Friday 28 February 2014

10 Steps: Winding Down

We all get that feeling when you get home from a stressful day and you just feel like the weight is on your shoulders. We all get that feeling. So help you achieve a relaxing night where you can wind down just follow these simple steps. Easy.

1) When you are trying to relax you don't want your phone buzzing and ringing so put it down and switch it to silent. That was simple, wasn't it?

2) The most important thing you can do to wind down is a relaxing bath/shower. Run your favorite bubble bath under the tap and just watch the bubbles appear. If your feeling even more luxurious get yourself down to lush and grab a bath bomb or bubble bath. Pronto.

3) Whist your bath is running put a face mask on. My top picks for face masks are clay masks, mud masks, peel off masks or mousse masks. If you want go all out and put some cucumber slices on your eyes. They could count as one of your five-a-days!

4) After your bubble bath you need to clean your hair. It relaxes you even more! Use a gentle shampoo followed by a hair mask, leave it in for ten to twenty minutes and rinse out. Whist your hair is drying spray some leave in conditioner in your hair and brush it out. The leave in conditioner I am using at the moment is the Aussie Hair Insurance Leave In Conditioner.

5) Once you have got out of the bathroom go into your room and instead of having harsh lighting opt for soft lighting. Fairy lights would be a good idea!

6) Instead of being glued to any form of technology get yourself a good book, but if your not so keen on books play some relaxing music.

7) Now it's all very well lighting a candle but most of them are pretty expensive! At the moment I am loving flame less candles, calming and relaxing without the hassle!

8) When we go to sleep we all have to admit that we think about all the stresses and worry's. That won't help you get a successful night's sleep. Instead write down all your stresses and worry's on a piece of paper. Trust me, it really helps!

9) Some of you may know this but I love tea. Any type of tea and i'm straight there! Try getting a decaf tea as caffeine will not help you wind down. I love my spiced apple and chamomile tea, or maple and chamomile. But what I have recently purchased is decaffeinated Chai Tea.

10) The final step is to research a pillow mist to help you drift to sleep. I really like the look of the This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray. I have had a lot of recommendations.

So there is my ten steps to help you wind down, I hope this post has helped you wind down from a stressful day! See you tomorrow!

Thanks x

Bethany Howe x
               

Wednesday 26 February 2014

The Shop I Couldn't Live Without 1#: The Blueberry Store

I love shopping as much as the next person, but there are just some shops that I couldn't live without. This addiction ranges from coffee shops to quaint independent shops. So first in this new series I thought i could start with the shop that has been in my heart for years. The Blueberry Store.

There are many different reasons why I love the Blueberry Store, Mainly the reason I love this shop so much is because of the wide variety of products in one little shop. When you walk into the shop the aroma of pleasant candle scents hit you. The Blueberry Store stocks a large number of candles that range from different scents and different company's so that the buyer can explore countless amounts of appealing candle scents until they find the correct scent for them.Two of the main candle company's that stock The Blueberry Store are Kringle Candle Company and Yankee Candle. A new addition to The Blueberry Store's candle range is The Country Candle Company they offer scents from Apple Blossom to fresh Linen. The amount of candles that the shop has is unbelievable and very impressive. 

The Blueberry Store stocks Lexington Company. Lexington Company is a New England style company that offers stunning soft furnishings. The shop stocks Lexington Company duvet coves and pillow cases, Aprons, throws, blankets, tea towels, cushions, bedspreads and dinnerware. They are all to a high standard and would be idyllic for any room. 

A new range of American Specialty Food has arrived at the shop. As always there is  a lot of exciting products. Some of the products I had never dreamed about trying as they are not available here in the United Kingdom. A high majority of the stock is confectionery. Some of the store's newest additions are Swedish Fish, M&M's chocolate bar, Boston Beans and Tootsie Rolls. Also you can purchases a selection of spreads, Syrups, cake decorations, seasonings and more! 

What gets me excited about The Blueberry Store is the stock of home decor in store. All of the stock is fun, creative and beautiful. They would lighten up any room with the chosen product's presence. Lampshades and lanterns would  brighten up a dull light. Frames that would display your captured moments creatively. Checkered fabric hearts that would show off your affection. Not forgetting the breathtaking wooden decorations that include wooden hearts, Wooden Scottie dogs and much more. 

