Hanging on the Washing Line

We've had a very practical weekend, seeing as it is the last one *fingers crossed* before the baby and wanting to make the most of the hot weather we thought we would finish washing the baby's clothes.

Obviously her immediate clothes have already been washed, ironed and packed in her hospital bag but it's a nice feeling to know that everything is all ready for her to wear.

Besides, clothes smell so much nicer once dried outside?!

On to another note, I have instagram! I've had it for a few months now but haven't had the opportunity to post about it.

I'm definitely obsessed. It's funny how an app like this can really make you appreciate the smaller things in life. I've never noticed the presentation of food so much before!

If you'd like to follow me then search @KaatieeC

I've also changed my blog name, I wanted something a little bit more quirky and something that is easy to remember.

How did everyone else spend their weekend?

♥

Starting Over.

Hi Everyone..

No need to adjust your monitor, your eyes aren't deceiving you.. after all these months i'm back with avengence!

I was just getting into the swing of the blogging world when I made a few life changes which have taken a lot of time to get used to. I will most probably go into this in more detail in another post but in short:

♡ I moved in with my boyfriend

♡ started new jobs (Notice the plural here)

♡ became a proud owner of a Short haired Chihuahua 

and..

♡ fell pregnant

Yup, all in the space of three months. 

(You may as well get everything out the way at once..right?)

With all that has happened it's a bit understandable that I've had to take some time out being away from blogging and the beauty community, but 8 months after my last post (crikey time really does fly!) and now 33 weeks and 2 days pregnant (anyone tell i'm counting down the days..?) 

I'm finally ready to blog again.

I had thought of deleting this blog and starting a fresh, but blogging had definitely been my sanctuary where I could escape into a world of all things materialistic and full of sparkles and gems! A bit of 'me' time you could call it. Besides its nice to keep this documented, It's so funny reading through my first post and seeing how my life has completely taken on a whole new direction.

On a serious note, hello to my lovely subscribers, I know that I don't have many of you, but blogging has really been my sanctuary and escape, a bit of 'me' time you could call it.

Thank you so much for sticking by me.

- Whats everyone been up too?

♥

Urban Decay - The Quinceañera Make-up Bag

I've been using the same make-up bag for as long as I can remember, It's an Estee Lauder one and I'm pretty sure my mum gave it to me as part of gift set she had a few years ago.
Since starting this blog, my make-up collection has definitely grown and I have found myself taking a greater amount of make-up with me whenever I go away.
Unfortunately I can no longer fit all of my "essential" travel make-up in my bag, so, I've been on the hunt for  something bigger and better! Not only that but I need a make-up bag that is practical and strong (after all I definitely do NOT pack light!).
That's when I came across the new Urban Decay fifteenth anniversary make-up bag.
I was instantly attracted to its sparkly purple colour and spacious size.

Another thing that I love about this is that it is so practical.
It's made of PVC so it's easy to keep clean and you don't have to worry about any make-up marking or staining the material.
There is a smaller zipped compartment which can be used for finding small products. In my case I have used it to store my favourite mascara, a small sample of mac Studio Moisture Fix (I got this as a sample and now decant a small amount from my full size bottle into here if I go travelling to save space) and a trusty Carmex.
I also love the detailing of the bag, the lining has the fifteenth anniversary logo printed on as well as the zipper being a shiny gold colour (which slides along easily).


Overall, I am really happy, and, If you're a girl who loves glitter, purple and gold - this bag has your name on it!

♥

I blew out Nineteen Candles - Mac Birthday Haul.

If you have read my Urban Decay Book Of Shadows blog post, you would have noticed that it was my birthday at the beginning of the month and I had some lovely surprises. 

The day itself wasn't all that exciting (unfortunately I'd used all my holiday up so, for most of the day I was stuck working for 8 hours *boo*) and being a week day meant I couldn't really do much celebrating  at Night. I spent my evening devouring a huge Chinese that could quite possibly have fed the whole Chinese nation and relaxing with my amazing family and gorgeous boyfriend.

On the weekend I travelled down to Birmingham with my boyfriend and went to Cadbury World. This seemed to mark my last birthday of being a 'teen' before my twentieth birthday next year. I must have eaten my whole weight in melted chocolate!

After using these products for a couple of weeks now, I feel I can give you an honest review of each product.

