Recent purchases- skin care and Bourjois foundation

Hello there!

I feel like I've been neglecting my blog a bit and I want to try to rectify that.  With another busy week at work coming up I'm going to have to get organised to make that work!  Fingers crossed this is the first of many posts.

I've been trying really hard not to spend too much money this month but somehow these three items slipped through the net (oops!).  I popped in to a health store here earlier this month looking for gluten free flour and came out instead with some organic sweet almond oil instead.  It was on offer and I've been wanting to try out some natural oil for a while.  My favourite high street body oil is The Body Shop beautifying oil and one of the main ingredients was sweet almond so I thought it would be useful to add to my collection of oils ( I now have three so it's a small one!).

That's a lie actually I have four if I include my virgin coconut oil!

I also ordered myself the Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation from ASOS after testing quite a few out in the shops and this one having the nicest consistency.  I loved the idea of it containing different fruit extracts and hope it's doing something good for my skin as well as covering it!

I've only used it a few times so far but I really like how moisturising it is.

I love my Garnier face wash but sometimes feel it's a bit too harsh to be using twice a day on my skin so I bought something more gentle this weekend to change it up a little.

I've only used it once but it was light and fresh!

I look forward to testing these things out and letting you know how I get on!

Till next time

Twirlybirdie :)

Baking days- Chocolate Marble cupcakes

Hello there!

How are you?  I have had a busy week so I haven't had much time for blogging.  That concluded with a difficult performance yesterday for me which thankfully went OK.  We had some last minute drama (cast change 10 min before curtain up!) but the show went on and all was well.

Something that I have been doing a little more of recently is baking.  I went through a stage where I wasn't in the mood for baking at all and I think it was making a cake for Valentine's day that made me feel like baking again.
I baked a chocolate marble cake recently and because it was so easy to do I decided to do the same thing but making chocolate marble cupcakes instead.  I took a standard cupcake recipe from an M&S cupcake recipe book I own and made the cake mixture as usual.  Then I spooned half the mixture in to cases and added about 2 tbsp of cocoa powder to the mixture that was left in the bowl.  I mixed this in and then spooned the chocolate mixture in to the cases.  I used a toothpick to swirl the two cake mixtures together and then baked as usual.

They turned out really well!

They were really tasty but I fancied adding some chocolate butter cream icing to sweeten them up even more!  Once again I just added some cocoa powder to a basic butter cream recipe.

I was going to try to do some nice piping on the top but had run out of icing bags so had to make do with just splodging it on with a spoon.  It still tasted yummy though and they didn't last long!

I had some icing left over so I made some red velvet cupcakes to use the rest of the icing on.  I took some pictures but forgot to take some of them once they were done so will post those up once I've made another batch.  I'm feeing like baking another cake again soon.  My Mum and sister are coming to visit next weekend so that could be a good excuse to!

I hope your week got off to a good start and that you enjoyed reading this post!

Twilrybirdie :)

Garnier BB cream Pure Active

Hello!

How are you?  I hope you had a nice day.  I recently wrote about the Garnier BB cream for sensitive skin which I loved but was put off using once I realised it contained parabens.  Then I saw that they had just brought out a new Pure Active anti-imperfections version which seemed to be paraben free!
I had ordered a new Bourjois foundation from ASOS so tried to resist buying this but my skin was being temperamental and it was taking ages to arrive so when I saw the BB cream on offer I decided to give it a go.

I like that this is designed for 'combination skin prone to imperfections' and contains 2% salicylic acid to help clear your skin as well as cover it.  There were only two shades available, medium and light and as my skin is quite pale I went for light.  I have used the shade 'light' in the other range of Garnier BB creams before but I found that this one was a bit too orange for my skin.  It's not too noticable if it's spread out quite thinly over my skin but I definitely noticed it more than when I used the Garnier BB cream for sensitive skin.

Maybe it's a coincidence but since I started using this my skin has cleared up quite a lot.  I've ended up using this more as a concealer and mixing it with the bourjois foundation which did eventually arrive and is quite a bit paler than this to lighten it up.  I quite like the idea that it is helping to fix the blemish as well as cover it up.  All in all I like the concept of this BB cream a lot but it would be great if it came in a paler shade as well.
I'm off to sleep now, I need an early night!
Till next time

Twirlybirdie :)

Moisturising duo for very dry skin

Hello there!

How are things?  I am back in to another busy week at work.  Today I managed to spend some time in the sauna which was nice and has made me very sleepy.
I thought I would write about a trick I had recently discovered which helps me to keep my skin from getting too dry.  I have to be really careful especially in winter not to let it get dry as it can quickly turn in to eczema so I always have a substantial amount of moisturiser around.  In the summer I really liked using the Body Shop Dry Body Oil so I thought I would continue to use oils in place of or alternately with cream moisturisers for a change.  I've found that sometimes an oil really just isn't absorbed in to my skin enough and sits on top of it as a sealing barrier which is good but I really need a lot of moisture to be absorbed in to my skin as well.

