Review | Clinique Chubby Stick Intense in Roomiest Rose

Holy grail lip product? I think I've found mine :) On a spur of the moment purchase last month, I decided to throw caution to the wind (and by that I mean my bank balance!) and buy into the Chubby Stick hype. After serious deliberation, with my hand ending up varying shades of pinky red I decided on shade 6 Roomiest Rose.

Its part of the 'intense' chubby stick range which promises a fuller coverage on the lips and a more moisturising finish. Roomiest Rose is such a pretty dusky rose and is really wearable for both day and night. The original Chubby Sticks give quite a sheer finish, but with the new intense range I find the colour pay-off really great and it lasts at least 3 hours without needing to re-apply (obviously if you aren't drinking/eating heavily anyway!).

(After attempting about 20 different close-ups of my lips, I started losing the will to live...)

With the pen style applicator, its so easy to apply and means you don't necessarily need a mirror when topping up throughout the day. Which for me, is such a plus as it feels like a much more casual lip to wear in the day. I think the colour is so versatile with different make-up looks and can really glam up an outfit. At £16 a pop it is a pretty extravagant purchase, but I do think the stick will last me absolutely ages and for the quality of product I think its definitely worth it. I already want the stick in different colours!

I've heard quite a lot about the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains being a really good dupe for the Chubby Sticks, and when looking at the packaging its hard to tell them apart! So, I'm definitely going to try one from this range next to compare, as they're a bit more purse friendly.

Have any of you tried the new intense range of Chubby Sticks? Do you think they're worth the money?

Aimée
Xxxx

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Snapshots of Life: Vol.2

Here's just a quick look at what I've been doing since the start of the new year! 

* Snow walks * Weekend away to visit the best friend in Lancaster * The bestfriend with a sexy new look * Yummy tuna salad lunch * Baking * January snow * Wine date with the boy * Sunny journey to work * Light Show exhibition at Southbank Centre * Muddy Walks * Amazing sunday lunch with the family * Me and the boy * Amazing lunch in Brixton Village * Letter from a best friend * Too many clothes! * Home-made red velvet muffins * 

Hope you're all having a wonderful week! 

Aimée 

Xxxx

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Review | L'Oreal True Match Foundation

So, I've been mentioning that I'd be posting a foundation review for what feels like forever, but life kept getting in the way. Last weekend I was visiting the best friend in Lancaster, then the week was full of work and this weekend the boyfriend came to stay! So, this is the first night I've had in a while to catch up on all the blogs I follow and really sit down to write a post! Thank you to all the new followers I've had this week though, every comment and follow has really made me smile :) Anyway, onwards with the review!

I bought the L'Oreal True Match Foundation back in the beginning of January so I really have given it a good test, and I'm really happy with it. I'd noticed quite a few drugstore brands had created 'match perfecting' foundations in recent months, and the whole idea really intrigued me. I wanted to know if it really worked, so I went to my local Boots and asked to be 'matched'. The sales lady was quite nice at first, and then ended up being quite rude to my best friend...but we did both end up leaving with a foundation so I guess she must have done something to sway us!

I was matched with N2 Vanilla and I think it really blends in well with my natural skin tone. It gives a medium coverage, and is quite runny in texture. The foundation is definitely build-able though if you wanted a fuller coverage. I find it works best if I've primed my skin first; I use the Vichy Illuminating and Smoothing Cream and the Stila One Step Illuminate, reviewed HERE and then apply with my Louise Gray foundation brush. It spreads really well, and when buffed into the skin gives a really flawless finish.

I mentioned earlier that the foundation is quite runny, I find this can sometimes be slightly irritating. I apply the foundation to the back of my hand, and then dab my foundation brush into the foundation from there. Therefore, being quite runny it does tend to slide around on my hand slightly, and can dry quite quickly which wastes the product. In saying that however, its only a minor inconvenience and the foundation has lasted me a month and a half and doesn't appear to need replacing anytime soon.

Packaging wise, being made of glass is definitely a plus as you can see how much product is left, and having a pump to dispense the foundation is so handy. I really do enjoy the finish the foundation gives and I definitely think I'll be repurchasing.

Have any of you tried this foundation? Let me know what you thought :)

Aimée
Xxxx

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Liebster Blog Award.

So the lovely Rebecca Jane nominated me for the Liebster Blog Award last week, and I had planned to respond straight away but life got super busy! Since then both Gabrielle at The Last Broken Road and Sabrina at Cattails & Cardigans also tagged me! So much thanks goes to them all :) Though since Rebecca Jane was the first to tag me, I'm going to answer her questions.

I hadn't really known much about this award (other than seeing it on various other blogs) but after a little google I found Liebster to mean dearest, which made me a happy Aimee indeed. Also, I really like how it gives smaller blogs a chance to be noticed.

