Absence

It's the start of a new term and that means that my blood pressure starts to become an issue again and I spend many a joyful evening working through dinner, to bath time, planning. Just to clarify: I'm a Secondary school teacher. Blogging, writing, is a passion. It will always be something that soothes me and gives me meaning. But then the 9 to 5 (or rather 7 to 8) takes over.
I'm not sure whether I'm talking to an audience, or whether I'm talking to myself, but I'm also not sure I care. I used to write in my diary as a teenager and it was probably hugely therapeutic; then there was the poetry writing of my early adult years- that was probably life-saving to be frank. And now there's blogging: sometimes about semi-superficial stuff like make-up, but also the creation of an online photo album which may prove sentimental in years to come.
I don't want to stop, and I won't, but life seems to be so full of reality right now.
I'll have to bear with myself.

The Best Neutral/Nude Mac eye shadows: swatches

Back in 2012 when I started experimenting with blogging, I posted about my favourite neutral Mac eyeshadows and that post still remains in my top 10 most visited! It's a testament to some of those shades that I am now blogging about them three years later and enjoying them just as much as I did back then. I feel like I can be more objective about Mac as a brand now than I was when I first started buying from them. This was back when Youtubers were raving about Mac left, right and centre; now it seems that other brands have come into the limelight and especially with the Urban Decay Naked franchise being so popular, Mac isn't necessarily the brand everyone looks to first for eye shadow anymore. Saying that, my two travel-friendly quads are something I turn to on a regular basis for my everyday make-up. To me, that gave me enough incentive to begin this post- that and the fact that my the photos in my original one were horrendous!

Candles I'm Currently Burning (Summer Edition)

Much to the horror of my bank balance, I have a penchant for luxury candles, but I do tend to burn them sparingly. I currently have two on the go: Diptyque's Muguet and Jo Malone's Sweet Almond & Macaroon. 

New Lush Products, August 2015

The Lake District in pictures (August 2015)

A shop window in Kendal high street

Blackpool in pictures (August 2015)

Liverpool in pictures (August 2015)

The Liverpool Docks

Review: Nars Silent Nude blush (Christopher Kane Collection)

Part of the Nars Christopher Kane collection, released a month or so ago, Silent Nude is a colour that speaks to me as a pale woman. It is a perfect matte bronzer colour which can be used to add colour to the cheeks and to contour. This is limited edition, so won't be around forever and therefore is worth looking into sooner rather than later if you're interested...

Charlotte Tilbury Products Review (including Norman Parkinson collection items)

Charlotte Tilbury's make-up line is exquisite to look at and admire. The new Norman Parkinson collection is beautiful and I am pleased to have got my hands on a few pieces to add to my cosmetics collection. 
For those not in the know, Charlotte Tilbury is a famous make-up artist with supermodel clients. Her philosophy is that you can give any woman the right make-up and she will look beautiful. I like the idea that Charlotte sees make-up as a secret weapon to confidence because for me, cosmetics make me feel good about myself. Norman Parkinson was a famous British fashion photographer and his images are iconic- so much so that Charlotte wanted to use some of the vintage images as the focus of a new collection, inspired by 1960s and 70s glamour .

My Three-Day Juice Fast Experience

'Juicing' sounds like it is yet another health craze, especially when combined with the word 'diet'. If I hadn't seen the documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead , I don't think I'd have been so inspired to try juicing. I'm not generally one for detoxing or dieting (sadly, quite the contrary), but when I saw how beneficial this could be for my health, I wanted to try it. I also purchased Juice a book on the topic by Liz Earle, well-renowned skin specialist of 'Cleanse and Polish' fame! This book is a great way to educate yourself on what health benefits the whole spectrum of fruit and vegetables can do for your body. It also contains plenty of juicing recipes, some of which I have tried or adapted over the last three days of my juice fast.