My Favourite Autumn/Winter Outfit

Hi guys! Now that we are well into autumn/winter here in the UK, it is very hard to decide on what to wear as the weather can be so temperamental. One minute it can be freezing cold and the next, mild and sunny. With that in mind, I thought that today I would share with you one of my favourite outfits to wear at the moment. I haven't done a fashion related blog post in quite a while now and so I thought that it would be a nice change! 

Here is a list of what I am wearing. If the items are still available in store or online, I will link them below.

Beanie hat: H&M
Denim jacket: Topshop

Necklace: New Look

Crop top: Topshop
Disco pants: Missguided
Shoes: Converse 

I hope that you have enjoyed this post and that it has given you some inspiration as to what to wear in the up and coming months. Please let me know if you would like me to do more fashion-related posts as I really enjoy making them. Thank you :)

The Next Chapter Of My Life

This year I have really struggled with picking a potential career and I came to a dead end. However, after seeing my good friend Sydney complete the same course this time last year, I decided to partake in a three day intensive nail course. I agree that on the surface this may seem like a rather superficial and shallow career to pursue, what with it being part of the health & beauty career field, but there is a method to my madness. I have simply decided to do something that I enjoy, as I am very girly and love all things beauty-related. I have been that person who has been stuck in a dead end job that made me miserable and I do not want to go back there again. 

Some people have said to me that they think that I can do better career wise because I was always quite bright and studious at school, however, I am a firm believer that we can all express our intelligence in different ways. We do not necessarily have to have fantastic, high-paid jobs to be deemed as intelligent. For instance, I like to write and I get great satisfaction out of that, which is why I have my own blog where I can express myself and showcase my passion for writing etc. So, in my eyes, I do not need to be some fancy lawyer or a doctor to be successful in life. 

The skills I learnt on the course include manicures, pedicures and acrylic nails. I also learnt a lot about nail preparation, hand & foot massage, as well as how to use all the relevant tools in my kit. This may not sound like a lot to some but the techniques and stages in completing this course were extremely complex. As you can imagine, I am not a fully fledged nail technician after a mere three days of education. It is going to take me a long time to perfect all of these skills and the only way I will be able to do that is by practicing on my friends and family (which I am sure they will enjoy as they will be getting it all for free to start with!)

Although it may not sound like a big deal to some, I am extremely proud of my achievement over the past three days. It actually took me a lot of guts and courage to go after something that I really wanted because I was so scared of doing so, due to the fact  that I do not have a lot of confidence in myself and I am incredibly scared of failing. The course was far from what I expected but in a good way. Now, I am really looking forward to building up my knowledge and potentially making this into a career for myself. I really feel like this is the next chapter for me. After being out of work for quite a while now, I finally feel like I am slowly but surely getting back on track. In a nutshell, I am just hoping that this course will enable me to start a fresh and to give me something to be proud of doing in during 2013.

Boots 3 For 2 Lip Care Review

Hi guys! I thought that today I would carry on the theme from my previous post (My Top 5 Favourite Lipsticks) which is lip care. Whilst shopping in my local Boots yesterday, I came across an offer that I just couldn't resist- 3 for 2 on lip care! Now that the English weather has taken a serious turn for the worse, it is feeling more and more like autumn/winter every day. With that in mind, I thought I would prepare for the season of dry lips and stock up on some top quality lip balms. Boots have a lot of amazing deals on at the moment including 3 for 2 on skincare, body care, indulgent bathing, self tan, vitamins and No 7. So, I seriously suggest going down to Boots and picking up all of your essentials whilst saving those all important pennies in the process. Now, without any further ado, let's see what I bought! 

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Ultra Moisturizing Lip Balm - £1.89
Being a big fan of Palmer's body lotion, I thought that I couldn't go wrong with buying their lip balm too. As expected, the balm has the same amazing cocoa smell as all of Palmer's other products, which is what drew me in to buying this item the most. The lip balm also contains an SPF of 15, so this would be perfect to use in the summer too. This product lasts a long time on my lips and keeps them hydrated, however, the balm seems to have a slight fine, gritty texture to it. On one hand, this could be a positive as it does exfoliate the lips a little but to me, I find the texture a little annoying and impractical to wear at times. 

Nivea Vanilla & Macadamia Lip Butter - £2.25
Next up, and my favourite of the bunch, is this amazing lip butter from Nivea. I have fallen in love with this product after only one application. The vanilla and macadamia smell is so lovely and the consistency of the balm is so creamy, so it feels really luxurious on the lips. I have always heard great things about this product but I have only just got around to buying it. Now, I am keen on trying out the other flavours in the collection: Raspberry Rose and Caramel Cream.

Carmex Strawberry Lip Balm - £2.69
Last but not least is this strawberry flavoured lip balm from Carmex. In the past I have used the cherry version of this product, which I adore the smell of, but it was sold out in the Boots I went to. Although this lip balm does an amazing job of hydrating and protecting my lips during this harsh weather, I am not too keen on this scent. It is really sickly sweet, which is really not my cup of tea. However, this being said, I am still going to continue to wear this product of a night time before I go to bed. Similarly to the Palmer's balm, Carmex contains SPF 15 and so it is excellent to use in the warmer weather too.

Overall, I am really please with the three products that I chose to purchase for the 3 for 2 deal. They are all really beneficial to my lip care routine and I am sure to get a lot of use out of them in the up and coming months. As usual, if you have ever used any of these products before, I would love to know your opinions on them. So, please leave a comment below as I honestly love reading them! Thank you :)