LipMonthly: January Box!

I've seen a lot of reviews of Lipmonthy's products over the past few months, and i've been tempted for a while to sign up so I thought for the new year i'd go for it and treat myself!And the January box has not left me disappointed.

Inside I received 3 full sized lip products and a 'monthly mix-up' product.

This month's included:

- OFRA Long Lasting Liquid lipstick in shade Laguna Beach
This has the most yummy candyfloss smell!
-Eco Lips: 'eco tints' in shade Rose Quartz.
Not much of a colour to it (see swatches below) but it has a kind of menthol/ minty taste and its really soothing on the lips.
-MICA tinted Lip Balm in shade 9 Velvet Rose
This shade is gorgeous, I love it!
-Harvey Prince 'Imperial Garden' fragrance
Such a nice scent, quite light and refreshing. Will be nice to use as it starts getting into spring.

Top-Bottom

OFRA Lip Stick, Eco Lip tint, MICA Lip Balm.

So far i'm really loving them all! Reviews will probably follow once i've had chance to properly check each one of them out.

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My Favourite Teas!

After watching Essie Button's My Top Teas & Favourite Mugs! Video, I wanted to share all of my favourite teas aswell!

Up until about 2/3 years ago, I used to only drink a standard 'builder's' brew. Usually PG Tips. But as my anxiety got worse, I was advised to cut out caffeine and so since then I have been introduced to some really tasty caffeine free and flavoured teas.

My favourites at the Moment are Twinings Fennel tea: I like to drink this after big meals or if i'm feeling a bit bloated as it helps cleanse your body. Aniseed is probably one of my favourite things; I love the taste so much so this was always a must have for me! 

The Twinings Chamomile & Spiced Apple is quite a new one to my collection and i'm gutted I didn't find it sooner because it literally tastes like Christmas in a mug. Perfect for the cold winter nights, and the Chamomile is so relaxing; if you're having trouble sleeping then anything with chamomile is a winner. 

The Teapigs Lemon and Ginger I don't drink all that often, but I really love the taste of anything lemon, and ginger really helps calm down my stomach, if my Acid reflux is playing up!

Peppermint tea is also good at soothing the stomach, and it tastes lovely! The Twinings and Clipper are nice as a treat (when they're on offer!) But my boyfriend and I go through a lot of it, so at the moment we're just drinking the Asda branded ones, but the taste is still damn good. 

Vanilla Chai is the loveliest taste, i've had chai tea before and it's alright but the added Vanilla in this one just gives it an extra layer of awesome. 

The Clipper After Dinner Mints is a mixture of Peppermint, Spearmint, Fennel and a tiny bit of ginger and like the name says; it good for drinking after dinner. 

Teapigs Liquorice and Peppermint is something I really have to be in the mood for, but the mixture of peppermint and liquorice together is genius. 

As for my normal tea, I have found that the Tetley's Decaf is the best tasting alternative. In my opinion it tastes just the same as the regular one but without the caffeine! 

If you live anywhere near Kendal, in Cumbria I strongly suggest you take a trip to Farrer's Cafe. They have the best selection of teas and coffee's and the Decaf English Breakfast is lovely (And they have the most gorgeous home made scones, crumpets and cakes!)

There are still a few tea's in my collection that I am still yet to try! 

I've got Teapigs: Silvertips White Tea, Rooibos, Chocolate Flake and Popcorn. 

Glossybox: January 2015

After hearing that this months Glossybox was to include 5 Full sized items, I just couldn't resist purchasing! (I'd cancelled my Subscription a couple of months ago so I could save money for Christmas and whatnot!)

They have included: (L-R)

Kueshi Natural & Pleasant Cosmetics Revitalizing Face Toner
Im so excited about this; I go through toner like no ones business and this one contains chamomile and Aloe Vera so im looking forward to hopefully see it calming some of the blemishes on my skin.

Jelly Pong Pong All Over Glow
I haven't opened this yet, but I've got a feeling it's going to be really good! I love the glow that highlighters give my skin. 

MeMeMe Eye Line Pencil in Clay
I love the shade of this! I'll probably use this to line the top of my lids as I find that brown shades work better with my skin tone and don't look too harsh. 

Naked Lips Organic Lip Balm Superfruits
This was the first product I tried when I opened the box, and the first thing I noticed is that it tastes incredible! I've always got lipbalms in my bag/ pockets/ lying around the house, so this will definitely get used up very quickly.

Nicka K New York Colorluxe Powder Blush
I'll be honest...i've never been a fan of blushers. I very rarely use it;I tend to just opt for bronzer instead. But i'll give this one a go and you never know; I may be converted!

I'll probably do some reviews of these products after i've had the chance to use them a bit more! :)

Amazon haul!

I was very lucky to get £40 in Amazon gift cards for Christmas, so I treated myself to some Dvd's and Books that I'd had on my wish list for a while! 

