Diets Suck...

It's 1:13am and I just got out of bed to eat a piece of cheese. Living in an apartment means that my kitchen is never more than a few, hungry stumbles away which is the sole reason I should relocate to a house with stairs because my laziness outweighs my greed, tenfold. I'm kind of an embarrassment to dieting really. The more I try to focus on eating healthy, the more I just generally think about eating. Ever notice that? You end up developing these ridiculous mantras, 'You are what you eat' - the only thing is, a Terry's Chocolate Orange is by far the most attractive thing I have ever seen , followed closely by fresh, gooey, cheesy pizza... and off the wagon I fall with a thud. 
I actually heartily applaud the successful dieters out there. They must have steely determination and the ability to mute the vodka demon that whispers, 'You really do need to order those chips with extra cheese and pickle mayo' - yes, as shameful as it is to admit it, I have actually ordered this. *Cries into hands* I swear I would be a picture of health if I could only control my incessant need to feed after every beverage with an alcohol percentage higher than 5%. 
If truth be told, it's not really my diet that's the problem. Sure, I can stuff a whole batch of mozzarella sticks down my neck faster than your fingers move to catch a sexy text to the wrong person, but on the whole, I have a pretty balanced diet. However, if you ask me to jump on that brand spanking, shiny new exercise bike sitting in my apartment, you'll be politely removed from my friend list. I don't know whether it's the cold Finnish climate that's made me want to lie on the sofa encased in a blanket 24/7, but either way, I've become a total exercise-phobe. Well, unless prancing around to a bit of old school Spice Girls counts. I'm going to say it counts. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't broached the subject of adding a dog to our brood with Scott in the hopes that having a little pooch to walk every day will at least allow me to eat a few guilt-free choccy biscuits every day. And that my friends is why I'm probably going to end up on the RSPCA black list. Maybe Hamish and Ralph would look rather fetching in a collar and lead? 

Drug Store Hauling

Earlier this week I decided to pop down to my local 'drug store' and pick up a few every day make up essentials, (and spend some left-over birthday pennies!) I was particularly keen on getting my hands on a more cost-efficient foundation as I've been using up my Lancome Teint Miracle on trips to the shops, (and the rest of my foundation wardrobe is way too dark for my poor, sun-deprived skin) 
Here's what I ended up with: 
♥ Maybelline Lash Sensational Lash Multiplying Mascara (Black) - Okay, I'm not going to lie here, I partly bought this due to the pretty, pink packaging. Anyone else think that metallic pink would make a great nail varnish colour? Anyway, I've only tried this out once so far so more rigorous testing will follow soon! 
♥ L'Oreal True Match Foundation (C2 Rose Vanilla) - Whenever I need beauty product recommendations, I take to good, 'ol Twitter to fish for ideas and it was Charlotte from Vanity Fairest who told me I needed this foundation in my life. I'm glad she did as I'm already thoroughly pleased with how it works with my skin, especially when paired with...
♥ Lumi Magique Pure Light Primer - This stuff is AMAZING! I've literally worn it once with the True Match Foundation and I was completely blown away. I almost walked away from it in the shop because it's quite scary looking, but trust me. This. Stuff. Is. The. Shizz. Fear not, a full review with pictures and swatches will be coming very soon! 
♥ Maybelline FIT ME Concealer (15 Fair) - I was hoping to pick up the Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer; however they didn't seem to have it on sale so I opted for this instead. I think it's more lightweight than the Wake Me Up so we shall see how it works out. It swatched well in the shop so here's hoping. 
No trip to the shops would be complete without an impulse buy. Last but not least...
♥ Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl (010 Silver) - I have absolutely no idea why I bought this, other than it was shimmery and pretty when I swatched it. It's seriously cyber-esque and I'm thinking I could perhaps incorporate it into a smokey-eye look for when I'm out on the alcopops, (which is never these days but hey ho!) 
Also... drum roll please:

 There was a cheeky Clinique freebie thrown in which I'm itching to get stuck into. Anyone else just love a sample?

...and that's your lot! 
What are your thoughts on the bits and pieces that I picked up? Do you rate/hate any of these products or do you have any drug store must-haves to share with us all? Leave your comments below.   

Style Wish List

This post was completely and utterly inspired by Beth from Bethany-Georgina and her uhhmazing wish list posts that I found myself drooling over earlier this week. She made me want ALL of the things and so I decided to run away and create my own little, fashion-based wish list because I'm sure there were leaves on the trees and sunshine at 11pm, the last time I created a wish list that didn't focus mainly on beauty items. (And if you're in any doubt, that's a long time ago!)

