The Book Challenge 2014

Hey all,

With Christmas coming around the corner and then the New year fast approaching, i felt it was time i thought about what i would like to achieve next year. I'm happy with where i work and I'm still saving for mine and Danny's future home together, so it got me thinking about what big task could i try and achieve.. and to be honest, none came to mind. At least not right away, and so i decided that i would create a little something which I'm calling The Book Challenge 2014. (How very original i know!!) I'm not sure if any other bloggers are doing this or something similar or if they have already come up with this concept, but i hadn't read it anywhere and decided that this is what i was going to do. If it is somewhere else then that's fine too.

My idea was really basic and simple, i want to try and read as many books as i can in the year 2014. I'm going to put myself down for 50 at least, (to start with and that number may increase as the year goes by). As you have become aware, sometimes work and life itself takes over and it becomes really hectic to blog or find time to sit in front of a laptop, so me saying 50 books, is a good way to motivate myself to start.

I'm not going to be choosing the titles of the books ahead of time, I'm just going to buy and read them, as and when i like. However, if there are any books which you think deserve a read or that i might be interested in.. (Favourite book ever is The Help, and i love anything with mystery such a Harlan Coben Books) then please do leave a comment below and i will check it out and try and get that too! After i have finished reading the book, i then need to jot down the title and write just 2 or 3 sentences about the story so i remember what happens etc and then i rate it out of 5 stars. It's so simple. I'm really looking forward to getting into this and reading a few good books, i do know that with the summer months i always find it harder to read as i tend to want to be outside more then inside with a good book, but hell, I'm going to give it my very best shot.

I'm not sure, weather or not, to include them on this blog, or make a separate page for it, i don't really fancy making a whole new blog for the books i read, that will be too time consuming and, lets face it, time is not something that i have tons of right now. So i may just make a separate page along the top where you can click and follow with the books I'm reading, if you want to, that is.

The books can be anything, from biographies to factual to fiction, anything goes, of course books like "The very hungry Caterpillar" don't count as i read them at work all day. :P I may even re-read some of my old time faves as i just love a good book! :)

So what do you guys think of this little challenge i am setting myself? Do you guys wanna join in to? It would be fun to know if you guys are joining in or have ever done a little something like this before!

Ana
xx

The Christmas Tag

Hello all,

I'm so super excited that Christmas is literally around the corner, (also a little nervous, as i haven't started my Christmas shopping yet) but very excited, i mean the Coke a cola advert came on my telly last week, and that literally means "It's Chhhrrriiisssttmmaasss time" no?!
I've seen this post floating around on a few blogs and even though i haven't necessarily been tagged to do it, i have loved reading what everyone has had to say and how they each celebrate Christmas, so i thought i would get in on the action too. The last one i read was from Cat's blog. After reading hers, it made me even more Christmasy and so i thought why not do one too, besides everyone loves a good tag right? Lets get in to it.. The Christmas Tag.

What time of year do you start your Christmas shopping?
I'm such a late bird, when it comes to Christmas shopping, I'm usually working all the way up till right before Christmas and so then spend the last few days running around like a headless chicken trying to make sure I've got everyone the perfect gift! If I'm shopping from online, i try and make it a little earlier like the beginning of November, just to makes sure the presents arrive in time and in good condition. To me Christmas is all about giving, I'm such a sucker to see people's faces light up as you hand them a gift.

Do you have any festive recipes for food or drink you limit solely to the Christmas season to share? 
Being Portuguese we have some foods that we only make during Christmas, one of my favourite has to be "Bolinhos de Bacalhau" or more commonly known as "Portuguese Cod Fritters". I am not too sure on the recipe myself, although i know it involves Bacalhau (cod fish) and potatoes. It is literally the nicest thing ever and a very strong favourite of mine, that i always look forward to eating on and around Christmas. I DO need to learn how to make them as when i move out and move in with Danny i will have to make them for us around Christmas, so maybe this year will be the year i learn! :) If you guys want to have a try making them then click here for a recipe. Another strong tradition from Portugal that only comes out at Christmas is our famous "Bolo Rei" quite literally known as a "King Cake" its a massive round cake with a hole in the middle and decorated with dried fruit on the top. Growing up our Bolo Rei was always present at our Christmas table and it had a one pound coin hidden in the inside of it. The kids used to love getting slices just to see who was going to be the lucky one to receive the pound coin, it is said that whoever does find the coin will have a happy, lucky and successful year ahead! If you want the recipe for that cake then click here, and have a go at making one too!

