Monthly Favourites: Oct'16

For my monthly favourites try and stick to my top 5 products; that way I can't get carried away and babble for hours

This month I've found myself reaching for these products repeatedly which have made them qualify for this months listing;

TRESemme Keratin Smooth Heat Protection Spray - £5.78 Boots.com
Since the birth of my beautiful daughter last year, I struggled with post-partum hair loss. Lucky for me I have alot of hair, so didn't experience the nightmares that some mothers do. It's been almost a year now and the hair loss has subsided, the latest struggle is the new hair growth (something I didn't think I would complain about!). My once straight and silky locks have started to look broken and frizzy, whereas in fact this is just new hair growth. I've tried expensive hair treatments and shampoos but have actually found this fairly inexpensive product to work wonders. After washing and conditioning my hair I follow with a few perfectly distributed spritzes of this product and after blow-drying I can immediately notice how smoothed my hair looks and feels; with the added bonus of the heat protection! Finally, I can wear my hair down with confidence again!

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion - £16 Debenhams.com
For those of us who suffer from oily eyelids and find our eyeshadows creasing throughout the day, this is a perfect product to eliminate those woes. The tube consists of only a mere 11ml (.37 US fl oz) but to cover both eyes I'd estimate I use approx a 2mm blob on my finger and cannot see the day that this tube will end, great value for money and does a fantastic job

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in 'Mood Exposure' - £32 SpaceNK
You'll see from the picture above I'm using the blush from the Ambient Lighting Edit palette (which I no longer believe is available), however, for £32 you can purchase the individual colours. From my point of view I love this in 'Mood Exposure', pictured bottom left in the palette. From looking at the colour it appears to be a soft mauve, but on the cheeks translates as a beautiful natural blushing shade and, being from the ambient lighting range, leaves a stunning glow to your skin

OPI Avoplex High-Intensity Hand & Nail Cream - 50ml £12 OPIuk.com
Dry skin, I HATE it! Washing baby bottles, cleaning the house etc... had left my hands in a royal mess. My nails had started to weaken and my skin was feeling scaley and old, I desperately needed a help and to find a solution. In conjunction with remembering to wear protective gloves when washing and cleaning, I started a ritual of moisturising my hands a few times a day and found perfection in OPI's Avoplex hand cream. It describes itself to 'help address the needs of severely overworked hands and nails. Increases hydration, flexibility and resilience by enveloping skin in penetrating proteins and protective butters'. Yes yes yes and yes. I have the 50ml in my handbag and the 120ml on my bedside table

Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Lips SPF20 - £2.89 Boots.com
Not sure I've mentioned this previously, but I've had a history of allergic reactions to certain lip products whereby it appears my lips have been burnt, they go red raw and peel (lovely I know!). I've yet to work out which ingredient doesn't agree with me, and would welcome your suggestions if you've struggled with the same symptoms, but know the YSL, Palmers Coco Lipbutter and Rimmel lip products are both no-gos for me! I recently had another instance of this lip issue and although I don't know what caused it I do know that this lip balm definitely helped soothe and restore my lips, will be keeping a few of these around the house to keep my lips in tip top shape

As per usual there were other products I've been using and loving recently, but they didn't make the cut this month. Be sure to leave comments below on any products you think I should be testing out x

Get To Know Me: 15 Random Questions Tag

I thought it was about time we got to know each other a little better, so I tracked down some questions from the '15 Random Questions Tag'

Here we go...

1. What’s a nickname only your family calls you?
Everyone calls me Caroline, but my dad is the only person who gets away with calling me Cazza. I've always hated it when other people try to shorten your name, it should be the individuals prerogative

2. What’s a weird habit of yours?
I would say I'm on the boarder of OCD. I do like things to be neat and tidy and find myself cleaning up after my husband alot. To be fair he's fairly tidy, I guess I just like something my way... need to move past it somehow!

3. Do you have any weird phobias?
I don't think it's weird, it's probably actually fairly normal, right??? I'm not keen on swimming in open water/water I can't see the bottom of. I have a totally irrational fear that Jaws is waiting for me

4. What’s a song you secretly LOVE to blast & belt out when you’re alone?
Ever since watching Chris D'Elia performing on USA Lip Sync Battle I love to sing and dance badly to Demi Lovato's 'Cool for the summer'. It's also made it onto my gym/workout playlist

5. What’s one of your biggest pet peeves?
This is gross, but I hate it when people won't blow their nose and decide to snort it back loudly whilst in public, it's just revolting. Blow your nose!

6. What’s one of your nervous habits?
In recent times it appears to be talking. I used to be particularly shy and quiet, but now when I'm nervous I tend to try and cover it with talking (more like babbling!)

7. What side of your bed do you sleep on?
The right side

8. What was your first stuffed animal & its name?
The first I recall was a bunny rabbit called Tootsie. My mother kept her as a keep sake and now she sits on a shelf in my daughters bedroom

9. What’s drink you always order at Starbucks?
I love the taste of coffee, but don't handle caffeine too well. So I always order a 'decaf skinny latte'

10. What’s the beauty rule you preach, but never actually practice?
Touching up your makeup throughout the day... I always have the necessary products in my bag but never actually have time to use them. By the end of the day my makeup is sliding off my face! I need to get better at checking it throughout the day

11. Which way do you face in the shower?
I face towards the shower head, I love the feeling of water running over my face. Plus I like to know I've washed off all my makeup

12. Do you have any weird body skills?I have flexible ligaments and am double jointed elbows. In my old age (30's) I can definitely feel my joints stiffening up, but I can still bend my arms both ways. Disgusting, but a great party trick!

