Favourites on a Friday

I haven't done one of these posts for a while but I really like doing them. Just sharing some recent favourite things! I also have a bit of an update at the end as well :)

Love this video by Gillian (elevatormusik) on old makeup! Sounds like a weird topic but bought back so many memories of horrible makeup I used to buy/wear. Very funny

I am after a natural gemstone necklace and this amethyst one on etsy is gorgeous.

This floral milk bath by Fig + Yarrow sounds like it would be lovely and relaxing!

This article on xoVain about the sampling service on BeingContent has got me very interested, will definitely be taking a look. 4 samples for £3 and free deliver, count me in!

One of my favourite TV shows is Gilmore Girls (I definitely want to be Rory) and this reading challenge based on the show is right up my street.

If the tube map told the truth - made me laugh out loud.

Hope you enjoyed my friday favourites and just to let you know I now have a Facebook page! Yay! You can "like" my page if you wish, I will be updating it with new blog posts, photos and other goings on.

frankie x

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Spring Ready Makeup

Today is all about that spring feeling, yes I am completely in denial of the fact that it is still February. Spring is my favourite season, the sun, the flowers, the warmer air, and one way I am celebrating is my getting spring-ready, make-up wise.

Two new purchases have made their way into this post. The first being the Clarins Instant Smooth Self Tanning, this is an amazing makeup base that not only adds instant warmth and evens the complexion but also adds a more long lasting gradual tan to the skin. I have used this a couple of times and there is definitely no need to worry about becoming oompa-loompa like with this one. Its gorge. The other new product is the Revlon Photoready Skinlights illuminator in Bare Light. Again a base product but more of a glow giving one. It has a very light tint and just helps to inject a bit of life into your skin. The two old favourites come in the form of a blush and a lipstick. The blush is my Topshop cream blusher in head over heels. This is a gorgeous bright pinky peach colour that really livens up your face but isn't too out-there. The lipstick is one of my favourite red lipsticks, Revlon ColourBurst Lip Butter butter in candy apple. Its such a lovely bright red glossy colour - perfect for when the flowers start to come out. 

I'm now in a spring daydream, time to buy more daffodils and hope that the sun stays out for March...

frankie x

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Budget Night Cream from Tesco

excuse my horrible nails!

Today I'm talking about the Pro Formula hydrating night cream from Tesco. I picked this cream up on a bit of a whim whilst I was doing some food shopping. Having been after a new night cream for a while when I saw this for £3 I had to give it a try. I haven't heard much about this range from Tesco so I wasn't sure what to expect but I am really impressed. I don't know loads about cosmetic ingredients but this doesn't contain mineral oil which I know can be something often found in cheaper skincare products and it contains Hylaronic Acid which is really good for dehydrated skin. This is a thick (almost balm like) cream that feels really hydrating on the skin but not greasy. Just as a disclaimer my skin type is dry/normal (more dry) so if you do have oily skin then this may not be right - they do, however, have a radiance and clear skin line within the Pro Formula range

For £3 I think this cream is fab and will definitely check out other items in this range next time I am in Tesco.

Have you tried this cream or anything else from the Pro Formula line? What did you think?

frankie

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Weekly Resoltion #5

The past week has not been too exciting. My mum has been off work so I have fell out of routine a little but back to normal now. Mostly enjoying there being a little more sunshine around to be honest. This next week (and onwards) I am definitely going on a bit of a health kick. The last few days have not been great food wise (pizza, nachos, cheese...) and I aim to eat a lot more fresh veg and salads in the upcoming weeks. 

My resolution for last week was to finish reading two books. I thought this would be relatively easy but it turns out it wasn't! I did finish reading The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and I have nearly finished the No1 Ladies' Detective Agency so not a complete fail but I do feel I should have done better..

Reasons to be cheerful #5

Another week, another list of happies. I can't believe I am on number 5 already!

1. Making some sneaky new skincare/makeup purchases including some Clarins products. I am sure that some will be featured soon on this blog so keep your eyes peeled.

2. My mum was off work this week and doing more of the cooking, she's a fab cook so I'm very lucky.

3. The sunshine! It's come out a bit more in the last few days and I like it a lot. Spring is getter closer (and my birthday).