Tell me how Christmas goes down in your house?
Christmas day in our house consists of a huge lie in (more about that in a bit) and when we do finally wake up its all about making the huge lunch we will eat that day. We would still have our table laid out with all the cakes and extra bits from the night before but Christmas day means food, and making sure all the family know to come round our house. What we have been doing for the last few years is going to my boyfriends parents house and spending our Christmas day there, which means the same thing, a big meal is being cooked while the kids have the play station or wii on and some of the older generations are playing card games, you have some family members watching Christmas movies like "Home alone". Everyone is getting merry on the drink, having laughing fits from the memories being shared and generally enjoying each others company!

Do you have any Christmas traditions?
Urm, not really except we don't do Christmas the English way. Our family keeps it very traditional in the sense we don't open our presents on Christmas day, rather Christmas eve. This is the Portuguese way and its the way we have been raised to do it, so to us its just the norm. We do however, have to watch the movie "Home Alone" altogether at Christmas, that's tradition, as well as maybe putting "The Wizard of Oz" on too, and there will always be Christmas music playing in the background as we put up our decorations. Most Portuguese people go to Mass at midnight on Christmas eve, where they say their prays and then an image of the baby Jesus comes out for everyone to see/kiss/touch! Then when people return home they go and look under their tree where they should be a nativity scene already in place and people come home after Mass and check for the baby Jesus in the crib! My family don't do this tradition, but for the majority of Portuguese families, it is just a given.

Do you have a favourite festive coffee?
This is easy, I'm not a big tea or coffee drinker so nope.. i just drink whatever is around or whatever I'm in the mood for!

Whats your favourite Christmas song?
Okay, this was hard at first, but I've got it down to a T now. My favourite Christmas song is "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas". I love the old fashioned tones it has, i love the melody and its just from a beautiful era, when played around the house as we put up our decorations, it's just perfection!

What do you do on Christmas eve?
Christmas eve to us, is like the Christmas day that most celebrate. We wake up normally and usually get all dressed up, then we spend the day making our big main meal of cod fish and boiled potatoes with vegetables. We also make sure we make a stop at peoples houses to give them their presents and wish them a merry Christmas. We have our dinner, and then watching Christmas films, while setting up a whole table with extra food that will consist of cakes and other goodies, this table will stay like this for the next 2 days, during Christmas and boxing day also. Then roughly around midnight we open our gifts surrounded by our family, we do the whole exchange gifts, saying thank you and getting the warm feeling inside, the feeling you get when you make someones day that much better by giving them a little something! After we've opened gifts, we tend to stay awake a little while longer, and then usually we leave our gifts under the tree, ready for us in the morning and then we head to bed. Some Portuguese families tend to go to mass at midnight and only arrive home near or after 1am and then do the gift bit before hitting the bed. Hence why we have a huge lay in on Christmas day!

Whats your Christmas wrapping strategy? Do you have a strategy?
YES. I have slight OCD and so my wrapping has to be neat and tidy, if i could, i would make all presents in the world be square shaped as they are much easier to wrap. Sometimes i buy little boxes that the present fits inside so that it looks amazing. Each present will be wrapped up with a little tag that says who its from and who its to, and each present will have a BIG bow on the top too, it may also have some ribbon tied around. However presents by other people to me don't have to be this neat and tidy! I accept any!

Whats your dream gift this year?
This is one of the first years that there is nothing i actually want. Every year i am lusting after something, this year, nothing. All i would like this year, is to save money.. so i guess money would be a dream gift for me this year. I have a lot i need to save up for! :)

Describe your Christmas tree. How tall? Real or artificial? How is is decorated?
My tree is a Green artificial one and around 6ft tall. It has a golden star on the top, and is decorated with tinsel of a variety of colours and two sets of lights, ones that flash one and off and ones that stay on the whole time, it has a mat underneath it made to look like snow, and has the nativity scene underneath it too, there are also some fake mini pine cones scattered around it, we add a touch of fake snow to some of the branches and of course there is baubles. Some home made from my sisters when they were little. Its such a pretty tree.

