Life lately: Hyacinths and Muscle Pain!

Hello!

I hope you're having a good week.  After a recovery period I'm building myself up again for a performance mid April.  I'm just getting in to it at the moment but I know I'll have to commit to pushing myself again soon.  I had some pains in my left foot and big toe which I've been trying to manage and today I felt that they were on the mend.  I think I know what kind of treatment plan I need to follow at least that will get things back on track.

After last big performance I did I was given this beautiful hyacinth.  I went out and bought some soil so that I could plant it in a pot although when it come to flowers and gardening I have no idea what I'm doing.  The flower has sadly died since but I keep watering it in the hope that it will flower again!

Due to the stress I had preparing for last month's show I found I could only relax by reading.  This led to me finishing the first book my fiancé bought me for Valentine's day this year.   It was a fun and easy read.  Quite possibly the first time I have read a book in the young adult genre though, I was a bit shocked by some of the steamier scenes!  I need to get the full book review up soon as I've almost finished the book I've picked up since then!

Instruments of torture!  I bought these to roll out my painful tight muscles.  The small one I bought to roll out the muscles under my foot and thee larger one I roll out my glute with and also my back.  I feel so much relief after rolling out tight muscles on these.

The sun was actually shining for once so I had to get my camera out!    It's gone back to being overcast since then but I've decided that once the sun is out again I will get my camera out and try and finally take some nice photos of spring.
I have family coming over soon so I've been trying to spruce up the flat.  Today I bought some new scented candles to freshen up the place. I feel like a spring clean isn't complete without some scented candles!
I've been trying to write up some more personal blog posts in some pretty new notebooks I bought especially.  They still need some work though, or maybe I'm just not ready to share yet.  Hopefully I'll make headway with those in the not too distant future...!

Till next time :)

Twirlybirdie

Recent purchases: Manhattan Lip Lacquer and Misslyn Eyelash Curlers

Hello!

I recently did an interview for a magazine and I came away from it feeling a little strange.  It seemed to me that all I could really talk about was my work and job and I wondered if I came across a little boring.  Do I live just for my work?  Well perhaps that's a topic for another blog post later on,  I did say in my last post that I want to do more personal posts after all.  For now though this post is about what I did after that interview, which was browse the beauty aisles of the nearest department store to clear the strange feelings from my brain!
I had been looking at the Manhattan Lip Lacquers for ever because they seemed to be the same as Rimmel's Apocolips which I have been wanting to try.  The Manhattan version is cheaper at just under 6 euros, but as the two brands are owned by the same company I reckon these two products really are one and the same.  I finally stopped dilly dallying and selected the shade no. 50 G Rose & Shine.  This was a nice neutral rose shade with a hint of pink which I was worried might be a bit too drab on me as I normally go for brighter shades.  Often more natural lip colours can drain my face of colour.  I tested it out at the weekend though and with a slick of eye liner it really was the perfect shade of day time pink for me.  It got the seal of approval from my fiancé anyhow.
I must say I love the applicator and the formula.  It might not be the most long lasting but I like that the pigment is rich, it's comfortable to wear and as it wears off it leaves a pink tint on my lips.  The formula reminds me a bit of paint, but not in a horrible way, just in the sense that it is rich and densely pigmented.  I love the doe foot applicator which I find really easy to use.  The only thing I don't like about it is the smell.  I find the smell is just really strange?  Like strawberry laces if they didn't have any sugar in them?  Luckily I can look past this though and really enjoy using this new well priced lip product.

I bought the eyelash curlers because the Manhattan mascara I bought recently hasn't been giving my eyelashes enough of a curl.  I haven't used curlers for ages because I haven't found the need for this extra step, I'm already rushed off my feet in the morning when it comes to applying my make-up and I found I could get a good curl anyway with other mascaras I've been using.  I didn't want this mascara to go to waste though and applying it after using the curling wand has really done the trick.  I got these from the Misslyn brand because they were affordable (8 euros) and still looked half decent.
Well my little shopping spree did clear my head a bit.  I'm not sure if that's a good habit to get in to though, particularly as I'm still trying to keep a tight reign on spending after a rather expensive December/January!
Do you shop to clear your head?

Till next time :)

Twirlybirdie

Coffee Dates and a Blogging Break

Hello!

