Merry Christmas

In the words of Noddy Holder...
It's Christmas!

I've inserted an image of last year's turkey as A) It was Scott and I's first turkey that we ever cooked together and we managed so without murdering each other and B) Because, well... look at it! 
As is tradition in my household, I'll be chewing down on a bacon sandwich, toasting the festive period with a shot of clear spirit and eating an inordinate amount of chocolate before the sun reaches its peak in the sky.
In fact, I've probably done all of those things by the time this post is live and I'm now more than likely sitting somewhere, slowly expanding into my festive pjs. 
Merry Christmas everyone! 

NYX Continued

Can we all just take a minute to let the fact that it's Christmas Eve sink in a little? 
There's a very strong chance that I'm pyjama-ed up at home with my family, watching crappy Christmas TV and drinking down some holiday spirits... because it's 5 o' clock somewhere, right?
Several weeks ago, I dipped my toes into the NYX pond for the first time. You can read about the purchases I made here but it wasn't long before I found myself in the 'drugstore' again, throwing more NYX items into my shopping basket. 
And that's where I discovered a new life partner!

Winter Warmer Chilli

I have a, 'throw it all in' policy when it comes to cooking. Unlike my husband, I haven't always been a confident cook. Whilst he has a knack for coming up with new and exciting dishes, I always worried about whether I was using ingredients that would, 'work' together, and as a result, my dishes were often uninspiring.
I wouldn't say I was ever a bad cook, I've always loved whipping up a tasty meal. I just feel that over the last three or four years, I've approached meal-making with a different attitude and my stomach has thanked me for it - although my waistline may not always agree!
Daily dinners tend to rely heavily on what I can scrape together from the cupboards and this Winter Warmer Chilli is the result of that. I have been trying to do a better job of tracking my food intake lately and so I have the exact measurements of everything I used; although I absolutely suggest you tailor this recipe to whatever you have to hand. It's pretty hard to go wrong with Chilli.

Shit My Husband Says #5

It's that time again folks... That time whereby I lovingly mock my husband in a public manner and he spends the next week pestering me to read out all of the comments from his, 'fans' (That would be you guys!) 
Once again, there have been some crackers over the last month. If you missed the previous Shit My Husband Says post, you can check it out here. 
Now that the formalities out of the way, let's get on to the good stuff!

Exercising And Gaining Weight

For anyone that loosely follows my Snapchat ramblings, you may be aware that I've been working out with a personal trainer for the last month. 
As soon as a move back to the Middle East was on the cards, I knew I wanted to throw myself into a proper workout routine, and for someone who seriously lacks motivation when it comes to exercise, hiring a personal trainer was the right move for me.

A Life-Changing Foundation?

I hate shopping for foundation. It doesn't matter how many reviews you read, or swatches you ponder over, when it comes to foundation, the proof is in the pudding. Only when you've smeared it all over your face, will you know if it works for you and whilst you can be pretty confident when purchasing a foundation that has been praised over and over, there's still the off chance that it just won't work out.

The Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation was a product that had been on my radar for quite some time. My ears prick up whenever I hear of a dewy-finish foundation that has good amounts of coverage and I knew that this was going to be one for me to try.

The Great Home Furnishing Struggle

I bought an orchid. I'm not sure if that means I'm now a fully-fledged adult or not, but buy it I did and here's the proof:

I've been living under the false notion that I enjoy decorating - well, specifically furnishing. I haven't fully figured out my way around a paint roller sponge yet but that's a story for another day.
No, I'm talking about filling the empty shell that was our apartment; with new things. I have to admit, the planning was the most fun. Things got really, Pinteresting, (yes, I went there) in the run up to our move in date and armed with my room-specific boards full of ideas, I felt prepared for the task ahead.
That was until I started shopping.

