Wednesday 2 October 2013

The Joys of... | TKMAXX


Recently I have been drawn into the depths of my local TKMaxx where all of the bath and beauty bargains can be found and I have found a surprisingly large amount of reasonably reduced goodies - so many that I felt it had to be shared in a haul type of way.

My first find was the Elizabeth Arden Maximum Volume Mascara in Black. I generally wear waterproof mascara as my eyes have a tendency to water throughout the day, however I have found that when wearing this it doesn't smudge and last for a whole day out. It really separates my lashes, however I wouldn't say it adds any more thickness than other mascaras do. The wand is very generic but does the job intended. For a mascara that is usually over $19, the fractional price I paid (sorry I lost the receipt so can't give you how much I paid, but it was definitely under £10) makes the purchase even better :)


I also managed to come across two different face products. My most exciting find was a Physicians Formula Pressed Powder in Peach Nude. This was only £4.99 and with the brand hard to find in the UK I thought it would be silly to not grab it. The powder has a mosaic look to it and when applied has very little tone which makes it great for touch ups during the day. My second 'face' product was a Stila Perfecting Foundation Stick in shade B. This product has been discontinued so I can't find out how much it originally was, however I managed to pick it up in a set along with two eyeshadows and a eyeshadow refillable compact for around £12. Either this had been packaged wrong or I found a complete bargain. It isn't the greatest product and I have generally used it when I am in a rush in the mornings as a quick cover up, but for such a small price I am not going to complain.


My Stila finds then continued into the realms of eyeshadow. Over a couple of visits I managed to find 3 different eyeshadows along with 3 compacts. As they were in sets I can't give you an exact price but if a single eyeshadow pan usually costs $18, I am certain I saved at least $15 if not more on each eyeshadow. The 3 colours I found were Illimani - a  matte dark rusty red/brown, Oasis - a shimmery light gold, and Makalu - a matte black (I am not sure if any of these have been discontinued or how readily available they are). For the prices I paid I can't believe my luck!

Finally, I was drawn into the nail polish and managed to find 3 Deborah Lippmann Nail Varnishes in Through the Fire, Billionaire and Glitter in the Air for £18. At between £10-£15 usually this was a bargain! Through the Fire is a brilliant Christmas red colour, Billionaire is a dark khaki green and Glitter in the Air is a light blue top coat with blue and pink glitter flakes. All three are colours which are unique to my collection and I am really pleased with this find!


Have any of you found any good beauty finds in TKMaxx? Obviously, stocks differ between different stores and many of these purchases have been made over the last few months, but if there have been this many things recently then I see no reason for there not to be many more! Enjoy your shopping!!

Friday 6 September 2013

Summer Goals #3


Another month has gone already! .. Why is my summer disappearing so quickly? Since my last post I have managed to get away for a week on a family holiday and I have received my dreaded A level results! But more on that another day!

This month only consisted of 4 goals... as I drew a blank when trying to decide on a fifth!

1) Exercise more: Well having a pool in the hotel I stayed in really helped this and I was swimming lots! Swimming is something I have always loved and is my preferred form of exercise - it's a shame the pool near me is horrible!

2) Save money: I was fortunate enough to be able to move all of my waitressing pay this month into my savings account as I have been frugal recently and had enough left in my bank to last me the rest of the holidays *fingers crossed*

3) Spontaneity: I'm not sure what to write for this one. I have had a great month and therefore even though I am sure I have been spontaneous, it hasn't been at the fore front of my mind! 

4) Nails: These are looking longer than last month when they were trashed from extreme pot washing! (oh joy!) I am pleased with them at the moment and just need to get them shaped


I feel rather positive about all of those! (If I do say so myself). Although I do have some summer left I am going to leave this 'series' behind (Unless of course you would like to see more similar posts??) and replace it with a Uni related monthly update which I will be posting soon! 


Tuesday 23 July 2013

Summer Goals #2

A tad late (although I am thinking monthly is going to be a better schedule for these types of posts!), but with a busy week working at Henley Regatta and a few last minute trips to the sea-side I haven't had much time to think about set goals - and have enjoyed just being spontaneous! So.. with the bad but truthful excuses out of the way here is my feedback on my goal setting.


 1) Exercise daily : I have improved from complete lack of during exams with dog walks with friends and strolls down the beach but honestly I haven't kept to any strict routine - bad Milly

2) Read : I love reading and always have done. In the past 4 weeks I have completed a book - post to come - and have re-read Chamber of Secrets (my go-to down time/de-stress book. Nerdy, I know) I know this doesn't seem much but with whole week taken up by 15 hour shifts I am not that disappointed!

