Versatile blogger award (:

The ever so lovely Rachel from Blush & Brunch (isn't that 1 of the cutest beauty blog names you've heard?!) nominated me for the versatile blogger award! Thanks so much :D

The versatile blog award is to be nominated to blogs that you enjoy reading. & is one of those where you share little secrets about yourself :) So here are 7 things you may not have known about me...

1. I start my new job next Monday (26th Dec) & I'm soo nervous! 
2. I'm a graduate of biomedical science. 
3. I have a tattoo that reads 'love life' in Latin. 
4. On my 12th birthday I did my 3000m swimming badge! I miss swimming..
5. I met my boyfriend on a college trip to Yorkshire.
6. I'm signing up to a gym tomorrow for the 1st time in ~1 year. I'm dreading it!
7. I CANNOT WAIT FOR CHRISTMAS!

I tag Burkatron, Ellalogy, Purely Beauty, Lisamello & Under Blue Lights. 

I heart fall! | Tag

I saw this tag on one of my fave YouTubers channel - FleurdeForce. & as I couldn't agree with it's title any more I thought I'd give it a go :)

So, here goes...

Favourite fall lip product? Most of you will probably be familar with this lippy by now... it's the shade 107 from Kate Moss' matte collection. I'ts the perfect autumn/winter berry colour :) I love Kate's lippys too! Great formula & they smell like VK Cherry! Check out my gormy face sporting 107 ;)

Favourite fall nail polish? I haven't had these for long, but I know I'm going to be wearing them so much throughout autumn/winter. It's 'The Living Daylights' & 'Skyfall' from the Skyfall OPI collection. OPI is my fave ever polish & I just love Bond, so this was an easy decision :)

Favourite Starbucks fall drink? I haven't been to a coffee shop yet this Autumn, so I'm not sure. Can't wait to try them all out though! For now I'll say chai tea latte. 

Favourite fall candle? You'll all know this by now, but I looovee Yankee Candles! My fave at the moment is orange spice.

Favourite fall scarf? Well, I prefer snoods to scarf. I find scarfs to be so annoying & they never stay were you put them, but snoods just sit snug round your neck. I started a bit of a collection this wear, but haven't worn them all yet. So this one is my fave :) It's so thick & soft! It's from Dorothy Perkins, in case you were wondering ;) 

Haunted house, haunted hay ride or haunted corn maze? Ahh, none! They all sound horrible, haha. Thankfully we don't really have these attractions in the UK. I'll just stick to my Halloween parties ;) 

Favourite Halloween movie? I'm such a wuss, I hate scary movies! I know it's mostly a Christmas movie, but I'm gonna say The Nightmare Before Christmas. 

Favourite candy to eat on Halloween? They aren't entirely candy, but I'm quite a fan of toffee apples. In fact there's one in the kitchen waiting for me :) Apart from that I'm a sour sweet kinda gal!

What are you dressing up as for Halloween? I'm working tonight (at a bar) & it's our Halloween party. I'm so excited!! I'm dressing up as a zombie nurse, can't wait! 

What's your favourite thing about fall? This is so easy, but I could pick thousands of things! I love the snug clothes, & accessories like snoods. I love nights in the warm with a film & hot chocolate. I love getting excited for Christmas & buying presents. I love all the associated scents, like spices & cinnamon. I love the colours.Okay, I'll stop ;) 

I tag all you girls that love Autumn to do this tag :D Have a great weekend my lovelies! Jen xo

The Think Pink Tag

Many of you are probably already know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. The lovely Rachel from Blush & Brunch tagged me in her post 'The think pink tag', & what a lovely post it is! The aim is to raise awareness of the disease & spread the word over our little blogging community. So that is exactly what I'm going to do :)

Here are the rules for the tag...

1. Pick out your fave pink food, make-up, fashion, & random item.
2. Spread the message about breast cancer to a female friend/family in your life - the awareness, the symptoms, the checks, the healthy foods that help prevent the disease... anything or everything! 
3. Write a blog post about 1 & 2, linking back to Blush and Brunch. 
4. Tag 3 of your blogger girlfriends to do the same.

Here are my faves :) 

Food - This may be cheating a little as I guess they're red, but shh ;) .. pomegranates!! I love 'em. They've just came into season too :)  

Make-up - My Rimmel lippy by Kate Moss in shade 20. It's quite a vibrant pink, but I wore it to my graduation ball & love it!