Liebster Blog Award Rules;

* You must list 11 facts about yourself * You must answer the 11 questions given to you by your nominator * Create another 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate to answer * Choose 11 bloggers with under 200 followers to nominate * Go to each of these bloggers pages and let them know you've nominated them * Thank whoever nominated you and link back to their blog *

11 Facts about little old me,

* I've performed at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London. * I love sandwiches, genuinely one of my favourite things to eat. * I love eating fruit cake mixture from the bowl, but I don't like cooked fruit cake. * I've been looking for the perfect pair of patent red heels for about 3 years. * I was obsessed with The O.C and I have all four seasons on dvd. * I collect limited edition Coca Cola Bottles. * One of my favourite books is One Day by David Nicholls. * I once broke a rail in my wardrobe because I had too many clothes hung up. * Marc Jacobs Daisy was the first perfume I bought. * Tia Maria is one of my favourite winter drinks. * University was the best three years of my life. *

Questions from Rebecca Jane :),

1. If you had £1000 to spend in ONE shop, what shop would you pick? 
This is a seriously tough one!! But I think it'd be Urban Outfitters, I always find really cool stuff in there and you could end up with new clothes and amazing homeware. :)
2. Favourite animal?
Without a doubt, its a horse. I've been obsessed since I was a little girl.
3. What made you want to start a blog?
I was pretty much just bored after I moved back home after Uni, job hunting is a depressing lark and I wanted something to keep me busy. I'm so glad I decided to start it, its been really fun posting. :)
4. New York City or Miami Beach?
As I've been to NYC before, I'd have to say Miama Beach so I can check it out. The cold weather is HORRIBLE at the moment too so it'd be lovely to relax on a beach.
5. Who is the one person you wish you could meet?
This is a tough one, as they always say you shouldn't meet your heroes. So I'm gonna go fictional and say I'd want to meet Ron Weasley. :)
6. Can you handle eating jalopenos?
Categorically no. I suck at eating spicy food!
7. Cheapest beauty product you own?
I think that's probably the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer.
8. Most expensive beauty product you own?
I feel like I'm probably forgetting something here, (and perfume aside!) I think its the Ojon Rare Blend Oil.
9. Are you an insta-grammer?
I LOVE instagram, I only got it at the beginning of this year but I'm obsessed. You can follow me here.
10. Who is the Disney character you wish you could be?
Tricky one, I think Belle so I could wear the amazing gold dress!
11. What is your Domino's pizza topping?
I always make my own, and get chicken, spinach and sunblush tomatoes! Its super tasty.

Finally, heres the questions for those I nominate,

1. What one beauty product can you not live without?
2. What's your favourite thing about blogging?
3. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
4. Do you watch YouTube beauty videos, if so, who are your favourites?
5. What's your favourite item of clothing?
6. What's your signature make-up look?
7. What's your favourite city for shopping?
8. Have you kept any New Years resolutions?
9. What did you want to be when you grew up?
10. Do you prefer British or American humour?
11. What's your favourite thing to blog about?

So there we have it, we're almost at the end! Just enough time for me to thank Rebecca, Gabrielle and Sabrina again for nominating me! Do go and check out their blogs :) And, here are my favourite blogs that I nominate:

Rosalie Jayne
Pretty Delicate Layers
Fashion Sings
Ivy and Gold
A Letter From Elise
Floral Fatigue
High Society
Holly's Beauty Review
Kate Lily Daze
Samuel James Morris
The Sartorial Scot

Life has been manic recently, but I should be back this week with a beauty review! Hope you're all having a lovely week :)

Aimée
Xxxx

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A Walk To Remember...

This weekend I'm currently staying with my best friend in Lancaster, so this is just a picture heavy post for the weekend until I return :)

Last Sunday me and my sister Katie went to the National Trust properties Polesdon Lacey and Box Hill which are both in beautiful Surrey. Both places really aren't very far from where we live, so we thought we'd go on a little day trip for some exercise and on my part to play with the settings on my camera. We had a really lovely day, and have decided to make it a regular thing so we get out in the fresh air (office work and London life makes for a smoggy atmosphere most of the time!) and get a bit of exercise. Katie made a yummy picnic lunch with handmade rolls and chocolate and we warmed up with a cup of tea as its still really cold out! The mud was ridiculous and there were a few moments where I feared for my life! But, with wellies on it was all good fun. We followed the children's adventure path for part of the Box Hill walk, which meant there were lot's of little 'challenges' to tackle. I was a wimp, and didn't want to slip on the mud but Katie tackled them all and as you can see from the last picture, was very proud of her achievements!