3) Healthy Eating : Well this one is complicated. I have given in and bought meal deals but only for good reasons when there was no way I could have made anything better. On the other hand when I have been making meals I have been cooking from scratch and have really enjoyed spending time eating food I have made myself. (If you want to hear any recipes I have been using then do say!)

4) Housework : Being home it is quite easy for this goal to be achieved, i've done what i can when it has been needed to - housework is boring so I won't go on about it anymore!

5) Saving : I have had a lot of random days out in the last 4 weeks so haven't saved as much as I would have hoped, however I have been working a lot more so most of my income next month will be going straight into saving. :) 

So, there we go.. not to bad although I know there is a lot that needs improving. Here's to next months goals!



1) Exercise more... (I think this one is going to be constant)

2) Save money ... (again another constant goal)

3) Be more spontaneous!

4) Grow my nails. This is a constant problem I have and with so much work I haven't been able to paint my nails and have lost incentive to care for them. I love them when they are a bit longer and want to get them back to that stage

5) I can't think of another goal at the moment so will possibly edit one in if I do think of one :) 

5 more(ish)... 1 more month. Lets see how it goes! 


Friday 12 July 2013

Day Out #1... | Goodwood Festival of Speed 2013


Lifestyle post - YAY! These are by far my favourite kind of post to read and after having a wonderful day out yesterday I thought it would be suitable to make it into a blog post.

Goodwood Festival of Speed is held every year and showcases many different types of cars and motorbikes, from the old classics to the new Formula 1 Cars and many other cars more suitable for everyday use! Although I know near to nothing about cars and don't have the desire to really understand how they work due to the fear of it scaring me off of driving, it was still a great day out - made better by the continuing heatwave England is being graced with at the moment.

By going on the Thursday it meant that we managed to get in for free, however there was no racing taking place on the hill climb track. Nevertheless, all of the cars were still there on show and who doesn't like admiring shiny cars! If I could, I would name some of the cars we saw, however all I know is that the car pictured into the bottom left was very shiny and the most unique looking Peugeot I have ever seen! Who would have thought they could also be the manufacturers of the rather less wonderful Peugeot 106!

Another highlight to the day was discovering a new flavour of Pimm's! On the can it looks very intriguing - who would have thought that Blackberry and Elderflower would fit in with the fruits and flavours unusually associated with Pimm's. However, it was surprisingly good and I would wholeheartedly recommend it being tried over the original Pimm's flavour - even if just to add something a little different to hot summer evenings!

Well, if you came here for a low-down on cars and their specs I am sorry that you have been disappointed but if you are after tips for good days out in and around West Sussex/Surrey/the South I would really recommend visiting any of the events at Goodwood.

Hope you are all having good summers!





Tuesday 25 June 2013

Summer Goals #1...

It's now been a week since my exams have finished and it still hasn't dawned on me yet that I am free! (Maybe it's the constant anxiety of where I will end up come September!) With this summer giving me so much free time I have tried to set about doing productive and helpful things, for example I have volunteered at my local library to help with their summer reading challenge and I am also spending a week in London working with other volunteers on renovating a Cathedral.

But so far this is all I have planned - no holidays, no days out, nothing at all - and I am starting to feel a little lost and scared at the prospect of ending up cooped up inside all summer! So with the help of this blog I am going to set myself goals to achieve things this summer, whether it relates to health, weight, housework, money etc. I will then try to *fingers crossed* write a post every week (maybe fortnight) explaining what I have achieved/completed!





1) Exercise daily... even if it is only a little bit

2) Read as many books as possible

3) Eat healthily, cut out sugar as much as possible and NO MORE MEAL DEALS!

4) Do as much as I can around the house (the dishwasher always needs unloading!)

5) Make sure money gets saved...


Well there are going to be my 5 goals set for now.. I am sure I will be adding more specific ones as the summer continues... Hopefully by writing these down I will feel more obliged to stick to them!

Well that's it for now.. feel free to join in if you want - it is always nice to have a supportive community - and I will be back in a week to report on how it is all going!

Monday 10 June 2013

30 Day Snap - Week #1...

Being addicted to Louise and her blog Sprinkle of Glitter I thought it would be apt if I took part in her 30 day snap challenge. However I am going to partake slightly differently. Due to exams I do not have the time to upload everyday, so have decided to do a weekly photo update instead, which will include snaps I have taken throughout the week. This way I can still take photos, but not have to keep up with such a speedy schedule!! 





