Wednesday 25 April 2012

Keep all of your secrets in a happy place.


I have kept a diary almost all my life. I was 9 when I wrote my first one and here I am... 15 years later and still doing it!
I always kept them for when I was older... I wanted my children to learn from my mistakes and learn about who I am through them.
I don't understand my mother most of the time and sometimes I'd just love to dive into her thoughts just to know how she is feeling or what memory she is dwelling on.
I read my old diaries again and every single one is full of anger, upset, depression and complete frustration. I've never been a happy person in general. I was always the strange child or the dark girl. I've always been one to be completely comfortable on my own... until I met Michael.
Friends have come and gone on a regular basis. No one has really ever understood me or how my mind works so it does clash with others often. Only my family and Michael understand how I am and that's why I kept a diary for years... I'd get angry at my friends for being strange with me until I realised that I was the oddball.
Last year I completely demolished my life of these thoughts. I stopped feeling 'different' and 'strange'... now I just accept who I am and I also accept that other people don't always accept the person that you are.
No one understand you fully... just you.
I decided to be positive about my differences and embrace them. I now just add those to a diary instead of the negative thoughts that I always had swimming around my head.
I include my favourite pictures, poetry I love, ideas I have, funny moments, dreams I adored.
Nothing negative!

Make it as colourful as possible too and draw everything you can! Even if it's absolutely terrible... make a thought into pictures... rather than words.
Sometimes it's too hard to put something into words.

Document the start of a happier, brighter life.

It also helps to listen to your favourite music while you do it.
Inspire yourself.

My personal favourites are Anuna, Enya, Clannad, Hans Zimmer, Aaron Zigman or Gustav Santaolalla.
BUT I am a huge fan of classical and easy listening music!

Tuesday 24 April 2012

Travelling...

I actually really miss Edinburgh. It was such a stunning city and I cannot wait to go back!
But we've decided to travel around the UK first.
We're going to Cornwall and London this year and then hopefully we'll be in Ireland early 2013.
Mikey's uncle invited us to go to Sri Lanka in 2014 but I'm not sure I want to go!
There are so many other place we'd planned... like Paris and Rome! We're dying to go to Pompei.
Japan and Thailand is a biggy for me as well and Mike wants to go to Australia but for now... we'll stick to the little adventure that is the UK.

I love where I'm from and I love that Europe is just next door!

Edinburgh was the first official trip we had as a couple (took a damn while!) and it definitely won't be the last.
Hopefully you'll see Cornwall 2012&& London 2012!

Don't get me wrong... I have been to a lot of these places already but it's not the same when you're with someone you love to bits!

Sunday 22 April 2012

The Cupcake!

I often wander into TKMaxx to have a look at their books because I seem to always find something I really want!
This time I went in looking for a new lamp and I got distracted by the little book section.


How adorable is the cover and shape of the book?! So sweet.
I love the layout of the recipe page and this images look so amazing! I can guarantee mine wouldn't look like this!
I cannot get over the pictures! They look delicious!
This one above is called the Neapolitan cupcake! Doesn't it just look like an ice cream?!
I really love when cupcakes have a little decoration on like a flag or a little ring!
I also loveeee fondant shapes! 
I was so happy with these little guides because I'll be using them a lot!


 The book is about A4 size and I paid £3.99 for it!
Bargain!
I'm not sure what it was originally but I'd say about £14.99!


Katy x

Tuesday 17 April 2012

Totally in Love Tuesday again!


1. Having nice nails on bad days!
Today has been stressssfullll so I did my nails. Always cheers me up.
BarryM's Berry Ice Cream (Shade 308)

2. Nice, simple, healthy food!
This was my lunch today with some yummy carrot&&tomato soup.


3. Lusting over these accessories.
Their designs are so classy lately!
I especially love the little coin purse!

4. THIS SONG.
I haven't listened to music like this for a while now... I went back to classical music for a while and I do move from genre to genre but then I heard this one by Demi Lovato and I thought it was brilliant!


Pink Plaid by MAC

I've always been a HUGE fan of matte lipsticks. I love Revlon's Pink Pout and it's clearly a dupe for MAC's Pink Plaid.
This is going to be a shock to everyone but I absolutely hate the scent of MAC's lipsticks and at £13.50... I'd rather buy Revlon at half the price.
I saw this in the store when I went to Liverpool and I couldn't resist even though it seemed very familiar!
I have to admit though... I love this lipstick. I love the texture, the colour... I even ignore the smell easily because it makes me feel so good!
I still think the price tag is very steep but it was a gift to myself and I don't smend stupid amounts on make up that I won't use and I use this at least 3 times a week!