I could write ten pages about The Blueberry Store, but there was a little synopsis about why I love The Blueberry Store so much! Go on the shops website for more products and more information. www.blueberrystoreonline.co.uk 

Here's a whole gallery of images i took of the store! (I couldn't stop myself from taking countless amounts of pictures!) I hope you enjoyed the post! 

Thanks x

Bethany Howe x 





























                      

Sunday 23 February 2014

Spring Into Spring: New Beauty Products For Spring

Spring is just around the corner and whenever I see a new spring beauty display in a store i getso excited, one because some of my favourite beauty company's have created new products, and two, it's nearly spring.
So here are some new beauty products that are great for spring!

17 Cheek Stamp Blush £4.99
When I first looked at this product I had to glance back at it numerous amount of times, I haven't really seen a product like this before. The packaging of this cheek stamp is very compact. When you twist open the packaging there is a sponge applicator and on the lid there is a hidden pan of the blush, also on the lid there is a handy, compact mirror which is great for traveling. The concept of this product is very quick and handy, you just twist open the lid and use the sponge applicator on your face. Simple. Also the line of shades they have created are great for spring, a classic pink pastel colour, a deep rose and many more shades.

 Revlon Parfumerie Nail Varnish 
Im holding out until March so I can get my hands on this product. Firstly the packaging of this product is so cute, the packaging is very simplistic but still effective. The range of shades in this collection are beautiful and also ideal for spring, Wintermint, Tropical Rain and plenty more shades that will be perfect for spring. Did I mention that there scented! Amazing!

Maybelline Superstay Better Skin Foundation £8.99
This foundation is new on the foundation market, Maybelline claims that it reduces the appearance of dull, blotchy skin. Also they claim that it improves your skin today and tomorrow. The formula of this foundation is suitable for sensitive skin. If you like the foundation you should try the matching Better Skin concealer.

Revlon Colourburst LipLacquer Balm £7.99 
Now you have heard of the Colourburst matte balm and the original chubby stick but the lip lacquer balm has the perfect formula for Spring, it's shinny and most of the colours have a slight dash of shimmer which is perfect for the spring days. There is a whole different spectrum of colours in the range including light pinks, a hot pink and some other darker shades.

Barry M Silk Nail Polish £3.99
I love nail polishes, especially the nail polishes that have been tailored to make interesting effects on your nails. But Barry M have got a new collection of silk nail polishes. Barry M have said that they have a silky, pearly finish, they also said that all of the pastel colours have been inspired by nature. There are some beautiful shades that include Blossom, Meadow, Truffle, pearl, Mist and Heather.

So there is my first post of my series Spring into Spring, I hoped you enjoyed the first post of the series!

Thanks x

Bethany Howe x

Friday 21 February 2014

My Top Five Hand Creams

Where I live hand creams are an essential, the moment you step into the bitter winds your hands will crack and dry out in an instance. I carry hand creams everywhere with me, some more than others, so here is my top five hand creams that I couldn't live without.

#5: Nivea Smooth Nourishing Hand Cream
If you want an inexpensive hand cream to moisturise you hands during the winter months, this is your hand cream. In my opinion this hand cream is classed as heavy duty, it replenishes your hands and you can't beat a bit of Nivea in your life. The price of this hand cream is £3.16 which is a good price to pay to prevent dry hands.

#4: Garnier Body 7days Honey Hand Milk
Unlike the Nivea hand cream this Garnier product has a light scent of honey. It is lightweight and leaves your hands fresh and moisturised. It has a non greasy formula that quickly gets to work and banishes your dry winter skin. For a reasonably big tube it is £2.99.

#3: Soap And Glory Hand Food
A little while ago this used to be my number one hand cream. The reason why I loved this hand cream so much is that it smells like marshmallows which is a bonus but the formula of the hand cream is not greasy. Also it works well to prevent dry/chapped hands. A travel size tube is £2.50 but for a full size tube it's £5.00.

#2: The Body Shop Hemp Hand Cream 
The non-greasy formula of this hand cream allows you to get on with your day to day routeen. The moment this hand cream touches your hand it alliminates your dry skin in a second. The price you pay for this hand cream (small tube £5.00/large tube £10.00) is amazing for how long it lasts.