So I've been a bit absent on my blog for the past few days.  I had a really busy week with a difficult show that really just drained me of all my focus and energy.  For this particular role I needed to build up my stamina which meant going to the gym to train on days when my rehearsal workload wasn't heavy enough.  On top of the daily ballet class training this really took up all my mental and physical energy.  I couldn't even begin to thing about writing!  Once the show was over it took me a couple of days just to recover again after all that build up.  Normally I can read other people's blogs to relax but even that seemed like to much of a strain!  For some reason the only thing I could tolerate and manage to switch off my active mind by doing was reading my book.
I'm slowly waking up from the fog and feeling like I can think about taking photographs and start writing again.  I really feel I had a break from the internet and I think the break has been good for me.  The time away has given me some space to think about what sort of direction I would like to take my blog in.  Up to now I have just tried to keep it free and to write about whatever I feel and I've definitely found it easier to focus on lighter things such as what I've bought or make-up I like and I haven't really wanted to delve in to anything more personal.  I have been feeling though that I would like to write a few more serious posts now and again as little ideas for them keep popping in to my head.  So if that's something you're interested in hopefully I will have some more personal posts up in the near future!

Last weekend I decided to finally take my digital camera out of the box and haul it to town with me.  It's been a bit neglected since I got hold of my DSLR.  Once I started taking pictures with that I just couldn't stand that the quality of the photos I was taking with my digital camera were no where near the same.  Now I feel that this has been at the expense of my blog as I often can't bring myself to take my DSLR out of the house as it is so heavy!  I realised that imperfect photos were better for telling my story on here than none at all so I dug out that digital camera I spent so much on and then hardly used, and decided to pop it in my handbag as much as possible so I could get some pictures whilst we were out and about.
As usual free time coincided with my fiancé and I popping out to a local cafe for some coffee.  We've been going to this little place fairly regularly since it had a makeover, particularly as the prices are still quite reasonable and targeted more at students.  A lot of the other cafes and restaurants around here seem to have gone up market in recent times and become fairly unaffordable.  I suppose as part of the studenty vibe (?) this place seem to serve their drinks in a variety of quirky mugs and this time was no exception.  One of them was one of the funniest mugs I've seen in quite a long time!

My fiancé had this one!

Mine had a french press on one side and coffee grinder on the other!  Quirky but fun.
As usual we sat in the window seat because I love sitting somewhere with lots of light and we chatted away for a couple of hours.  It's one of our favourite things to do, particularly as we're so tired all the time from our job that doing anything more physical in our free time seems impossible.

Till next time :)

Twirlybirdie

What I reach for when my lips need saving

Hello!

How is your week going?  Mine has been a bit up and down.  Work is feeling a little stressful but I'm sure it's just a passing phase!  Something else that's been a bit stressed out lately has been my lips.  They've been suffering from the cold weather and also quite possibly the long lasting lip products I've been using.  They were getting dry enough that switching to more moisturising lipsticks just wasn't going to cut it.  I had to turn to an old trusted favourite to save my lips!

The Blistex Lip Relief cream is a white soft cream that absorbs in to the delicate skin on the lips really fast and provides instant relief.  I used to have to keep one of these on me at all times when my lips were going through a particularly bad phase although, until recently, I hadn't had a problem with them for ages.  I didn't realise until I just looked it up now that it also has SPF 10 in it!  I've been applying this for the last couple of weeks before I put on any lipstick, particularly a drying one and actually my lips are already pretty much back to normal.. All I can really say is that I think this stuff is brilliant for dry cracked lips, at least, it certainly works for me!  I'm glad to have this back in my handbag.

Till next time :)

Twirlybirdie

Life Lately: Lemon Drizzle Cake and Pink Tulips

Hello!

I think it's time for a life lately post as I haven't done one for a little while.  I had quite a quiet time at work for a couple of weeks which was lucky as quite a busy time is about to follow from right about now!

I've kept going with the baking streak I had been on since pancake day.  This cake was requested by my fiancé.  It was a lemon drizzle cake which I don't think I had ever made before.  It was really tasty and quite a bit denser than the carrot cake I had made before.  The recipe was super simple and you can find it here.  I personally preferred the lightness of the carrot cake but my fiancé preferred this one!

We bought some pretty tulips.  I requested the girly pink ones though I think my fiance wanted the yellow and red.  Hello spring!

I've been obsessed with this Green and Black's Organic Milk Chocolate with delicate flakes of Sea Salt.  Soooo yummy!  It's been on offer for a little while but recently went back up to full price again which is a shame because it's so expensive :(

I've been doing a lot of work on my wedding veil which I will have to write a full update post on soon!
I hope you have a great week

Till next time :)

Twirlybirdie

What I wore on my face for a special event

Hello!

I recently wrote about a dress I wore to a red carpet event I was invited to last month.  I thought I would also write a little post on what I decided to do with my make-up.  As I didn't want to be carrying around a little bag with me all evening I needed to wear make-up that would be very long lasting and not need any touch-ups, though I did slip my fiancé my lipstick to keep with him just in case.  It turned out I didn't even need it though as my lipstick stayed in place all evening!  So with that in mind what make-up products did I go for?