Nude Pumps//Miss Selfridge, Black Fringe Clutch//Topshop, C'est La Vie Tee//Topshop, Earrings//Pilgrim, Grey Cowl Neck Sweat//River Island, White Crop//Topshop, Mohair Jumper//River Island, Striped Blazer//Oasis, Chunky Boots//Fashion Union (Sold out damnit!) Similar here, Trousers//Vero Moda, Tote Bag//River Island, Coral Skirt//River Island

Now, if only I could get my mitts on all of these!

Life Through A Lens #2

It's that time again girls and boys. A time where I upload a series of snapshots taken throughout the month, a sort of 'highlights reel' if you will.. This is only the second ever Life Through A Lens and if you missed the first one, you can catch it here. 
Without further ado...

Roll on February... Keep your eyes peeled next month for my third installment of Life Through A Lens. 
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My MAC Lipstick Collection

If there's one thing a girl can never have too many of, (besides pairs of shoes) it has to be lipsticks, and when it comes to cult blogger brands, MAC has it well and truly in the bag. I don't know of many make up junkies that doesn't love at least one of these gorgeous lip products, and considering the fact that some shades are nigh on impossible to get hold of, (I'm looking at you Velvet Teddy) it would seem that there's a whole lot of people who would agree. 
Now, before we get cracking I must point out that I have such a baby collection compared to some and there are still 14768936 shades on my wish list, but I thought I would share with you what I have built up so far, as well as linking back to any reviews I may have done on them previously. Let's hop to it shall we?

From left to right:
Lipblossum//Lustre//  A sugary pink shade with an ever so subtle shimmer. This is one of the more recent additions to my collection. You can read a full review here. 
Ravishing//Cremesheen// A richer, creamier formula that the Lustre lipsticks. This shade is a stunning peachy/coral colour which is perfect for Spring/Summer. I love how this one looks with tanned skin. Read a full review here. 
Plumful//Lustre// One of my all-time favourite shades and looking back, I can't believe I haven't reviewed it already! This sugar plum shade is semi-sheer but buildable and couldn't be more perfect for an everyday lip look. 
Cyber//Satin// This shade isn't for the feint-hearted. It's a very deep, rich purple which appears almost black in the bullet. It's a Satin finish which means that it lies on the matte side of the fence but has more sheen to it and is therefore less drying on the lips than your typical matte finish. You can read my review of this here, together with another Satin shade Snob, which I ended up selling because I just couldn't get it to work for me.
Cockney//Lustre// A semi-sheer pinky/red which has a light shimmer running through it. It's one of the first MAC lipsticks that I ever owned. You can see me wearing it here. 
Please Me//Matte// This is my most recent MAC lipstick purchase and one that I've been hooked on. Shade wise, this is a muted, dusky pink and due to the matte formula, it is long-lasting and provides full coverage. This took me several attempts to get hold of but it was definitely worth the wait. You can read one of my latest post featuring this lipstick here. There's also a dupe for it there too. 
Other shades I am lusting after/trying to get my hands on:
Velvet Teddy//Matte// Yep, this familiar face. The lipstick that everyone seems to own or want right now. It's a gorgeous nude/beige and I need to add it to my collection pronto.
Mehr//Matte// A dusky, blue-toned pink, not too dissimilar to Please Me. I've been told by numerous MAC counter girls that this is discontinued, however it's still up on the MAC website... strange. I have been trying to pick this up for weeks; however it keeps drifting in and out of stock. 
Toxic Tale//Satin// A bright coral shade. I think this one would be perfect for Summer. 
What are your all-time favourite MAC lipstick shades and/or are you currently lusting after any lipsticks to add to your collection?

Turning 27...

Guess who's back... back again!? Apologies for being M.I.A. over the entire weekend (and some). As you may or may not know, I had a birthday! Writing that sentence made my entire body shudder... and not in a good way. I've had a love/hate relationship with birthdays ever since turning 21. Yes, there is cake and you can cry if you want to, but those numbers seem to clock up quicker than a taxi meter in a tourist zone, and I'm just not cool with it. In the spirit of birthday melodrama, I started writing a post which went along the lines of, 'I don't own a car or a house and yet I bought a stuffed panda less than 12 months ago...' I guess I felt like I needed to highlight how 'together' I am, and totally worthy of my shiny, 27 years sticker. (Which I'm not, for the record) In the end, I decided nobody likes a misery pants and I thought I would share with you some snaps of how I spent my weekend celebrating instead. 
Scott earned himself some serious boyfriend points by booking us a weekend at one of our favourite places in Finland, Kiuasniemi Villas in Padasjoki. Snow, sauna, hot tub, a frozen lake and bubbles... what more could a girl want?

Frozen lake

It was FREEZING outside

Making pizza...

It started snowing again!

