brilliant becca

Naughty Becca! MAC haul

2012-01-15T12:08:00.000Z

I went through to Glasgow on Friday to see my best friend, who you might know... Jenn aka the wonderful Beauty Bloggings. Its been forever since with seen each other properly with uni and life getting in the way. We went for lunch in the gorgeous shabby chic, The Tearooms. I didn't get a photo of it, but its lovely and you should take a peek if you're ever in Glasgow and fancy some cake.

I did get a photo of our cake. It was so good. Jenn has the coffee cake while I had a plum and red wine one with raspberry cream. Sounds weird but it was b-e-a-u-tiful!

After sandwiches and cake we went for a wander around the shops - Boots, The Body Shop and then House of Fraser. Jenn was very well behaved and I was extremely naughty.

Harmony Matte Powder Blush - a "muted rose-beige brown" £17.50 (I bought mine in a co-buy for £11 and got it delivered to Jenn's) and Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in 'Light' £20.50.

Studio Fix Fluid in NC15 £19.50 and Foundation Pump £3.

Creamesheen Lipstick in 'Crosswires' a "clean pinky orange" £13.50 - the new love of my life.

And my face with it all on! The other products I'm wearing are Clinique Superfine Liner for Brows, Soap and Glory 'What's Nude' palette, Clinique Gel Liner, Clinique Lash Power Mascara and a No7 blush in 'Soft Damson'.

Hope you're well :) x

nails 11.1.12

2012-01-11T15:55:00.001Z

I own a lot of nail varnish but most of its in my flat at uni so over the last couple of weeks I've been really lazy when it comes to painting my nails. But this morning I suddenly remembered I'd brought home this little beauty...

I bought this after seeing it on FleurdeForce and I wore this a lot in October/ November but often with the Rimmel Matte Top Coat. I'm not really a big user of glitter polishes not because I don't like them but because I find them a faff.

Revlon Facets of Fuchsia

Its such a beautiful black colour with purple glitter and very small sequins. From a distance it looks either black or purple but in the right light you can see the sparkles.

Think it might be one of my favourites, evaaa.

everyday make-up

2012-01-09T14:27:00.000Z

When I'm at home I don't have my make-up drawers so I don't have easy access to all of my 'collection'. So I dump the stuff I continually reach for into a make-up bag and keep it in my bathroom (don't worry, the shower isn't used in that bathroom). So this is the contents of said bag.

I try to keep my everyday make-up mostly high street products as I'm a bit skint and I prefer to use my nice make-up when I have somewhere nice to go as on a day-to-day basis I'm either working behind a bar or reading books. Obviously you'll see some high end products in there but they're my holy grail products.

Primer: Bare Minerals Prime Time

Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum (51)

Concealer: Bourjois Healthy Mix Correcting Concealer (51)

Concealer 2: Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection (Fair 1)

Powder: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural (Light Medium)

Highlight: MAC Cream Colour Base (Shell) - I don't always wear highlight, sometimes I can't be bothered

Blush: Pixi Energy Blush (No. 3 Naturally Sunny) - I just swirl my brush around this and it makes a lovely flush on the cheek. I bought it in TK Maxx

Eyeshadow Quad: Soap & Glory Lid Stuff (What's Nude) - I mostly use the shades Pink T and Mudhoney

Mascara: Clinique Lash Power (Black Onyx)

Eyeliner: Clinique Brush on Cream Liner (True Black) - I forgot to take a photo of it, silly Becca!

Eyebrow pencil: Clinique Superfine Liner for Brows

Lipstick: Bourjois: Sweet Kiss Naturel (06 Rose Tendre)

cream colour base, lipstick, eyeshadows

I've only been using the Bourjois products for a few days but I'm absolutely loving them. I really think the lipstick might be my perfect 'my lips but better' shade. Its really moisturising and lasts really well. The foundation and concealer are both lovely as well - good coverage, brightening and they wear well too. And the best thing... pale enough.

My face is not co-operating with me today as I have a disgustingly bad head cold. I was going to include a photo of the make-up on but my streamy eyes and snotty nose isn't attractive and I don't want to scare you.

6.1.12

2012-01-06T21:57:00.004Z

Today's been just one of those days were nothing exciting has happened. I slept in and woke up feeling like a truck had run over my head so I napped for most of the afternoon; I eventually dragged myself from my bed to help take down all of the Christmas decorations, which is always a sad occasion.