Do you decorate just the tree or other areas of your house? e.g doors, banisters?
We decorate the banisters with tinsel going down, and when we had the big old fashioned fireplace we also decorated that. Now we have a wall where we hang our advent calendars, as well as a wall for all our Christmas cards to be hanged. We have a Central piece that hangs from the ceiling above the dining room table, as well as some tinsel and other long floaty decorations which go around the house. Our front door is decorated with a wreath. Our windows are also decorated with some sticky decorations of Santa and his elves and reindeer's. This yea I'm hoping to put lights on the windows.

What do you wear to Christmas parties and what do you wear on Christmas day?
To Christmas parties, i tend to wear a party dress, with a statement necklace and some killers heels, i also take a pair of flats with me just in case i need to change throughout the night. This year for Christmas day I'm hoping to find a gorgeous RED dress. I want to wear the colour red this year, red and white. So I'm on the look out for one of those. Although Christmas jumpers work brilliantly well too! LOOL. As for like the Christmas work do, i will just find a nice party dress and wear that. I do often get clothes at Christmas too, so depending on what it is i may even wear that! :)

I loved doing this tag, it got me in the Christmas spirit and has made me realise i need to start my Christmas shopping as soon as possible. Why not check out Cat's blog, where i got the idea and i tag anyone and everyone who reads this to have a go too. Leave me your links if you do it, as i love having a good nose at a lifestyle post and what better way then with a Christmas inspired one.

Ana
xx

FRIENDS, who are you?

Hello all,

The other day i was watching one of my favourite TV shows FRIENDS and it made me think, "I wonder what FRIENDS star I'm most like?" The more i thought about it, the funnier it became to think about how alike i am to one of them, or even, if i have certain friends who fit their characteristics and their traits to match one of the actual FRIENDS stars. I wanted to write a little blog post on it mostly for me, but also, wouldn't it be funny if you could all figure out what FRIENDS star you are most like too..?

So lets start with Monica Geller-Bing.

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She's stubborn, and bossy, shes a big neat freak and you literally can not touch anything of hers as she will know you've touched and moved things around, (remember the episode where poor Chandler tries to clean the apartment for her as a surprise, and he then spends the rest of the show looking through the photo albums to try and recreate the exact look again). She's a perfectionist and has a very unnatural organisation to her, i mean how many towel labels did she have again? She is also the most competitive, i mean, lets not forget the one where her hair was MASSIVE and she was trying to beat Mike at ping pong, it went on all night. Although underneath it all, she is just like the mother of the group, and her apartment tends to be where everyone ends up meeting up after a day of work etc.

Then we have her brother Ross Geller.

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He's the nerd of the bunch, yet, he's such a nice guy, that he quickly becomes the hot nerdy one, he's the one you can depend on to be there in your hour of need. He's pretty funny, but his humour is slightly awkward like him, and so some may not get it. He tries to be cool and fit in with the rest but he will always be the one most comfortable in his jumpers with elbow patches, (Who remembers when he tried to be hip and cool with his fashion sense and ended up wearing the same top as his date, can you say awkward?). He's a hopeless romantic who has had his fair share of the ladies. (how many times has he been married now?) He can seem very arrogant due to the fact he has a PHD and this makes him seem a little snobbish at times. He can also be insecure and irritable easily as well as a tad jealous and over powering, but under all that, he is one of the most sweet natured and loving of the bunch.

Lets move on to Rachael Green.

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Can be a little bit of a snob and a spoilt brat, she's a daddy's girl at heart, she can be a little bit of a pushover when it comes to her friends and what she wants to do in order to help them. She's a flirt and can get a lot of male attention, that she actually sometimes lusts after. She is also the fashionista of the bunch and the most up to date with whats hot and whats not. Shes not really into anything too deep such as political debates but shes up to scratch with what matches best with her Jimmy Choo shoes. She can at times seem self centred, but will try her best to make her friends happy and show them support. 

Moving on to Phoebe Buffay.