Holiday Make Up Look: Red & Gold

I always feel ridiculously self-conscious when it comes to these posts. There's something unnerving about publishing a high-definition, close up image of your face on the internet - unruly brows and all!
However, I have been trying to mix up my make up routine lately, shelving my neutral shadows and busting out something a little bolder now and again. 
After listening to Mariah Carey on repeat, I couldn't resist indulging in a little holiday cheer - all over my face. I whipped out a sparkly gold eye shadow and set about creating this shimmery, red and gold holiday eye make up look. 
Let me know what you think!

Digging Out An Old Faithful

If I was anything in a former life, I'd have to guess that I was some sort of lizard. My blood runs cold and as much as I'm led to believe that the Middle Eastern Winter is a good thing, I'm just not sharing in the sentiment. 
I'm cold.

Five Beauty Brands To Try

There was once a time in which a trip to the MAC counter was all I ever needed. Before that it was Rimmel and before Rimmel it was lip gloss roller balls from the latest issue of Sugar magazine. 
These days, I'm all about discovering new brands. With more and more online retailers starting to stock previously inaccessible cosmetics, the desire to branch out and expand my make up collection has become too big to ignore. 
First it was a sizeable Makeup Geek order and then I hopped onto the Dose Of Colors website to bag myself some of their matte, liquid lipsticks. My list of brands to try has since spiralled and so I thought I would share with you the top five that I've set my sights on.

Black Is The New Black

I bought new things, all of which are black. There's not a hint of a sequin or jewel-hued party wear to be found here so you'd be forgiven for checking out early.
Always seasonally appropriate, or at least in my view, black is pretty much a staple in my wardrobe. You can insert a joke about the colour of my soul if you wish but you're never going to tear me away from my black skinny jeans. The love runs deep. 

Cheap Fizz

Do you want to know what my biggest regret of 2015 has been?
Fake snow. Fake snow on my Christmas tree. Which means fake snow on my floor, behind my television, on my sofa and in my bra. 
That shit gets everywhere!
I decided to stage a photo shoot with my tree, pre snow-shed, in the hope that I can post a pretentious, look at my marvellous creation, style blog post when I'm running thin on ideas. It's okay, I did the same thing last year. If you're really desperate you can check it out here, but if truth be told, our 2014 tree wasn't much of a looker; although I do admit it has a certain amount of charm, in a weird, spindly kind of way. 
We did, however, have much better snow last year, which is really about as interesting as watching Richard Madeley comb his hair so shall we move on?
I'm just going to put it out there... I'm a cheap date.

When You Don't Love Your Wedding Photos

What happens when you put your all into planning the perfect wedding and then the photographs land on your desk a few weeks later, only for you to break down in tears and confess that you hate them?
This is what happened to me. 
Technically speaking, the pictures are beautifully shot and well edited, and I'm not saying that there isn't a single shot I'm happy with, but I had high expectations and well, I guess you could say they fell short.
My biggest issue?
Myself.
I hated the way I looked. 

Bath & Body Works Christmas Candles

Hands up, who had advent calendar chocolate for breakfast this morning?
If you follow me at all on Twitter or Snapchat, (effortlesslyexc) you may have seen me bleating about the Bath & Body Works Christmas candles that I purchased over the weekend. I went in for a 'browse' and walked away with six, three-wick candles... as you do! 

Life Through A Lens #12

I saw a quote on Instagram this morning. It went along the lines of:

'Don't compare your beginning to someone else's middle' 

and it really rung true. 
I know, it's a quote that's been floating around for a while but I think it's something that I'd do well to remember sometimes. Especially when it comes to blogging. It's really easy to feel a bit like a lonely fish in a very large pond but it's important to not lose sight of how far we have all come on days when motivation isn't particularly forthcoming. 
Or that's what I'm telling myself, instead of digging into the stash of 'Christmas chocolates' that are sitting dangerously in my kitchen cupboards. 
Anyway, as it's the last day of November, (Yes, really!) it's time for another Life Through A Lens post, and the penultimate one before we're rolling in with the new year and all the festivities that go along with the holiday season. 
We'll just ignore that fact that my Christmas tree is already standing proudly in my living room. 

