Looking forward to using these Facial Radiance Pads from First Aid Beauty // 10 weeks until I marry this man! // New layout on Lost In Lipstick // Homemade Chicken Quinoa Balti Curry
Rachel x
Sunday 25 May 2014
Saturday 24 May 2014
A is for Animals
Recently, I read about Alphabet Dating online and I really liked the sound of it. For those who haven't heard of it, the idea is to plan a date centred around each letter of the alphabet. Recently, Rory and I haven't been on that many dates as we're saving for our wedding and honeymoon, but when we do, we usually go out for a meal. We both wanted to start making our dates a bit more fun again like when we first met. To start us off, I really wanted to go to Chester Zoo so this turned into date number 1 - A is for Animals. Here are a few pictures of our lovely day.
Rachel x
Sunday 18 May 2014
My Week In Instagram Pictures - Week 20
McBusted in Manchester! // Wedding DIY - not sure if we will have these or not yet // The sun has got his hat on, hip hip hip hooray! // Fun in the sun!
New top and new necklace :) // Bora Bora tea in The Mystery Tea House in Preston // Chocolate cake in The Mystery Tea House // My haul from The Body Shop
Rachel x
Friday 16 May 2014
Home Bargains' New Wedding Range
With just 11 weeks till our wedding day, the only things we have left to do are the finishing touches. Luckily for brides and grooms who are planning a wedding, especially on a budget, Home Bargains have released a wedding range and I have to say I'm pretty impressed with the quality. The range isn't available online so I haven't been able to provide links. It's exclusive to stores and is for sale in store now.
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| Mr & Mrs Hanging Wooden Plaque £1.29* |
I love this wooden plaque; it's the perfect size. I've not decided where I could hang it at our wedding venue yet but I will definitely be hanging it somewhere in our house after the big day! It will look perfect hung on a wall or door handle. I'm not sure our wedding venue would be happy if we start hammering nails into the wall! Also there aren't really any suitable door handles which we could use. Maybe we could hang it somewhere near the bar area.
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| Wedding Horseshoe £3.99* |
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| Wedding Horseshoe £3.99* |
I've seen so many brides holding a horseshoe in their wedding photographs lately; it's great to see the good luck charm making a return. This would make the ideal gift for someone you know that is getting married and it's a great way of wishing a couple good luck on their wedding day as well as the rest of their lives together. It would make a fantastic keepsake that can be treasured forever.
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| Mr & Mrs Wedding Twin Mug Set £2.99* |
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| Mr & Mrs Wedding Twin Mug Set £2.99* |
I adore these Mr & Mrs mugs. I think I may have actually squealed when I saw them! Again, these would make a fantastic gift to a newly married couple. I cannot wait to have a cup of tea out of my Mrs mug when we're Mr & Mrs! I may take them to the venue so we can use them the following morning! Maybe I'll toast the wedding with them...!
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| Wedding Gift Box £1.99* |
Although this is sold as a gift box, it could be used as wedding memento box. When my sister got married, she kept her garter, wedding cards, etc in her box and it's great to look back and remember your special day. It would be perfect if it was given to a couple as a gift box, containing their gift and then it can be reused as a memento box.
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| Birdcage Tealight Holder Small £2.49 Large £2.99* |
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| Birdcage Tealight Holder Small £2.49 Large £2.99* |
Everyone is obsessed with birdcages lately and I completely understand why! They're so pretty. Home Bargains have some beautiful contenders with a cute glass bird on top. These would look amazing on tables at a wedding, either as a centrepiece or something additional. At these prices you could even afford to feature two on each table! Unfortunately, Rory isn't keen on birdcages (silly male!) so this one has pride of place in my living room!
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| Napkins 89p* |
These are so cute and would go with any colour scheme. We don't need to provide napkins at our wedding venue but these will be saved for a special occasion. Maybe a summer BBQ?! If you're providing your own catering or maybe holding your wedding in a marquee, these would be perfect!