I've found that using a rich moisturiser such as a body butter first on the places that really need it followed by a body oil on top is the perfect combination for moisturising and then sealing in that moisture to my skin.  It would probably be too much for people with oily skin but for my dry winter skin it is perfect.  You may have to sit in just your towel for a bit though whilst it is absorbed so you don't get grease stains on your clothes!  I will certainly be carrying on doing this in the future when my skin is getting too dry and needs some extra TLC!

I hope you have a nice evening :)

Twilrybirdie

Shopping for crafty things

Hello there,

how has your week been?  Mine has been busy as I predicted.  There have been a lot of rehearsals and I have been really tired.  I'm excited that it's nearly the weekend though.  I have a show to do and after that a work party to go to which is nice.
Last weekend I did a lot of walking around town and couldn't resist popping in to the fabric store to pick up a few bits and pieces.  As well as making a veil for my wedding I decided I would have a go at making my own sparkly belt.  I saw some on-line and they are so pretty but can be quite expensive so I wanted to have an experiment and see if I could make something I liked.
I bought some white ribbon and found some pretty appliqués in the fabric store which were less than 2 euros each.  I also bought some sequins and a metal brooch to experiment with.  I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to do with them yet but I have enough ribbon to make two belts with so I can try different things out.  I also found a delicate sparkly chain which I thought could go on the front of my veil or on the belt and some small lace flowers which I might cover the combs on the veil with.

The little lace flowers were only 6 cents each!  I'm looking forward to doing some experimenting soon, hopefully this weekend.

Twirlybirdie :)

Juliet Cap Veil DIY update #1

Hello there!

I wrote about my intention to try to make my own Juliet cap style veil last month.  Since then I've taken the first steps towards creating it.

First I took a measuring tape and measured across the top of the head from where I wanted the combs to sit on one side and across to the other.  This came to 12 cm for me.  Then I found the centre of the top of the front of the veil by folding it in half.  I marked the middle with a dress making pin.
I halved the measurement for the distance between the two combs which came to 6 cm and then I measured 6 cm from the middle of the front of the veil to the right and left of the front edge.  This was where I wanted the combs to be.

I then measured 20 cm perpendicular to the front edge of the veil at the these two points where I wanted to place the combs and made little stitches with white thread and a small needle from twenty centimetres out back towards the front edge of the veil.  I pulled this gently to make it gather.  I secured this by knotting the thread.  Then I sewed the gathers to the tulle I had wrapped around the top of the combs.  I decided to place the combs facing down and inwards to the centre of the head with the veil on top when sewing them to the veil.. This was so that they will be placed pointing upwards when placed on the head.

I haven't decided yet if I want to add a trim across the front.  I think it looks more modern with out one but it will look really pretty with one too.  At the moment I have a daisy chain style trim and a beaded sparkly one to try out but I think I will need to know what my dress will be like first.

I also might try to sew something to cover the combs, like a small piece of lace or a sparkly broach.

At the moment I also feel like the cap isn't quite as tight as I'd like so I might experiment with shortening the distance between the two combs and also possibly doing a slightly longer gather at each comb.  I have sewn it all quite loosely for now so it's quite easy to unpick and adjust.

I'm really pleased with it so far and this is definitely the veil style I like.  At the moment my veil is 3 metres long but I'm going to wait until later to decide what length to cut it to or whether or not to sew any think to the train.  Luckily the tulle fabric was quite cheap and I bought quite a lot of it so I feel comfortable experimenting with it.

I will let you know how I get on with this in the future.  Are you making your own veil?  Let me know if you have any tips!

Till next time

Twirlybirdie :)

You might like:
Juliet Cap Veil Update #2

Life lately: Sunny weekend with tulips and coffee

Hello,

I hope you enjoyed your weekend.  It was lovely and sunny today which always puts me in a good mood.

 Yesterday it was International Women's Day so my fiancé bought me these lovely yellow tulips.  I had been craving having fresh flowers around the house ever since the snow melted!

They were closed so I looked forward to them opening soon!

In the evening we were about to go out to meet friends for drinks when typically I decided that it was time I whipped together a batch of cupcakes!

The morning after our wild Saturday night out (wild for us, we were home by about 2.30am) we were definitely in need of a coffee!  So we went to one of our favourite cafes in town.  I this particular cafe because of the light that comes in from the big windows and the white crockery.

My fiancé likes the little pictures that are on the sugar packets there!

I love a good pouring in the milk shot.  Yum.

Sugar too.  Sorry for getting a bit carried away with the coffee shots.  There are more but I will spare you!

My fiancé decided to make some paper cranes.  I have no idea why but they are pretty!

This morning the tulips had opened :)

I hope the sun was shining where you were today.

Twirlybirdie :)

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer

Hello there!

I hope you have had a nice day.  I recently ordered this Maybelline concealer from Feel Unique after eyeing it up for a while in the shops.  I have an Art Deco highlighter/concealer pen which I really like but I wanted something a bit more pigmented especially for under my eye.  After testing it out in the shops I decided to go for shade 20 as the only other shade in they had in the shop seemed a little too pale for me.

When it first arrived I was worried that I had remembered the shade number wrong as it seemed a bit dark/orange when I first dabbed it on..  I found that when I blended it out it did match my skin tone really well.  I only need to use a tiny amount.  It's especially good for using under my eyes without looking overly white which was my problem with some under eye concealers in the past.

