Get to know me? | 40 Random Facts About Me

Hello everyone,

I am so sorry I haven't been posting recently. If any of you have been through the stressful exam stages, you will know how busy I have been! I have been revising constantly and have had hardly any spare time to post. However, saying that, I am back and have a lot of post coming up! So please comment below any posts you would like me to do?

So here we go, here are my 40 random facts....

1. I HATE food on the aeroplane, even looking at it makes me want to be sick.
2. I have an iPhone 4S.
3. I love travelling. I never really go to the same place on holiday each year and love to go to new places.
4. Horror is my favourite genre of film.
5. I am 5ft 8 inches and have super long legs.
6. My feet are size 5
7. I am a very messy and unorganized person
8. I have a massive crush on Francisco Lachowski (google him, he's gorgeous)
9.I am a massive adrenaline seeker. I love rides, scary films, anything like that to be honest.
10. My favourite meal would be a massive Yorkshire Pudding filled with mini Duck spring rolls:) (don't ask)
11. I am a huge Disney Channel Fan and not embarassed to admit it
12. I only started wearing makeup when I was 15
13. I have a pet cat called Minnie
14. I am very against smoking (however that is just my opinion)
15. I cry at silly things, especially films
16. I would love to go skydiving or bungee jumping
17. I have a huge addiction to the Sims, I ownSims2, Sims3 and I am now excited for the release of Sims4
18. I don't think I could live without the Internet
19. I hate icecream
20. I don't like any hot drinks, not coffee, not tea and not even hot chocolate.
21.If I see someone who is close to me crying, I will probably start crying too, I don't know why
22. I have a very fast metabolism
23.I can't sleep unless it is pitch black. If there is a light on, I won't be able to get to sleep.
24. I am not scared by much at all
25. I can name all the elements in the periodic table and the States of America off by heart
26. Around new people I am shy, however when I get to know you, I am definitely NOT shy!
27. There isn't many foods I don't like.
28. I NEVER go to the gym, however I do hockey, netball, tennis, athletics and skiing
29. I'm not allergic to anything
30. I play hockey for my county
31. I can eat ANYTHING and not gain weight
32. My favourite colours are purple and blue
33. I don't have a clue what I want. to do as a career.
34. I had braces for 3 years and had to have an operation on my mouth
35.My favourite clothing shops are Topshop, Zara and H&M
36. I LOVE Coronation Street, I watch it religiously and I have seen every episode up to this date.
37. Everyone always say they love my eyes? not sure why
38. I love swimming in the sea
39. I am an Athiest
40. I can be a very awkward person

So they were my 40 Random Facts, let me know below if any of this facts apply to you too?!

All the Best,
Beth
xo

Products of the Month - April 2013

So I was thinking of ideas for a post and thought, maybe I should start a series type thing? I love watching Monthly Favourites on YouTube and reading about them here on blogs so I decided to create my own version called "Products of the month". This will consist of one beauty favourite of the month, one fashion favourite and one Lifestyle favourite.

If you aren't familiar with the concept of "monthly favourites" I will let you know how it works. Basically at the end of every month I am going to share with you my top 3 products, beauty, fashion and lifestyle, that I have been loving throughout the month. These posts will be posted at the end of each month to keep you informed of what I have been loving

So without further adieu, lets get started!

Beauty

The beauty product I have been loving the most throughout the month of April is my Touch of Silver purple twice a week treatment/shampoo.

This shampoo has worked wonders for my hair. After having my hair highlighted, some of the blonde started to go an orange/brassy tone so I use this to combat those tones. I use it everytime I wash my hair which is only about 3 times per week as my hair doesn't get greasy that easily. This is very affordable too priced at just £3.09 in boots and they very often have deals on these products.

Fashion

The fashion item I have been loving the most this month is my black blazer from Zara. I find this is such a staple piece and can go with pretty much any outfit. It can be dressed up to look formal, or placed with jeans for that casual look. It was priced at £49.99 however I think that it is a great price to pay for such a staple item and one that will last you for ages.