Makeup Geek

Yes, it's another Makeup Geek post!
Are we sick of them yet?
Since Beauty Bay launched Makeup Geek eye shadows on their website, the UK bloggersphere has gone a little nuts for their much raved about eye shadows, with many of the shades being a complete sell out. 
As I was ordering from the US, I decided to go all out and pick up 12 eye shadow shades and 3 large Z Palettes to house all of my current, single-pan shadows. 

That Time I Terrified My Husband

It's officially less than a month until Christmas and I'm still not getting the festive feeling, despite the fact that I've slurped hot chocolate out of a Santa hat wearing penguin mug and stuffed four mince pies in my face this week. 
I think it's time to break out the Bublé big guns. 
Anyway, this is totally irrelevant to this post today because I'm actually here to talk about my jolly jaunt around the Emirates Palace which took place on Tuesday. Although this sounds like it's going to be a dignified post, I can assure you it's not. 
So I'll just jump right in...

Life In Excess

Lately, I've been feeling like I need to spring clean my life.
Which, if you speak to my mother, is most unlike me as I've never been much of a fan of cleaning anything. Some people are born domesticated. My only gift around the home is that I can cook, and well, who doesn't love food?
So, back to life. I don't know if our move is to blame or whether it's the fact that it's just dawned on me that I'm a twenty-something, married woman on the verge of turning thirty. Either way, I feel like my entire life needs an overhaul.  So... brace yourselves guys.
It's time to ditch Effortlessly Excessive!

Santorini Photo Diary

In September, Scott and I visited the stunning, Greek island of Santorini. 
I had high expectations. It has to be one of the most photographed locations out there. The brightly-coloured rooftops and white-washed walls are instantly recogniseable. The cobbled, uneven streets, whilst difficult to navigate, give this place a unique feel. With breathtaking views being revealed around every corner.

Bars, Brunch ETC.

I learnt two things this weekend.
1. I have the upper body strength of a ball of wool... and 
2. I'm too old to go out drinking two nights in a row.

Let's start from the top.
So, if you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen me bleating about the fact that Scott and I had an intense work out session with our new, personal trainer. I'm not one for exercise, unless you consider a walk around the shopping mall, a workout. 
I'm also not one for talking about working out. If I ever take a picture of myself on gym equipment, feel free to roll your eyes in disgust and unfriend me. 

The Inglot Neutral Smokey Eye Starter Palette

I'll let you in on a little secret...
I have a thing for eye shadow. 
Okay, not even remotely secret but I view eye shadow like pre-teen me viewed Pokemon. It doesn't matter that a solid, 90 percent of my collection consists of warm-toned browns, my heart skips a beat when I spy another shade to add to the growing mass. 

I'm Still Here

So, it would appear I've been on a short, blogging hiatus. 
I didn't plan on not blogging but current events have left me feeling somewhat uninspired and unmotivated to sit down at my laptop and create anything positive. On top of which, Scott and I received some tragic news yesterday about one of his work colleagues. 
The saying that life is precious has never felt more fitting.
Today, I've armed myself with a gallon of tea and I'm ready to tackle the blank pages. The last few days have been busy ones so let's jump right in shall we?

Shopping My Stash

If there's one thing that I didn't pack up to be shipped during our move, it's my make up. I didn't trust the process. Whilst I was happy for photo frames and Tupperware to be placed in the hands of the removal guys, I wasn't about to hand over my MAC lipstick collection or my carefully curated stash of peach blusher. 
Priorities!
So, inconvenient or not, I hauled the damn lot with me. 
If my husband is reading this, can we please pretend that the extra case was for essential items? 
Anyway, as I am lacking drawers to tuck it all away into to forget about, I've found that I've been dipping into my stash and using products that I'd otherwise forgotten about. If there's ever a silver lining to hotel living, this is it guys. 