4. Fizzy red wine. Nice.

5. Finally started reading The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.

6. Putting the film in my parents old SLR camera and started taking a few photos. 

7. Tidying mybedroom - it needed it.

8. Divine 70% dark chocolate with ginger and orange - the nicest chocolate ever?

I'm currently trying to fight of the first signs of a cold so making this list has cheered me up a lot. 

Share your reasons to be cheerful in the comments!

frankie x

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Alternative uses: Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Permanent Taupe

I.e the best contour/eyebrow product that isn't designed to be a contour/eye brow product (but that was a bit of a long title).

I love the Maybelline Colour Tattoo cream eyeshadows (on and on bronze has to be the favourite) but I've had the permanent taupe shade in my collection for a while and not used it an awful lot. I found the shade too cool to use on my eyes and it has mostly been sitting unloved in my makeup drawer, that is, until now. I found some alternative uses for it, and thought they may be useful for people like me that couldn't find a use for this shade!

Ways to wear: Shift dresses

Today I want to talk about, what I think is, a highly multi-purpose, easy to wear, figure flattering dress type; the shift dress. There are many options - long sleeve, short sleeve, colour, monochrome, print...the list goes on. I feel like this dress type can be both casual and smart depending on how you wear it and I wanted to share some of the ways in which I might style a shift dress for different occasions. 

blue textured shift dress - warehouse // black snake print clutch - newlook // loafers - h&m // 

antiqued metal necklace - h&m

Charity shop book finds

Just a quick one today to share a mini book haul with you. I recently found these for bargain prices in local charity shops.

The first is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. This is one of those books that I had heard a lot about without really knowing much about what the story actually was. When I saw it for £1 I had to pick it up. Looking forward to reading this one (the film is out soon so hoping to read it before then) - I think I'm gonna like it.

Secondly I bought The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson (for 70p!). I kind of got this on a whim and after looking at the reviews on Amazon I am a bit amiss as to if I will like it or not (the reviews are very mixed). However, it was a great price and I helped a local charity in the process.

Have you read either of these book and what did you think of them?

frankie x

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Weekly resolution #4

This week has been spent mostly been spent at home doing job applications and blog posts (as per). On Friday I travelled to my boyfriends and yesterday we went out to the theatre for our valentines celebration. We're so sophisticated...

Reasons to be cheerful #4

My weekly happy list (plus a few favourites)

1. Visiting Oli for the valentines weekend. Ok, it doesn't make it more important that it's valentines but it leads me on to number two...
2. Going to the theatre for a "valentines day" themed show. Now, Oli and I have never normally do anything for valentines day itself but I saw that there was a performance on in Leeds and we both agreed it might be fun! It's called From Paris with Love and I'm excited.
3. Feeling positive this week.
4. Appreciating the local countryside a bit more.
5. Not being flooded like some of the poor people nearby. Crazy weather at the moment.
6. Teddy. My boyfriend's dog. A super cute westie.

Favourites of the week

Blog post: Kate's post on using social media to promote your blog. Really useful and well written.
Song: The Wire - Haim
Video: This super cute home video posted by Hey Natalie Jean. Squeeee
Beauty Product: Re-discovering the Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Paints.

frankie x

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Will you be my valentine?

Happy valentines day everyone :). I'm not a massive fan of the over commercialised parts of the day but secretly I love all the cheesy heart shaped food items and cute cards.

Isn't this the cutest thing ever? (found on pinterest)

I hope you all have a lovely day whether you are free and single/all loved up/celebrating/not celebrating! Let me know what you are up to.

frankie x

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Friday's feature: beauty oils

This Friday I am talking all things oils. That is, face, body and hair oils.

Having dry skin, I have always been a lover of oils. I understand they can seem a bit daunting for some (the word greasy springs to mind) however I have it on good authority that the right kind of oils are good even for those with more combination/oily skin. Today I want to share my favourites and how I use them. NB. I'm not an expert in any way these are just my personal thoughts!

3 product smoky eye

for the life of me I could not get a great photo of this - hope you will forgive me!

I haven't done a beauty post in a while but today I wanted to share my go-to quick smoky eye look. I wouldn't say it is as full-on as a "proper" smoky eye but it only involves three products which is a huge bonus when you haven't got loads of time to spare. As an added bonus they are all super affordable and easily available.

some nice things

A mid-week post just to share a few photos I've taken so far this week.