Lifestyle

Bloglovin has been my lifestyle favourite of the month. For those of you that don't know what bloglovin is, it's an app/website where you can sign up, and follow all the blogs you like in one place. It allows you to keep track with all your blogs in one place, like posts and follow your favourite blogs on just one site. It's perfect for me! I have downloaded the app on my iPhone also.

Please follow me on bloglovin: - ablognamedbeauty.blogspot.co.uk
to keep on track with all my posts and like them etc.

All the best,
Beth
xo

Guest Post - Summer Lookbook - Kimberley-xxx

Hello Everybody, It's Kimberley here from Kimberley-xxx . After speaking over Email for a while, me and Beth thought It would be a great Idea to do guest posts on eachothers Blogs. I love the idea of guest posts and I think blogs are a great way for people to meet and discuss beauty or fashion related things. I know if I get excited over a product and tell a friend or my sister etc, they are nowhere near excited as I am, yet I know I can rant to the blogger world, or speak to another blogger and they get the same excitement too! As our topic we chosen, a lookbook sort of idea of what you would wear on a hot summers day and this is what I have chosen.

I love this outfit I have chosen, and actually everything is from New Look. I am a huge fan of New Look, I think near enough all of their products are so good for how inexpensive they are! This dress is a favourite of mine and I actually have one very similar! I also love how denim jackets are dresses look paired together. I would half roll up the sleeves though to show of the bracelets, and maybe a bit of tan (depending if it's even been hot) Here in England its highly unlikely. The main colours that stood out for me in the dress is the orange, I love neutral colours and I feel the orange isn't too overpowered so that's why I picked it as the main colour as you can see from the bag and bracelets. All Items can be found here:

Jacket: http://www.newlook.com/shop/womens/jackets-and-coats/pale-blue-denim-jacket_271329045

Dress: http://www.newlook.com/shop/womens/dresses/blue-floral-sleeveless-skater-dress_275152419

Bag: http://www.newlook.com/shop/womens/bags-and-purses/orange-triangle-lock-stud-clutch-_273756480

Shoes: http://www.newlook.com/shop/shoe-gallery/view-all-shoes/grendha-gold-lattice-flower-donna-sandals_274508414

Necklace: http://www.newlook.com/shop/womens/jewellery-and-hair-accessories/gold-rope-metal-necklace_279802813

Bracelets: http://www.newlook.com/shop/womens/jewellery-and-hair-accessories/2-pack-coral-and-gold-triple-spike-bracelets_280891083

As you can see from the image, I went for a simple bun. Bun hairstyles have been so big the past year, and I personally love them. You can wear them neatly like the image above for a cleaner look, or you can wear them messy but they still look wearable. I would wrap the flower garland around the bun for a more summery look. For the makeup I have left it quite clean and simple, I really love the topshop makeup and I haven't personally tried the lipsticks but this colour is beautiful. I would also recommend using a BB Cream in the heat and it's alot lighter on the skin and I personally think foundation doesn't last well in the heat so I much rather use a BB Cream. For Nails I have chosen a coral colour by essie which I think is beautiful. I was going to pick a nude, but it's summer, bring out the colours!

I hope you all enjoyed reading this guest post, I had a lot of fun creating it! Check out my blog at http://kimberley-xxx.blogspot.co.uk and also have a read of beths guest post on there too! I hope that me and Beth will do something similar to this in the future because it really was such good fun!

kimberley

xxx

My Favourite MAC lipsticks!

If you ask me "what is your favourite make-up product to buy?" I would almost always say lipstick. In my opinion lipstick can change your look from summer to winter, day to night or casual to formal. A lipstick shade can change your mood and your overall look.

Looking through my make-up collection I noticed that I do have a lot of lipsticks and I wanted to share with you today my top 4 favourite MAC lipsticks. These are in no particular order, just my top 4 MAC lipsticks that wear the most and absolutely love!