Instagram Accounts To Follow

If I had to choose, I think Instagram would be by favourite social media platform. 
Whilst I love Twitter for the interaction, Snapchat appeals to the inner curtain-twitcher in me and Pinterest, well Pinterest equally inspires me and makes me feel like I posses inferior DIY skills. Which I do, but whatever. 
No, my heart definitely lies with Instagram. 
Recently, I've been trying to dedicate an hour or so, every evening to scrolling my feed and exploring the popular page. In doing so, I've discovered some incredibly beautiful accounts and felt it was only right that I shared the fruits of my labours with you guys. 
These accounts have only just made their way onto my, 'Follow' list but I'm already in love. I hope you find some new inspiration!

FIGTNY

Buying Recently

Please excuse the completely uninspiring photography. As the majority of my worldly possessions are currently floating somewhere across the Atlantic Ocean, (yes, I had to consult a map) I'm somewhat limited to things that I can get my hands on in the hotel. 
White towel backdrops anyone?
Today's post is going to be looking at a whole bunch of stuff I bought recently. Some good, some not so good. Let's jump right in shall we?

Too Much Toner?

I went a bit OTT on toner products.
For the Snapchat inclined amongst us, you may have seen me complaining about the current state of my skin, recently. Whether it's the effect of changing climates, stress or the dreaded air conditioning, my skin has been paying the ultimate price.
Hello pimples!

Weekend ETC.

Five hours is a long time to spend in a car.
I know this from the recent car trip that Scott and I took to renew my visa. We made it out alive, just, but a journey like this typically ends in one or more of us exploring selective mute-ism. Usually me. I have a short bullshit tolerance which is dramatically reduced when long periods of sitting and/or lack of food is involved. 
I'm a delight, really. 

I cheated. This is a picture from Finland. I was nowhere near perky enough to photograph my shoes, looking all Instagram-worthy. 

Shit My Husband Says #4

Ask and ye shall receive... or something like that.
Judging by the number of page views on my last, 'Shit My Husband Says' post, it would appear that some of you are quite interested in the weird and wonderful ramblings of my Scottish husband. 
I guess someone has to be.
Okay, I may have included the line above because I know my husband, and know that he'll be lurking around these pages, looking for what he calls, 'his fans!'
Hi Scott!
Can we all just take a minute to humour him..?
So, moving on to why we're here. There's been some crackers recently, so much so that I've been able to whip another blog post up in no time at all. So, if you fancy a laugh at my husband's expense, keep on reading...

Because men are funny! 

The Boots

I found the perfect boots.
Perfect, because technically they're a, 'bootie' which is just about acceptable considering it's 35 degrees (Celsius) outside, but also perfect because I'd been looking for this exact style ever since I discovered The Un-Fancy blog and realised that tan booties were all that was missing in my life.  
Although, I'm not sure how I feel about the word, 'booties' 
So here they are, in all their tanned glory...

The Cheap As Chips Shimmer Brick

Hold onto your knickers... 
When Bobbi Brown came out with their Shimmer Bricks, I was on the fence. 
Yes, really. 
The concept intrigued me but after swatching myself into a Christmas bauble, I decided they were too glittery for my liking. The bronzing shades especially, and whilst my inner magpie was screaming at me to make a purchase, I knew that they would ultimately end up gathering dust in my make up drawers.
So, when I spotted a promotion on Seventeen products whilst I was back in the UK over the Summer, I impulsively picked up this:

NYX Cosmetics

My name is Kirsty and I'm a NYX noob. 
There, I said it.
It wasn't until I accidentally stumbled across a counter the other week, that I realised living in Abu Dhabi opened up of whole world of NYX possibilities. So I took to the Interweb, pen in hand, and started noting down everything that I needed. 
...and then off I trotted to the counter again, walking away with this lot.  

Life Through A Lens #11

I'm notoriously bad at posting my Life Through A Lens posts on time. Although, I do have somewhat of an excuse...
I had planned on blogging yesterday but then Scott and I went shopping instead. Beautiful new booties were purchased. That's about the extent of my excuse... Am I forgiven?
Anyway, October has been a crazy month. We waved goodbye to Finland and hopped on a plane bound for Dubai. I've met some amazing people, you know who you are, and I've just started to find my feet in Abu Dhabi. 
With the start of November already here, and a move into our new apartment just around the corner, let's look back at October and whisper - is it really only 53 days til Christmas? 
Enjoy!

