Mini Boots Haul ft. Benefit ☼

Well hello there you beautiful people! Hope you're all having a lovely week. I thought I'd share with you some of my recent purchases in the form of a mini haul post (^__^)

Nivea Hydro Care lipbalm  - My all time favourite lipbalm. This winter my lips dried out to the point of it being painful, something which has never happened to me before. Whilst my EOS lipbalm was hydrating, it really wasn't moisturising enough for this. I had to go back to my old lipbalm, so I took a trip to Boots on my way home from uni and bought it. My lips are much better now thanks to it, Alhamdulillah ^^

Bioré Deep Cleansing Pore Strips (Original) - I've seen this around on a few blogs and decided to try them out. Mainly because my nose feels like it really needs to try something like this right now. I've been having such a bad skin month :[  Whilst any spots I may get on my cheeks I can hide with concealer, the stubborn blackheads on my nose are harder to hide. Even exfoliating regularly isn't helping me! *sigh* 

Anyhoo, review is coming soon..I've tried one already but won't give away my verdict just yet!

Benefit Hervana blush - AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!! I FINALLY GOT IT! *beams* ASOS were having a student discount deal where it was 25% off clothing, shoes, accessories etc and 20% off beauty items for 48 hours the other day, so I decided to take the plunge and order my very first Benefit blush as an after exam treat. 

This has been on my wishlist since it came out and a Benefit makeup artist put it on me - I received so many compliments that day. (>.<) I decided I HAD to have it, because even *I* thought it looked good on me, and you'll never hear me say that! I was so excited when my sister told me my package had arrived, I was literally grinning ear to ear when I got home and opened it. *SQUEEEEEEEE*

Have you been shopping lately? Found any bargains? ^^

Disclaimer: All products were bought with my own money unless stated otherwise. All opinions are my own. But if you read the post you'd know that. :P 

Tag: You're it!

Hey there everyone! I've got a tag post for you today. I got tagged by the lovely Sal over at Little Girl, Big Thoughts - you should check her out, she's pretty amazeballs. ;D

The rules are:

1. Answer the 11 questions set

2. Set 11 questions for the people you tag

3. Mention the blog who tagged you

The 11 questions Sal set for me (^__^)

1. What do you like most about blogging?

Being able to talk to people who understand my love for lipsticks. I don't normally show my (slightly) makeup obsessed side to the people I know in person lol, so they give me funny looks when I go into overload about stuff I never use but know everything about LOL

2. What do you like least about blogging?

I don't like it when people just comment for the sake of it, just to put their blog link out somewhere so they can get traffic. Half the time I can't even reply to their comment because it's so general and cuz it blatantly there to get their link out. :/ I only comment when I genuinely have something to say or have something to ask. *annoyed face*

3. What are your ambitions with blogging?

I don't really have any ambitions for it. I do it for fun. :) Anything that comes with it is just a perk haha.

4. What is your favourite winter time product?

The Body Shops body butters. I have five.. *shifts guiltily in her seat* LOL

5. What are your goals in life?

I have many goals in life, but I'd rather not share them until I've fulfilled them (^______^)

6. Your worst makeup fail?

OMG it was when I first wore eyeliner back when I was something like 14/15 years old. My friend put it on me and it just made me look like a total panda. I was such a makeup n00b back then.. *CRINGE*

7. Favourite snack, favourite food and favourite comfort food?

Fave snack - this changes a lot. I get obsessed with certain kinds of food sometimes. Right now it's Snickers (She said, eating it as she types this post..). A month or so ago it would have been Twix. (>.<)
Fave food - I CAN'T PICK! But one that's definitely up there is samosa chaat. NOM!
Fave comfort food - cheesy pasta. (^__^)

8. How much time do you spend on blogging in a week/month?

Blargh. I don't really know if I'm honest. I'd say about five or six hours on typing up a weeks worth of blog posts, and another couple of hours taking the photos and editing them and such.