Hue (glaze), Costa Chic (frost), Russian Red (Matte) and A Perfect Day (amplified)
(order from left to right)

My first favourite MAC lipstick is the one and only "Hue". This was my first lipstick purchase from MAC and I have gone through 3 of these already. When first buying this I was on the hunt for a pink/nude that could be worn everyday. After hearing so much about this product in the blogging and youtube world I decided to give it ago. It has been one of my favourite lipsticks ever since, and you just can't go wrong when using this lipstick. I don't have to worry about this lipstick smudging much throughout the day because it's so sheer it doesn't create a tell-tale smudge mark on the edges of your lips. The glaze formula is very moisturising and leaves my lips feeling soft, not dry. It's a great everyday shade and will continue to be in my favourites for along time.

Next is "Costa Chic". This is my most recent purchase, and my oh my I do love it! This colour is great for spring/summer. It's such a "pick me up" colour without being too bright or too shimmery. It's a gorgeous pink/coral colour and I think it will compliment nearly all skin-tones. I'm not a massive fan of the frost finish but this is one of the frost lipsticks that I love to wear. I don't find it drying but it definitely isn't that moisturising either. I'd say this is one of my staple lipsticks for the spring/summer.  

I have to include Russian Red in with my MAC lipstick favourites. This is a matte finish and I happen to be a huge fan or the Matte finish. Although it does dry out your lips slightly, I find it doesn't dry them out too much as it is still wearable. This has to be my statement red. I prefer blue toned reds as I am fairly pale, and the blue tones also help to make my teeth look whiter (which is an added bonus!!) You only need one swipe on your lips to receive full coverage from this product. I love how you can also mix it up, making it more matte by applying powder over the top or adding a lipglass to make it more like a glaze. I love it!

Finally my last favourite is "A Perfect Day". You may say this looks similar to "Hue" but it is slightly darker, has an amplified finish and doesn't contain as many pinkish tones. It's probably my go to nude, when I don't want much pink on my lips. This however belongs to the Limited Edition "Naturally" collection, which makes me shed a tear when I think about it because I absolutely love this lipstick. Saying that, on more than one occasion I have been able to find this lipstick in the Cosmetic Company Outlets in certain places, so every time I see it, without a doubt, I stock up. It has an amplified finish so gives good colour pay off and is a great everyday colour. 

So they were my four favourite MAC lipsticks! Next I hope to pick up Vegas Volt, Up the Amp, Rebel or Girl About Town. Let me know in the comments if you have tried any of those! As always I love hearing from you!

All the Best,

Beth 

xo

Haircare Routine

Wow. Writing this blog post has made me realise how many products I actually use in my hair. Beware, it is a lot. Just to let you know a little about my hair, my hair is naturally a medium brown colour, but I occasionally get blonde highlights put through my hair at my local hairdressers. This means I now have a medium blonde base colour hair, but lighter blonde highlights running through. My natural hair is very wavy, verging on the curly/ringlet side to things. It is very tangly and hard to brush out, once I have washed it, because of this I try to use products that help me combat my curly, tangly hair.

Below is a photograph showing my current hair colour, while my hair is straightened.

Hair care

Since I have had blonde highlights I have been loving using the Beach Blondes Shampoo and Conditioner by Lee Stafford. I use this every time I was my hair and it's been great for removing ginger and brassy tones in my hair. I am loving it! The shampoo however, I find is quite drying so you do need to use a good amount of conditioner afterwards, hence why my conditioner has ran out before my shampoo has. 

Twice a week I also use the Touch of Silver by Pro-Voke to further eliminate brassy tones in my hair. I haven't been using it for long, only about two uses but I have noticed a difference in my hair already and plus it smells amazing! Recommend!

Once a week I will also use the Aussie 3 minute miracle treatment. Due to my hair being highlighted, it can occasionally get quite dry, especially on the ends so once a week I use this to combat the tangly, dry ends. It works wonders and after using it my hair feels like I have just got back from the hairdressers and had a fresh wash and cut, it feels amazing. 

The heat protectant I use is Tresemme heat defence. I can't say it works wonders for my hair, but as far as heat protectants go, it does a pretty fine dandy job.

