A Photo a Day #31

Banal

1/80     F4.0      ISO 1250

Being bed-ridden is quite boring. This photo is quite symbolic of this bleak month!

A Photo a Day #30

Sick

1/80     F2.0     ISO 6400
Not really a lot to say here. 

A Photo a Day #29

The Spooky Cats

Another phone photo today. The bright Winter sun coming through the window threw some interesting shadows.

3 Super Serums for Dehydrated Skin: from budget to luxury

Do you use a serum? It seems that most people are aware of them nowadays, but not everyone really understands what they can do for their skin, or believe they really need to bother. 
Until I started really investing in my skin in my mid 20s, I wasn't using a serum; now I use a serum twice a day. My skin is definitely looking better in my 30s than it ever did in my 20s; make-up applies better and I have no dry patches despite having dry skin.
These are my top 3 serums at the moment and they come at very different price points.
Serums nourish and treat your skin after cleansing and before moisturising. They can work to add extra hydration and smoothing ingredients that benefit your skin during the day and at night. From my experience, just moisturising is fine, but if you really want to see results and make changes to the uniformity and texture of your skin longer term, serums are a must.
Read on to hear about 3 amazing serums for dry, dehydrated and sensitive skin:

A Photo a Day #28

Birthday Cards

A phone photo today for a few different reasons- one being feeling really quite ill! The poor quality kind of adds to the yester-year filtering and colour balance I have played with...or perhaps I'm just feeling delirious!

The recipient of the cards is very loved.

A Photo a Day #27

My Baby

I was off work sick yesterday and bed-ridden for most of the day. Maisie slept on her favourite fleece blanket at my feet and looked after me. She's good like that. 

A Photo a Day #26

Afternoon Groom

A photo I took Last Summer in a London Park. I think he may be an Egyptian Goose.

A Photo a Day #25

Night-Bus

The quality isn't amazing, but bear in mind this was taken from a hotel room on a stay in London last year! I used my large aperture portrait lens to get as much light as possible.

A Photo a Day #24

The Gnome King's Spare Room

A fun one today! This is the inside of an amazing shop in Fareham which sells homewear and trinkets. It is such a nice place to look around as there are two floors and all of the rooms are filled with weird, wonderful and whimsical items. 

As for the photoshopping and title- if you have seen the 80s film Return to Oz, you'll understand...

A Photo a Day #23

37 Years

1/400     F8.0     ISO 800 I took this over the Christmas period and by the looks of it my dad is onto me. I really like the framing of the window here. I used a green filter in editing to give a retro feel to the photo which I felt suited the subject matter.

A Photo a Day #22

Filaments

1/60     F14     ISO 100
The best out of a lot of photos attempted on these lights in a restaurant. Not quite as crisp as I would have liked.

Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation (Shade 2 Fair) Review

Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation Shade 2

Having owned the Charlotte Tilbury magic Foundation for over a year, I feel qualified to write this review. For new readers, let me first say that I have fairly dry and occasionally sensitive skin. My skin is usually clear, but I am dotted with moles and have some redness around my nose (you win some, you lose some!) 
This cream foundation promises full coverage. It also has the word 'magic' in the name, so you do tend to go in thinking that you will be airbrushed like some Hollywood movie star. I'll give you the long and short of it: this isn't magic...

A Photo a Day #21

The Fishwife.

A shop window delight

A Photo a day #20

Face in the Wall

1/100     F5.0     ISO 200
I found this face moulded into a wall down Chichester High Street. If any knows of its history, I'd be interested to know.

A Photo a Day #19

The Birds

1/160     F5.6     ISO 160
A mural in Chichester. The blue birds were amped up a bit to stand out from the greys.

A Photo a Day #18

Blue and Yellow

1/100     F4.5     ISO 200
If you've seen yesterday's Photo of the Day, you may recognise these lovely flowers. I believe these are Primulas. The flowers are fairly true to colour here, although in the lighting they did appear a bit more towards purple-blue. I tend to take stick with my portrait lens when shooting on the go, but the macro might have done an even better job.

A Photo a Day #17

Flowers and Bicycles

1/100     F6.3     ISO 200
Taken the at the weekend just passed on a trip to Chichester, seeing these colourful flowers really cheered me up despite the cold weather. I like the layers of focus that were achieved here, with the bicycles just out of focus and then the shoppers in the background.

A Photo a Day #16

Blue Lady

1/100     F5.6     ISO 200
A street and a lady walking in the bitter cold weather.

A Photo a Day #15

Rainbow Street

1/125      F4.5     ISO 160
A row of colourfully painted houses in Chichester. The sky was an addition with my novice photoshop skills as the white sky left some blank space that looked a bit plain.

Mood Lifting Spring Candles to Beat the January Blues

If you're anything like me, you've been feeling the January blues. Since burning the Fleur Fantome mini candle by Byredo, my mood has definitely lifted. It smells just like a Spring garden, with notes of Rhubarb, violet and tulip. It is a fresh floral with lots of throw and reminds me a bit of Mimosa by Diptyque. 

A Photo a Day #14

Long Delivery

1/160     F1.8     ISO 250
This was a eye-catching door with a story to tell. The shop had closed down permanently and the signs in the window told of an indefinite delivery.
Of course, the blue is cranked up a gear which I felt worked with the quirkiness of the image; it was a vibrant door anyway, so it was really fun to play about with changing the colour, before leaving it at its original hue.

A Photo a Day #13

The Shop Across the Street

1/160     F1.8     ISO 250

A local barbers' window with the buildings on the other side of the street reflected.

A Photo a Day #12

Brothers

1/250     F4.5     ISO 500
Taking pictures of ducks is quite difficult. I took lots of photos, but getting the detail along with the water rippling is harder than it looks, at least that's what I've found. I liked these two chaps the best when scrutinising my range of shots. I played around with colour to bring out some vibrancy on such a bleak day.

A Photo a Day #11

1/80     F3.2     ISO 100
The idea of taking some vibrant photos in 'Staples' was really fun! I even saw a woman in a purple jacket reaching for a purple folder of almost the same shade and nearly asked her if I could snap her...nearly! I couldn't have gone incognito as the Sony A5000 has a loud shutter noise that can't be muted! 
Instead, I settled for a ceiling shot. I barely touched the shot, but did make the monochrome more so and the red ever so slightly more obnoxious.

A Photo a Day #10

In Hope of Spring

1/320     F1.8     ISO 320
My portrait lens worked its wonders here. There's something I really like in the contrast between the dead foliage juxtaposed with the colours blurred in the background. This dismal January weather is really getting me down at the moment, so I played around with curves a tad when polishing this up. The bleak quality is still evident, but the red postbox in the background and colours on the leaves and buildings bring some much needed colour to the scene.

A Photo a Day #9

January Rain

1/640     F2.2     ISO 1000

A few raindrops on a bush beside a river with the focus on some last remaining remnants of growth in the centre. I lowered the background brightness to make the foreground stand out. Perhaps my macro lens would have done this image even more justice.

A Fix for Dehydrated Skin: Votary Facial Oil

Votary Facial Oil works wonders for the parched

Looking beautiful on my dressing table currently is the Votary Rose Maroc and Sandalwood Facial Oil. In its green glass bottle, it is a handsome looking little wonder. I received this as part of my Liberty of London advent calendar, and it has to be said that the price tag of £65 is eye-watering. Saying that, using only a few drops every evening means that it will last a very long time. But how good is this niche product?