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Phoebe is the most kooky one of the bunch, she can come out with really random things and thoughts that she has. She has strong beliefs but all of them are according to her view point. She is very spiritual and eccentric at times. She is probably the most creative of the bunch as well as the most musical of them. She had a tough upbringing compared to some of the FRIENDS characters so she is very street smart and can defend herself in fights and arguments. She can at times be really innocent and childlike to the way the world is, you could even say, a little naive. She often has moments of the stereotyped "Dumb blonde" where she says things that just makes everyone stop and stare at her. Although being the most out there in terms of characteristics, Phoebe is actually really funny, sometimes just the way in which she says something can be found humorous, or the tone in which her reply comes out, (these usually are aimed at Ross or Chandler however). Through it all, Phoebe just wants to be loved.

Now we have Joey Tribbiani.

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Joey is defiantly the most simple minded of the bunch, but he is very protective of all his Friends and is always there no matter what they need. He can be quite funny at times, but what makes his humour better, is that he doesn't realise he is actually being funny, and alot of the time he is funny by his dumb witted comments. He struggles to find permanent work, always looking for more and has a hard time sharing things, most notably food. He is a massive lover of food and will not share with anyone. (Remember how he wouldn't even let Emma, who is a toddler have some grapes off his plate?!) He is also the most promiscuous of the bunch, and loves the female attention he receives. He never fully settles down and is constantly moving on from relationship to relationship. Joey is the original happy go lucky kinda guy!

Lastly, we have Chandler Bing.

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To me Chandler is the funniest of the bunch, because his sarcasm hits things on point most of the time, and his wisecracks are humorous, witty and literally make you Laugh Out Loud. He is very loving and protective of his friends and his partners (especially when he and Monica finally get together). He is also the most scared for commitment out of everyone, he is very scared to take that next step when in a relationship, and also very scared to even take the first step such as approaching women to meet them. He can be shy at times and a little awkward in front of people, he is the one that is most desperate for love as well as being the one that taught us the most life lessons, (in my opinion, anyway!).

So there you have it, a little bit about each character and their traits and personality, now, if you were to be just one of them, who are you most like? or who would your friends say you were most like? It's scary to say that i think.. and my friends will probably agree with me on the fact I'm most like Monica. Regardless of how much i love fashion, or how kooky, or dumb i can act, they would say my neatness and overall competitiveness makes me more of a Monica then any other FRIENDS character!

Who are you? I would love you guys to tell me who you think you're most like and why, in the comments below! :)

Ana
xx

Happy Halloween 2013

Firstly Happy Halloween everyone, i hope you all have a spooky and fun filled day!

This past week i have been off work on half term (Gotta love the perks of the job), so with some little extra time, i thought i would try out some Halloween make up looks. I am not a professional, and i can hardly apply real make up to my face at the best of times, let alone apply face paint in an artistic way to create the illusion of something else, but i thought i would give it a try and see how i get on.

I managed to create three different looks for you, and then on the third look my eye was getting a little sore due to some of the products i used and i gave myself a subconjunctival haemorrhage, it doesn't hurt at all, but sometimes the vision goes slightly blurred and it looks a lot worse then it is, so i am getting alot of people saying, "ohhh..that looks bad!" So i decided to stop on three make up looks, mostly because i value my eyesight. :)

All the looks were a little rushed, i may have a week off work, but that doesn't mean i get to just sit around and do nothing all day (much to my dismay), but no, i am trying to fit in all the errands i would normally do into this little space of time i have, so all these looks were a little rushed. If i was to do them for a Halloween party i was attending or something, i would be more careful about how i did them.

Right, PREPARE yourselves for a rambly post.

Look one - The Sugar Skull / Day Of The Dead Skull.

By far my favourite look, very easy to create and the patterns you can do are limitless so even if you and a bunch of your mates go dressed up as this for Halloween, you will all look so different! This look is very easy to achieve. First using white face paint, cover the face including eyebrows and lips. Then using black face paint, make two circles around your eyes and colour them in, try not to make them too big like i did (ops). Then using a different colour of your choice, draw some petal like shapes all the way around your circles (This is why they shouldn't be too big, because now the petals shouldn't touch, unlike mine). then using black go around the petal shapes outlining the details, i used liquid liner, as it seemed easier. Next, paint the lips in black with face paint and then using the liner again, draw two lines upwards from your mouth and then a few wispy lines down those lines, to make it look like stitches in a way. Draw a pattern on the bottom of your chin, any pattern, it can be your choice, and finish off my painting your nose black, but just the end of your nose (Which is again, something i didn't manage to do). Then by all means if you want, you can also draw a pattern on your fore heard, spiderwebs are quite popular. To complete the look add some coloured contact lens and you are done, ready to go scare a few people.