Let's Chat

Shall we chat?
I feel like we should chat.
Boys look away. 
Mother Nature is wreaking havoc on my womb today. I recently enjoyed one of my occasional months off, (my body is too lazy to commit to anything more regular) and I guess I'm now paying for it with toe-curling cramps and an overwhelming desire to eat myself up a dress size. 
You know it's bad when you feel the need to share your pain with your husband at 6am...

Lush Bubble Bars

I am once again, 'with bath.' After spending almost two years in Finland without the use of a tub, I've been making up for lost time in the shape of numerous, Lush bubble baths. 
The bubble bars are my favourite products from Lush, hands down. So much so, that despite the occasional shower gel purchase, the bubble bars are pretty much all I gravitate towards. I know some of you, 'lushies' will be cursing at your screens right now, but I'm very much stuck in my bubble-loving ways. 
Plus, there appears to be a Lush store on every corner in Abu Dhabi. Not complaining, just observing. Yes, I can excuse the ridiculous mark up. Just shy of £14 for the two - ouch! It was pretty much the same in Finland so I don't really feel cheated, although I do tend to go a little wild whenever I'm back in the UK. 
Anyway, enough of my waffle. Let's crack on with why we're here:

Dr Dennis Gross

Yep, I'd never heard of it either.
I'm sure there's a few beauty buffs out there rolling their eyes at me, but hey, up until a few years ago my skincare routine consisted almost entirely of Simple face wipes. 
I'd say we've made some progress here. 

So, Dr Gross... Who is he?

Husband Fear

I wouldn't go as far as saying my husband is afraid of me, but I don't feel like there is anything wrong with instilling a little bit of fear. 
I have a look. A stare, if you will. 
Perfected from my days as a teacher, it's the kind of look that lets you know you're a whisker away from seeing me go bat shit crazy. 
My husband is familiar with the look. 
The other day, I was trying to drum up ideas for blog posts and I came up with this:

The Cage

I'm not sure how to introduce today's blog post topic, but what I will say is that insomnia has a lot to answer for. 
So, I'm just going to jump right in with what you're about to see. I designed a custom-made guinea pig cage come storage, clusterfuck of genius, on the back of a home store catalogue. 

I'm not really sure what to say in my defence, other than that I think Hamish and Ralph would be quite into the whole duplex living thing. 

Wardrobe Wants

I'm currently in the process of needing new things. Specifically clothes. There's a high chance I'm in the preliminary stages of an early life crisis and the only way to see it through is to go out and buy all the things.
Not really, but having donated three quarters of my wardrobe to the charity shop before leaving Finland, things are feeling a bit sparse. 
I've decided it's time I try to, 'adult' too. Only with regards to my personal style though. I definitely still drank two Capri-Suns today and my love of Dairylea Dunkers is well documented.
Here's what's currently sitting on my shopping wish list:

A Gloss I Can Get On With

One does not simply love a lip gloss, (or at least in my case anyway!) 
They're pesky, little things. Throwing 'glossy lips' and 'wind', together in a sentence is enough to make even the most dedicated make up junkie shudder. 
It's a love/hate relationship at best.
So, imagine my surprise when I found myself reaching for this one on a near regular basis. It borders on monumental. Have I finally found a gloss I can get on board with?

Abu Dhabi

Brace yourselves guys. I'm going to bombard you with information today.
Firstly, I'm in Abu Dhabi. A thousand, 'hands in the air' emojis. Tense words with my husband aside, we made it here in one piece and so far so good. 
Our weekend went as follows:

Home Inspiration

With any move, comes the opportunity to reorganise and refresh your life... (as well as your furniture) and, despite the fact that we haven't even begun to view apartments yet, I already have several Pinterest boards dedicated to every room of my imaginary apartment. 
Some may say I have too much time on my hands. I just claim to love me some home decor!