#1: Crabtree & Eveyln Gardeners Hand Cream
Wow. What would I ever do without this hand cream. It sooths your skin with it's rich formula of Shea butter. It nourishes your hands with a rich earthy delightful scent which includes lavender, sage, rosemary and thyme. This hand cream has everything you would ever want in a hand cream. There is another bonus though, there is a whole line of hand creams from Crabtree & Evelyn. There are scents from Tarocco Orange, Rosewater, La Source and plenty more. A small tube of hand cream starts at £5.00, a medium 50g tube is £9.00, but for a large 100g tube it's £14.00.

So that was my top five hand creams, in my opinion all of the hand creams mentioned are great in there own way, some mostiurize, some are light weight and some are heavy duty. But then there are just some that do it all and more.

Thanks x

Bethany Howe x
       

Sunday 16 February 2014

A Slight Addiction 1#

I know that my blog is supposed to be about Beauty, Lifestyle... (ect) But i am going to do a post every couple of weeks to tell you what my slight addiction might be, now it all really depends because one post might be about a make up product i couldn't live without, but then it might be a bath and shower product, a piece of clothing or just a random item!
So i thought i would start the series off by writing about a random thing that is my slight addiction. My addiction is Pusheen The Cat!

This addiction started when i was researching animals for a piece of coursework. After trawling through the inter-web about a million times i came across Pusheen. I was aware that i had i slight addiction to Pusheen before all of this happened, but it was if it had re-kindled the magic between the bond of me and Pusheen.
I think that the addiction got that bad that i ditched the original idea of my coursework that i had been slaving over for about seven hours to start again with the idea of Pusheen!

I got quite upset that the Pusheen site was in dollars, so then i went to Amazon and i found the book that could completely sum up my whole entire life, the Pusheen Book called I am Pusheen The Cat! (Here) I am ordering the book now so hopefully it will get here quick!

Pusheen is the character that can make me laugh when i am in the worst mood possible, i am still quite upset about the Pusheen Pillow i was going to buy online but it's in dollars! But never mind! Maybe one day! :)

So there was my brief post to start off the series of 'My slight addiction' I hoped you like the idea of the series and i will see you soon! x

P.S: Here are some of my favorite Pusheen images and Gifs! (Enjoy!)

Thanks x

Bethany Howe x





 

Friday 14 February 2014

How To Spend Valentines Day On Your Own!

Valentines day is supposed to be spent with your lover, but i love valentines so much i thought that i could make it enjoyable just as much as you would with your boyfriend or girlfriend! So instead of moping around and questioning why you don't have a partner, just follow these simple steps to have a fun day!

No.1: Look Great, Feel Great
The last couple of valentines i too have been moping around and feeling sorry for myself in my pajamas, but if you want to enjoy valentines day just put your favorite items of clothing on. Now they doesn't have to be a dress (well you can if you like!) But for me i will probably go for a more casual look. I will be wearing my over sized River Island Heart jumper and my rose coloured jeans.The reason that i picked these were that i wanted to incorporate the idea of valentines day into my outfit!

Now that your dressed i like the idea of putting your make up on and telling the world that you just don't care! You can find out about your Valentines themed make up in my post here. 

No.2: Celebrate With Your Friends!
If your friends are feeling the same why not all do something together like a movie night or a sleepover, a pamper evening or just sit around, eat pizza and chocolate and have a great time. My perfect Valentines with my friends would be to watch YouTube videos and have a pamper night! (and why not! Your making the most of a holiday!) Now one thing that i want to make for my friends are these chocolate pretzel bites!
I think that all you do is get a pretzel and put some chocolate of some sort (eg Chocolate buttons) and put them in the oven on a lightly greased baking tray for a couple of minutes and when they look softened quickly get them out of the oven and place an M&M on them and put them in the fridge! I got this idea from this video! Bethany Mota Valentines Video Thanks Bethany!

No.3: Rom-Coms, Rom-Coms and Rom-Coms 
 Did the title give it away? What i like doing is getting a LOT of films and you guessed it, watch them all! One of my favorite films for valentines day is you guessed it, Valentines day! I think that it fits perfectly with the theme of Valentines day (hence the title of the film) Or my other favorite is the holiday with Cameron Diaz! The film gets me every time!

No.4: The Shop Run 
To make valentines day even more enjoyable i dash out to the shops and get everything i need to have a successful sleepover. I would buy magazines, face masks, chocolate and strawberry's.....  But if i was going to a sleepover i would bring my chosen DVDS, blankets and soft pillows and more stuff until my bag could possibly burst at any minute!

So i hope this post uplifted you and made you think about all the fun stuff you can do on valentines day!
Have a Great Day!