Hair Styling

I never tend to use that many products when styling my hair. Hairspray is the main one I use. The hairspray I use is the Boots firm hold hairspray, I find it isn't such a strong hold that it makes my hair go hard and sticky, but it seems to hold my hair in place pretty much all day, without feeling all hard, like straw.

The mousse I use on occasion is just an old one that I have had lying about and I really should replace. It's the L'oreal Studio VolumMax. This mousse does the job. I haven't tried out many mousse's so cannot compare really how well it performs but I can say it does give my hair volume. However it is in need of replacing, so if you know of any good mousses let me know in the comments and I would really appreciate it!

For other styling I use mostly Lee Stafford products. For creating beach curls in my hair, which I like to do most often as it helps to enhance the natural curl I have in my hair anyway, I use the Sea Salt Spray by Lee Stafford. This product is great at creating curl and body, however it does make your hair feel somewhat heavy and full of product so this isn't a great product for lasting, as you feel you have to wash you hair almost everyday if you are using this product as the build up makes my hair feel dirty and heavy.

I also use the light spray wax by Lee Stafford for creating texture in my hair when I straighten it as I do not like my hair to be too straight because it's too soft and hard to manage and work with. This spray adds extra texture and allows my hair to be styled much easier when straightened.

Hair Tools

Well, the hair tool I use the most is obviously my trusty hair brush. My hair brush is a TRESemme brush, just a simple plain hairbrush that does the trick. However recently my natural hair has been getting more and more tangly after having highlights put through. Think it might be time to invest in a tangle teezer, what do you think? Are they any good? Leave your comments down below:)

My other hairbrush is a ceramic one I use for blowdrying my hair. It's from boots and didn't cost that much, probably in the £3.00-£7.00 range. Its great for creating body and volume when you blow dry your hair and  a great alternative to using rollers for volume, however I do not blow dry my hair that often. When I do blowdry my hair I use the Revlon Hair dryer (sorry I cannot remember the name/model, got it a while ago). Its just an average hairdryer that dries my hair (isn't that what all hairdryers are meant to do?)

One of my most used possessions is probably my ghd's. Everytime I straighten my hair which is probably at least once a week, I use my ghd's. I have had these for probably about 4 years now (that's why they look so worn out on the photograph) but they still never fail to work wonders for my hair. I think ghd's are the best brand for straightening your hair, they leave it silky, straight and soft and you can even curl your hair, crimp it, or wave it with them. They truly are an amazing product, even with the relatively high price tag.

To get tighter curls/waves in my hair I use the Babyliss curling wand. It has no clamp and create perfect soft waves, that can be made into tighter curls by holding the hair on for longer. I think its a great product.

For creating loose waves, I use the Toni and Guy Thick Barrel Curler with a clamp. Perfect for creating very loose waves with a lot of volume. I love it!

So that was my hair care routine with information on all the products and tools I use and how I use them. Hope you liked the post. Got any requests for future posts? Keep them coming!

Comment, Email, Tweet or Instagram me. Links can be found at the top of the page on the separate tabs. 

All the best,

Beth 

xo

Skincare Routine

I've always been the one to do many steps in my skincare, thinking the more products I use, the better my skin will be. That was a huge mistake. My routine now is pretty basic, and no overload of products and I have stuck with this for a while and it works well for me by keeping breakouts at bay and keeping my skin in good condition. 

My skin has been through many a phases in the past but it seems to have settled at an oily/combination type. I get oily areas in the centre of my face, around my T-zone and chin, and as your go further out to the edges of my face it can become dry. 

In the mornings I don't do anything to my face except rinse it with cool water to wake me up and refresh my face. Some may say this is a bad thing but after many times trying different face washes in the morning, each of them seem to overload my skin and make my face feel clogged in the mornings. Before I apply my make-up I will apply my moisturiser - (Nivea Soft)

At night to remove my make-up I will use the Simple Kind to skin facial wipes. I find these to be really cleansing and not dry, meaning they contain a lot of the product, so really help me to remove all of my make-up  If I am wearing a lot of make-up  usually when I go out in the evenings, I will use simple purifying cleansing lotion just to help remove things such as heavy eye make-up or stubborn make-up that just cannot be removed fully with the cleansing wipes.