Look two - Freaky Doll Puppet.

This was the one, that ruined my eye, and i think its something to do with the fake blood i used, its also the one i rushed the most as my face was just not enjoying it. Out of the three looks, this one is the tricky one i would say AND the one i least enjoyed doing, the one i found the hardest for many reasons, and the one that took ages to come off after. First you wanna cover up your eyebrows, the trick to this is, use some glue and go over the eyebrow, then use a loose powder and place over the gluey eyebrow, so the glue absorbs that powder up, then use some light concealer and again cover those eyebrows, apply some foundation over the eyebrows and finally again apply some loose powder and blend that all in. That's the one sure fire way i know how to rid of them unless you actually have the product that they use to create scars and cuts on movies. Once that's done, apply a light layer of foundation over the whole face, then using alight brown colour, (i used eye shadow) mark out where you have some facial lines, for example your forehead, nose and your cheeks, blend them in. Using a black liner, draw some eyebrows above where your natural brows are, (take your time with this, as i clearly didn't). Then using black face paint or some simple black eye shadow colour in he eye lid. Use White face paint and add just a little under each eye, blend in a little as if it was concealer, and use white eye liner to apply to the bottom water line of both eyes, this makes it appear that you have larger eyes. Now go back to the black powder and draw under the white and if you can stick on fake eyelashes on the top and the bottom lines. Using the black eyeliner, create two lines going from the corner of your lips down, (to give you the puppet mouth) and using a bright coloured lipstick, fill in your lips in a small heart shape. Then using a bright blush, you want to apply two round dots to the centre of your cheeks, and finally, (This is optional) apply some fake blood to around the eyes, to make it seem like you're crying blood, and some around your mouth, so it seems you have eaten something you maybe shouldn't have. Be aware that some fake bloods are very hard to come completely off and will still leave your face with a slight red stain. To finish the look off completely, tie your hair in two bunchies. you could even use a wig. I edited my photo to make it appear that i have red hair as i didn't have a wig, but you can of course just tie your hair up normally or buy a wig if you wish. Now go scare some people.

Look three - Pop Art / Comic Book Girl.

This look i think is very simple and basic to do and is very effective, its also, one look that gets used less and less at Halloween so it has more unique factor to it than i would say the other two. First use a foundation and blend that into your face like normal. Then fill in your natural eyebrows, i made mine a little thicker then normal just for effect, (personal choice) then choose a colour that you want to go for, i opted for blue as i was going to make her cry, blue seemed right as it would be the colour of her tears. Using a blue eyeliner, eye line the top of your eyes, and the bottom water line, then carefully draw in some tears, coming straight from the eyes, use a lighter or darker colour to try and catch the shadow in the tears. Then using  a black liquid liner draw the outline to those tears to make them stand out. Using the same blue eyeliner, fill in your lips just like lipstick and again use the same black liner to draw the outline of the lips. Finally use a red lip liner or some red face paint and just dot your whole face, you could go as far as dotting your ears and your neck to completely blend in, that is totally up to you, and Voila, you are done. You don't have to choose the crying comic book girl, you can of course choose any, google has lots of different ideas and inspirations that i know you guys will find one that you all like. Also please, IF, you do the crying one, please take more care with your tears then i did.. (Hideous). I then just added a pixel effect to make the photo stand out a little at the end.

So there you have it, the three relatively easy Halloween looks that i attempted to do, before my eye got ruined and sore. Please let me know if you decide to try any of these, i would love a sneak peek at yours. Also, sorry for the longness of this post.

What are you guys doing for Halloween this year?

Have a SPOOKY one..... Mwahahahaha..
Ana
xx

Favourite Autumn Lipsticks

Hello Lovlies,

Its been a very long time since i posted, due to mostly lazy issues as well as personal issues, i haven't really had a proper chance to sit at a laptop and write some posts up.

However, i am really excited to finally put this post up about my favourite Autumn lipsticks. As Autumn kicks in, my lipstick shades change quite a bit and they darken up a little as well as going more vampy. I absolutely love all the different shades that start popping out for Autumn, but for this post, I'm going to do some old trusty favourites that get used year after year!

No 7 High Shine Lip Crayon Shade Statement.