13. What’s your favorite comfort food/food that's bad but you love to eat it anyway?
Hmmm... good question... I much more of a savory lover so a comfort food for me would be something like mash potato and/or toad in the hole (basically sausages in Yorkshire pudding - a very English dish.. yum yum!)

14. What’s a phrase or exclamation do you always say?
'Patience is a virtue'

15. Time to sleep - what are you ACTUALLY wearing?
Last night it was cold, so red Abercrombie sweatpants and a 20+-year-old faded Thunderbirds T-shirt.. super sexy I know!

I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit more about me! Look forward to seeing you back soon for more lifestyle updates x

Lacquer Lover: OPI Gel "My Chihuahua Bites"

Bring on the reds! Hands down one my favourite nail colours; I'd place this in my top 5 for sure. Today's tipple is OPI's 'My Chihuahua Bites' a slightly coral type red with a beautiful shinny finish. This polish just seems to glow and definitely is an eye catching and classic colour

Many more Lacquer Lover editions to come; simply sharing some of my favourite shades. Are there any particular OPI shades you're interested to see in action? Be sure to let me know in the comments below

Happy painting!

Essential Threading Kit

I'm usually a nails girl, but a few months ago I booked myself into Capital Hair and Beauty's Eyebrow Threading and Shaping course (http://www.capitalhairandbeauty.co.uk training cost at time of this blog publish was £99). Not only was the trainer excellent but I also greatly enjoyed learning a new skill and am now able to thread both mine and my friends/family's brows!

You know I love a good list! So, today I thought I'd simply share the essentials I pack in my threading kit;

Vanity Threading Thread - £2.00 ex VAT from Capital, also available on eBay etc...
This is a 300 metre antibacterial thick white cotton, perfect for create a sturdy loop and coil for threading

Small Ruler - I use the Twist 'n Flex approx £2.00 from Amazon
Having a ruler is essential for beginners like me. This enables me to quickly map out the key eyebrow points on my clients; such as where the eyebrow should begin/end and where the arch should be

Disposable Mascara Brushes - £1.99 ex VAT from Capital
Great little tools for brushing brows up/down to enable a clear path for threading strays and avoiding the hairs you want to keep. A simple spool will of course work, however disposable is essential to ensure good hygiene practices if you are threading multiple clients

Marvelbrow Twizzor - £7.95 ex VAT from Capital
Fantastic little scissors which are sharp and precise for trimming longer hairs if required

Marvelbrow Prep & Prime plus Soothing Balm - £5.95 each ex VAT from Capital
These products were used in the training course and are great for threading as well as waxing or tweezing. The Prep & Prime is rosewater based therefore the anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties are great in preparation for threading, whereas the Soothing Blam both cools and clams with chamomile and aloe vera to again provide anti-inflammatory and antibacterial plus redness reducing

I'm not sponsored by Capital or Marvelbrow, but can honestly say all the above products were great in both training and in practice. I use these on myself and friends/family and look forward to continuing my beauty journey and getting better and better with practice.

If you have any threading tips be sure to comment below. Also, I was thinking to write a post to share the tips and tricks we were taught in the course on how to measure up your brows to find the perfect shape, if you'd be interested let me know!?

Yummy Fruit Crumble

Fruit crumble is truly an Autumn/Winter favourite of ours. I'd usually make an apple crumble, but today we had some other fruits that needed to be used and this was the perfect opportunity to throw them into the mix!

For this recipe you'll need the following:

Filling -

• Fruit - I used 3 apples, 2 pears and a handful of Sainsbury's frozen berries
• 3 tbsp of sugar
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Topping - Note: We like a lot of crumble here, half these measurements if you only want a thin layer!

• 100g unsalted butter cold and cubed
• 200g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 6 tbsp sugar (4x white sugar, 2x brown sugar)

Method:

• Place all topping ingredients into a bowl and scrunch the mixture together using your fingers until it reaches a lumpy breadcrumb texture; you could also avoid this messy step and place into a food processor and pulse until you reach the same point. Crumble mixture finished... in the style of Chandler from Friends "could that be any easier?"
• Peel and chop the fruit into large bite size chunks, dust with the flour and sugar, then gently mix to coat all the fruit
• Finally, shake your topping over the fruit and you're ready to cook!
• Place in a hot oven (approx 180°C) and bake for 40 mins until the topping is lightly golden and mixture is bubbling

Once cooked I'd suggest to leave it to cool for a few minutes before spooning out and drizzling with either a classic custard or double cream. Admittedly not to healthiest of desserts (packed with butter and sugar) but in moderation a delightful treat on a cold night

Happy cooking! Be sure to let me know in the comments if you've used this recipe and whether you enjoyed the results x