As I hate wearing foundation and my skin was in quite good condition I decided to go with the Clarins Beauty Flash Balm to give my skin a natural radiance and glow.  I layered this over the Body Shop's Aloe Soothing Day Cream which I picked because it's a soothing and light cream with out SPF.  I wanted to use a moisturiser without SPF because that can cause flashback in photos.  Under the eyes I used the Lumene Vitamin C Radiant Eye Cream as a base which I used the Maybelline Fit Me concealer on top of to cover my dark circles.
With my base done I used the Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tint for Eyes in Lots o' Latte.  I went for this because I wanted a fairly neutral looking eye, and as much as I love the Maybelline 24hr Tattoo in Bronze on Bronze, this trumps it in terms of longevity and is much more natural looking.
I used my new Lumene Blueberry Liquid Eyeliner on the top lash line to make sure my eyes were defined and used the Manhattan Volcano Explosive Volume Waterproof mascara on my lashes.  I used Art Deco Eyebrow Powder in shade 5 on my eyebrows using a flat angled brush to add natural looking definition to them.
On my lips I went for the Blistex Lip Relief Cream first to soothe my lips which are a bit dry at the moment.  This was particularly necessary as I was going for a long lasting lipstick which can be a bit drying.  Once this had soaked in I applied the Bourjois Rouge Velvet Lipstick in Frambourjoise.  I chose this lipstick because I trusted it's staying power and it's a lovely bright but not too bright matte pink.  To balance this out I used my Clinique Powder Blusher in Pink Love because I felt that the pink in it was a good match for the lipstick.  Then I used the Mary-Lou Manizer highlighting powder on the tops of my cheeks and just above my cupids bow because, well.... it's just really pretty!
I was going to leave it at that but then in the back of the car I decided to add a little bit of powder to my forehead and nose because I can get a bit shiny there.  I used my Lumene Touch of Radiance Powder lightly on those areas.  Later on in the evening I did look a bit shiny so maybe I could have used a touch more of that!
Phew!  That was quite a long list.  I don't normally go to town quite so much with products on my face but it was a special occasion and I knew I was going to be photographed and quite possibly captured on film too, so I wanted to be looking my best all evening.  It was interesting for me to figure out which products to use as they clearly were the ones I trusted the most.  I also was surprised at how easy it was for me to figure out what kind of make-up look I'm most comfortable with.  Subtly defined eyes and a semi-bright lip colour was an obvious choice so perhaps this is route I will go down when it comes to my wedding day make-up as well!

Till next time :)

Twirlybirdie

Book Review: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

Hello!

I don't think I've ever done a book review before so this post is a first for me.  Yay!  I've talked about reading this book a lot on my blog already because it's a book that I didn't ever think I would get around to reading!  I bought this book years ago pretty much based on the fact it seemed to have a lot of praise for it and the title and the blurb appealed.  It was kind of an impulse purchase and as with any new book I was excited to delve in to it.  However, I just couldn't get going.
The first story is set in 1850 and written in the style of journal entries by an American man waiting to travel on a ship from the island he is on back to his home in America.  I really struggled with the journal style entry of writing and just couldn't get in to his story.  I picked up the book quite a few times over the years and each time I couldn't remember for the life of me what I had read before so I kept having to start at the beginning.  I think I sort of gave up hope on it but felt sad about that every time I saw it on the bookshelf.
When I heard it was being made in to a film I thought I should probably give it another try as I wanted to make sure I'd read it before I saw the film.  I didn't actually get round to it though until I saw the trailer for the film.  'Woah!'  I just couldn't believe this trailer was for the same book?!  It seemed unrecognisable to me considering I had only got in to the first plot and I finally realised that the book is written from the perspective of different characters at different points in time, including in to the far off future.  I hate to admit that seeing the trailer for the film was what got me excited to read the book but sadly it's the truth!
Realising that the whole book wasn't going to be written as a journal entry set in 1850 gave me the kick up the backside to persevere with that section, though admittedly I had to force myself, but finally I made it to the second character and time period of the book.  I did in fact still struggle with this book because each plot ends at a crucial moment in the character's story and then you feel as if you have to start a whole new book again with new characters that you have to learn to care about  Each time I had to start over without having the satisfaction of knowing what had happened to the character in the plot before I felt quite frustrated; but knowing that I would reach each story's conclusion eventually kept me going (as did the long baths I was having whilst I was reading and the knowledge that I could finally watch the movie once it was done!).  It is worth noting that each story is also written in a different style!  This made some sections easier for me to read than others.
So to be clear, there are six stories in all, all interconnected and once you reach the sixth story in the middle of the book you go backwards in time again and read the conclusion of the other five from where you left off.  Phew!  It is much easier to read once you reach this middle point and know you are going to find out what happened to all the characters.
This took me much longer to read that I was anticipating so if you want value for money in terms of entertainment length this book could be for you!  It was satisfying to reach the end and I liked that it was trying to say something; about human nature, power and almost good vs. evil in it's simplest terms.  There is lots to be taken away by the reader from reading this novel but it can also be a bit of a test at first.
In conclusion, perseverance is key!  I'm glad I read it and am looking forward to finally checking out the film.  I'm very intrigued to see how they approached the complicated plot in the film.
I hope this gave you some insight in to whether or not you would like to read this book!
Till next time :)

Twirlybirdie

February favourites

Hello!
February has flown past.  It's only shorter than your average month by a few days but they really do seem to make a difference.  March snuck up on me and suddenly I was wondering about what beauty products I had been using most for the month of February.  I managed to come up with these four quite easily though and as you can see hydration was very important in the cold weather.