I like the soft applicator tip to use to dab the concealer on where it's needed and then I blend it out by dabbing and brushing it out with my finger tips until it's blended out enough that it's not visible.  The consistency is thicker and creamier than the Art Deco one.  It feels moisturising and comfortable to wear.

I'm glad I bought this as I will be using it regularly.  It was not a bad price either.  It would probably be perfect if it was just a tiniest bit paler so maybe when I get a chance to test the other shades I can find a more perfect match.

I hope you enjoyed this review !

Twirlybirdie :)

February Favourites: Make-up

Hello!

I hope you enjoyed my February favourite's for body care.  Here are the make-up products I've been enjoying recently.

On my lips I have been using the Joik red wine lip balm.  It's super light packaging makes it great to cart around in my bag.  I like it on it's own as a really smoothing balm or as a moisturising prep for lipstick.

The Lumene Natural Code lipstick in Crystal Rose I bought because it was really cheap in a sale.  It's turned out to be really useful as it's a pretty semi-sheer light pink colour which seems to work with any make-up look.  Many lipstick shades make me look drained but this seems to perk up my face in a subtle and easily wearable way.

The Balm Stainiac in Prom Queen has been neglected for a while but I recently re-discovered it when I was wanting a natural looking flush of colour to my cheeks or lips which be long lasting.  This does the job really well and the colour is very natural looking on me as long as I don't over do it.

Another pretty blush I've been using a lot is this pink blush from my Too Faced Glamour to Go palette.  It's a subtle blush with a hint of gold.  The shade is not too pink and when lightly applied is very natural looking .

So those are my February favourite's for make-up.  No eye make-up products but I've been experimenting using different eye shadows on most days so that's probably why I haven't narrowed down any favourites.

I hope you enjoyed this post!

Twirlybirdie :)

February Favourites - Body and Hair Care

Hi there,

I hope February was good for you.  It felt so short I can hardly believe it's March already.  These are some of things I've been using most frequently throughout February.  I'll do the body care products first and a follow up post focusing on the make-up products.

Towards the end of December and in the beginning of January I started experimenting with all natural shampoo.  I really wanted to like it but I felt like my hair was so greasy afterwards and found the shampoo really difficult to get out.  So I turned back to an old favourite Garnier Fructis Colour Resist Shampoo.

My hair felt so amazing the first time I used this again.  It washes out my hair really easily and my hair feels soft and shiny.

Moisturiser is essential in the cold winter months and this Passion Fruit Body Butter from the Body Shop has been something I've used every day.  It's rich and seems to absorb in to my skin to nourish it and keep it soft.  I feel like it's been keeping my eczema at bay.  This goes straight on my skin as soon as I step out of a bath or shower to seal in the moisture.

As much as I need to moisturise my face my forehead is often oily.  I still get the odd dry patch though so I've been using this Garnier Long Lasting Shine Protection moisturiser on my forehead when it needs a bit of moisture.  This moisturiser is also mattifying and nice to put make-up on top of.

I've been really pleased with my travel atomiser which means I can top up my favourite fragrance, Prada Candy, on the go!

So those are my February favourite's for the body.  See you soon for the make-up edition!

Take care of yourself

Twirlybirdie :)

My first Feel Unique order! Maybelline Haul

Hi there!

I hope you're having a great weekend :).  I recently placed my first ever order with feelunique.com.  There is usually quite a big mark up on the price of cosmetics over here so sometimes it is cheaper to buy them online.  They have free worldwide shipping on orders over 10 pounds, although not all the items are available for shipping overseas.  Once I had found enough items of make-up I was wanting to purchase that met the free shipping amount I made my first order.

 The order arrived in this box which was quite a lot larger than the items inside!

The box was filled with these foam pieces which freak me out for some reason.  They just give me the shivers!

I ordered the Fit Me concealer in shade 02 and two Colour 24hr Tattoo eye shadows from Maybelline in the shades Rose Gold and Bronze on Bronze.

I'm really looking forward to testing these beauties out!  Reviews will be coming soon.
Over all I'm happy with my first experience of ordering from Feel Unique and will probably be ordering from them again in the future!

Twirlybirdie :)

Life lately: I love you apples, Marble Cake, Ebay sale

Hello!

Yay the weekend is finally here :)  We're thinking of going to the cinema tonight to catch a film as we haven't been to the cinema for quite a while.

My boyfriend got me this apple for Valentine's day!

I made this marble cake at the last minute at the weekend.  I didn't have any cocoa powder though so I ended up using Nesquick.  I think this made it sweeter than it's meant to be.

  It was nice but next time I'll definitely use cocoa powder!

It was time to have a clearout so I listed a couple of items on Ebay for sale.  I really like these pieces but they're a bit too big for me.

I also put up for sale this cute Ted Baker dress!

I fancied some glitter in my life so I used the best glitter polish I currently own.

It's a bit sheer so could probably use a second coat or a base colour.  It's also awesomely named.

I hope the sun shines today so I can take some nice pictures!

Till next time :)

Twirlybirdie