Nars Blush Collection - with swatches

I'm a big fan of Nars blushers, they're all so pretty!  I used to work for House of Fraser so was lucky enough to get 10% off beauty items which I took full advantage of and have built up and small collection whilst I was there.

Click read more to see my collection and swatches of everything.

DIY Frozen Sweet Potato Chips

I had no idea what to call this post!  Basically it's a 'recipe' for making a big batch of sweet potato chips which can be stored in the freezer until needed.  I love doing this as I always have them to hand to shove in the oven for lazy dinner nights.

Sweet potatoes are so good for using as an alternative to normal potatoes for chips or wedges but can be a bit time consuming to make from scratch each time.  I've used this method a few times and it works out great.  I live by myself so it's handy having them in 1 portion sized bags that I can just bring out and use when I fancy them.

As well as being super yummy, sweet potatoes are really good for you!  They are full of vitamins C, D and the minerals iron, magnesium and potassium.  [source] 

Start by washing your potatoes - use as many as you like.

Cut them up into relatively similar sized chips/wedges.  You can peel them if you like but I love the skin!

Boil a big pan of water, enough to cover all the potatoes, and add them to the pot.  Leave them boiling for a few minutes.  Meanwhile, prepare a bowl with cold water and add ice cubes.

Transfer the chips from the pan into the cold water and leave until cool.

Once they have cooled, separate them into portions and seal in freezer bags.

Put them in the freezer! 

To actually cook them, all you do is bring out a bag and run the chips under cool water to thaw slightly.  Spray a foil lined baking tray with oil, place the chips on the tray and spray with some more oil.  Leave them plain with some sea salt and pepper sprinkled over or rub in mixed herbs or spices using olive oil for some flavour.  Place in the oven at about 200c for 18-20 mins.  Voila!

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What's In My Shower?

Now that I have a bathroom all to myself I thought I would do a sort of mini tour and 'what's in my shower' type of post.

I'll start with the shower then onto other bits I keep in my bathroom.

I got this little suction holder from Ikea and it's really handy for keeping most of my products within easy reach - and it only falls off very occasionally!

Currently I am using Dr Organic Pomegranate Shampoo and Conditioner but I've only used them a couple of times so far so I can't comment too much on them.  Although I've noticed that I'm not really a big fan of the smell...

I keep my Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish in here as well which is what I use for taking my make up off at night while showering.  I also always have a muslin cloth hanging over the shower guard to use with it.  I tend to use eye make up remover first before going in the shower, then use the C&P for the rest.  I love how quick and easy it is!

I usually have shower gel in here too but I've ran out so just using soap instead! 

My current soap is an absolute favourite of mine, Lush Northern Lights.  It's a Christmas limited edition one which they didn't even do last year, this one is from the year before, oops!

I've been using Morrisons Sensitive Aloe Vera Shave Gel which I quite like, you hardly need any and it smells really good!

Lush Rub Rub Rub is a body scrub which can also be used as shampoo oddly...  Only used this a couple of times as a scrub but it smells amazing!  I've been informed that the Sakura bath bomb is the same scent so I'll be picking this up soon!

Below are some of the shelves I have and what I use them for.

Top left I use these two holders for muslin cloths and cotton pads.

Top right Some skincare I don't use as often: The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil; Arran Aromatics Cucumber and Avocado Scrub Gel; Arran Aromatics Bergamot and Mint Mud Mask, Antipodes Grapeseed Butter Cleanser.

Bottom left My most used skincare: Lush Breath of Fresh Air Toner Water; Ren Clarifying Toning Lotion; Ren Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask; The Body Shop Camomile Gentle Eye Makeup Remover; Trilogy Rosehip Oil; Liz Earle moisturiser; Buddha Beauty Facial Night Cream.

Bottom right This is a unit I got from Ikea for storing towels and stuff (you can see it in the back of top pic).  On the top shelf I keep some jars containing soap, cotton buds and my reusable cotton pads.  On the shelf below this I have a big toiletries bag with my bath bombs and bubble bars, also my body moisturiser sits here.

Have you got any bath/shower time necessities?

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NOTD: Trustafarian

I haven't worn nail varnish in such a long time let along blogged about it!  Is it possible to be to busy to even apply nail varnish?!  My nails were getting too long and I was going to cut them so I thought I may as well take advantage of them being long and paint them first.  I'm tempted to shape them into that stiletto style actually, it's grown on me! 

This is Butter London's Trustafarian which is a pale green with a sparkly golden holograph through it.  The holo is fairly subtle but catches the light beautifully - the photos don't do it justice!  I applied 3 coats although 2 would probably be fine.

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Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara

I feel like I spend a lot of timing looking for a mascara which works for me!  I've not been particularly excited about any since they discontinued the Bourjois one I loved - there are cruelty free disputes about them now however so it's probably not a bad thing.  