This is a gorgeous colour that i not only wear throughout the Autumn months but that will still be in my make up faves during Winter, Spring, and Summer. It's a bright reddish colour, which glides on effortlessly, it feels almost like applying a lip gloss rather than lipstick and the finished look looks rather like a lip gloss too, but unlike a lip gloss, it doesn't feel too heavy or topped on my lips which is just how i like it. It lasts me throughout my day only needing a top up when I've eaten and drank at lunch time. Such a perfect glossy lipstick for any time of the year.

Kiko Pencil Lip Gloss Shade 12 Wine Red.

This is a beautiful colour that i generally only tend to wear in the cooler months. Its a plum kind of colour and it goes on quite easily. The only thing i have to say that i dislike about this product is, the fact its very thick, once applied, and it feels thick and heavy. It almost feels like when your lips are parting, there is still some gloss stuck (if that made any sense what so ever?!) maybe gloopy was the word i was searching for. It's such a shame as this really is one of my all time faves for the Autumn months, but I'm more of a lipstick girl and not a lip gloss fan and unfortunately, just as the name suggests, this is DEFIANTLY a lip gloss. (That's not saying, i wont still included it in this list, as i do love LOVE the colour).

Kiko Lipstick Shade 388.

This Lipstick isn't a firm favourite of mine, as the colour is nothing too special for me, but it does still get a lot of wear out of me as it is in fact perfect for an everyday lipstick look during Autumn, and since my make up is applied in 15 minutes flat in the mornings, its the perfect shade to wear on a day to day basis for work. Its has a very creamy consistency, and because of that it slips onto the lips perfectly, it does at first seem rather heavy, but after doing a few blotches, its fine. It lasts for long periods of time and leaves my lips feeling super soft.

Sleek Pencil Shade Mossberry 747.

I'm going to be totally honest with you, this isn't a lipstick or a lip gloss or even a lip pencil, its actually a Kohl Pencil, meaning it's for your eyes. Here's the deal, on my eyes as eyeliner, i tend to go for black with a slight touch of white maybe in the corners of the eyes to make them appear bigger, more alert and generally awake. So this shade of Mossberry, which is a deep berry/plum, would not be what i normally apply to my eyes. I was making the decision to chuck some pieces of make up in the bin the other day, when i came across this pencil and i decided "I'm not going to wear that colour on my eyes, so i may as well chuck it too", when suddenly it hit me, that what a great colour this would be if it was a lipstick type pencil. So i applied to the lips, and left it for the day. I got so many compliments, and different people asking me for the shade and brand of this amazing "lipstick", that i decided it could stay in my collection but as a LIP PENCIL rather than a Kohl Pencil. Haha.

As i said, the colour is a deep berry/plum, it is actually such a beautiful shade and i don't know if these photos do it enough justice. It does apply on to the lips quite matte, which means if you have dry lips all your imperfections may pop up, but the colour stays, it lasts throughout most of my mornings, and its so lightweight that i always forget I'm even wearing anything on my lips. This to me, is my favourite Autumn shade at the moment. It came in the Sleek Berry Collection that i believe they released last year at some point, along with a blusher and an actual lipstick!

Kiko Lipstick Shade 389.

This lipstick is just going one up from the last Kiko Lipstick i tried and look at the colour difference. Once again just like the last lipstick from Kiko, it has a creamy consistency which needs to be blotted a few good times to not feel weighed down and gloopy. It lasts on me through out and makes my lips feel hydrated, which is not something i felt very much with my last Kiko Lipstick. This colour is another one i wear a lot for daily looks as its so versatile and you can wear throughout the day at work and then change outfits, apply a little more and BOOM, a night time look too. Once applied the finished look for this lipstick is rather like lip gloss but it feels very lightweight, (after you have done all your blotching). I love the shade and i wear it on a day to day basis during the colder, cooler months.

So there you have it, just 5 of my favourite lipsticks i have been wearing a lot of recently in these colder months. After doing this post, i learnt a few things, one of them being..Don't throw a piece of make up away because you think you will never wear it, try it for something a little different and you might like it, just like the Kohl Pencil for a Lip Pencil.

What shades are you loving at the moment?
I'm also looking for a good high street dupe for MAC Rebel, anyone know any?
Don't forget to leave me a little comment below and i will have a read!

