Blemish Concealer in Ivory £4.49

I have used this same concealer ever since my mum told me about it when I was about 14 and I haven't strayed since. I once tried one of my friend's liquid concealers and just found it oily and horrible. This stick means that it's much easier to target problem areas and you can use as little or as much as you like for coverage! As a teenager I had quite good skin, but when I would get a breakout this gave me enough coverage to have confidence in my skin.
10/10

• Powder: Maybelline Dream Matte Powder in Rose Nude £7.19

I don't often use powder, again only for special occasions or if I feel i'm happy a bad skin day and need a little more coverage. Overall i'm  unimpressed with the final outcome of this product as I find it becomes a little flaky and although i'm pale it makes me look even worse. For the price of this product I expected a lot more and as for 'dream matte powder' I don't think so.
4/10

• Blush: Bourjois Little Round Pot Blusher in Rose D'or £7.49

I remember being little and watching my mum do her make-up and when I was old enough and got into doing my make-up regularly I bought another of the same products as her. Now one this I will say about this, which isn't a normal feature when looking for blusher is that this smells divine, I mean yum! But yes, the coverage is amazing, it's real easy to use a little and build it up for a more dramatic look or just have a little sweep for a light coverage. One thing I will say is that the brush you get with this product isn't great and I did invest in my own brush, apart from that I can't fault it!
9/10

• Eyeshadow: MUA Trio Eyeshadow in Innocence £2.50

This is a new addition to my  make-up bag and quite the steal! I am partial to the smokey eye look and this product does the trick fabulously, there are also many different shades to chose from this time I opted for the browns. Overall this is a good product, though the lightest of the three shades isn't bright enough for me. Something I would buy again, I would also like a set in every shade :)
8/10

• Eyeliner Pencil: Barry M Kohl Eye Pencil in Black £2.99

I always make my eyes my main feature when doing my make-up, so a good eyeliner is a must. This Barry M product does just the job. I use this on the inside of my bottom lashes and although it eventually comes off it does last a good few hours, I hardly ever have to re-touch on a night out either. I like to switch and try different eyeliner pencils but I think I will always have one of these handy as a back up.
7/10

• Liquid Eyeliner: Collection 2000 Fast Stroke Liquid Eyeliner in Black £2.99

My 'signature' as some may call it would be eye flicks. I never leave the house with my flicks being done, so of course I need a loyal eyeliner to keep my eyes in tip-top shape and this is the product! I have differed from many different eyeliners for my upper eye-lid from pencils to liquid eyeliner pens and nothing comes close to this. The brush with this is brilliant, there isn't too much product left so it smudges and it glides easily so I can get the perfect flick (with a lot of panda eye practise in my younger years) I wouldn't even think about using something different.
10/10

• Mascara: Maybelline The Falsies in Black Drama £7.99

I have fairly long natural lashes and I like a product to emphasise this, now while this product is quite good it hasn't got the WOW factor that I would like for the price I paid for it. Especially when I have used much cheaper brands and got a better coverage. The brush itself is quite good, but I find it doesn't separate my lashes as much as I like and can get too much of the product on at one time, which obviously means building lashes up for a dramatic look is out of the window. However, it isn't completely awful and will probably come in handy for a base coat mascara when I get another.
5/10

• Vaseline Lip Therapy in Rosy Lips £1.99

Now a lot of you reading this have probably or do probably use Vaseline or one of their products so I don't need to tell you how fabulous it is. It does it's job and smells lush, I like to use different lipbalms, but this is the one that always finds it's way into my handbag. In the Winter my lips become a horrible mess at times with the change of weather and this clears my chapped lips right up. I can't really fault it too much.
8/10
So readers, have you used any of these products and what were your experiences? Do you have any product reccomendations for my next buys?


Nicola Mai..x

How Much Is My Face Worth?

I've seen this on a few blogs and thought it'd be a good post to start me off on my blogging route. I'll be following this post with another of reviews on my everyday products, so keep an eye out for that!
So for those of you that haven't seen this post before I am basically taking my everyday make-up and pricing it all up to see how much my face is worth.

So here we go:

Face

• Foundation: Bourjois 123 Perfect Foundation in Light Vanilla£10.99
• Concealer: Rimmel Hide The Blemish Concealer in Ivory £4.49
• Powder: Maybelline Dream Matte Powder in Rose Nude £7.19
• Blush: Bourjois Little Round Pot Blusher in Rose D'or £7.49

Eyes

• Eyeshadow: MUA Trio Eyeshadow in Innocence £2.50
• Eyeliner Pencil: Barry M Kohl Eye Pencil in Black £2.99
• Liquid Eyeliner: Collection 2000 Fast Stroke Liquid Eyeliner in Black £2.99
• Mascara: Maybelline The Falsies in Black Drama £7.99

Lips

• Vaseline Lip Therapy in Rosy Lips £1.99

This gives my face a grand total of: £48.62 which I don't think is that bad at all really.

So what is your face worth? Post it and let me know!

Nicola Mai..x

Hair!

Well after 5 years of dying my hair dark brown (for it to then go black) I decided enough was enough and that I was finally going to dye my hair a lighter colour.
Of course I had to bleach it first and not wanting to spend £120+ for a hairdresser to do it I opted for a hair pre-lightner instead. After two applications- as you can imagine after 5 years of frequent hair dying dark it needed more than one go- I was left with a gingery kind of colour.
After deciding this wasnt all that hidious I added a light auburn colour and i'm really happy with the end result.

Although I love my new hair, my black hair was like a comfort blanket... So it's taken some adjusting shown below is the change from before I started to after.


Before



After



Even though I would probably like to re-dye it so it's brighter and also it's a tad patchy (but I expected that) I have decided to give my hair a little bit of a break so it doesn't fall out on me!

Any of you guys got any hair troubles, nightmares or anything? Or is there some products you would have used instead? Perhaps an idea on what colour I can go next or what product to maintain a brighter shade of my current colour?

Nicola Mai..x

Me, Myself and I

Thought I better introduce myself first...

• My full name is Nicola Mai Smith
• I am 21, 22 in Novemeber
• This makes me a Scorpio (more on this later)
• I'm taken by the wonderful Oliver
• Currently living at home with both parents, 2 brothers and a sister.
• I'm about to start an English Degree

I think that's the basics, anything you want to know in particular just e-mail me at missnmai@hotmail.com :)

New Blog

Well I thought I would start a new blog, i've used many different types of blog before so perhaps this one can keep my interest for longer :)

This blog will be a mix of my everyday life, rants, reviews, lists.... Yeah a little bit of everything.