#2014BloggerChallenge Maybelline Forever Strong Varnish in Surreal

It's that time again for the #2014BloggerChallenge and this time the topic is nails. Yes metal nails. I jest. I had a mini panic when I saw the topic as my nails are an absolute state at the moment, I'm a nail biter unfortunately and go through phases of being able to resist and have them really long and nicely painted for a good few months and then something happens and I end up with nails that are incredibly boring and nothing special to look at.

I have a huge nail varnish collection but the one nail varnish that always stands out in my mind is Maybelline's Forever Strong Varnish in Surreal; as a gel varnish it has amazing staying power and lasted around a week on my nails the first time I tried it with very minimal chipping. I love the powdery lilac, blue shade and the fairly short but flat brush (there would be a picture but my geezer of a phone wouldn't focus properly) makes application so easy. I'd definitely recommend this nail varnish and I imagine the other shades in the range would have the same amazing quality and for £4.09 (so precise) I haven't found another formula to beat it.

Are you a nail person or do you tend to neglect them a bit like myself? One day I will nurture my nails like a newborn baby but today is not that day.

#2014BloggerChallenge Mac's Impassioned Dupe

The fourth topic for the #2014BloggerChallenge is on high end vs high street with one of the suggestions being a good dupe you've found and I instantly knew what I was going to post about.

I feel like I harp on so much about Mac's Impassioned but I have good reason as it's my favourite lipstick ever ever everrrrrr and is the most glorious shade known to the human eye. It has an Amplified finish and, honestly, stays on my lips all day with hardly any fading and so is always my go-to when I have a long day. This could be potentially hideous if you have a sick phobia but, once, I put it on in the morning before work, I think it was a 7/8 hour shift, then went out to eat after with some friends, ended up being sick a couple of times after the meal as I wasn't feeling well, looked in the mirror and my lipstick was still intact. I think I reapplied the lipstick once before I went for the meal but I just find it completely mind-blowing that a lip product can last so long when you're constantly talking/eating/drinking. Okay anyway moving on from that.

At £15 Mac lipsticks are pretty pricey, BUT, I have found a lipstick that is incredibly similar, with that being  Beauty UK's Passion and only costing a mere £3.49. Is it a coincidence the names are also pretty much the same?! When swatched I can see there is a difference between the two shades with Impassioned looking more coral in some lights while Passion looking a deeper pink, however, when worn half and half on the lips to compare the shades I wouldn't be able to tell which is which if I wasn't the one who applied it (I don't have a personal lipstick assistant, cry.)  In fact, when I was testing both shades on my lips my mum asked what lipstick I was wearing and there was a psychedelic moment where I revealed I was wearing two. Please note: it was hardly psychedelic...at all.

On the left is Mac and on the right Beauty Uk

In terms of finish I'd say they are pretty much the same as well, not too matte and not too glossy meaning the shades just stay put on your lips nicely with no fear of them slip-sliding around or getting on your teeth with every word spoken. Passion lasts a full day on me in the same way as Impassioned and both have a strong scent, Mac's being vanilla, Beauty Uk's being mint.

From left to right: Mac's Impassioned, Beauty Uk's Passion

These are the swatches after trying to wash them off with soap

Although I would be devastated and cry endless amounts of tears if Mac ever discontinued Impassioned I would be able to slowly piece my life back together with the knowledge that Passion exists. I'd say if you were unsure you would get £15 worth out of Impassioned then to first try out Passion so you get an idea of the colour and how it would look on you before committing to Mac. Wow I am such a killjoy aren't I? I feel like a boring financial adviser.

#2014BloggerChallenge Let's Get Lost

Topic 3 of the #2014BloggerChallenge is on a book we love and Let's Get Lost by Sarra Manning instantly came to mind. I read this book when I was about 15/16 (waaaah I'm so old now) and I remember finishing it so quickly and I loved the writing style. In all honesty I haven't read this book since  so whether it's as good as my former self thought, I have no clue!

I don't want to say what it's about because it will kind of spoil it if you do decide to read it but here's a description of it I found online:
"Some girls are born to be bad...Isabel is one of them. Her friends are terrified of her, her teachers can't get through to her...her family doesn't understand her. And that's just the way she likes it. See, when no one can get near you, no one will know what keeps you awake at night, what you're afraid of, what has broken your heart...But then Isabel meets the enigmatic Smith, who can see right through her act. Bit by bit he chips away at her armour, and though she fights hard to keep hold of her cool, and her secrets, Isabel's falling for him, and coming apart at the seams when she does...A poignant, sometimes dark, and utterly heart-breaking novel, told with all the author's trademark wit and sharp observation..."

I've read another book by Sarra Manning called Nobody's Girl which was also really good but I don't have the book and I didn't want to use a picture from the internet (partly because I'm scared I'll get in trouble for copyright lolol, TOO MANY LAWS TO CONSIDER).