9. Besides blogging, what are your hobbies?

I like to read! currently reading The Hobbit, it was a gift given to me on my birthday but sadly uni exams got in the way. Now that I've found some time, I've been reading it and quite frankly loving it. I read the LotR books last year and was so sad when I finished. (;_____;) I won't spoil anything but I shall just sadfghkjljhfsdgkjhasn;akjfn instead. ASDFHJKJASGDJ!!!

10. What do you do for a living?

I don't have a job at the moment. I study at university and am currently looking for one though! ^^

11. What is your favourite nail polish brand and why?

I don't wear nail polish! But they all look so pretty..

My questions!

1. Does anyone you know in real life know about your blog?
2. How did you tell them about it? Were they surprised like my friends were? :P
3. Describe your blog in five words.
4. What is one thing you can't leave the house without?
5. If you were a perfume you would be...?
6. Show us your phone cover! If you don't have one, show us one you want (^__^)
7. Boots or Superdrug?
8. What is one thing you wish you were amazing at?
9. What was the last song you listened to? I won't judge you if it was a One Direction song.. I swear.. :P
10. how old were you when you first bought your first beauty product and what was it?
11. Whats your favourite blog post of mine? Cheeky I know but I'm curious (>.<)

I tag:

1. Mez - All Made Up
2. Vanessa - Parisian Orchid
3. Asmaa - Chocoholic Hiijabi
4. Ellie - Ellie's Ramblings
5. Charlee - MYSTRINGALING
6. Alex - Lipsticks and Heels
7. Hannah - hannahjustyne
8. Nayab - Nayab Loves
9. Helen - *Beautifully Superfluous*
10. MangoWhirl
11. Tiya - AfroChique Honey

Aaaaaaaand whoever else is reading this :oD

Hope you had fun reading my answers lol.. now go check out their blogs! You won't regret it ^^

Modestly Stylish: Formal Dinner Party Outfit

Modestly Stylish: Formal Dinner Party Outfit by themaryfairy 

Empire line dress by Chic Nova - £24.58  / H&M Jacket - £29.99 / Black Zip Bistretch Slim Leg Trousers from New Look - £9.99  / Blink Patent Mid Heel Court Shoe from Republic - £20 / Rare London Studded Skull Clasp Bag - £20 / Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner - £17 / Benefit They're Real mascara - £18.50

Hey there my lovelies, hope you're all well~

I'm back today with another Modestly Stylish outfit for you, and today's theme is a formal dinner outfit. Black and beige are my go to colours, because they just look so classy together and they suit just about everyone too.

I'm loving H&M's blazers at the moment, I actually just bought a black blazer the other day from H&M and the quality is brilliant. My very first blazer was actually from there too, it's been two years and it still looks brand new!

For the trousers I thought they were a pretty good price for some smart but slim legged trousers. I don't particularly like the zips but they'll be covered by the dress anyway (^__^)

I love the dress, not too form fitting but gives your waist a little definition all the same. A nice simple, classy dress that you can dress up or down should be a staple in every girls wardrobe. I'd personally would obviously wear a top underneath this. 

Everyone's loving the studded craze these days so I thought I'd throw in a lovely studded bag, which I have to say I really like despite studs not being my thing! And as for the shoes.. well you can't go wrong with a pair of nude shoes can you? Plus I read somewhere that nude shoes make your legs look longer.. something short girls like me wouldn't mind having hehe.

I'd keep my makeup simple, maybe do the 'cat eye' liner style (if I ever get it right.. I can never get it even! >.<) and maaaaaaaybe a red lip if I was feeling brave. :P

What do you wear to a formal dinner party? ☺

My Favourite Hijaab Accessories ♥

I don't consider myself a very fashionable person if I'm honest. I don't have the time to do anything extra in the mornings apart from making sure my face doesn't look like I rose from the dead five minutes ago. 

I just throw on my clothes, hijaab & a bit of makeup and RUN LIKE HELL (because I'm usually running late.. heh). 

