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BLOGMAS day 24: Happy Christmas Eve
Happy Christmas Eve on and all!
I hope you’ve had a lovely start to the Christmas weekend and that you’re going into ‘The Big 3’ days filled with excitement and happiness.
Here ends my official run of #blogmas posts for 2017… drop the mic, I did it!
This month has really put a rocket up my butt and given me back some of the drive and inspiration I lost this year for my little corner of the World Wide Web, so I’m going to keep running with it into the New Year!
Thank for reading, I hope you’ve enjoyed the month as much as me – I will still be posting next week too so it’s not over yet!
J xx
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BLOGMAS day 23: Social media made me buy it
Earlier this year I did a YouTube made me buy it post so I thought I’d do an updated version of other things I’ve been influenced into buying, but this time broaden the scope to include all social media. Here’s what I thought of the last six purchases I made this way:
Instagram ads made me buy… Morphe x Jaclyn Hill palette
I’d never tried anything by Morphe before but I have tried a Jaclyn Hill collab which is why this palette made my heart soar with joy when it was released. Sadly, it dipped pretty quickly after that. I was drawn in by the range of colours and awesome reviews of other Morphe palettes, but when I started using this one it felt a bit ‘meh’ – the colours weren’t quite as show stopping on as they look in the pan for me.
YouTube made me buy… Ouai dry shampoo foam
I’ve tried other Ouai products before and wasn’t that impressed, so I’m not sure why I decided to give this one a go, judging by other online reviews a lot of people aren’t too impressed with this one. However I’m not able to judge either way as didn’t even get to try it – on the first use the nozzle broke and every single bit of product splattered all over my bathroom, I mean EVERYWHERE. What a waste of 20-something quid!
Fleur de Force made me buy… Lauren Mercier translucent setting powder
My makeup often slides during the day so I thought this seemed worth a go (a slightly expensive go, but a go nonetheless) and I’m pleased to say this product was a winner! It sets my base in place really well, I’ve even napped before and my face has remained in-tact, though that’s probably the combo of this and Urban Decay setting spray. I heard about a hack on YouTube where you apply the powder before and after your base to get a more flawless and long lasting finish, so I do tend to apply it this way when I know I need my make up to have extra staying power.
Lily Melrose made me buy… Urban Decay Naked ultimate basics
I nabbed this in Sephora over the summer and based on my other Naked experiences it seemed like a no-brainier. A lot of people seem to really love this, but the pigmentation just doesn’t seem to be as good as the others when I’ve used it. Maybe I got one from a dud batch? Bit annoying for $54! That said I do get on pretty well with the bitter/milk-chocolatey brown colour at the front, it’s kind of unusual but works as an easy daytime shade.
Lydia and Lucy made me buy… Urban Decay Eye primer potion
Another Sephora purchase made over the summer, and this has been great for keeping my shadow in place and crease-free. I mentioned this in my blogmas day 11 post so I won’t say anymore than that.
Fleur de Force (also) made me buy… Too Faced Hangover primer
You guessed it – another summer purchase from Sephora, I spent about $300 in 2 days whilst in NYC, which bought me quite a bit! I pick this up in a smaller size to try out first and it’s definitely a product I plan to re-purchase in the New Year. It’s has a lovely smell and feels very hydrating, more like a moisturiser really.
If you’ve tried any of these or any from the previous post I linked to let me know what you thought of them!
Thanks for reading,
J xx
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BLOGMAS day 22: Thanks for the memories 2017
As the year is coming to close in a couple of weeks time, I thought it would be a nice addition to my #blogmas posts to reflect on some great times had this year. I’ve not been the happiest of people, but I have had some fun adventures which I’m choosing to focus on instead.
January
The only reason I have ever left the house as an adult on New Year’s Day is in search of food, however this year I made an exception and headed out to the opening night of the Hull City of Culture celebrations with the Mr and my grandparents. I wasn’t disappointed; it was bloody brilliant! This year has brought Hull so many interesting opportunities and, most importantly, a much needed reputation boost on a global stage. I couldn’t be prouder of us.
February
The Mr and I headed to Leeds for a couple of nights to hit the shops and drink some cocktails. We enjoyed it so much we’re heading back again before Christmas.