Fashion - Cause I have blonde hair I tend to stay away from pink clothing. Blonde hair + pink clothes = Barbie lookalike! But I do have a pink Topshop hoody that I love to wear when I'm lazing around the house.

Random - How pretty is that blossom?! I love this time of year when all the trees change colour & begin to fall. Just so pretty :D

Now for the serious stuff.. I figured instead of writing an essay on breast cancer & all it's factors, I would write just a few lines on one of things I think are most important... early diagnosis. As a biomedical scientist I'm very familiar with cancers & their progression. & breast cancer, like many other cancers, have a better outcome when they are detected early. So I found these little steps for us to all stay in tune with our boobs!

1. Know what is normal to you!
2. Look & feel your breasts (inc. upper chest & armpits too).
3. Know what changes to look for (lumps, pain, dimpling of skin, change is shape/position of nippes, swelling under armpit).
4. Report any changes without delay to your GP.
5. Make sure you attend breast screening if you're over 50. 

I hope you guys liked this post & it's been informative :) Such a great cause! 

I tag... Jen from It's a Blondes Life!, Rach from RivaSoave & Helen from Helen Rambles On.

Have a good weekend girlies!! Jen xo 

How much does my face cost? | Tag

I've seen this tag on soo many blogs, & it's always so shocking to see how much us girlies spend on our everyday make-up! So, I thought I'd give it a go..although I am a little nervous!!

Below is a picture of my everyday make-up, give or take. Some days I might use a different eyeshadow, or lipstick, but it pretty much stays the same.

& here's what I use to get the look...

I'll list the products now (in order of application) & how much they cost. Ahh, I'm scared!!

• The porefessional primer by Benefit - £23.50
• Hello flawless foundation by Benefit - £24.50
• Boi-ing concealer by Benefit - £16.50
• Loose powder by No7 - £11
• Bronzer/blush blend by Miners Cosmetics - £4.99
• Hervana blush by Benefit - £23.50
• Brow palette by HD Brows - £19.95
• Big beautiful eye kit by Benefit - £24.50
• Eyebrow shaper & highlighter by Soap & Glory - £8
• Sexy pulp mascara by Yves Rocher - £16.90
• Lip balm by EOS - £5.95
• Modesty by MAC - £14

Total - £193.29

OH MY DAYS! I really didn't think it would total that much :| I'm not sure what to say, haha. I guess it comes to that because I'm quite a fan of Benefit, & unfortunately for me Benefit's a tad expensive. This doesn't even include the brushes I use to apply all this with...

Ahh well, c'est la vie!!

I tag you all to do this! Lemme know how much your cost too. Hopefully it will make me feel a little better, haha.

Jen xo

Photo 411 | Tag

I first saw this post on Jen's blog & thought it was soo cute! I love looking at old photos & reminiscing, so I thought I'd give it a go :)

Here's what you have to do... Oh, & feel free to join in! Lemme know if you do, so I can have a nosey ;)

1. Your Little Tyke Self - you as an infant/toddler/child
2. Your High School Self - duh
3. Your College Self - if you didn't go to college get creative
4. Your Right Now Self - a recent picture of yourself
5. Your Furry Friend - your real pet or what you'd die to have as a pet
6. Your Manly Friend - boyfriend/husband/gay bff/celeb crush
7. Where You Once Lived - a place you no longer live in
8. Where You Now Live - wherever your butt currently resides
9. What You Love - self explanatory
10. What You Miss - could be anything!

1. My little tyke self. I was probably about 2 here, aww bless :) 1993?

2. My high school self. I don't have many pics from school, cause my silly computer crashed & deleted everything in it's path. This is a picture of us before we went to our year 11 prom. (I'm 2nd from left). I was 15! 2007.

3. Your college self. This is me at college in the UK, so a little different (& younger) than college in America - I think? Here we are in Yorkshire on a field trip. This is actually where I met my current boyfriend :) I was 16. 2008.

4. Your right now self. This is me & my little sis on a night out for my 21st  (she'd recently turned 18 too, aww) before we'd met everybody. This was taken about 2 weeks ago :) 2012. 

5. Your furry friend(s). These are my boys. I love them dearrrrrrrrrrrrrly! Even though I am allergic to the little muts! Bad times. 2011. 

6. Your manly friend. This is me & marr fella last year when we went to visit my uni friend down in Torquay. We're at Kent's cavern, which is a bunch of scary caves! ..hence why I'm looking a little on edge, haha! 2011. 