The only warning I have to give before applying matte lipsticks is to make sure your lips are moisturised, moisturised, moisturised! Matte tends to stick to all of the dry bits on your lips.

Katy x

Battle of the Butters!

I absolutely LOVE body butters.
I do prefer them to lotions because lotions leave me feeling really gooey and icky. <<AMAZING review terms!
 I love how body butters sit on my skin before it sinks in.

 I got this body butter as a gift for Christmas and the smell put me off.
I love eating mangos but I cannot stand the smell... it's way too sweet! 
This is a very soft butter and it does feel like lotion. Way too soggy!
The smell is like sick in a pot and I will not be repurchasing it.
At £7.95 it's just too much for what it is.


Next is my favourite body butter ever so I'm probably really biased... but it's my favourite for a reason!
The texture doesn't look very appealing here but believe me... it sinks into your skin like rain on a meadow.
The smell of ALL of the body butters from The Body Shop is amazing.
There is no wonder why these are world famous!
They are £12.50 but seems a lot but they hold a lot of product and they last me about 3 weeks to a month!
PLUS The Body Shop always has sales that take the budy butters down to £5 so keep your eyes on your local store!

Katy x

Saturday 14 April 2012

Company is all I need when I want to be alone.

Company has always, always, always been my favourite magazine out there. Yes, I love ELLE, Marie Claire, Vogue but nothing cuts it for me like this magazine does.
I also adore LOVE magazine because they're both edgy. They both throw the box away... never sit in the box! 
Company isn't all about how to wow your SO in bed, how to break your bitchy enemies or which diet is best right now.
I feel as though Company focuses on the raw talent... whether it's music, fashion, make up, art... they bring us into the world of the nameless before they stroll into that limelight.
Their photoshoots are edgy, their interviews are memorable and their columnists definitely tickle my pickle.
One of the things I love most about this magazine is their editing. The fonts, the layouts... LUSH!
And then there is this photoshoot that I always go back to look at...
I am absolutely loving Company's recent change! The texture of it, the size of it, the look of it, the editing, the articles... all of it!
PLUS, how amazing were the first three cover girls? These are some of my favourite girls!

If you haven't read Company yet... SHAME ON YOU.
IT'S AMAZING.
Oh, and it's one of the least expensive out there.

The End!

Katy x

My first BarryM!

This may be shocking to some but this is my first EVER BarryM lipstick! Other than the nail lacquers... I've never been tempted by the section in Boots!
BUT I saw this rosey pink and couldn't resist!
I feel as though it's very moisturising and I love, love, love the colour!
It lasts for a good 3 hours without food but it does rub off quickly with glass rubbing against your lips.
The lipsticks are smaller which is great for my make up bag because it's usually so full... at least this doesn't up as much room!

They retail at £4.49 and are called Lip Paint, not lipstick!
They're probably in every single Boots shop in the country and I will be buying a lot more!

Katy x

Tuesday 10 April 2012

Stand up for the love!

Jessie J is amazing to me. She inspires me so much and it's rare for a "celebrity" my age to even get under my skin but she really has.

No one who reads this little blog will know this yet but I was bullied so badly in High School and I never got over it until I turned about 22. That's pretty embarassing to admit but I think the mental scars take a lot longer to heal than the physical ones.
I was always different and strange. I always liked the Wicked Stepmother's instead of the Princess's and the Rizzo's instead of the Sandy's. Tim Burton was my hero while Britney Spears was so loved by all of my friends.
I spent so many years dressing like everyone else and feeling completely trapped.
This is relevant, I promise!
Jessie J has said publicly how she coped with bullies and if you want to hear about it... just list to this song.
I don't drink, smoke or do drugs and I'm probably considered boring by many of my old peers but I can finally say... I DON'T CARE. It's so relieving to read that someone else can admit to that too without being considered "strange"... instead everyone looks upto her.

Jessie J is the complete package to me. She's overcome so much. She even had a stroke and it still didn't knock her back.
She is the type of role model I'd want my children to look upto and I hope she stays around for a long time.

Why do I like Jessie J so much? 
Her talent! That voice, that knowledge, those concepts, that writing. Amazing.
Her style. No boundries.
Her beauty! I don't just mean she's pretty (because, by God, she is) but her make up and hair is always so inspirational and out of this world!
She doesn't drink, smoke or do drugs.
She overcame all of the hardtimes.

And the thing I love most about her is her positivity.
She always seems happy.

I REALLY want her hairstyle but I would not suit it at all!
Her album is also phenomenal... get it if you haven't already!

This is her newest song.
It pumps me up every time!