I hope you're all having a lovely weekend and you enjoyed having a nosey at my pictures :) I'll be back in the week with a foundation review :)

Aimée
Xxxx

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Review | Soap and Glory 'The Fab Pore' Hot Cloth Cleanser

"You could be one wash away from an amazing face" they state on the pretty cardboard packaging. Really, was I meant to be able to resist that? Also, to help justify the purchase, I originally wanted to try the famed Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish, but at £25 for a full size bottle I decided to test out hot cloth cleansers at a more purse friendly price of £10. Although, technically I paid nothing as I used my Boot's points card!

Justified purchase? I'm going to hope you've all agreed :)

The whole beauty world seems enamoured with hot cloth cleansers and I had been wanting to try them for quite a while, so when I saw this in Boots I thought it was the perfect opportunity to go for it! The cleanser is a good size, and comes with a really soft muslin cloth so for £10 I was quite impressed. As with all Soap and Glory products the signature scent of the product is really lovely.

The cleanser is a '3-in-1 concentrated deep purifying formula' which you massage into your face targeting problem areas like your chin, nose and forehead. To achieve the best results, they state to leave the cleanser on for a minute or so (I brush my teeth whilst I'm waiting) and then wash it off with the warm cloth. It immediately leaves your face feeling tight, which I quite enjoy as I really feel like the product is working! After a few minutes my face is then left really super soft and lovely. After about 2 weeks of daily use I really have noticed a difference and my face feels a lot healthier and looks a lot clearer. You only need a tiny splodge (technical Soap and Glory term there!) for each application so the product really does last ages too.

I really enjoy the whole premise of using a hot cloth to cleanse your face as its really refreshing and I look forward to it each evening. I definitely think I will try the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish soon, but for now the Soap and Glory version suits me just fine :)

Have any of you tried either of the cleansers? Let me know if you've had luck with either :)

Aimée
Xxxx

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DIY Craft | Tiny Polaroid Magnets.

For the more crafty DIY minded of you, this is a brief 'how-to', if you wanted to make the tiny polaroid magnets that I mentioned in my Sunday Catch Up post towards the end of January. I made these as part of a Birthday present for my best friend, and although I had a few issues with them I'm really proud of how they turned out! I think they make such a cute addition to a fridge/magne tboard/radiator...anything you want to stick them on to!

They are actually really simple to make; I first saw how to make them here and then slightly adapted the instructions to fit what I envisioned in my head. First off, you need some thick cardstock (or a few pieces of thin card stuck together), a craft knife, magnetic tape, glue strips (if you're sticking the card together - which is what I did - although spray mount is infinitely better if you can stretch to it!), paper glaze, a polaroid frame template (which you can download free from here) and photo paper to print off your pictures.

Once you've chosen your pictures, printed them and stuck the photo paper to the card, you need to cut them out. Use a craft knife, so you get a really straight edge - its also so much easier and faster! Once you've cut them all out, cut the magnet tape to the size of the picture and stick it onto all the backs.

You could leave it here and keep them as they are, or you can add a paper glaze to give the magnets a raised glass-like finish. The glaze is quite temperamental and you need to make sure there aren't any bubbles that'll ruin the finish. It needs quite a lot of patience (not my virtue! so mine didn't turn out amazingly well!), and they then need to be left to dry overnight if you can, or for at least a few hours. Also, don't worry that the glaze looks cloudy when you first apply it, it will clear when its dry.

And, voila! You're done, pop them in a box and tie up with a ribbon and you've got a really cute personal gift :) Or, just keep them for yourself, I'm definitely going to make some for myself soon.

Let me know if any of you attempt this, or have made something similar. I love finding new crafty things to make :)

Aimée
Xxxx

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25 Things You Didn't Know About Me...

As you must have gathered, I decided to jump on the bandwagon and do the '25 Things About Me' tag. I've seen it on so many blogs now and being the nosey person I am I think its quite fun to see the person 'behind the blog' and learn more about them. I have seen some tag's write as many as 50 things, but I thought I'd limit mine to just 25 :) Here we go!

1. I love going to the theatre, I have a scrapbook full of all my musical and play ticket stubs.

2. I can play the Flute and am at Grade 8 standard. (I'm also ridiculously proud of that fact, as I never thought I'd actually pass!)

3. I love cake. Chocolate, crisps and biscuits just don't even compare to the amazing-ness of cake.

4. The train is my favourite mode of transport, I love looking out at the countryside with music playing. (Its even better when the music fits the moment, know what I mean?)

5. I went to University in North Wales, and loved every minute of it. Having a view of Snowdonia from my bedroom window is something I will always miss.

6. I'm ridiculously sentimental, and keep pretty much any old thing if it has a slight meaning.

7. I moved to Sandusky, Ohio, USA on June 8th 2011 to work for four months as a photographer at a theme park. It was the single scariest and best thing I've ever done.