From Left:

♥  MAC Mineralized Charged Water - Skin Hydrating Mist

RRP 14.50

"A refreshing, hydrating mist that replenishes skin and enhances makeup application and wear. Spray before makeup to create a dewy canvas. Re-apply as needed to replenish moisture or re-set makeup. Infused with green tea and citrus scents."

I have to admit the charge water does refresh my skin and I can definitely notice when I haven't used it. I will also use it if I was going on a night out or if I needed my make-up to stay on for a period of time as I find that it does set my make-up nicely. I have also noticed that it really helps take away the 'powdery' look away.

The product is strongly fragranced however and although I am a fan of strong citrus scents, It can be a bit over powering for some.

At nearly £15, this definitely is on the expensive side and something that I probably won't be using everyday and probably won't be repurchasing, but It's great to try something new.

♥  Mac Studio Moisture FIx

RRP - £20.00

"The no-grease, super-hydrating formula of Studio Moisture Fix with superlative protection from sun and environmental aggressions. Starts with broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection of SPF 15 that goes on sheer. Mega-moisturising, rich, lightweight and fast-absorbing. Keeps skin plump and soft. Excellent prep for makeup. Releases moisture and emollients onto the skin continually/all day. Enhanced with mineral-enriched spring water, it's an instant spritz of moisture with the benefits of protection."

I have been wanting this product for ages, I had a sample a couple of months ago when I had my make-up done in store and I fell in love with it, but couldn't justify the amount.

It is definitely one of the best moisturisers I have used and although it looks as though you don't get much for your money, the product itself is very concentrated and a little really does go a long way. It takes literally two pumps to cover my face and leaves my skin feeling hydrated and gives my make-up a dewy finish.

I will definitely be repurchasing this.

♥  Mac Fix +

RRP - £7.00

"An aqua-spritz of vitamin and minerals, infused with a calm-the-skin blend of green tea, chamomile, cucumber, topped off with the fresh, natural, energizing scent of Sugi. Adds radiance, finishes makeup. Spray it on. Skin drinks it up!"

In my opinion this bottle is exactly the same as that of the Charged Water for half the price, i use it after I have finished completely applying my make-up and literally before I go out. 

♥  Mac 217 - Blending Brush

RRP £16.00

"For shading or blending of colour or creamy products. This brush has fine, densely packed fibres that are arranged in an oval shape. M·A·C professional brushes are hand-sculpted and assembled using the finest quality materials. They feature birch, linden and ramin wood handles, nickel-plated brass ferrules."

♥  Mac 239 - Eyeshadow Brush

RRP £19.00

"Soft and dense to shade or blend eye shadow or emollient-based products. This brush has a tapered, rounded edge with smooth, firm, fine fibres. It can be used to build intense colour on the eyelid. M·A·C professional brushes are hand-sculpted and assembled using the finest quality materials. They feature birch, linden and ramin wood handles, nickel-plated brass ferrules."

♥  Mac 213 - Fluff Brush

RRP £16.00

For application of eye shadow to the lid area. This brush has a thick bundle of fibres arranged in a rounded shape. M·A·C professional brushes are hand-sculpted and assembled using the finest quality materials. They feature birch, linden and ramin wood handles, nickel-plated brass ferrules.

♥ Minreralize Skin Finish - Soft and Gentle

RRP - £20.50

"A luxurious velvet-soft powder with high-frost metallic finish. Smoothes on: adds buffed-up highlights to cheeks, brows, anywhere on the body: provides an ultra-deluxe polish to the skin"

I absolutely love this highlighter! I have always used Benefit 'High Beam" to highlight my cheeks as I thought that only liquid highlighter could give me the dewy glow.

I'm so glad that i've tried soft and gentle as it's given me the same effect with subtle shimmer.

What have you been given recently?

♥

My Sleek Spurge!

I've heard so much about the 'Sleek' brand, but due to the fact that the only big Superdrug is in the city centre, it means that I can't access it very easily.

When I read all the reviews for the Nude collection, I simply had to drag myself out of bed on my one day off to hunt this palette down.

Upon arriving at my sleek destination it soon dawned on me that I might be buying slightly more than the initial 'Au Naturel' palette and a near 10 minutes later I walked out with this...

