FOTD #2

Hello there :) 

How are you all today?! Hope all is fine and dandy and that you had lovely weekends :) Did you do anything nice over the weekend? I went horse riding with my mum which was lovely because I don't really ride anymore since my last horse and it was nice to be back in the saddle! I think it would be super cool to go horse riding in America on one of those ranches! Has anyone done that before? 

I know another FOTD but they are an easy blog post to do and as I've got a lot on they are perfect and I don't know about you but I love being nosey at what different makeup people use! 

Now as I have said before I'm really loving natural fresh looking makeup at the minute so I am into tinted moisturisers and BB creams! I have decided that over the summer months I am going to try out a few different ones to see which ones I love! So for todays FOTD I have used the Diorskin Nude BB creme which has SPF 10 in it and I have it in the shade Light.  Currently I am really liking this one but we shall see how it plays out over time. I've been putting this on with the Dior backstage blender which is just Dior's version of a beauty blender and also slightly cheaper than a beauty blender! 

For blush I have been using one of my favourite blush's. It is a Bobbi Brown and their blush's are my favourites. This particular one is lovely as it gives a lovely warm colour to the cheeks without being too much which makes you look happy and healthy. This blush is in the shade Tawny which is a medium pinky brown. 

I then used a loose powder from No7 which is their perfect light loose powder and I have this in the shade translucent. I love loose powders apart from the mess they make, but they don't tend to make me look as cakey as pressed powders do so I love this for a natural day time look. 

The concealer I went for was a Rimmel wake me up one. I'm not sure whether I love or hate this yet so thought I would use it again.  I put this on with a micro - mini beauty blender. I absolutely love these for blending out concealer as they are the perfect size for your eye area. 

For my eyes I wanted to keep it simple today so I only used my MAC paint pot in painterly which is currently my favourite eyeshadow base and as well as being great if I want a natural look like today to cover up any redness or veins. 

For my brows I used the amazing Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow in blonde and then the clear brow gel from her range! She really is the queen of brows! I'm loving the Dipbrow at the moment and have been incredibly grateful that I've been wearing it recently as working in a pub means that things can get rather warm and my eyebrows don't budge. 

For my lashes I used my current favourite mascara which I'm sure everyone has heard about by now as when the samples were in ELLE magazine it seemed like almost every blog talked about it. It's Benefit Roller Lash of course! I love this as it really does make my lashes look that little bit longer and curled! 

Today's Barney picture is well a picture of Barney! He has been out for two lovely walks today and loved splashing around in a stream this morning! I love his expression in this picture today! We met a  lovely dog on our afternoon walk today, it was a giant though! It's the first time I've thought that Barney looks small! 

Hope you are all well and jolly 

Anna-Louise 

xx

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FOTD | Quick and easy everyday spring makeup

Hello there :) 

How is everyone today?! Hope all is fine and dandy and that the sun is shining nice and brightly with you :) I hope you are all having fantastic weeks, not long to go till the weekend and Mothers Day! Have any of you got any nice plans for Mothers Day? I'm working, we are fully booked twice over so it's going to be a busy old day fingers crossed we might get some good tips though! My Dad being the best Dad in the world took me to the cinema today as I'm really struggling at the moment and feeling quite low. Friendships seem to be a big problem at the moment I don't seem to have any, apart from the lovely Hannah from Suitcase and Sandals ( go check out her blog it's a lovely one). Having Aspergers has meant that friendships have always been a struggle for me and well at the moment I'm just feeling very lonely! Have any of you lovely people got any tips for how to make friends? 

Anyway we went to see Big Hero 6 which is a new Disney film, and it was brilliant and rather funny! Definitely recommend going to see it! I really want to go and see the new Cinderella film, looks so good! Is anyone going to see it? Let me know what you think of it!! 

So today I thought I would do another beauty post as that is where my passion really lies and I could talk about beauty products all day long! My favourite bloggers chat at the moment is #bbloggers. I love talking with like minded people about beauty! 

Seen as the weather has started to improve I have changed my makeup a little bit. During the winter months I tend to wear much heavier makeup but when the sun starts to shine I much prefer the subtle and natural looks! Also as the weather gets warmer I don't like to have too much on my face as it makes me feel hotter if that makes sense so I tend to opt for as little as possible. 

For my base I like to use a tinted moisturiser as they provide SPF which is great for added protection in the spring and summer months. Tinted moisturisers are also great because they give your face the moisture they need as well as providing your skin with a subtle tint to even out your skin tone and give your skin a healthy looking glow! I'm currently using No7 tinted moisturiser in fair/medium. I'm not 100% sure yet whether I love this particular one or not, I used it all last summer and my mum is a big fan but I'm just not quite in love. I think I may try some other brands this summer to truly make my mind up. I have heard lots of good things about the Laura Mercier tinted moisturiser so I think that's going to be the next one on my list. 

I don't really tend to use a powder or bronzer when I'm using tinted moisturiser as I don't feel my skin needs it so I jump straight in for the blusher. I sometimes use a bit of concealer when I need it but forgot to add it in the photo opps sorry! My current favourite blush at the moment is the Bobbi Brown Cheek Palette in Pink. I absolutely love the colours in it and I think they add a really healthy looking pink colour to my cheeks. 

For an everyday easy makeup look I tend to keep my eyes super simple and I also think simple eyes really helps me to keep a natural looking face. At the moment I'm using a MAC Paint pot in Painterly as this is a lovely nude shade and just provides a lovely base and covers up any veins. 