The DVDs I got were:

-The Amazing Spider-Man 1 & 2

I've loved Spider-Man since I was little, and I think these versions are so much better than the Toby Maguire ones. 

-Grave of the Fireflies

I've only recently got into watching Anime and this is one that I've been meaning to watch for a while. 

-John Richardson: Nidiot

I absolutely love his first dvd he's probably one of my fave comedians so this was a must buy for me! 

-Frozen

I thought it was about time I finally owned this myself after nearly a year of saying 'I'll buy it eventually' still trying (and failing) to get the boyfriend to watch it with me! 

-The Book Thief

One of the most amazing books I've read, and was quite nervous about how they'd adapt it to film but they've done such a brilliant job. I adore it so much. 

I also picked up a couple of books:

-Smilers Fair by Rebecca Levene

This has been described as The Night Circus meets Game of Thrones and i am SO excited to read it, I think it's going to be amazing. 

- The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

I've wanted to read this for a good couple of years but never got round to buying it! It's kind of an end-of-the-world, coming-of-age tale and sounds just delightful. 

December Favourites!

No7 Skin Illuminator

I got this in my No7 advent calendar and it was one of my favourite products. I've been using it as a base under my foundation and it goes your skin the most glorious glow, and it had bits of glitter in it which I love!  

Soap & Glory Hand Food

This is more like an all year round favourite, as I use it all the time, but more so in the winter months as my skin always gets extra dry and this one is prefect for rehydrating your hands. 

Vaseline & Nivea Hydro Care lip balms

As well as my hands being dry over winter, I also get incredibly chapped lips. I've tried many lip balms over the years, and Vaseline has always been a firm favourite. But in the last month I've also been loving the Nivea lipbalm, and it's good to keep in my pocket at work an you don't get it all over your fingers when applying it (which has always been a bug bear of mine with potted lipbalms!) 

No7 Lash Impact Mascara

This I also got in my advent calendar, and  I've been loving it as an everyday mascara. It gives your lashes enough volume and isn't clumpy at all, it's just really lovely to use. Its very likely that I'll purchase the full size product when this mini one gets used up! 

15 Goals for 2015!

I'm not really a huge fan of the whole 'New Years Resolution' thing, but I do like the set myself a bunch of goals for myself for the year ahead and then it gives me some things to look forward to and look back on to see what I've achieved.

So here's my list for 2015: 

1. Learn the Ukulele

-My boyfriend bought me one for my birthday and I'm so excited to get leaning a new skill! 

2. Keep my savings going.

-I'm almost at my target of what I need for my Masters degree and I've worked my butt off to get that much saved up.

3. Apply for my Masters

- I've always said I'll apply within 2 years of leaving uni, and this is the year. I'm so ready to get back into education. 

4. Keep in touch with my family and friends.

-The past few months have been a bit hectic and I've not been as social as I probably should have been so I'm going to rectify that this year.

5. Go on walks

-When the weather gets a bit better, I plan on walking more, and exploring the neighbourhood I live in. And it's a good excuse to get my camera out and photograph the scenery. 

6. Move into a better flat/house.

-To put it short, the flat I'm currently in is pretty much falling apart. Our contract is up in March so we'll hopefully be heading for somewhere new! 

7. Get a cat

-When we've moved into said new home, me and my boyfriend are really wanting a little cat friend to join us! So fingers crossed! 

8. Read a wider variety of books. 

-There are so many books on my shelf that I haven't read yet, I'm desperate to get stuck into my art history books, as well as the crime/thrillers and autobiographies that I didn't read last year! 

9. Take more risks and don't be afraid to try new things. 

-ill be having my first skiing lesson soon (thanks to my lovely boyfriend) which is something I never thought I'd do and it will take a damn huge amount of courage but I'm really looking forward to it! And after that who knows what I'll try next! 

10. Clear out everything that's still at my Mums house.

-Blimey, I have so much stuff I don't even know where to start and my mum wants to convert my bedroom so I can't keep it there forever. 

11. Attempt some different cooking recipes.

-It always feels like I'm stuck cooking meals that I'm safe with and I know what I'm doing, so I think at least once a month I'd like to give something new a go! 

12. Have a more relaxed attitude.

-I have been known to be a bit 'anal' around the house, when it comes to having things a certain way or in the right place, and I've come to realise that in the grand scheme of things it doesn't really matter all that much and I just need to chill out a bit! 

13. Create more.

-I miss doing arty things. Taking photos, drawing (badly) creating collages, and my sewing machine especially has been an absent friend for the past year. 

14. Learn to speak Dutch.

-I went to Amsterdam last year and it swiftly became one of my favourite places. If not for the Van Gogh Museum alone. I'll certainly be going back and I want to be able to speak at least basic Dutch. 

15. Make more of an effort with the people that matter.

-There are some pretty important people that I should be a lot closer to and I really want to make the most effort to keep them in my life. 

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