A Special 'Shit My Husband Says' Post

Remember when this mini-series was called Shit My Fiance Says? Yea, me neither because it's been that long since I posted anything... Anyway, it's a special one today as it's Scott's birthday!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR EXCESSIVE! 

Seasonal Shadows

So, the blogger pants are being plucked out of my arse today and I'm determined to have a productive afternoon! 
Last night, I went out to dinner with some fabulous Dubai ladies - Stacey, Laura and Simone. There was steak, wine and cake... Need I say more? I successfully managed to, 'adult' for the duration of an entire evening so I rewarded myself with a Dairylea Dunker this morning as a small hooray! (Jumbo Tubes over the breadstick variety any day!)
So let's discuss make up. Guess what? I went and added to my Inglot collection again didn't I. Anyone else find this boring now? I briefly considered not posting about my latest purchases but the swatches made me think of spicy orange pumpkins - true story -so I felt seasonally justified!

Dubai

Hey, I'm alive, (in the literal sense of the word) although I feel as though a week-long nap wouldn't go amiss right now. It would appear that I'm 'tired' in Dubai... like all the damn time! I reckon I've only got a few more days’ worth of blaming the jet lag before I need to come up with another excuse. Maybe the heat? Anyway, tiredness aside, I'm back in the land of sunshine and it feels UHHmazing. 
I wanted to post something a little more compelling today, but I've sat here for 20 minutes trying to be interesting. The best that I could come up with was a lame joke about the fact that I've failed on two occasions to bag myself a SIM card for my phone and I’m not going to put you through that. I bet you're really glad you took time out of your day to stop by, aren't you?! FYI, I’ve also just gorged on Petits Filous yoghurts, because one is never enough. Did you know, according to their pot facts, the fastest growing nail is on the middle finger? Figures. 

MAC Margin

I've never been one to describe myself as having, 'a type' but when it comes to blushers, I go weak at the knees for a peachy pink. My current collection of 'absolutely essential purchases' are so similar in shade that they warrant disapproving glances from my husband - but he doesn't speak make up so we're all good. 
When I clapped eyes on a MAC Frost blush called Margin, I knew I didn't need it. I knew I had several very similar, if not dupeable shades sitting in my make up drawers... but I had to have it anyway. *Preaching to the choir here, you all know how this thing works!

That Time I Accidentally Asked a Stranger For Anal

There are some things in life that impact you in a positive way, like waking up five minutes before your alarm, feeling bright-eyed and ready to conquer the world. There are those that have a negative impact, such as spilling a box of sesame seeds across your kitchen floor, and then there are those moments that are truly so horrific that you struggle to understand how your life will ever be the same again...
The latter of which I experienced quite recently.
Backstory - I drink more than I probably should when I go out out. I blame Finland. No offence guys. 
Anyone who has lived in a small town with only a handful of activities at their disposal will know that sometimes, all there is to do is drink wine by the bucket. Which is precisely what I was doing on the night in question.

Ghost Spam and Politics

Today was a great day. The woman that handles our company apartment decided to tell us that our WIFI was being disconnected as of the end of September. So if you're reading this and wondering why I've been so quiet the last few days, it's because I've had all that is good in life, stripped away from me. I'm probably feeling naked and afraid somewhere. *Scary visuals
It's not all bad though, she did inform us that she'd managed to extend our electricity contract for an extra week so I'll be able to drown my sorrows in tea and toast. 
In other news, I had my faith in humanity somewhat ruffled upon discovering that this had been used to search for my blog:

Lip Plumping Without Injections?

I've always had a pretty regular relationship with my lips. Would I like them to be a little plumper? Yes, probably. Would I like them to be a little less wonky and uneven? Absolutely! But would I go as far as letting someone stick a needle in my face to achieve all of this? I'm not really sure. Needles just aren't my jam, and whilst I'm pretty okay with what mother nature gave me in the ol' lip department, I still feel a flicker of intrigue whenever I see a lip plumping product make its way onto the market. 