Waking up with a sauna

As far as I'd dare walk on the frozen lake

Do you wanna build a snow-guinea pig?

If you fancy taking a look at what the area looks like in Spring/Summer, you can check out some of my other visits here. 
Now, it's back to reality after an amazingly, relaxing weekend and unpacking those cases... anyone else hate that task?! Urgh. 

Current Favourite Lip Combo - MAC Please Me Dupe

If you managed to catch my post yesterday, you may have noticed that I picked up a few beauty items on my recent trip home. In the stash are these two. The Maybelline Color Drama lip pencil in Minimalist and MAC's Please Me matte lipstick. Even though I'd only bought them a few days apart, I never realised how similar they are. (Shhh, don't tell the other half!) I'll let the swatches do the talking:

Left to Right - Maybelline Lip Pencil in Minimalist, MAC Please Me and Rimmel Lasting Finish Lip Contouring pencil in Rose Quartz

Colour wise, (ignoring the Rimmel lip liner just now) both are a muted, dusky pink. The finish is different with Minimalist having a slightly frosted appearance and Please Me being matte; however when these are applied, the difference is microscopic. 
Although the Rimmel liner looks much darker here, I've actually found this to work really well with both of these lip colours, and the lippie/liner combo has been my go-to lip look since picking these up. I haven't been wearing anything else. Perhaps we'll be needing an intervention soon.
The difference between these products really does come down to quality. Whilst the Maybelline lip pencil is pretty darn good for its meager price tag, it isn't quite of the same calibre as MAC in my opinion. You really do get what you pay for I guess. The MAC formula is much creamier and easier to apply, with MAC beating Maybelline hands down in terms of longevity. That being said, I think the bargain price of the Maybelline lip pencils will definitely have me re-purchasing and perhaps saving the good stuff for when I'm not nipping to the shops for pizza and chocolate. 
If you're still in doubt, here's the Maybelline Color Drama/Rimmel Rose Quartz duo on my face:

Kylie who?

First Haul of 2015

Well now, it's been a while since we had a post like this around these parts. Last week, Scott and I traveled to Groningen, (for business) and dropped in on family in Edinburgh (for pleasure). One of the best things about being home is the fact that we can go shopping! I've made it no secret that Finland isn't exactly the fasion 'hub' of Europe. No Topshop, River Island, Miss Selfridge... need I continue? 
Here's a peek at what ended up in my shopping basket:

Miss Selfridge

Tan jacket... swoon! This thing is buttery soft, really. It was a total impulse buy; albeit not very practical for Finland but hell, I absolutely love it! Yes, I wore it yesterday in the snow and yes I lived to tell the tale.

Miss Selfridge

Fluffy - check! Pink - check! Another Miss Selfridge purchase, but one that is far more likely to keep me warm. The collar is detachable too so you can wear it as a scarf. Love a multi-tasker!

Missguided

Technically not a home purchase as I had it delivered to Finland but I thought I would include it anyway. Comfy day dress at its finest. It's currently in the sale so hurry if you fancy it. 

New Look

I bought this entirely because of the bumpy material. I'm hoping it doesn't disappoint after a few washes. Also comes in blue. 

New Look

Topshop

This slouchy cream shirt made its way home with me too; however I couldn't wait to wear it and it's now sitting in my washing basket, hence the no-photo. It fits great and is a basics must-have; although a word of warning, it wrinkles like a beeatch!

GlamGlow Supermud - M&S
MAC Lipstick - Please Me
Maybelline Color Drama Lip Pencils - Boots
Palmer's Lip Balm - Boots

As well as clothing, I managed to pick myself up a few beauty bits too. If you read my Beauty Wish List yesterday, you will see that I was keen to get my hands on GlamGlow's Supermud Mask. I tried it yesterday and I can't even tell you how impressed I am. More to come on that soon. I also picked up a MAC lippie in Please Me, two Maybelline Color Drama Lip Pencils in Minimalist and In With Coral, and a Palmer's lip balm which smells amaze but is a really annoying shape. 
Now, here's what I almost got:

River Island

I went to two River Island stores and neither of them had this in stock. It's slightly cropped but not so much so that you're going to be exposing yourself. I can't justify the delivery charge for one item so I'm hoping they still stock this when I'm home again in February. 

Dorothy Perkins

I'm currently obsessing over pointed court shoes and these are really lovely on - plus they're also a bargain! I usually wear a size 4 shoe; however these were far too big on me. The shop I spied them in had only one girl working there (or so it seemed,) she was operating the till and I couldn't be bothered queuing up to ask for a smaller size so I left them behind. Regretting my decision already!
There we have it folks. A very rambly post, but we got there in the end. Have you been buying anything interesting lately? Share your recent haul posts in the comments below.