Ana
xx

Sometimes, i like being a tramp ; Outfit of the day

Jumper - Men's Primark // Trousers - H&M // Denim Shirt - H&M
Lets start this outfit off by saying, I'm not wearing any shoes, and I'm outside, i know, i know, How trampy of me.. but i was calmly sitting in my house when my sister came home from college with her gorgeous friend Maria, (Who also blogs over at MissCheerful) If you get a chance to, go and check out her blog, as she is fairly new and I'm so proud of her content so far! :)
Anyway, so Maria came over and said "oh wow, today your dressed so much like Spencer from Pretty Little Liars". I automatically got really excited and happy, if you know me at all, you may know I'm slightly obsessed with anything Pretty Little Liars related and being told that my style for the day was similar to Spencer, when that wasn't even the effect i was going for, made me really happy. I quickly asked Maria to snap some shots of the outfit, and these are those. Therefore i have no shoes on, but lets just be honest, I'm just trampy and didn't feel like wearing shoes ;)
I bough this jumper a few weeks ago from the Men's section in Primark, and i have to say its quickly becoming one of my favourite Autumn pieces to wear, I love the feel, especially for these frosty mornings we have been getting in London, i love how snugly it is, and I'm obsessed with the colour. There's just something about men's jumpers and men's clothes in general, that just feel so nice and cosy, which is perfect for the colder months.
The trousers, are a pair i bought from H&M a while back, before summer officially started and i bought them in the sale fro a mare £3, i was so chuffed. They are high waisted and end just above the ankle, so a little crop. I love the blue pattern, which in these photos isn't as vibrant as it is in real life, but it still looks amaze. These trousers were perfect for the summer months because of the cut and the colour, now I'm trying to find ways to wear them in the winter months, and i think teamed with a pair of heels, that they will be amazing for a night time look. Which means these trousers are very versatile, which is something i love.
To finish the outfit I'm just wearing a denim shirt under the jumper which is also H&M. (Don't they have some amazing pieces in at the moment?) i also, had my gold chain necklace on to finish off this outfit, but i took that off as soon as i got in the house therefore it isn't present in these photos!
I'm now on the hunt for more patterned trousers similar to these, have you guys seen any about anywhere? What do you think of my outfit? Ana xx

The Primetime Emmy Award Ceremony

Hello my twiddle pips,
Yesterday was the annual Emmy awards, and as some of you might know, doing award show posts on the beautiful gowns that make an appearance on the red carpet is a firm favourite off mine, and also one that draws a lot of viewers in.

So i stayed up late, (as i live in the UK) and the show was in America at a normal hour for them, and a not so normal one for us. I did miss the actual show, (although, i now know who the winners were). I did however, watch and drool over the red carpet and the celebrities arriving.

These award shows have a way of making me excited, they make me want to buy dresses and get all dressed and dolled up, however in some past award shows i have been left feeling slightly MEH by the whole thing.. none of the dresses spoke out to me, none of them caught my eye in that magical way and none impressed me enough to say "I waaanntt that dress.." This year however, at the Emmys, i was pleasantly surprised, yes, there was still the odd frock horror that i literally wept at and thought "Why would you wear that, its not a fashion statement, its just wrong" but there was also some lovely, gorgeous stunning dresses worn by some very beautiful and glowing females.

Should we get to it..

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In my eyes, all of these women got it right, i also loved Kelly Osbourne's dress and thought she looked elegant and amazing. Can we take a minute to admire the colour on Giuliana Rancic's dress, how gorgeous is that blue, it literally just makes you stop. Can we also take a minute to just have a round of applause for Sofia Vergara's boobs, like seriously. Anyone who thinks Kim Kardashian has an amazing body, you're clearly NOT looking in Miss Vergara's direction.

I cant even begin to tell you how much i fell in love with some of these dresses, like literally, i was so excited at seeing all the different bright colours and the different shades of red, i mean, even Velvet made it into my top list. These ladies looked beautiful.

There was of course the horrors, I'm not too sure what Lena Dunham was wearing? It was not right for her figure and she almost looked like she was carrying a tent? She is so pretty so I'm not sure why she thought that was a good choice in a gown. Julianne Hough was wearing a beautiful gown, but then i could see the bottom was all see through and suddenly i didn't like it as much. Lastly Zosia Mamet, i didn't like your dress either. Sorry. Not sorry.