When I went to Paris in June we obviously had to go to Sephora so I thought I'd splash out a bit and try a Too Faced mascara as I'd heard good things about them.  There were a couple to choose from and in the end I went for Better Than Sex.  

It's the biggest tube out of all the range and it's really quite heavy and chunky actually, I'm not sure if it's supposed to remind us of some sort of vibrating sex toy or if that's just me being dirty minded!  Anyway... moving on, as you can see from the photos below, it's also got a huge brush.  You can't see it all that well but it's twisted and in an hourglass shape.

Below are some photos to show the effect of the mascara.  In the first one I have no make up on at all, then for the next two I applied foundation, concealer, brow pencil and finally the mascara.  Please ignore the drunk look in the middle one, my eye kept blinking haha!  I think mascara works really well at both lengthening and curling the lashes - I didn't even curl them before this.  

I am loving this mascara, definitely the best one I've used in a long time!  It lasts all day and I've not had any problems with flaking.  However, I normally don't wear mascara on my bottom lashes so I think it would transfer if I did, as every other non-waterproof one does, but I wanted to show it applied in the photos.  

What's also great is that removal is easy and comes off quickly with my Body Shop Camomile Eye Makeup Remover.

The only negative I have come across with this is that I seem to always get it on my eyelids which isn't something which happens with other mascaras!  I think it might just be because it's such a huge brush which I'm not used to, so hopefully I'll get to grips with it soon...

I would definitely repurchase this however it seems to be really popular and sold out almost everywhere at the moment!  As I mentioned above, I bought it in Paris and it was about 23€, and from what I can find online I think it's £19 here which isn't too bad.  Boots and Debenhams both stock Too Faced but are out of stock online, however BeautyBay are selling it here for a bit cheaper at £16.91 with free delivery.

I would like to try the Better Than False Lashes which has nylon fibres you apply in between coats but this is £32 so maybe once I have a bit more money...

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The Body Shop Mini Haul

This is my first online purchase since moving - no internet for nearly 2 months saved me a fortune! - and I got it delivered to my work as well which was pretty exciting!  Didn't buy a huge amount but thought I'd share it anyway.

Thirsty Hands Moisture Gloves - I have a pair of moisturising socks which work really well so I wanted to try the gloves.  My hands as they've become quite dry recently and will probably only get worse going into Autumn and Winter!  My first impression of them is that they are really quite tight and I have relatively small hands, I'd imagine they'd stretch but maybe wouldn't be very comfy on bigger hands!  They do however feel lovely and soft; and they're also made from organically grown cotton and support Craft Aid which is a textiles business which aim to provide employment for people with disabilities in Mauritius. £7

Camomile Gentle Eye Makeup Remover - This is my favourite eye makeup remover at the moment - you can read my review here.  I'm almost halfway through my current bottle so I've bought this new one so I can have one in my flat and one back Home. £8/250ml

Satsuma Hand Cleanse Gel - I've got this in the mango fragrance which smells really good which I kept in my bag but I'm now keeping it at my desk instead so I needed a new one for my bag.  I went for satsuma which was a bit risky as I'm a bit fussy with citrus scents but luckily it smells nice! £2.50/60ml

I got all of this for about £12 as I used the voucher code "RIPE" to get 30% off 3 items, or you can get 40% off 5 items!

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The Harry Potter Tag

You may already know that I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan, so when I saw the tag on Hayley's blog I obviously had to do it!  I'm not actually sure who started it though, if know leave me a comment and I can credit them in the post.

The photos are from the Harry Potter Studios at Warner Brothers just outside London.  My parents took me there for my 21st - best birthday ever!!

1. What is your favourite book?

Order of the Phoenix, I think I just quite enjoy the books which have a good bit of story before they actually go back to Hogwarts - I like that about the Goblet of Fire too.

2. What is your favourite film?

Tricky!  I do love the first one because it's so cute seeing them all as babies, then also the final one as it wraps it up nicely and is very emotional.

3. What is your least favourite book?

Maybe The Goblet of Fire?  I don't actually know, it's too hard, I love them all!  

4. What is your least favourite film?

Probably The Chamber of Secrets, but I do still like it a lot!

5. Which parts of the books/films made you cry?

I tend not to cry from books but I did actually cry a little bit when Hedwig died - yes I know!!  In the films, if I was alone, I would probably cry at every single death, and the last half of Deathly Hallows Part 2...

6. If you could hook up with any character who would it be?

Aw man, Draco!  I kind of love/hate the character but Tom Felton is so hot.  It would just be a one time only thing with a bad boy to get it out my system, he doesn't seem like the relationship type ;)

7. Who is your favourite character?

It's hard to choose but I do love Luna.