But when I do have time, I like to accessorize my hijaab.  (^__^) Unless it's a really loud printed one then I just leave it at that. Not that I own many loudly printed hijaabs.. but I digress. :P

1. Bows

BOWS! If you know me in person, you know I love bows. Bows are just so.. me! I don't know why, but they just are. I have to stop myself from buying more bows, because I know that I will just not use them as much as I use my neutral coloured ones (I wear a lot of neutral colours.. you can probably tell by the picture xD). I got these from Peacocks a while ago, but you can also get similar ones from Claires and New Look.

2. Brooches

Before I realised bows were my thing, I went through a phase of loving brooches. I have a few, but these are  the ones I've used the most. I remember finding them in Accessorize a couple of years ago, and they're still in perfect condition; Accessorize do really good quality stuff! On days when I'm feeling confident in my skin and clothes and have woken up a little early and have had a lot of sleep the night before, I wear one, because it just adds that finishing touch to my outfit and makes me feel all pretteh (for once xD).

3. Headbands

I have quite a few headbands, but this one almost always goes with my fancy Asian clothes because a lot of the Asian outfits I have have gold in them. There's something about this one that makes me look like I've put in more effort - which I have if you think about it, some of the scarves that come with Asian suits are horrendously slippy! Again, you can get these at Claires or New Look.

4. Feathers

I have a couple of variations of this. A stretchy headband with blue and brown feathers, a slide with a string of dark brown feathers, and this alice band version too! I got this from Topshop for about £2.50 down from a tenner - BARGAIN! I don't really wear my feathery stuff on formal outings, more so when its a birthday or we're celebrating something. I don't know feathers don't seem that formal to me so I stick to brooches on those occasions :P

What kinds of things do you accessorise your hijaab with? (^__^)

And if you don't wear one.. what do you use to accessorise your hair? :D

P.S. excuse the horrendous lighting in the pic. It took me forever to get a good photo, and even longer to edit it! Stupid British weather -___-

Face Mask Fridays: Natural Collection Rosemary & Witch Hazel Mask

First off I'd like to apologise in advance for the varying shades of lighting (for lack of a better phrase) in this post. It's really hard to get decent pictures when it's winter, a problem which I'm sure every blogger faces at this time of year!

Today's post is a review on Natural Collection's Rosemary & Witch Hazel mask. Even though I like some of Natural Collections makeup, I've never really been drawn to their bath and body and skincare products. Probably because The Body Shop and Soap & Glory had those bases covered for me in those departments.  

So one day when I finished uni early enough to take a stroll into town (and straight into Boots) I came across this and thought 'why not? It's only a quid, I won't really regret it if I don't like it now will I?' and popped it into my basket.. and well here we are. :D

Now.. onto the review! First let's take a look at the ingredients shall we?

'Natural Collection Rosemary and Witch Hazel Face Mask contains anti-bacterial Rosemary and Witch Hazel to really deep-cleanse your pores, drawing out impurities and excess oil, leaving your face feeling totally refreshed.'
[source]

Rosemary oil - which is antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, an astringent, and rich in antioxidants; witch hazel - good at reducing swellings, an astringent, and has antioxidant properties too; kaolin clay - has oil absorbing properties. All these ingredients combined make a good face mask for oily/combination skin, especially skin that is in need of a good deep, cleanse.

Now, appearance-wise, this mask surprised me. I thought it would be green like the 'face mask' on the woman's face on the sachet, but when I squeezed it out into my jar it looked more like a whiter version of the Garnier mask I reviewed back in August. (>.<)

Fragrance-wise, I could definitely smell the witch hazel, something I love the smell of. I don't think I've ever smelt rosemary before but I did detect another note so maybe it was that? xD I didn't love the smell, but I didn't hate it, I really do not like overpowering, herbal-y smells!

I'd say that this did it's job pretty well. After using it, my t-zone was no longer as oily as usual but at the same time didn't feel tight either - always a bonus because come one, nobody likes it when their skin has suddenly been completely stripped of all it's oils! It actually left it soft, smooth, and a little moisturised; something that masks usually targeted towards oily skin don't tend to do.