My favourite of the night though, goes to a beautiful dress, the colour, the shape, the cut.. all of it screamed perfect to me!

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My favourite of the night was Sarah Hyland wearing a CH Carolina Herrera Gown.

How utterly gorgeous does she look? i mean seriously? she has the Autumn make up trend on point, her hair sleeked back is perfect, and this dress is just amazing. The emerald colour and the touch of lace. This dress made me want it.. no, actually, i don't just want it, i KINDA NEED it.

Anyone fancy buying me it?!

Who was your favourite outfit of the night? have you done a similar post? link it below so i can have a read through..

Until next time.
Ana
xx

Perfection at a little summer wedding

A little while before i went away on holiday, i mentioned that i had a summer wedding to attend, and scrolling back on my blog i realised i had not yet posted about it, even though it was such an amazing day. Lets start at the beginning.

Growing up, me and my sisters lived next door to a family, to an amazing family, and there was two daughters, Nicola being the oldest and Shannon the youngest. We quickly became best friends with them, spending most of our free time with them, except Sundays (As that was the day, they went over to the nans house). We had sleepovers together, we played outside, we had joint birthday parties, they taught us gymnastics, we did clothes swaps and we used to get dressed up, with a full face of make up and act out GREASE, yes, the film Grease. We used to sing this on our garden wall, and people generally stopped and watched us! :)

Nicola started going out with this boy called Raymond, (Ray) and it was weird, because he had liked her for months, and every time he asked her out, she turned him down, but she finally gave in and decided to go out with him and see what he was like. This was to be one of the best decisions she ever made.

Then the family moved away, and we hardly every saw them anymore. It was hard adjusting to not having extra people over for dinner, or not having to rush home to go and hang out together, we had lived next to them for over 11 years. Nicola and Ray were still together, i think she was more shocked than anyone. They had their own place which was still near me.

Then along came Abbie, Abbie being their first daughter. Spiting image of her mum when she was little, and then after Abbie there was Ava, and soon after that Mollie followed. There family was complete (for now).

Then after being together for over 10 years, i received an invitation in the post for a wedding. Nicola and Raymond had decided to finally get hitched. I couldn't believe it, i was so excited and happy for them. The wedding day came and it was amazing. As you can see from the photos that the professional photographer caught, everyone had a good time, and everyone enjoyed themselves. (I didn't want too post too many photos, as it is their special day). I finally got to see the family that i had always called my second family, and even though we had all changed so much, it was just like old times. I have missed them, and still do, they will always be my sisters, and my second parents! :)

Photo one; Make up for the bride.

Photo two; Bride having her hair done.

Photo three; Bride helping her daddy.

Photo four; Bride and her mummy.

Photo five; The girls, Abbie, Ava and Mollie.

Photo six; Wedding.

Photo seven; The rings.

Photo eight; Writing in the book.

Photo nine; Kisses.

Photo ten; The happy family.

Photo eleven; Shannon, me, Sylvia, Monica, Nicola and Chloe.

Photo twelve; Me, Monica and Sylvia.

Have you ever been to a summer wedding?
Ana
xx

My simple and easy make up routine lately..

Hello my beauties..
Since returning from my holiday, i will admit that i have become slightly lazy with my make up routine. While i was out there on holiday, i hardly wore any make up, so i could soak up enough sun on my face, and now that my skin has a healthy glow, i am still in the holiday mode where i don't want to wear too much make up but just enough to cover any imperfections i feel i may have.

So, i thought i would do a little post showing you how my face of the day has been looking lately, and what i have been wearing on my face since returning home.

I am wearing..

Helen E Cosmetics Foundation in shade Loren..

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer..

17 Instant GLOW bronzer bronzing rocks..

Barry M Black Eyeliner..

Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara in Black..

Oriflame Eyebrow Palette..

Vivo Lipstick in shade Pink Sweetie ..

Collection 2000 Fast Stroke Liquid Liner in Black.

I am absolutely in love with this look, it's tanned and bronzed with a slightly darker eye and some colour on the lips to make it pop. I'm sorry the quality of the photos are not very good, but i was using my phone camera for these selfies.

Has your make up routine changed over the summer?
What are you loving at the moment?

Ana
xx