I then just put some of Benefit Cosmetics roller lash mascara on as this makes my lashes look extra long! And then thats my eyes done, boring I know but it's super quick to do makeup look. 

I'm obsessed with having good brows, always have been since I was about 13! So this is the most important part of any makeup look I do. If I'm really short of time I will just do my brows because having good brows just makes me feel ready to go into the outside world! Crazy I know! Anyway I'm currently using Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade as in my opinion she has some of the best brow products currently on the market (I'm also a big fan of brow wizz) and the great thing about the Dipbrow is that it's perfect for the summer months as it's waterproof and doesn't smudge so even if your face is dripping in sweat your eyebrows still look great! And this product really doesn't move! 

I then use some of the Anastasia Beverly Hills clear brow gel to set everything in place :) 

Then to finish off this look I use my current favourite Lipstick which is MAC Pink Pearl Pop. I absolutely love this lipstick at the moment and think its the perfect colour for spring :) You can read my review on it here. 

What are your favourite products for spring and summer? 

Today's Barney picture is one of him on a walk the other day! This lovely weather is amazing as it's meant that we have been able to go on some fantastic walks and not come back covered in mud! He looks so handsome in this picture he really does love to pose for the camera! We have just been over the road to play ball which he thought was amazing and is now completely shattered and fast asleep on my bed bless him! I'm so grateful for my dog, he always makes me smile even when I'm feeling down, 100% best dog in the world (well to me anyway). 

Hope you are all well and jolly :) 

Anna-Louise

xx

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Beauty | Current skincare routine

Hello there :) 

How is everyone today? Hope all is fine and dandy and that you are all having a lovely jubbly week :)

We have now had 3 days of proper sunshine here, so Spring definitely feels like it's on it's way at last which is super exciting because Spring and Summer are my favourite seasons and I love the sun it just puts me in such a happy mood and the sun just looks so friendly and happy too, not that I look directly at it, never do that! I just always think of the sun having a happy face with a big cheesy grin and that it looks a bit like the lion. I don't know about you guys but I don't actually know that many facts about the sun, maybe I need to learn some and do some investigating about them. 

Also what do people think of dungarees? There are loads in the shops at the moment which I am super excited about because I love them, but would love to know what you guys think of them! Dungarees always remind me of the countryside. 

Anyway enough of my rambling now, let's talk about what this post is going to be all about. Now I'm sure all of you have your own skincare routines there will be products that you love and products that you hate. I love reading about people's skincare routines as it's a great way to find out about some great products and well I find it interesting finding out what works for people and what doesn't and I have also found some great skincare tips from posts like these so who knows maybe you might take some useful away from this post, even if it is only the bit about Barney at the end of the post. 

(from left to right: Cleanser, Exfoliator, moisturiser, eye cream, moisturising treatment mask, 8hr cream)

Now I never really used to be into skincare, but then I never really used to be into makeup either. Anyway because I never used to be interested in it I didn't really care so didn't have a skincare routine. (I was also just lazy shh) Anyway all I used to use was a face wipe and moisturiser when I could be bothered. My poor skin I know, I feel so guilty for not giving it more TLC sooner. Anyway since I now care more about my skin, I do now have a skincare routine and well I think my skin is very grateful that I do. 

In the summer I tend to have pretty average normal skin, I put suncream on everyday because it protects your skin and I love the smell of it. Anyway my skin tends to be in fairly good condition throughout the summer months. However in the winter my skin tends to suffer more and I get really dry skin and more breakouts, this probably isn't helped by the fact that naturally we all tend to wear more makeup in the winter which although looks great when it's on it can make our skin suffer more. 

Anyway I have now finally got a skincare routine that seems to be working for me which is great and I quite enjoy doing it too, so I thought I would share with you what I use :) Having a proper skincare routine has also helped with my dry skin and has helped to restore my skin to a healthy condition. I have a daily skincare routine and then I have a couple of products that I only use once or twice a week. These products are the ones that have worked for me and the type of skin that I have. 

The daily skin care routine: 

• Liz Earle  cleanse and polish which is the hot cloth one. I use this everyday twice a day including for removing makeup, which has never been so easy before. I use this with the Liz Earle muslin  cloth. 

Muslin Cloth

• Liz Earle skin repair moisturiser for dry/sensitive skin (this is a really nourishing moisturiser, works wonders for dry skin) 

• Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye cream (this is great for helping me feel refreshed and also works as a concealer primer )

• Elizabeth Arden 8hr Cream I use this on my lips every night before bed as it's incredibly moisturising, I also put this on any dry spots that are particularly dry and need that extra bit of help to recover. 

Products I use once or twice a week: 

• Liz Earle gentle face exfoliator: I tend to use this once or twice a week depending on how much my skin needs it. I only use this after I have cleansed my face first with the cleanse and Polish. 

• Liz Earle Intensive Nourishing Treatment Mask: I use this once a week especially at this time of year to really moisturise my skin. I also only use this after I have used cleaned my face with the cleanse and polish. 

Do you have a skincare routine? What are your favourite skincare products? Do you use any of these products. 

The Barney picture today is of Barney on his walk this morning! He looks super happy in this picture almost like he is smiling bless him! Katie and him were running around the fields this morning like crazy dogs, they just love to play and chase each other. Walking has been lovely at the moment especially with this beautiful sun that we have at the moment. 

Hope you are all well and jolly :)

Anna-Louise 

xx

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