7. Where you once lived. Because my old man was in the army I made my entrance into this world over in Germany. I lived their for about 3 years I think, before coming home to England :) 

8. Where you now live. I live on the outskirts of beautiful Birmingham. Or not so beautiful... but I love it here :) 



9. What you love. I recently went on holiday with my parents & sister to New York & San Francisco. It was uhhhh-mazing!! I loved it. I am deffo saving my pennies & going again. This photo is me & my sister in times square, New York :) 2012. 

10. What you miss. My uni girls!! So so much :( Heck, I don't miss doing uni work, but I miss living with these girlies. 2012. 



Aww, that was a nice post! Haha :) Feel free to tag along!!

Jen xo

10 day you challenge | 1 picture

Ahh, the last day of the 10 day challenge! I quite enjoyed writing these posts, & talking about something other than make-up & nails! I hope you enjoyed reading them too :D

So, the last day is one picture of yourself. The picture I've chosen isn't just of me. I picked one of the professional photos taken at the start of my graduation ball. Unfortunately not all my uni pals are in this but I love it, such a good night! :) (Just for the record - I'm 2nd in from the left!).



Aww :)

Jen xox

10 day you challenge | 2 songs

This is soo hard. My fave songs change all the time, & I don't have an all time fave. Hmmmm...

1. At the mo I think my fave is 212 by Azealia Banks. I love how naughty it is! & it reminds me of the girls at uni & our dutty grinding haha!
2. I'm quite liking Nicki Minaj at the mo. I really wanted to go see her in Birmingham but I'm so poor, boo! It's cheating, cause I'm not saying a specific song, but Minaj!

Only 1 left!

Jen xox

10 day you challenge | 3 films

Hmm it's quite hard to chose just 3 films. When I'm put on the spot my mind goes blank! So, I'll chose 3 that spring to mind.

1. Dead Man's Shoes. This film is amazzzzing. Highly recommend it. I love English thrillers like this, & Paddy Considine is amazing in it. There is, however, one thing I HATE about the film - the gas masks!  
2. Harry Brown. I'd say this film was in the same genre as Dead Man's Shoes. Basically - english, bit gangster, people get killed. Sorted. I love this film because Plan B & Michael Caine star in it! 
3. I'll go for a different type of film now... BRING IT ON! My all time favourite film whilst I was growing up. I use to (/still am) obsessed with cheerleading, dancing, all things girly etc. I could quote you this film, chants & all, word for word. Loserrr. 

Jen xox

10 day you challenge | 4 books

Only 4 to go! Today is 4 books. This will be a little harder for me, as I'm not much of a book worm.

1. 50 Shades of Grey. This book is absolutely everywhere! When I heard the hype I went on the search for it at my local shopping centre, but absolutely everywhere had sold out. This just made me even me curious, so I bought an electronic copy on my phone. Currently on chapter 6 - so far so good!
2. The  Intimate Diaries of a London Call Girl. I've read all of the books (3 I believe) & just love them! I thought the TV series was great too. 
3. Jacqueline Wilson. When I was younger I was obsessed with her books! I had so many, 2 of them were signed as well. 
4. Glamour. It definitely isn't a book, but it's the only other thing I'd read haha.

Hmm, they're the very best I could think of. Have any of you girls given into the Christian Grey hype?

Jen xox

10 day you challenge | 5 foods

This is so easy for me. The only food in the world I won't eat is baked beans. Urghh!

1. Yo! Sushi. I love love love this place! All my troubles disappear & a smile is on my face when I walk through these doors, haha. I love the concept with the conveyor belt, I love trying their different dishes. The only thing  don't love is the hefty bill!
2. Momma's chicken & broccoli bake. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
3. Pizza. Everybody loves pizza!
4. Wagamama. Oooh their katsu curry. Dream.
5. Sea food/shell fish. Calamari, muscles, cockles, prawns + 100s & 100s more!

My mouth is watering now. Thank God it's dinner time!

Jen xox

10 day you challenge | 6 places

So, I'm half way through the 10 day you challenge! Today is 6 places.

1. Nottingham. Where I went to uni & had the most amazing 3 years of my life. The best nights I'll never remember with people I'll never forget!
2. New York & San Francisco. This month I turn 21 & my sister turns 18! Big birthdays :D So my lovely parents are taking us away to the US for a joint birthday present. We fly on the 24th this month. How lucky are we?! I can't wait.
3. Yorkshire. Where I 1st met my lovely boyfriend. It was about 5 years ago now, on a college field trip.  We didn't get together there & then, but obviously are now :) 
4. Stourbridge. The place I call home!
5. Germany. Where I was born & spent the 1st 3 years of my life.
6. Cornwall. Where my parents, my sister & our dogs would go every summer for a holiday at the same caravan park. Good memories :) 

Aww that was nice, haha. Jen xox

10 day you challenge | 7 wants

Oooh, 7 wants - this will be easy!