Katy x

It's totally in love Tuesdayyy!

1. Jenna Marbles.
What can I even say? I agree with EVERYTHING she says. She is a God(dess) to me!
I even (not lying to you right now) showed my boyfriend the above video to help him with a few things like laying on my damn hair. Ouch.
She's my current hero!
I'm also in love with this video! 



2. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

This book is truly amazing. It's happy, sad, enchanting. So lovely.
It's definitely not a trashy book and one that you can read when you're only half in the mood.
It really touched my heart!
How lovely is the cover too? It did draw me in at Waterstones.
It cost me £14.99 which is very pricey but the book itself is perfect to display in your house.
Love it!




3. My new bracelet!

My boyfriend took me to a beautiful little village near when we live and it's full of cute little shops! I loveee places like that... which he knows! He bought me this bracelet in one of those cute shops and I cannot take it off!


4. Relaxing with a magazine and junk food on my day off!
I love, love, love Skittles and I'm always filing or doing my nails on my day off.
I always do my nails once a week unless I'm super bored. These are my nails at the moment but I'm getting bored of them at the moment so they'll be changed on Thursday and I'll be doing some nail tutorials!
 And Glamour was £1 this month?! Yes, please!
Actually, everything in this picture was £1... I got 6 nail files for £1 and the Skittles were £1 too.
Bargain-hunting success!

Not a long one this week but I've been busy today so it took me a while to finish it, lol.

Katy x






Thursday 5 April 2012

My fallen love... Elizabeth Taylor.



I was browsing through the tweeters I follow on Twitter and came across this...


It made me so sad to see that her last tweet was in February, 2011.
It might not mean a lot to anyone else but she was my ultimate inspiration.
While I sat at home and avoided being bullied... I watched Miss Taylor almost everyday.
When I was sad my mum would bring me The Elizabeth Taylor Story with Sherilyn Fenn or one of her movies.
I was completely in love with this woman!
This picture is still my phone background...


Yes, I love Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn but not even an inch on how much I adored Elizabeth Taylor.
Not even close.
I haven't filled my collection of her movies yet but I will... soon!
I could watch Cleopatra until my eyes bled and I'd still be in love!
She inspired my style, confidence, make up, attitude.

I even style my eyebrows on hers.


It was a sad, sad day when she left us!
There will never be another for me. Stunning.

And don't forget what she fought so hard for...



Katy x

A bit of Body Shop love!


I've always been completely in love with The Body Shop... my dad's girlfriend loved the stuff and I'd always just sit in her bathroom and smell everything. I was a weird kid...
I still am a weird kid.

Since I got my first paycheck... I've been casually strolling in their store and buying everything that seemed to tickle my pickle!
I haven't bought much from there lately because I'm been trying to spread my money a little further as I just handed in my resignation at work. I'll explain in my next post.

I also believe (finally) that I should be using up products before I buy more.
I must have about 20 body lotions and don't get me started on how many hand creams I own!

Anyway, I figured I'd share my current Body Shop collection with you.
Above: Pomegranate & Raspberry Scented Candle (£10, The Body Shop)
This is my favourite ever scented candle. It's so sweet and inviting. This goes really well with an Ed Hardy Vintage Vanilla candle I have. The scents really compliment each other to make a creamy, sweet aroma. Plus I love how the candle melts... it becomes an oil which makes the scent stronger!

Above L-R: White Musk Smooth Satin Body Lotion (£9, The Body Shop)
Earth Lovers' Watermelon & Eucalyptus Show Gel (£5, The Body Shop)
When I buy body lotions and shower gels I always choose musky, woody or nutty tones except when it comes to watermelon. I LOVE WATERMELON. Always have.
I did buy a few of these Watermelon & Eucalyptus
I hate 99% of other fruity smells. I don't like fruity perfumes or lipsticks. 
I love The Body Shop's White Musk range and have for as long as it's been going!
Above: Almond Body Butter (£12.50, The Body Shop)
 I really cannot say how much I LOVE this.
I love, love, love, love, love, love, love the smell of almonds! Also, not just any almond scent... it HAS to be The Body Shop one!
I got an almond cuticle cream and also a hand cream to go with it from the Boots Ingredients range and it was lovely but it doesn't come close to this!
There is just such a raw, fresh, organic smell to this and I always reach for their almond stuff first!
This must be my 20th(?!) repurchase. LOVE.
L-R: Seaweed Pore Perfector (£10), Born Lippy Watermelon Lip Balm (£2), Mango Lip Butter (£4), Chocomania Lip Butter (£4), Shea Lip Butter (£4), Rose Lip Roll-On (£4)