I'm not much of a reader anymore but have a massive pile of books I've bought from charity shops over the years that I need to tackle. Have you read Let's Get Lost? What's your favourite book?

#2014BloggerChallenge Winter Skincare

The second topic for the #2014BloggerChallenge is on Winter Skincare so I'm going to talk about some products that I've been using throughout the colder months. When it comes to skincare I'm not that knowledgeable and find products through trial and error but am fairly happy with most of what I'm currently using; I wish I was the type of person to invest in luxurious products but really am not and so instead take to the aisles of Boots and Superdrug. I think I'm actually publishing this a day late, time management definitely is not my thing. Thank heavens I didn't make any New Year's resolutions, particularly any related to organisation, because I would be out of the game already.

Superdrug's Vitamin E Day Cream

Nivea Regenerating Night Cream

The Vitamin E cream I've been using both in the morning and at night as it's quite a thick moisturiser but sinks in really quickly meaning I don't have to spend a lifetime waiting to put my makeup on. I've nearly finished this which is a miracle as I hardly ever use something up completely and can see myself repurchasing it. The Nivea cream is very rich and so I don't use it very often but more for times when I feel like my skin is more dry than usual or if I've been ill and my skin is looking a bit battered. It's quite a greasy formula and so would probably be good for people who suffer with quite a bit of dryness but for me it's too much and would probably end up in me being an oily mess if I used it every single night.

Lacura Face Treatment Oil

This facial oil is actually from Aldi and is a product my mum picked up but I have claimed as my own *hawhaw*. I like to pour a few drops of this onto my hand and then mix it with some of the Vitamin E moisturiser and feel it gives my skin more moisture and makes me skin feel a lot softer. Again, I don't use the oil every day but about twice a week.

Nivea Lip Butter- Caramel Cream

Nip and Fab Eye Cream

I la-la-laaaave this Nivea Lip Butter and much prefer it to the Vaseline tins as it feels so much more moisturising on my lips, check out the lovely dent I've made in it haha. The eye cream I actually got from a Nip and Fab set that I found in a charity shop (it was all sealed, fear not) and it seems to do the job but I want to research different eye creams and find one that I really like but is affordable, I don't ask for much do I?

Neutrogena Hand Cream

This is a bit of a boring one but my hands tend to get really cracked (shudder) during the Winter but this hand cream really does heal them. It's a concentrated formula so you only need a tiny amount and even though it smells and feels horrible it does the job really well and so is an essential for me.

St Ives Apricot Scrub- Blemish Fighting

Lastly is this facial scrub from St Ives and I'm 99.9% sure everyone would have owned one of these little guys at one point in their life. I use this scrub every time I wash my hair, so about two or three times a week.

So these are the main products that came to my mind when I think of Winter skincare and I've excluded my normal, everyday products such as cleansers and toners as these don't change regardless of the Season! You may have been able to tell from the short sentences that I really wasn't sure what to write about each product apart from the obvious but hopefully you may have seen something you'd like to give a go!

By the time I've got to this point of the post it's 3 minutes until midnight technically making my post two days, WHY DOES TIME HAVE TO PROGRESS SO RAPIDLY?!

#2014BloggerChallenge New Year's Inspiration

Now 2014 is he-yeeeer the #2014BloggerChallenge is starting with the first topic being New Year's Inspiration. Gaby has asked for us to post a quote or picture that inspires us and that other bloggers might also find inspiring. I am being a rebel and posting two picture quotes (arrest me) that may not be considered inspiring but are just little things to keep in mind throughout your day. I've also linked the pictures to where I originally found them on Pinterest in case you want to knooooooooow.

I genuinely think it's really important to be a nice person no matter how you're feeling or what type of day you've had because you never know how you will effect others. I'm not that sensitive when it comes to things to do about myself but am the type of person who feels really bad for other people and so always try to avoid doing anything that would upset anyone.

Whenever I feel like I'm having a rubbish day, usually, by the next day I'm really happy for no reason at all  even though nothing has actually changed. I think it's important for people to just let things happen sometimes as life does seem to work itself out eventually even when you feel like it won't.

No-one ever let me be a counsellor, I am too awkward when it comes to this sort of stuff. Plot twist: while studying Psychology at A Level I very, very, very briefly toyed with the idea of becoming a therapist. Aren't you guys glad I didn't pursue that?

#2014bloggerchallenge

This post should have gone up 10 days ago (thanks gmail for providing me with this information) but I am a very lazy human who occasionally struggles with the simple task of turning my laptop on and typing.

Basically I had a YES I'M GONNA DO IT moment and am taking part in Gaby's, from Another Girly Blog, 2014 blogger challenge which I'm pretty sure you would have heard of if you're a blogger. For the challenge you have to write two blog posts a month on the topic Gaby sends out and is just a good way to motivate yourself to sit down and blog.

Are you a part of the #2014bloggerchallenge?