I did however cook my first new recipe of 2012. I cooked pasta with creamy greens and lemon. Basically I googled 'easy vegetarian recipes' and came across a huuuge selection on bbc good food. It was such an easy recipe to follow - chuck everything into a pan and give it a stir. Didn't really want to start this transformation into Nigella Lawson with an extremely difficult recipe - we'll get there and I'll own it. Obviously by the end of the year you're going to be buying my cookbook.

the finished product

I stupidly forgot to cut up the veggies before I threw them into the pan so I cut them up in the water with the kitchen scissors - ingenious. And I probably shouldn't have put the rocket on top of it in the serving bowl. My dad and brother loved it. I had to make a separate serving for my mum as she's on a gluten free diet. However, I didn't leave enough mascarpone so had to top it up with creme fraiche but she said it was lovely. I'm actually really proud of myself.

I know its only been a week since I started trying to complete the to-do list for the year but I'm feeling very positive about it.

Today's face and mega flicky hair.

call this the drowning of the past...

2012-01-04T02:21:00.004Z

I've always thought of myself as someone who doesn't have much motivation. I've always struggled with finding solid reasons to do things, even when i know that they have to be done, and have relied on getting the 'fear' to push me through. I always get there in the end - only academically though. With 'life choices', shall we call them, I struggle more. I've been talking about dieting and being healthy since I started puberty yet I never seem to actually do anything about it. I'm a sucker for a routine but I've never been able to get into one when it comes to eating right and exercising.

Is this being weak willed? "I just can't do it." Or is it being stubborn? "I shouldn't have to change my body to like who I am - so I'm not going to." I'm not going to write that I WILL do this or I WILL do that. No matter how many times I write it in my diary and angrily underline it, I just don't.

Sometimes I think I cling to being overweight as a type of security blanket - I don't know any different. I was a chubby child, a chubby teenager and now I'm a chubby adult. Will I always feel like a fat girl even if by some miracle I become thin? Perhaps I've put far too much thought into the matter. I became vegetarian basically on a whim 4 years ago and I don't think I'll ever eat meat again. Maybe doing things on a whim is the way forward. Oh, what a paradox.

On the subject of 'getting fit' (I'm basically a New Year cliché) I signed up for Swimathon. I don't know if its the idea of getting fit and actually exercising that's making me excited to do it and all the training or if its the fact I'm going to be doing something for charity. Either way its a good thing. Its in April so I have time to get ready for it and hopefully I'll become better at remembering to shave my legs. Its a win-win situation all round!

(image is from this lovely flickr)

to do list for 2012

2011-12-30T02:22:00.002Z

image from withdecorum

finish wrecking my journal
keep a diary for the whole year
only buy new make-up when i've completed a project x pan
handwrite letters to my grandma
drink less diet coke
take part in swimathon
clear my overdraft
try to read at least one classic book a month
stop drinking caffeine after 6pm
be vegan for a month - see what happens/ how i feel
cook one new recipe a week
get on a train by myself and visit a new city for a few days
wear matching underwear more often
and a cliché - stop wallowing in self pity

Keep your head up, keep your heart strong...

2011-12-29T20:19:00.001Z

So 2011 has drawn to a close - well there's a few days left. I'm not really too sure how I feel about the past year. Its been tough but I made it through and I'm proud of myself for that. I could have done things differently and I could have dealt with issues in more positive ways. I could have done a lot and I probably should have done a lot more. But hey, what's the point in looking backwards, even if its only to yesterday?

I've decided that this is the year in which I grow up. Becoming a 'grown up' terrifies me more than anything. On my last day of primary school at the age of 11, I had a full blown break down about the idea of growing up. There were snot bubbles and sobs of wanting to be 'like Peter Pan'. It was a beautiful sight, I'm sure.

I am capable of becoming everything that I want to be, apart from Peter Pan obviously. I just need to put the work in. Oh and actually figure out what and who I want to become - Do I want to be a career woman? An academic? An aid worker? A mother? A wife? A teacher? A world traveller?

Right now I want to be them all. I'm only 21 - surely I can fit it all in and have a garden... And maybe a mulberry bag.