8. Who is your least favourite character?

Quite an easy one, Umbridge makes me feel so much anger and hatred for her it's crazy.  Shows how good Rowling is when she can make you feel so strongly about a character!

9. What is your least favourite line?

Line?!  I can't think of one in particular, there are loads of good quotes though which are usually from Dumbledore.

10. What would your patronus be?

Definitely a cat <3 Big or small, wild or domestic! 

11. If you could have the invisibility cloak, resurrection stone or elder wand, which would you choose?

The invisibility cloak so I can be creeper.

12. What house would you be in?

I was sorted into Gryffindor on Pottermore which I was a bit disappointed by to be honest!  However I have accepted and come to love myself as a Gryffindor - maybe.

13. If you could meet any member of the cast who would it be?

Hmm, Evanna Lynch seems lovely I think she would be good to meet, maybe Rupert Grint?

14. If you were on the Quiddich team, what position would you play?

I don't think there's any way I'd get onto a Quidditch team however if I did I would probably be best at being a Beater?!

15. Were you happy with the ending?

Yes.  I did kinda want him to die, which in a way he did, but I know I'd have been devastated if he had been killed off!  I liked The Battle of Hogwarts and how it was realistic and brutal as war is.  I saw a post of tumblr which gave the reasons why Rowling killed of the characters she did, it was very meaningful.  I didn't like the 19 years later bit though that was rather cheesy and unnecessary - especially in the film *cringe*

16. How much does Harry Potter mean to you?

After the final film, I cried on and off for about 3 days... genuinely, it was awful!  I just felt really overwhelmed that that was it all over and there would be no more Harry Potter things to look forward to!  I also kept watching really emotional montage videos on Youtube which really didn't help.  I grew up with the books and they're such a big part of my childhood/teenage years.  I even listen to the audiobooks every night to help me get to sleep.  

I'm also planning on getting the Deathly Hallows symbol as a tattoo at some point, woo nerdy!

Probably a controversial view but I would love for the films to be remade in like 20 years time just so I could relive it haha!  It would be interesting to see a different take on the books.

~

 Well, I think I have truly out-geeked myself with this post!  If you have done this or are going to do it, let me know in the comments so I can read your answers!!

<3

Empties #17

I finally have my broadband sorted!  It's been an absolute nightmare, honestly!  So hopefully that should be me back for good now.  I'm hoping to do one post a week until I get back into the swing of things.  

Also Manchester is now my nearest city so I definitely wanting to get involved in the blogging community here so if anyone who has any info on that then let me know :)

Superdrug Anti-Perspirant Deodorant in Soft Pink

Thoughts: This is my 3rd can I think but the first one in this fragrance.  I really don't like it and won't be buying it again!  It smells very powdery and horrible, it makes me choke!  The deo itself is fine, the best I've used so far but definitely on the lookout for something better - and preferably in stick form!  £1.29/250ml here.

Cruelty-free?: Yes.

Repurchase?: Already have, but a different smell!

Giovanni Triple Tee Tree Treat Invigorating Conditioner

Thoughts: This conditioner is really nice.  It smells so lovely and refreshing, a little bit tingly too - in a good way!  No complaints on the functionality of it, detangled and smoothed well.  £7.99/250ml here - currently not available.

Cruelty-free?: Yes.

Repurchase?: Possibly at some point.

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish (not sure how I missed photographing it!)

Thoughts: I love that Liz Earle give you some sort of sample like this one with every order! So generous!  I got this one when I bought my eyebrow pencil I think.  I'm terrible for using skincare religiously but I was getting pretty good with this one.  I would take off my eye make up then use this in shower in the evening for removing the rest of my face make up.  Luckily I've got a full size one to go onto next which should last me a while - I won it on Twitter, yay!  £14.75/100ml here.

Cruelty-free?: Yes.

Repurchase?: Yes.

No7 Luminate Radiance Serum

Thoughts: I was using this to mix in with my tinted moisturiser as it gives a nice sheen to the skin.  I definitely wouldn't call this a skincare product like a serum, it's basically just a light all over highlighter.  Worn alone it looks a bit glittery which is why I started mixing it with TM - to try and use it up to be honest!

Cruelty-free?: No, thought it was at the time!

Repurchase?: No but wanted something similar, got a Soap & Glory one however there are now disputes on their cruelty free status as the policy on their website has changed!

Liz Earle Smudgeproof Mascara

Thoughts: I did quite like this mascara but it's still not amazing, and a bit pricey for something pretty average.   Currently using a Too Faced one which I am quite liking so hoping to get a review up for that one soon. £14.50/8ml here.

Cruelty-free?: Yes.

Repurchase?: No.

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