Thanks x

Bethany Howe x



Tuesday 11 February 2014

Valentines Day Cooking


So now that it is valentines day is just round the corner I thought i would create a few recipes and a special post which will be posted on the 14th (Valentines day) So i am going to
 get you in the mood with a baking recipe and a drink recipe.  These recipes can be baked for your boyfriend/girlfriend or yourself and friends. Enjoy!

Sweet Valentine Cupcakes 
Now really this recipe is a basic cupcake mix but you can add in whatever decorations, food colouringand sprinkles you like to make this. But seeings as it it valentines this is my suggestion to make easy sweet valentines cupcakes!
Ingredients:
150g Butter (softened or melted in the microwave for a few seconds)
150g Sugar (Caster sugar would also work well)
150g self raising flour
3 eggs beaten
Pink or red food coloring (optional but for a valentines feel add it in!)

Frosting 
50g Butter
125g Icing Sugar
2tsp milk
2tsp Rosewater or food coloring (optional)

Decoration 
It's your choice! But i used...
 Pink chocolate chips
Sugar paper hearts and flowers   
 12 Cupcake cases

Method
1) Preheat the oven to 180c Or Fan 160c Gas mark 4
2) Cream the butter and sugar together until creamy
.3) Add in your beaten egg to the mix
4) Then gradually add in the flour
5) when finished mixing add in you food coloring, chocolate....
6) Place 12 cupcake cases on a tray, spoon the mixture in!
7) Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden!
8) Leave to cool, or the icing will run off !

Icing 
1) Add in the butter and then gradually add your icing sugar into the mix,
2) keep mixing until a frosting constancy!
3) Add in again what ever you like (rosewater, food coloring)
4) Spoon or pipe onto the cakes when the cakes are cool.
5) Add on your decorations!

Pink Love Smoothies

Ingredients
Per One or two servings:
1/2 to 1 Banana
150g to 200g Raspberry's (Frozen are great too as they add in extra thickness!)
4tbs Natural Yogurt or Semi- Skimmed Milk (to eye as you might want more or less, or just until it
covers the fruit!)
 1Tsp Honey

Method
1) Add your fruit into your blender
2) Cover the fruit with Yogurt or milk
3) Add the honey
4) Blend for a minute or two (It depends on taste!)
5) Pour into a glass and add a straw!
6) If you like a whipping cream on top and sprinkles!

So there were some quick and easy valentines day recipes that will hopefully get you in the spirit or if not there will be some D.I.Y.S, and a special post on valentines day!

Thanks x

Bethany Howe x  






Tuesday 4 February 2014

February Wishlist

Wow! I can't believe it's been a month already! There are lots of existing things happening in February, like Valentines day, pancake day, birthdays and half term and other exiting things that i just can't remember!
At the end of January and the beginning of February i have been 'eyeing up' some
products and items that i simply must have and wish for!
So here it is, My wishlist:

1. Smiths Rosebud Salve 
I am actuallyreally excited    about this product, one it smells like roses (Valentines day appropriate!) and i have been looking at the product and it's not just a lip balm, it's a muti purpose salve. On the website it said that it relives chapped lips, you can use it on dry knees and elbows and for minor burns. And one other reason i want this product is that the packaging is so cute and vintage!

2. Burnt Sugar Lumpy Bumpy Crumbly Fudge 
When i was at my friends house she gave me a piece of this fudge, and oh my, it's amazing. Now im not the type of person who would just buy fudge but this is an exception! DinosaurGrace mentioned this in her January favorites and it has convinced me even more to buy this fudge!

3. Yankee Candle: White Chocolate Bunnies Candle
I am a massive fan of Yankee Candles, especially at Easter, so that's why i thought i would get in there early and hopefully buy the Easter themed White Chocolate Bunnies Candle. This candle is like a dream candle to me, i love white chocolate and Yankee Candles last forever! I will surely be buying that!

4. Baby Lips: Pink Punch and Cherry Me 
I feels like i am a little bit late for the 'baby lips hype' but i do have some of the baby lips collection but for some reason i have never got round to buying these two, i think at first i was scared as they are quite bright colours (for me even) but what i have heard is that they are really sheer and moisturizing! There is no doubt about it, i will be buying those this month!

5. Pukka Tea: Love
It wouldn't be a full month without me buying a new tea to try, and this is appropriate for this month as it is valentines day. It's a Pukka Tea called Love, it said on the website that it is rose and lavender, elder flower and chamomile. I have to say this is not a tea i would normally go for, but i can't judge a tea by it's ingredients!