After I have removed the bulk of my make-up using the simple products I will use the No7 cleansing water for Normal/oily skin with a cotton pad just to make sure all of my make-up is removed and any residue left over from the cleansers. This makes my skin really soft and makes it feel so clean!

Once a week I use the No7 Beautiful Skin Purifying exfoliator for normal/oily skin. This is a gentle exfoliator which I like because I don't like the exfoliators that feel scratchy on your skin.

After applying the cleansing water I will either apply my KIKO dark spot correcting serum or my La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo depending on what condition my skin is in. If I have any breakouts or feel like I may be getting some I will apply the Effaclar duo to help unclog those breakouts. If my skin is breakout free I use the KIKO correcting serum to even out my skin tone from past breakouts, redness or scarring.

For any stubborn breakouts that just don't seem to go I use the Clinique anti-blemish solutions spot treatment gel. It works wonders for those stubborn breakouts that just seem to latch onto your skin and somehow hibernate beneath your skin haha. 

So that's my skincare routine. Hope you guys like it and can take some tips from it.

If you would like a full review on any of the products I mentioned please feel free to leave a comment or contact me on my email, twitter or instagram.

Thankyou,

All the best,

Beth xo 

Beauty Wishlist April 2013

Hello there,
I thought I would start off my blogging days with a "Beauty Wishlist" of all things that I look on from a far and never ever buy:(  The reason for this is either they are too expensive (most likely reason) or I just haven't had time to pop into the shops to pick them up yet. Either way, they are on my beauty wishlist.

#1 Nars Laguna Bronzer - RRP £26.00
This bronzer has been on my wishlist for as long as I can remember. Many a time have a tried out dupes for this product including the ELF blush and bronzer duo but I can't quite seem to bring myself to spend £26.00 on a bronzer. Whatever the season, whether its blazing hot outside or freezing to the bone, I am the type of girl who always wants to look bronzed. However at £26.00 this product will remain on my wishlist for a very long time.

#2 Garnier Perfect Blur 5 second primer - RRP £12.99
After seeing this on an advert not long ago, I have been wanting it none stop. I have been through so many primers, having combination skin, I can't seem to find the perfect one. I have tried the Benefit Porefessional and that's great but way too expensive for such a little amount, so seeing as the Garnier Perfect Blur seems to do the same job ( blurring imperfections) it has earned its place on my beauty wishlist.

#3 MAC face and body - RRP £20.50-£26.50
I'm sure hardly any of you out there need an explanation for what this is. MAC face and body is another long runner in my beauty wishlist. I have tried the Mac studio moisture tint but not yet the "Face and Body" foundation. After hearing great reviews about how natural it looks, (which is a must for me as I rarely wear foundation) I have wanted it, even though the price is rather dear for a foundation.

#4 Barry M Hi Shine Gel Effect Nail Polish - RRP £3.99
This probably one of the least expensive products I have had on my wishlist for a long time, but I have just not had the time to go pick up any of the "Gelly" Nail polishes. I am huge fan of nail polishes in general and have a vast collection, and any of the colours in the Hi Shine Gel Effect range would add to my collection. I haven't tried any "gel" type nail polishes in a long time and at such an affordable price from Barry M I must go and pick some of them up

#5 Real Techniques Core Collection - RRP £21.99
After years of watching Pixiwoo and Samantha Chapman, when she released her line of makeup brushes I was first to jump on the bandwagon. When they were released I went to the shops, hoping to pick up a couple of them, but on the shelves the sign "SOLD OUT" stared back at me. For months now I have been trying to pick up the brushes from the core collection, but everytime I go to the shops, they are sold out or only stock the collection that I do not want. I think I am going to have to resort to Amazon or Ebay instead of chasing them in the shops

All the best,
Beth xo