I'll be completely honest... the Seaweed Pore Perfector does nothing for me. I find it extremely expensive and it was a stupid buy... I gave it 3 weeks and saw no difference with my big, fat pores! Horrible!
I love the lip balms from The Body Shop... they're smooth and smell/taste amazing! No stickiness. I always buy my lip balms from there.
Now onto the lip butters... only use these inside the house. They leave a tint on your lips. The Shea one makes me lips white almost but that's the only one I really love.
The Chocomania one is too chocolatey and the man go one tastes like cute.
The Lip Roll-On is just oil. It's nice for those days when you're just with your boyfriend and don't need that MAC Girl About Town on your lips... it does look like lip gloss but it is very greasy.
I, personally, think the lip butters and the lip roll-on is way too expensive. Looking back... why?!
I apply the Shea one every night before bed but would I spend £4 on it again? No.

Above: Aqua Eye Mask (£6), Warming Mineral Mask (£9), Almond Hand & Nail Cream (£10)

I love all of these!
I bought the Aqua Eye Mask and the Warming Mineral Mask together in Winter because they both heat up... perfect in a freezing cold house!
It's so nice to use these together... put some Gustavo Santaolalla on and just let go.
The price of the face mask is a bit high but it's lasted me such a long time and it is absolutely amazing. Not in Summer so much because it's more on the 'very warm' side of the scale.
I just love this hand cream so much. I have so many others but I know I'm going to end up buying this again straight away. My all time favourite and my boyfriend also loves it!
Worth the £10!

Above L-R: Strawberry Body Lotion, Vitamin E Hydrating Toner, Shea Body Lotion, Shea Shower Cream, Vitamin E Cream Cleanser & Strawberry Shower Gel (All £4)

I buy things from The Body Shop in twos if they're the 250ml and I'm not sure why! I always buy the small ones before I spend twice as much on the 750ml which are £12!
I love the Shea range and the Vitamin E range but I hate the Strawberry ones! I'm giving them to my boyfriend's sister tomorrow because it's such a waste!
I love the hard soap so I thought these would be lush. Not at all. Just not my thing.

Above: Cranberry Joy Hand Cream (£1.50 on sale), Pink Grapefruit Lip Butter (£4), Facial Brush with Lid (£3), two nail files (£2 each)

I like this Cranberry Joy hand cream but it's very fruity! It was a Christmas range that isn't sold now! Bargain!
The lip butter pictured above is another horrible one... I got it in a set with the Shea and Mango.
I use it though! Not wasteful!
I LOVE this facial brush! Scrubbed the bad bits away!
Their nail files are TERRIBLE. Not rough enough and my nails sink into the striped one so how is that even helping? Pretty designs at least!

L-R: White Musk Libertine Eau De Parfum (£12), Perfume Oil in White Musk (£?), White Musk Chiffon Sheer Body Mist (£7)

Their White Musk Libertine perfume is one of my all time favourite perfumes! It's inexpensive, sweet, woody, musky. Love it and so does my boyfriend. Plus! Plus!
I rarely use this oil at home but when I'm staying at my boyfriend's house and I've cleaned myself before bed... I put a little bit of this oil on and he ALWAYS comments.
I actually do it for the compliment!
I've used this body mist for about 10 years now. I've only switched it up once and that's in the last month! I will always be faithful!

L-R: Brow & Lash Brush/Comb (£8), Eyeshadow Brush (£9), Face & Body Brush (£16), Concealer Brush (£9), Baked-To-Last Blush in Petal (£12), Bronzer (£13), Super Volume Mascara (£10)

I LOVE Body Shop's brushes (that's why they're dirty). They are so soft and guilt-free!
I use my Urban Decay & Real Technique brushes along with these but I want to replace my other with Body Shop brushes because I'm not sure if the Real Techniques brand is cruelty-free and the Urban Decay brushes are a bit stiff!
The blush is lovely but you have to really buff your brush in there to get some colour! It is pigmented... it's just so hard to penetrate! (giggity)
The bronzer is amazing but they don't do this one anymore... unless they've just changed the packaging, I don't know. It's a matte bronzer and has a lovely, big mirror!
I had issues with the mascara at first but now I absolutely love it! You need to let it dry out a bit first because it was seriously watery and got everywhere. I had so many tantrums applying this before a party or a date. I gave up and then tried it again about 4 months later... now I LOVE it!


So, that's all for my Body Shop collection post... I did forget my Lip & Cheek stain and a few more lip balms (Watermelon again and a Cocoa butter one) but thank God!
A lot of reading! Oops!

Katy x