♥ Nude Collection - Au Naturel

RRP £6.49

With Flash

Without Flash

I Bought two as I've read on a few of reviews that this collection may be limited edition. 

The price is so affordable making each individual shadow just over 50p!

I love how versatile this palette is. I can't wait to try out the deep earth tone colours as well as the matt browns for a subtle yet sultry day time look.

♥  Nude Collection - Suede

RRP - £4.29

With Flash

Without Flash

I always find myself navigating to the pink colours when it comes to blushes so this was definitely a sponanous buy.

The colour is fantastic and is the perfect shade for contouring or adding a 'pop' of colour to a nude look.

♥  Nude Collection - Bare Minimum

£4.29

Without Flash

Without Flash

Now that the weather is getting colder, I can definitely see a change in the condition of my lips. I've always had a slight problem with chapped lips (I keep a tube of Carmex on me at all times!) I can't wait to try this out.

♥  Mineral Based Eyeshadow Palette - Storm

RRP £6.49

With Flash

Without Flash

I was really drawn to these colours, I love shimmery colours and this palette contains a great selection of choice for night time looks.

♥  Metallic Eyeshadow Duo - Molten Metal

Left - Pewter, Right - Gold Leaf

RRP - £7.00

With Flash

Without Flash

This is probably the item that I am least happy about, After dipping my finger into each eyeshadow I found that they were very pigmented but were extremely oily and could make my eyes look 'greasy', which is a shame because the colours are stunning and so wearable.

Overall, I was really pleased with my purchases. Sleek Make Up as a brand allows you to be adventurous and creative with colours and being so affordable and purse friendly you can do so without breaking the bank.

I will definitely be repurchasing!


♥ 

Urban Decay VI Book of Shadows!

 It was my birthday at the beginning of the month, So I thought I would treat myself to something special and an Item that I haven't previously tried before.
After searching Youtube and Blogspot, I saw the Urban Decay book of shadows.
Priced at £46.00 (I bought this at the time that Debenhams had a 10% deal off make-up and fragrance so mine cost just over £42.) this is definitely the most I'd be willing to spend on a eye-shadow palette..

It comes with 16 colours, 10 of which are brand new and also features the following:

♥ Eyeshadow Primer Potion
♥ Travel Size Curling Mascara
♥ 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Liner in Perversion (Black)
♥ Keychain Speaker for your smartphone/ipod
♥ USB cord/Phonecord

In addition to the above, this book of shadows features five "how to videos" for Urban Decays latest looks to try out via a smart phone.

Indeed, this is definitely the most high-tec make-up box I think I will ever have the fortune of owning, and quite frankly, I can't wait to try out the looks!

 I absolutely love the packaging, the choice of colour really creates a dramatic yet glamourous feel. I also love the way they have included 3-d butterflies and a decent mirror which makes this palette perfect for travelling. 10/10 for looks UD!

I love how the eyeshadow colours themselves are really wearable and being a neutral lover, I was pleased in seeing a huge range of choice to glam up everyday make up. There's also choice of greens, blues, greys and blacks which would be perfect for a smokey eye.

In fact the whole palette choice completely versatile for looks professional enough to wear during the day yet fun enough to wear at night.

(Possibly the only negative comment is that the large majority are shimmers and I would have liked to have seen more matt colours.)

This book of shadow is Limited edition, So if you're looking at treating yourself I would definitely recommend buying it.

Will you be trying it?

♥

Zara

Summer always makes me want to be more adventurous with bright colours.

I recently saw Maria Fowler from "The Only Way is Essex" photographed in a bright orange dress. You can read the article HERE

(Image curtesy of Daily Mail Online)

I loved how simple yet eye-catching this dress was.

After reading the article, I was directed to the Zara online website where I found the dress for a reasonanbly £29.99.
One thing that I do love about Zara is that the great customer service, the parcels are always really nicely presented and arrive very quickly, considering that they are posted from over seas.

However, One thing that I don't really like is that there are only 5 sizes:

X-Small, Small, Medium and Large. Because of this, a size 10 is a medium and a size 12 is a large! Sort it out Zara!

Look how bright the purple lining is!

Seeing as it's results night this weekend I plan on wearing it out.. hopefully i'll be celebrating rather than drowning my sorrows! Haha!

♥

Have you ever been swayed into buying any celebrity endorsed products?

What's everyone doing for results weekend?