Something I noticed about this particular mask was that it didn't dry, which I found made it easy to wash off. The lazy side of me rejoiced at this, because I apply my masks after I have a nice long bath, and I always feel tired and lazy straight after haha. I can't be the only one :P

Despite it only being a quid, and getting 10ml in the sachet, you get enough for two full on applications which is something that pleased me very much because you get a bang for your buck and extremely good value too, considering how good the mask leaves your skin feeling!

I'd recommend this face mask for those who want to get into using face masks but don't know where to start, and for young oily, blemish prone skin too. It is available to purchase at Boots. (^__^) Has anyone else tried this? Am I the only one who overlooks non-makeup Natural Collection stuff or is it just me? (>.<)

Disclaimer: All products were bought with my own money unless stated otherwise. All opinions are my own. 

Related Posts: Superdrug Hydrating Self Heating Mask, Garnier Skin Naturals Pure Self Heating Sauna Mask, DIY Fruity Face Mask: Oily/Combination Skin, Sanctuary's 5 Miniute Thermal Detox Mask

Blog Sale Update ☺

Hey hey~

Just thought I'd let you all know that I've added some stuff to my blog sale page. Mainly nail polishes and some books!

Clickety clack over here or on the tab on the top right of my home page that says blog sale to check it out. (^__^)

The delivery charge for the books is separate because books are heavier and therefore cost more to post. P

Please read the instructions and if you're still confused about it just email me and I'll be happy to tally up and explain what your postage will be :o)

Hope you're all having a lovely week, aaaaaand I shall see you next on Friday! :o)

♥♥♥

What I learnt from my 2012 Project Pan ☼

*sidles in awkwardly* Um.. heyyyyyy everyoneee. *pauses just as awkwardly* ... :oD

*clears throat* Long time no see eh? Gosh, I've not spoken to you lot since last year! :P

*crickets chirrup at her lame joke*

LOL sorry sorry sorry. I'm back now. Sortof. Just thought I'd just pop by and say howdy~ 

I apologize for yet another long absence - I had a lot of exams, and revision was obviously going to be my top priority, but hey I'm back now! (^__^)

(I seem to have lost the masacara.. hmm.)

I thought I'd ease myself back into blogging by talking about my 2012 Project Pan. I can finally say that I have finished most of the things on my list! The ones I knew I couldn't use (because of a variety of reasons e.g. really didn't like the smell, didn't suit my skin tone, etc) I either sold or gave away. And now I can finally throw away the contents of my Project Pan box! It feels a bit bitter-sweet tbh, I didn't like a lot of the items, but I remember feeling accomplished whenever I finished something I didn't particularly get along with, especially the ones whose scents didn't agree with me >.<.

I remember telling myself I'd buy myself something as a reward for when I finished it, but I had already broken the spending ban a couple of times and bought a load of stuff from The Body Shop and Benefit. 

Most of the things I spent my money on were things that I needed everyday or skincare, but I felt guilty for buying the body butters so I decided not to open any until I had gotten rid of everything on my Project Pan list. So Peach Vineyard, here I come! ;D

Looking back over the year and being on a spending ban for so long, it has made me realize how much money I actually spend. I don't even spend most of it on myself, it usually goes down like this: I see something and I immediately think OH MY GOSH! My sister/mother/brother/father/other family member/friend would love this! *proceeds to buy it even though it isn't their birthday and they don't even need it*

Yep. I'm that girl. I like the rush of giving other people gifts lol.

 I also realised that i am very lazy when it comes to food and uni time. If I am out I will just go out to eat (even though it only takes me ten mins getting home) or I'll buy a load of sweets and dump them in my bag and nom on them all day. I learnt to bulk buy healthier snacks to eat whilst I was at uni, or just go home and eat!

The last thing I learnt to do was differentiate between the things I wanted and the things I needed. Once you  figure that out you save a whooooooole lot of money let me tell ya.. LOL. I've become quite good at just being satisfied with window shopping, which it was quite a bit harder for me to do at the start of 2012; I almost feel all grown up now.

Yeah.. almost. :P

So tell me, what did you learn to do last year? Did you go on a spending ban/Project Pan? How did it work out for you? (^__^)