Pupa Chubby Gloss in 003 Hot Shot Pink

I wrote a full review of this here.  I've been using this lots recently because it's easy to apply and not drying like a lot of the long lasting lipsticks I'd been going for recently.

Nails Inc Nail Polish in South Molten Street

I used this polish a couple of times this month and was really impressed with it.  The longevity was pretty good and I loved the shade.  It's a really pretty glossy pale pink that looks so natural and healthy on the nails.  After a couple of coats it's the perfect natural nail colour with a hint of pink.

The Body Shop Hemp Hand Protector

I got this for Christmas and the past month it came in really useful for protecting my hands.  I'm not a fan of the scent but it's not so strong that it's overwhelming.  The texture is very rich and creamy and it sinks in to the skin after a few minutes.  Definitely made a difference to the skin on my hands which were suffering a bit in the cold weather.

Clarins Beauty Flash Balm

This is already a cult favourite so I know I'm a bit late to the party here.  I've owned it for a while but because it was expensive I'd only been saving it for 'best'.  Sadly there aren't actually that many times when I'm out at a special occasion so I figured I'd better get using it before it went off!  I don't really see much of a glow when I use it but my skin started feeling so soft!  It really surprised me that I felt such a difference and I was a bit worried because I don't want to want to use this all time and have it become an expensive habit!

So those were my favourites for the month of February.  I'm excited to see what March will bring!

Till next time :)

Twirlybirdie

Getting back into baking

Hello!

how are you?  My day has been very calm as it was a day off from work.  Recently I've started baking again for the first time in ages so I thought I would write a little about it.  The reason I stopped baking was because I saw a nutritionist about a year ago who thought my eczema could be linked to my diet and one of the things I was told to stop eating was wheat.  Of course almost all baking involves wheat flour and I resolved to try to find recipes that were wheat free.  This proved problematic as a lot of alternative ingredients aren't easy to come by where I live and if they are they tended to be expensive.  So I just put off baking anything for the longest time which was sad as I really enjoyed it.  I have to admit that I never really cut wheat out completely although I did reduce the amount I was eating dramatically.  My eczema has since cleared up and I managed to link it to caffeine as being the trigger.  So with the caffeine out of my life I figured if I was eating a little wheat now and then anyway my little bit of it might as well be my own home baked goods!
I started off with making some delicious pancakes for pancake day, you can see them here!  They were so yummy I almost immediately decided that I wanted to make some scones afterwards.  I found a recipe on my favourite baking site and within hardly any time they were done!

You can't buy clotted cream here so I just whipped up some fresh whipped cream myself after looking up the recipe to make clotted cream (8 hours in the oven? no thank you!).  The scones really were delicious, the only thing I wasn't so keen on was the amount of vanilla essence the recipe asked for.  I didn't even add the full teaspoon and I found it very overpowering.  I didn't glaze them either basically because I'm super lazy/couldn't bring myself to waste an egg!  I did read that you can glaze them with milk instead so maybe next time I will try that.  You can find the recipe I used here.

Once these were gone I asked my fiancé what kind of cake he would like me to make and he asked for carrot cake.  I quite like carrot cake so I set about finding a recipe and collecting the ingredients.  I found a lot of the recipes quite fussy.  In the end I sort of followed a few different ones and made a simplified version.  I left out the orange juice and any nuts or raisins that a lot of the recipes called for.  I also didn't have any fancy sugar so just used castor instead of soft brown which some asked for.  Quite a few recipes had a mix of spices in them which I didn't have either so I just went for cinnamon.  It came out really well though, particularly the cream cheese icing which was delicious!  I would definitely make this again though I would be tempted to try adding some fresh orange juice to the mixture next time!  I would say that this is the closest to the recipe that I used.  I should also say that I made half the amount of the icing this recipe calls for and I thought that was plenty!

It was sooo tasty!  Since then I have also made a lemon drizzle cake which my fiancé is enjoying but  I prefer this carrot cake more.  I really fancy baking some little cupcakes next.  I'm really glad to have gotten back in to baking, there's something very satisfying and therapeutic about it!

Till next time

Twilrybirdie :)