1. I want my own little apartment with my boyfriend now I've finished uni. Unfortunately this won't be for a while yet.
2. I want somebody to give me a driving licence, haha. Maybe this isn't very safe though..?
3. I want the wholeeeee of the OPI collection!
4. I want to win the lottery!! I'd love to pay off my parents mortgage, help out my boyfriend & treat everybody to a holiday. Ahhh, if only...
5. I want a job that I love, pays wells & puts my degree to good use.
6. I want lots more lovely followers for my little blog haha. 
7. I want to be happy & feel confident with my body. 
8. I want to get drunk tonight ;) 

Jen xox

10 day you challenge | 8 fears

Today is 8 fears. Not the greatest thing to write about, but still! Here we go...

1. I hate hate hate gas masks & the air raid siren. They make me wanna run in the opposite direction!
2. I had a lot of trouble with a group of friends last year. & I fear that things will never change. 
3. Just like everybody else I fear any harm to my lovely loved ones. 
4. I'm nervous that I'll hate my daily routine once I get a job as a scientist. I am way too blonde to be a scientist!!?
5. I fear I'll always be allergic to dogs, cats, dust & that I'll always have impaired smell/taste & breathing! Arghhhhhhhhhhh.
6. I'm scared I won't be able to have babies. I have no issues or problems, but that would be awful wouldn't it?!
7. I'm scared of scary movies! Especially watching them on an evening or when my parents are away etc. Haha, whimp!
8. I'M SCARED I'M GONNA FALL OVER AT MY GRADUATION IN TWO WEEKS!

Lovely jubbly, 

Jen xox

10 day you challenge | 9 loves

The 2nd day of the challenge is 9 loves. These will be so easy to decide & lovely to write!

1. I love my little blog! It's still really new to me, so I still don't really know what I'm doing haha. But I am soo chuffed that people follow me & actually read what I have to say. It also keeps me sane when I'm bored too! 
2. I love love love my boyfriend, Scott. We have been together just under a year & a half. If I were to write down everything I wanted in a man, he has them all! & he helped me through sooo much last year. Can't thank him enough :)
3. This is a given, but I love my family. I have such a big family - so many aunts, uncles & cousins. They are all really easy going & are always up for a laugh. I also get on really well with my Mom & Dad, & couldn't be without them!
4. My doggies!! I love dogs soooo much, but unfortunately I'm allergic to them :( It doesn't stop me from loving them tho. I'm currently in the process of finding medication that works for me. Fingers crossed - I reaaaaally want a fat little bulldog when I have my own place!
5. My uni girls. These girls mean everything to me. I'm so sad I don't live with them any more, but it definitely isn't the end. We already have plans in August to visit each others home towns :)
6. I love food! Soo much, too much maybe. 
7. Retail therapy. There is nothing better than treating yourself to a little something every now & again. My favourite retail therapy has to be beauty products, casual clothes & bags!
8. My little part time job. I work in a bar every now & again when they need extra staff on special occasions, or need me to cover somebody. It's a gay friendly bar/club on my local high street. I absolutely love all the people I work with, including the managers, & think bar work is so much fun. It's also really funny to hear the various chat-up lines!
9. My last love is new experiences. I really love doing different things, going new places, trying new foods, etc. I will try anything once!

Join in on the challenge & leave a comment below. I'll be sure to check yours out :) 

Jen xox

10 day you challenge | 10 secrets

I love tags on peoples blogs & YouTube channels. I think it's really nice to get to know the people behind all of the hauls, reviews, OOTD etc! I recently saw this on both Rachael & Jen's blog & really enjoyed reading them. So, obviously I had to steal it :)

The image below pretty much explains all you have to do. So I'll get started :)