 If you follow me on instagram (mankiefray) you will have already seen this. It's my favourite smell. So good.

Ankle Boots: Under £25

from top-left: dark red open side zip ankle boots - £14.99 // chocolate chelsea gusset boots - £25 // lace up ankle boot - £16.99 // f&f panel ankle boots - £18 // brown zip side ankle boots - £14.99 // black lace up ankle boots - £19.99 // western booties - £22.90 // patent flower print lace up boots - £19.99

I think out of all shoe types I love ankle boots the most (I will probably have changed my mind come summer time). I wear them all the time and think they are so versatile. I know that buying boots can be expensive but I think I found some great booties that are a bargain at under £25! I really want some lace up "work-style" boots - I think they would be a great casual alternative to a trainer.

Hope you like my selection!

Weekly Resolution #3

I can't seem to write blog posts on Sunday, so again this post is a little late.

Last weeks resolution was about sending more regular messages to friends. It was a pretty successful resolution, not only did I achieve it but it also led to me meeting up with a friend on Saturday who I hadn't seen for ages. We had a really fab time in London and it was just what I needed after a pretty boring week.

Anyway, a new week begins and it's back to the full-time job hunt. I'm feeling positive though so excited to see what a new week shall bring.

Reasons to be cheerful #3

Excuse the multiple pictures of my cat (I can't resist)

1. Having a fun weekend in London and seeing 3 of my friends - yay!
2. Blogging every day this past week, didn't think I could ever do that.
3. The sun finally coming out for a bit! Ok, it's not warm yet, but it had been dark and grey for so long.
4. Eating avocado - yum.
5. Catching up with the Gilmore Girls - I love this show and have many episodes that I have recorded on the TV.
6. Receiving the two pigments I ordered from the Illamasqua sale (such a bargain). Haven't had a chance to properly try them yet but I have heard great things.

What has made you cheerful recently?

Things to Remember

Bit of a deep (/cringe?) post today. I was thinking about things yesterday and came up with this list and wanted to share them on here. Maybe I should print them out and put it on my wall? There is probably loads more I could of added to this list but these were the ones that first came to mind and 10 is nice round number.

Sometimes you just need to remind yourself of certain things I think.

Maybe some people out there can relate to these? Or maybe I'm just a bit odd...

Feel free to share your personal lists in the comments if you so wish :) 

Layers and Lace

lace panel leggings // lace trim skirt // lace side top // lace trim slip dress // grey knit jumper // denim shirt // maxi skirt // grey slouchy top

I'm not sure if this is exactly a "trend" but I have seen a lot of lace in magazines recently. This is definitely a look I'm going to enjoy in the spring months (if only they would arrive a little quicker).

Recently Read

I know i first started this blog as a mainly beauty blog but along the line it has taken more of a general lifestyle turn. I'm enjoying having more freedom in what I am writing about so hopefully you enjoy reading as well! I thought today I would share some books I have been reading lately and give you a very brief overview of what I thought about them.

Current face base favourites

On days when I am wearing makeup (not every day at the moment) this is most likely to be the selection of products that are being slapped on my face.

Weekly Resolution #2

**Recap: If you haven't read my blog before I am trying to keep different resolutions for every week in 2014. See previous post here.**

Last week I said I would get up and be dressed for the day by 9am every morning and I am pleased to report that I managed it. I ended up having a productive week so it must be working. My new resolution comes a little late this week, I meant to write this yesterday but my boyfriend was visiting and we spent the whole day in London (I would say that is a good enough excuse). I also have taken a bit longer to figure out what my resolution will be for this week (I want them to be meaningful and useful).

Reasons to be cheerful #2

1. Oli (the boyfriend) is visiting for the weekend. He lives in Leeds so we currently only see each other every other weekend. Exciting.

2. Had a productive week. Especially on Tuesday when I went to a jobs fair and met some really good people.

3. At that fair I won an iPad! Actually cannot believe it, I have never win anything like this! (as you can see from the 4th photo we have already played around with the photo booth app...)

4. Eating healthier this week.

5. Going for a day out in London on Sunday.

6. Having a nice pub lunch out today with family and Oli.

7. Last but not least, Tigger. As usual. He is always a reason to be cheerful.

What are you cheerful about/looking forward to?