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| Photo Album £1.49 (Holds 200 photos)* |
I love that this photo album is plain as it can be easily customised. It holds 200 photos which is a lot of photos from a wedding so maybe it could hold your engagement shoot and wedding or wedding and honeymoon or all three! I'm still undecided whether I'm going to include a disposable camera on each table, but if I do, I'm definitely going to include those in here! Including the shots of the floor taken by my 5 year old niece!
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| Candle Cup & Saucer £1.99* |
How adorable is this! This would also be perfect featured on your tables. Or maybe even as a wedding favour as they are fairly inexpensive. I don't ever want to burn this as it is so cute! Although afterwards, the cup could be cleaned and turned into an espresso cup or something.
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| Scatter Crystals £1.99* |
At our wedding we are having mirrored bases in the centre of the table. I think these will look gorgeous scattered on top so the light will catch the crystals and the mirror. My sister had crystals at her wedding and at the end of the night I picked up a handful, which I still have three years later. They are an inexpensive way to add glitz and sparkle to your wedding day.
What is your favourite item from the Home Bargains' wedding range?
Rachel x
*PR Sample
Wednesday 14 May 2014
March Empties
L'Oreal Skin Perfection Micellar Solution // Simple Eye Make Up Remover // Vichy Normaderm Purifying Pore-tightening Lotion // Evo The Great Hydrator Moisture Mask // The Body Shop Shea Shower Cream // Impulse Body Spray in Tease // Rimmel Sun Shimmer Bronzing Compact Powder in Light Matte // Collection Illuminating Touch Concealer // Collection Colour Lash Mascara in Clear // Atrixo Enriched Hand Cream
L'Oreal Skin Perfection Micellar Solution - I picked this up shortly after it first came out but didn't get around to using it for a while as I had another Micellar Water on the go. I didn't dislike it but I didn't love it either. I have tried several different brands of Micellar Water and my favourite is definitely Bioderma Sebium H2O Micelle Solution. One thing I actually hated about this product is that far too much came out on my cotton wool pad which is a massive waste. There needs to be some kind of filter. I recently picked up Garnier's Micellar Water so I will let you know what I think of that.
Simple Eye Make Up Remover - Years and years of repurchasing. I think maybe I should take out shares in Simple - I pick a new one up every month! If it's not broken, why fix it or however the saying goes! This does the job and it actually does a darn good job or removing mascara, eyeliner and eyeshadow with miminal irritation to my sensitive eyes.
Vichy Normaderm Purifying Pore-tightening Lotion - Along with Vichy Normaderm Deep Cleansing Purifying Gel, I picked up this toner. I used them together morning and evening for about two months, until they ran out. I know it takes a while for your skin to 'change' but after two months I was expecting to see some kind of difference but I didn't. My skin didn't change at all. Not in texture. Not in the amount of spots I had. Not in appearance (pores). Nothing. Maybe it's a positive that my skin didn't get worse but I want my skincare to improve my skin.
Evo The Great Hydrator Moisture Mask - Aimed at dry, frizzy and coloured treated hair, this is the perfect mask for my hair. I used this mask about once a week and applied it to the ends of my hair, leaving it on for about 5 minutes before rinsing. It left my hair feeling smooth, conditioned and moisturised without weighing it down. The mask is also enriched with UV protectors which mean your hair is protected in the harsh sunlight. This will keep your hair feeling conditioned and healthy while preventing your colour from fading. Bonus! I may repurchase this for the warmer summer months to protect my hair, especially in Mexico!
The Body Shop Shea Shower Cream - I used to shop at The Body Shop loads when I was a teenager but for no reason what so ever, I stopped shopping there. Recently, I have fallen in love again. The Shea range is a classic and rightly so. The scent is pleasant but not too overpowering. This shower cream is soap free but it still lathers enough for anybody that enjoys a good lather in the shower! As this is a cream, rather than a gel, it is extremely moisturising. I didn't feel the need to moisturise after showering but I don't suffer from dry skin.