Life Through A Lens #10

I feel like I say this at the start of every Life Through A Lens post, but... It's that time again! Another month scored off the calendar and only three month left of 2015. Anyone else feel like this year has been a whirlwind? 
Seeing as this is going to be my last Life Through A Lens post brought to you from Finland, I thought I would bend the rules a little and round up a bunch of my favourite snaps from my time in this beautiful country. I hope you don't mind. 
Here goes!

Hiccup

Remember that time I waited a whole nine months until everything was finalised before I shared my. 'Big News' that I was moving to Abu Dhabi? Those nights I sat itching to hit publish on a hysteria riddled declaration that I wasn't going to have to spend another cold, dark winter in Finland? Okay, you probably don't know about that last one but there are pinky swears to be had that would confirm what I'm saying is true. 
And then...
Remember when I went and tweeted that we'd booked our flights and set our 1st of October deadline, by which point we'd be somewhere above the clouds and getting ready to embrace the balmy 45 degree heat of the United Arab Emirates? 
Well it turns out someone had already squatted over my chips and was getting ready to piss all over them!

Mobile Photo Editing Apps - Tried & Tested

Gone are the days of unedited Instagram photographs. It's all about getting that near perfect shot and tweaking it 'til your fingers bleed. Okay, I exaggerate, but if you're looking for cleaner, brighter shots, it's essential that you have a good photo editing app to back you up. 
I'd definitely describe myself as a perfectionist when it comes to my photography. I don't consider myself to be in any way a pro or claim to have the most, 'perfect' shots but I know what I like and I'm constantly pushing myself to get the best images that I can. Nine times out of ten, the editing can make or break a shot and today I'm going to run through the editing apps that I have tried and tested.  

Question Time

Today's post is going to be two things, unpredictable and proof that the internet is a magical place. I'm not even going to sit here and make excuses for how I came to Google, 'Random Question Generator' but I did and I ended up on this ol' site here. 
*I'd like to make it known that I do actually partake in, 'adult' activities now and again, (Drag your mind out of the gutter please) but today isn't really testament to that so... I'll maybe Instagram a bagel laterz. 
I have the tab open right now and I'm going to answer the first 15 questions that appear, no skipping! I have no idea how this is going to progress so I'll likely be just as confused as you by the time we're through. 
Are we buckled up kids? Here goes...

Smashbox Primer Water - Is It Love?

Primers and I have a tricky relationship. I absolutely swear by using a primer to prolong make up wear, plus I find that with a good primer, make up lies much better and looks more natural.
However...
Finding the perfect primer hasn't been easy for me. For some reason my skin seems to hate them! (She's clearly a diva!) I was using MAC's Prep & Prime for the longest time as it was the only primer I could realistically get away with that didn't break my skin out into a whole, pimpled mess. Don't even get me started on Benefit's Porefessional - my skin and that primer can't even be in the same room together without shit going down!
The problem I have with MAC's Prep & Prime, (not a problem per say as I do still like their primer) is that it really does nothing for my drier skin. I hover around the dry to normal skin type and if I don't make it my mission to inject moisture into my make up routine, you can guarantee that I end up a hot, flakey mess before the day is through. Not good. 

Bad Idea

So, the other day I was sitting at my computer and trying to ignore the gale-force winds and torrential downpours that were happening right outside my window. Well, not just right outside my window cause that would be weird, but since I've been back in Finland, the weather has been a giant, grotesque arsehole which is annoying because I swear, the whole time I was back in the UK, the sun was beaming! 
Anyway, due to weather induced boredom, I delved into the murky depths of the interweb and came across a website called Bad Idea T-Shirts... You can tell already that this is going to be an interesting post. 
Here are some of my personal favourites:

New Nip + Fab Glycolic Mask

Okay, disclaimer: I have been meaning to write this post for the longest time so I'm not sure if this product technically classes as new anymore, buuuut a little while ago, Nip + Fab released a few new goodies to their line of skin care products, one of which was the Glycolic Instant Fix Face Mask. I picked up a couple of Nip + Fab skincare products several months ago and was so impressed with them that I knew I had to get my hands on something else from their line.