Day 1: I revised all day in the sun today, it was lovely. This was the view I had from where I was sitting. My Dad whitewashed his shed last summer and over the winter the older grey/blue paint has come through making the shed look so shabby chic-esque. Finger crossed this sun holds out!

Day 2: Revision all day but I had a break for a game of croquet. Last summer we found a really old wooden set when we were clearing out my Great Great Aunties house and whenever the sun is out we set it up on the flattest part of our garden! PS. that is my sister sporting a dashing giraffe onesie!

Day 3: My inside desk (well actually my Dad's but it is quieter in this part of the house) for when it gets a little too windy to revise outside. The painting is one of my Dad's and I absolutely love it - I have another one in my bedroom. I think I was revising English Literature at this point - hence the procrastinating photo taking!

Day 4: Due to stress my nail biting habit has come back! But hopefully after painting my nails this lovely lilac I should stop! *fingers-crossed* This nail polish is by Ciate in the colour Purple Sherbet, I think I got it in a magazine last summer on a trip to London!


Day 5: I made myself an iced tea this morning to aid the revision process. I used Darjeeling and mixed it with honey, apply juice and a little bit of lemonade! I added the frozen berries due to lack of ice but I think it ended up adding to the taste. I took inspiration from a post by GEMSMAQUILLAGE

Day 6: I had 2 exams today so didn't have the chance to even think about taking any photos. This photo is from a couple of weeks ago but I love the content so much I needed to share it with you all! These cute little rubbers I found in a stationary shop called Blott. They have pieces which can be taken apart and are probably aimed at much younger children! I think they are so adorable and gave some to my friends in one of the classes as a little lucky charm for our exams! :)

Day 7: I had my last exam of the week today! Only 2 more to go now. When I got home my sister and I  sat around in the garden relaxing and took a few photos!

To fill in the gap in the last half of the week I have decided to include a quote which represents how the week has gone. With revision getting me down and becoming such a chore I turned to google to find a suitable quote. This is a Dumbledore quote (many of my favourite quotes come from his speeches in Rowling's books) and to me sums up how revision should be looked at - especially when a wall has been hit. Take from it what you will but to me I think it suits my mood!

I hope you have all had a great week and are enjoying all of these photos. Do leave links to your own blogs if you have been following the 30 Day Snap - I would love to see what you have all been up to!


Wednesday 17 April 2013

Spring 2013 Nail Picks...

Spring is finally here and I think some celebration is in order. Spring must be the best time of the year, especially when the sun decides to make an appearance. It means cute lambs in the fields, an abundance of daffodils and primroses and for a nail lover like me - an end to the months of dark and gloomy nail polishes.
(photos courtesy of We Heart It - lamb, daffodils)

With the last few days being unusually sunny I thought it was about time to put winter nail polishes into a box and bring out my brighter and more summery feeling nail polishes and I've decided to share my favourite with you, in the hopes that I will inspire you to also 'spring clean' your nail varnish collection!

(Ciate Purple Sherbet, Barry M Mint Green, Essie Cute as a Button, Rimmel Pro Urban Purple)

This spring I have definitely been drawn towards the pastel shades that have been adorning the shelves of Boots and Superdrug, with the pinky/purple shades becoming a go-to colour. My favourite pastel colours at the moment are both fairly old nail polishes, which have been well loved. The mint green is one of my most worn Barry M Nail Paints as it has such a fresh, light feel to it. It is also one of the only Barry M Nail Paints I own that hasn't gone really gloopy and thick - another bonus. although this does mean that, unlike other Barry M Nail Paints, this colour does need a few coats before it is opaque. 


The other pastel colour which has made it to my Spring Picks is Ciate's Purple Sherbet. I absolutely love this colour and as my first high end nail polish purchase i think i should! Although it again takes a couple of coats before it is opaque - which I think might be common with lighter colours - once opaque it is the most perfect light purple shade and does remind me of sweets. For trips to the beach or summery days out I would highly recommend giving this nail polish, or a similar light purple a go!


Although pastels sum up Spring perfectly there are still some brighter colours which I love to wear at this time of the year. My two favourite at the moment are Essie Cute as a Button and Rimmel Pro Urban Purple. These two colours are my go to pink shades. Cute as a Button is a well known Essie shade and is a perfect inbetween coral shade as well as having the benefits of lasting a good few days on my nails. The Rimmel nail polish is a slightly darker colour than I would usually go for by Spring but the deep colour (I can't decide whether it is a red, pink or purple) fits the bill for those overcast Spring afternoons. 

So there it is, my roundup of my favourite colours for this spring. I hope I have managed to inspire some of you.

What are your favourite spring colours?

Milly
xx