8. Me and my best friend share the same name, except hers is spelt more conventionally 'Amy'.

9. I can spend hours looking through old photographs.

10. I love living in London, and want to move further into central as soon as I can.

11. The one city I want to go back to more than anything is Chicago, Illinois.

12. I really enjoy photography and have a Fisheye Lomography camera.

13. I love decorating elaborate Birthday cakes (and eating the left over icing!).

14. My boyfriend still lives in our University town, and although I miss being able to see him whenever I like, I love the excitement that is created from visits to see each other.

15. I'm a really patriotic person.

16. The first time I travelled on a plane I was 19, and I went to Dublin with my sister. It was such a fun holiday!

17. I love writing and receiving letters, it makes me feel like I'm in the regency period.

18. I love trashy tv shows about Magaluf/Zante/Malia....any place where British teenagers get crazy drunk.

19. I love writing lists, and have a Listography book to my name.

20. I love love love shopping, its less of a pastime than a weekly need.

21. I love having coffee and cake out with friends.

22. My favourite piece of classical music is Debussy's, Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune. Its beautiful in so many ways and I've always wanted to play it in an orchestra.

23. I love having a good catch up over a bottle of wine.

24. I'm really proud of myself that I've stuck to all my new years resolutions! Only 11 more months to go...

25. Lastly, I started this blog as a hobby to keep me occupied whilst most of my friends were still away at Uni, but now I've really begun to love my little blog. :)

There we have it, 25 new things you know about me! I did actually find that somewhat tricky, so let me know if you attempted it too and I'll have a look :)

Aimée
Xxxx

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STOP PRESS: Products I actually emptied...

I feel I can speak for most of us when I say that actually finishing a product is a momentous occasion. One that hardly ever happens and should be exclaimed for all to know. As confessed addicts to buying superfluous amounts of beauty products its quite a feat actually finishing a singular product and for me personally I get bored of using the same things. Regardless, here I am with some 'empties' and I thought I'd share this one-off occasion with you!

Lee Stafford: Blow Dry Your Hair Faster Spray; This spray found its way into my possession so long ago I can't even remember. Its meant to make blow drying your hair quicker, which with my thick long hair sounded like a godsend. It also has a heat protecting agent in the product which is a plus. At the time that I was using the spray I never noticed a drastic difference in the time it took me to dry my hair, but it did seem to de-tangle my  hair slightly and obviously protect it from the heat. This on its own wasn't enough for me to consider re-purchasing, and since finishing the bottle I haven't really noticed that my hair takes any longer to dry. So my verdict? It definitely doesn't do what it says on the tin for my hair.

Aussie: 3 Minute Miracle Luscious Long Deep Treatment; As with all Aussie products you know the quality is going to be brilliant. I used this once every 3 days on my hair, and I did notice an improvement in the condition of it. It felt smooth, soft and really healthy. It also made my hair smell great! I do really like this product, but it wasn't Holy Grail material and I'm still on the lookout for the perfect conditioning treatment. Its definitely worth having as a back-up though.

Lee Stafford: I Hate My Hair The Day Its Washed Solution Spray; I bought this at the same time as the first spray mentioned, and again it was a product that sounded amazing. The day my hair is washed it's usually full of frizz and quite hard to style. This product claimed to calm all that and for the most part it did. Until, I found hair oils. Nothing can beat a hair oil on my hair, especially my Ojon Rare Blend Oil (Review HERE) which I love. This is a good product, but I would say that hair oils are much better if you were looking for a smoothing style product.

Topshop: Nail Varnish Remover Wipes; This is a pretty boring product, but I thought I'd include it anyway. I bought this quite a while ago and only really finished it because it was the only nail varnish remover I could find in the house. I actually really don't like these, the wipes are so saturated with remover that they really sting if you accidentally get them in a cut on your fingers! Not your average review comment, but I always seem to be cutting my fingers by accident! The wipes really didn't work very well either, and would take me ages to completely get all nail varnish off. I much prefer the Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover that I mentioned in my December favourites, so much less hassle!

Lee Stafford: Hair Growth Treatment; I feel like this post has been quite negative, but this product I actually really do like! (Hooray! I hear you say!) Its targeted at people who are trying to grow their hair but notice that it never grows past a certain length. My hair literally just stopped for about a month, until I used this treatment and I noticed a real improvement. You only need a small amount every time you apply the product so it really does last quite a while. I haven't repurchased just yet, but I definitely will be re-investing as I really did notice the effects.

Dermalogica: CleanStart Welcome Matte Spf15; This is a moisturiser that I received in my October Glossy Box, that came in a set with a toner and foaming wash (Review HERE). I hated the toner and wash, as they made me completely break out, but I really liked the moisturiser. It made my skin soft and supple without feeling like it was weighed down. It really is a nice product, but since then I have found better moisturisers so I won't be repurchasing. Also, call me odd, but I didn't really want to buy a singular product out of a set, it just felt odd.

So that was crazy long, but I hope it helped you if you were intending on buying any of these products yourself. Let me know if you struggle to finish products too?!

Aimée
Xxxx

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