Impulse Body Spray in Tease - I'm not sure I can add anything else about this body spray that I've not already said in a previous empties post. I use one of these every month as they're cheap and cheerful! I like the scent and it's perfect to just throw in my handbag. As I've mentioned previously, I use it for work as I work in a school and I don't want to waste my perfume.
Rimmel Sun Shimmer Bronzing Compact Powder in Light Matte - I have been using this bronzer for years and years. There is nothing wrong with it; it does the job. I will probably repurchase the light matte version again in the future but for now, the time has come for a change! More on the new contender in a future blog post but up to now, I do prefer it. Sometimes, the Rimmel bronzer can appear 'dirty' if I accidentally put too much on where as my new bronzer doesn't.
Collection Illuminating Touch Concealer - As I've said before, I use this as an under eye concealer to hide an dark circles and it helps to brighten my eye area and make me look more alert! I prefer using this as an under eye concealer than the Lasting Perfection concealer as it is light and easy to blend. I find the Lasting Perfection Concealer to thick for under the eye and it can crease.
Collection Colour Lash Mascara in Clear - This is a clear mascara but it does a fantastic job of being my eyebrow gel and it's only £1.99! I only keep mine for two months as it looks disgusting and the thought of using it any longer makes me feel sick! It claims to contain proteins which I presume would help thicken and lengthen your eyelashes when used as a mascara. My eyebrows were already pretty wild and the past few months they have become out of control! I'm having to have them waxed more often! So if you're looking to grow your eyebrows or eyelashes, I definitely recommend it!
Atrixo Enriched Hand Cream - Have I ever mentioned that I am obsessed with hand cream?! I used to purchase this hand cream from Bodycare when I was at uni as it was cheap and is a pretty good hand cream. Since leaving uni (almost 5 years ago!!! WHAT?!) I haven't shopped in Bodycare as there isn't one local but I spotted it on offer in Boots/Superdrug one week and bought one for nostalgic reasons. It's a great hand cream which nourishes your hands without being greasy.
Rachel x
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Tuesday 13 May 2014
My Week In Instagram Pictures - Week 19
Cocktails at TGI Friday's Burger Blind Date // Round 2! // Blind Date style menu // Contestant #4 won me over!
Contestant #4 was delicious so our affair didn't last long! // Cheeky Saturday Night Domino's // Perfect Sunday afternoon - Vogue, herbal tea and tulips // McBusted!
Rachel x
Thursday 8 May 2014
My Week In Instagram Pictures - Week 18
Love the Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Wash // Oh Siri, you comedian! // Our engagement photoshoot <3 // Delicious Belgium Waffle with Sticky Toffee Sauce and Butterscotch Ice Cream
Addicted to this song! // Steak & Ale Pie with Mash and Vegetables // Maltesers Cheesecake // Cute fact about Penguins
Rachel x
Lost In Lipstick
Saturday 3 May 2014
Tenerife 2014
If you don't know from Twitter or Instagram, last month I went to Tenerife for a week. I went with six of my closest friends and it was for my hen do/girlie holiday as we hadn't all been on holiday together. We stayed in Playa de Las Americas. I love looking at people's holiday photos so I thought I would share some snaps from Tenerife. As you can see, I enjoyed lots of cocktails and a Strawberry Daiquiri has made it's way to the top of my list of favourite cocktails. I had a fantastic time and we went to Siam Park and Loro Parque while we were there. Siam Park is an amazing water park, our hotel was so close to the park and we had a great day. Loro Parque is an awesome animal kingdom which is situated in the North of Tenerife. The Orca and Dolphin shows were out of this world! I definitely recommend both parks if you go to Tenerife.
For our honeymoon, Rory and I are going to Mexico so I will definitely be taking loads of pictures to share with you. I'm thinking of doing a review of the hotel too as I have never stayed in an all inclusive hotel before. I would have done a review of the hotel we stayed at in Tenerife but I didn't take any photos so it wouldn't make a very good review!
Rachel x