10 Secrets

1. I just finished a degree in Biomedical Science; which sounds all very clever & scary. But, all I want to do in life is have my own salon! 
2. Throughout my life I have lived in many many different houses, a few different counties & 2 different countries. This meant I never really settled anywhere & have no current friends that I grew up with. If I could change one thing about me growing up, it would be this.
3. I played with my Barbie dolls until an age that probably wasn't acceptable, haha! My obsession was to make them houses out of shoe boxes & old kitchen towels. (Just for the record - I don't play with them anywmore ;))
4. When I was younger Britney Spears was my absolute God, haha. She is the reason I first started highlighting my hair & I even use to dream she was my sister(!!). 
5. The TV programme Man vs Food is so gross it really should put me off my food. But, it does the opposite - my mouth waters like crazy. Mmmm, food. 
6. My Granddad leaves me little white feathers everywhere I go, to remind me he's looking down on me :) 
7. I've always been such a massive geek! When I was in primary school I even wrote to Nasa telling them the reasons why I didn't believe that they'd been to the moon, & told them their video footage was a massive scam. Haha, who do I think I am!?
8. On my 12th birthday I completed my 3000m swimming badge. When I got out the water my legs stopped working! I fell to the floor & just cried, haha blesssssss. 
9. I still have my teddy bear on my bed now that I was given the day I was born! 
10. I am terrified of gas masks & that horrible air raid siren :(

So there you! I hope you enjoyed reading my little secrets :) 

Feel free to join in the challenge! 

Jen xox

This or that beauty tag!

A few days ago I saw a beauty this or that tag of RivaSoave blog (found here). So I thought I'd steal it & try out my own answers. Hope you find it at least a little interesting :) 


Make-up
1. Blusher or Bronzer? Blusher, every time. I have quite fair skin so I get scared I will get bronzer happy & look silly! I think there is a blusher for every skin type/colour. I'm currently using Benefit's Sugarbomb.
2. Lipgloss or Lipstick? I would usually alllways say lipgloss. But, having recently bought one of the Kate Moss lipsticks from her Rimmel range I think I may be converting...?!
3. Lip Balm or Lip Butter? Lip balm. I don't think I've actually tried a lip butter before. My favourite lib balm is the Nivea rose. It smells absolutely amaaazing & has a lovely pink tint to it for everyday wear.
4. Matt or sparkle eye shadow? I much prefer matte for daytime wear, but everybody loves a little sparkle on the evening :)
5. Eye Liner or Mascara? If it was life or death I think I'd say... mascara. Much easier to apply & brightens my eyes up loads. Without it I look a little dead!
6. Gel, Liquid or Cream Liner? I recently received one of the Collection gel eyeliners in a beauty box. I find it soo easy to apply & it has great staying power. Definitely gel :)
7. Foundation or Concealer? Foundation. A great all over coverage does me fine.
8. Liquid or Powder foundation? I'm currently using a mouse, so undecided between liquid & powder!
9. Neutral or Colour Eye Shadow? Neutral, I love a brown smokey eye look. Hoping for one of the Naked palettes by Urban Decay for my birthday :)
10. Pressed or Loose Shadows? Pressed. Loose shadow makes me wayy too nervous when opening & applying, haha.
11. Waterproof or Non-Waterproof? I've never really understood the need for water proof mascara :S Thankfully, I've never been in a situation where water, such as rain, has caused my mascara to run. So non-waterproof.
12. Brushes or Sponges? Brushes :) I really don't have very many, but would love more!
13. Powder, Cream or Liquid Highlighter? Liquid. Am loving the Benefit high beam. It does the job perfectly & the bottle lasts for so long! 

Nails
1. OPI or Essie? OPI. I love their range & the quality of the polish!
2. Acrylic or Natural? I had acrylic nails for sooo long. I absolutely loved them; their strength, length & the wide variety of nail art available. However, due to a lack of student pennies I couldn't afford to keep getting them maintained. After a long period of applying various nail strengtheners & cuticle oils I now much prefer my own (cheaper!) natural nails.
3. Brights or Darks? Usually brights. Although, I am currently sporting Topshop's Lead, which I love!
4. Matte or Shiny? Hmm, I'm not so sure. I love both!
5. Glitter or No Glitter? I loveeee glitter polishes, but they are such a pain to get off. I couldn't be bothered (lazy...) with applying glitter every time, but for special occasions they ate nice :) 

Body
1. Perfume or Body Splash? Perfume. My favourites are Marc Jacobs - Daisy & Lola. Dreaaaam!
2. Lotion or Body Butter? Body butter. There is nothing better than a thick, creamy body butter after a shower :)
3. Body wash or Soap? Body wash
4. Tan or No Tan? I love having a tan but I find them such a pain to maintain. I don't mind so much in the winter, but for the summer - definitely tan :) 


Jen xox