March
March saw me and my mum bond in a slightly more unusual way – scaling brightly coloured climbing walls. We usually go for coffee or shopping! We’re both kinda scaredy cats so my invit to a preview session at Rock Up Hull allowed us to conquer some of our fears as well as work up a sweat.
April
Easter saw us spend the weekend in one of my fave cities, Liverpool (I did a post about it here). I always feel so happy and inspired there. I’m heading back in March 2018 for a girls weekend I can’t wait!
May
The second Bank Holiday weekend in May was definitely one of the best weekends of the year, when I headed off to Radio 1 Big Weekend!
Day 1 I was spent with my girl Tori – we giggled, sang and got rained on just a little bit.
Day 2 I was joined by Chelsea (aka my hair saviour, you all know her) where we got our glitter on and danced our socks off. Fun times.
June
As well as it being my birthday month, June also saw us head to Scarborough (hence the epic fish and chip setup) to redeem one of last year’s Christmas gifts- tickets to see Al Murray live. He’s always been one of my faves and last time I had tickets I had to give them up as I had flu, but this time I was well and had an absolute scream. He’s one of four others we’ve seen this year (not including local acts) and there are more in the pipeline for 2018.
August
August was a busy month indeed! Starting with a trip to the Great British Food Festival where I literally ate all the things and brought home a fairly sizeable haul of goodies to enjoy. This is definitely somewhere I’d be keen to visit again next year.
Then came a real high point of the year – summer vacay!
Yup, I went to The Big Apple (side note: I was pleased with myself for getting such a cheesy pic). It was my second visit so I felt a lot more comfortable and confident about everything – I even wrote a couple of posts about things to do and places to eat.
October/ November
September was a little frantic as we moved house (which we will have to do again in the new year when we find somewhere permanent) so come October we felt we deserved a little break. We only had a few days spare, so we hopped on a plane and headed for Benidorm, which was very warm and relaxing.
I’m going to spend some time over the holidays setting some goals and making some plans for the year ahead, my aim is to make 2018 even better!
Thanks for reading,
J xx
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BLOGMAS day 21: The cosiest hand-made scarf of dreams
I’ve been so warm this winter that I often walk about with my coat undone! However my neck has been cold, and at the risk of catching the Christmas lurgy I decided that getting a cosy scarf could be the best thing.
This beauty has been hand made by Flying Fox, aka by clever friend Suzy (you’ve seen her before in my Rock Up Hull blog post). She made a similar one for a charity raffle recently and I loved it so much I instantly commandeered one of myself!
You can’t see too well in this pic (damn you indoor winter light!) but without the gradients of rich red berry coloured wool are some subtle sparkles. This is the perfect accessory for me to chuck on with my padded black coat and still feel cute!
Suzy also makes snoods and hats (she recently made a collection in a beautiful mustard yellow shade that was instantly snapped up) so definitely worth a look if you’d like to treat yourself in the New Year or you know anybody with a winter birthday coming up.
Thanks for reading,
J xx
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BLOGMAS day 20: My retro style winter wear
The 70s called: they want their look back. Well bad news guys, you ain’t getting it any time soon!
I’ve wanted an aviator jacket for absolutely ages – I have this in two colours; I didn’t know which one to pick and had a 30% off code so thought why the hell not? I ended up having size up so that it would fasten round my super wide hips, but I’m digging the oversized feel. Ironically – it’s so warm that I rarely need to zip it up!
I’m going out on a limb and proclaiming that these are some of the COMFIEST JEANS I’VE EVER OWNED. Topshop are really slaying the game with jeans this year – not only do the style of these feel really cool, but the wide bottom makes me feel a bit more confident when I’m out and about. I’ve just bought the same style in blue and an even more dramatic black pair (more on those soon I’m sure).
The Mr rolls his eyes whenever I wear this hat as he thinks it’s stupid (so they’re rolling often than not) I however think it’s cute and great for dealing with a bad hair day. I liked it so much I picked it up in red; I think it’s safe to say that I’m still a ‘if the shoe fits, buy it in every colour’ kinda gal!
Flared jeans, Topshop / Shearling aviator jacket, PLT / Hat, Topshop / Jumper, Topshop (still available in some stores) / Boots, Public Desire
Thanks for reading,
J xx
About Me
I’m Jenny, nice to meet you. I’m a thirty-something who likes fashion, holidays and wondering about life. A lot.