So i think that will be enough for my February Favourites, some of them are random, i know, but that is just the person i am! My next post will be valentines day D.I.Y.S, so look out for that post later on in the week!

Thanks x

Bethany Howe x






                

Sunday 2 February 2014

Valentine's Beauty


Now if you have a date and your going somewhere or if you are just spending time with friends, this is a simple valentines day look! (And did i mention most of the items are drugstore!)

Step One: Base 
Now to start off with we need a base for your make up to apply smoothly onto and to either add a hint of colour or prime and moisturize you skin. So before you even think about putting make up on your face, you must make sure that you clean your face with cleansers and facial washes and any cleansing products you might use (But i am going to stop talking about it now as you all know that!) But one last thing is that you must make sure to moisturize your skin before you apply and make up and i would recommend that you wait either five to ten minutes as you want you skin to absorb all of the moisturizer!
But after all of that you should then pick what you want to use as you base. It all really depends on preference as you might want to use foundation, a primer or even both! I would recommend to use Benefit's The Porefessional as a primer or a cheaper but still just as good primer would be Maybelline Baby Skin Primer. You probably know this already but primers not only make your make up last longer, but they blur pores and fine lines. They are the key elements but it depends of the primer you get as most of them cover different aspects of your skin. If you want to use a foundation i would recommend Rimmel Match Perfection as it's lightweight and i think it's just good as it's not a heavy coverage but enough to cover up some blemishes. You could apply the foundation with either a brush (i would recommend the Real techniques Expert Face Brush) Or a damp make up sponge or just your finger tips.

Step Two: Concealer and Highlight
To either cover up dark circles and blemishes i use Benefit's Boi-ing concealer as for me it covers up dark circles and doesn't crease and also the lasting power is generally very good. Another alternative would be the Collection Lasting Perfection concealer, now this concealer is my go to concealer, I think that it's amazing it covers up spots well and if you blend it enough it can be great for your under eye area!
I have been only recently using a highlight and I have been using a highlighter, but as I got a Benefit gift box for christmas there was a highlighter. It was called High beam! now I can't compare it between another highlighter as I have only just started using one but I think it does a really good job with  highlighting your cheek bones and makes your face look radiant!

 Step Three: Eyes:     
Over the last couple of months I have been testing out mascaras like crazy, just to find the perfect balance of a mascara that can lengthen your eyelashes and  volumeising mascara. As I heard so much about Maybelline's The Rocket Volume Mascara I thought I would try it. What had I been missing out on? It volumesises your lashes and just makes your lashes look stunning. Where was I? Oh yeah, so apply your favorite mascara but if you want a more dramatic look you should try false eye lashes. I have heard that Eylure Katy Perry 'Sweetie pie' lashes are very effective. But if your like me and prefer a mascara your should try Benefit's There Real Mascara (as seen in my December favorites) it makes you look like you have false eye lashes on without the hassle, score!
What I like to do for eye shadow is put a hazelnut/brown colour all over the lid of my eye, then blend a soft pink eye shadow with it and then to finish off try adding a little champagne eye shadow in the inner corner of your eye. Subtle but effective!

Step Four: Blusher and Lips
This is totally up to you but instead of using bronzer I used blusher as it gives this look a cute 'Rosie Glow' but as I said you could either use blusher or bronzer or even both! The blusher I am using at the moment is Bourjois blush in 48/Ashes Of Roses. It's a subtle pink blush which gives you just the right amount of colour, just sweep over the apples of your cheeks and then blend up towards your cheek bones. Perfect.

I am not normally the biggest fan of lip glosses but I have re-kindled my love for them when I found stashed away in my room Barry M's lip gloss. Now I have just realised it doesn't have the shade name on but it looks like a bright pink shade but when you apply it, it come's out very sheer so you can either keep the sheer pale pink colour or keep building up the colour.
Another option is a lip tint, I love Benefit's Bene-tint, it's Rosie and full of colour and the best part is that it stays put all day long!
Or you could even wear a lip balm, at the moment i have bee loving the Baby Lips! 

So there we have it, a valentines day beauty look that can even be used any day! There will be more posts on the run up to valentines day, like recipes, D.I.Y.S, what to wear and a special post on Valentines day!

Thanks x

Bethany Howe x