MAY FAVOURITES | BEAUTY + LIFESTYLE

Hello everyone! It is that time of the month again and when i say time of the month i mean, monthly favourites. I honestly can't believe how fast this month has gone, i swear it was the beginning of the month just last week? yet somehow we are in June in just a couple of days and i don't know if that upsets me or makes me happy because it is my birthday month. Putting that to the back of my mind for now, this month i didn't a whole lot of new beauty favourites so i thought i would do another combined favourites of both beauty and lifestyle...

topshop onara lattice white cross body bag

So first up we have this super cute small cross body bag which i picked up a few weeks ago from Toshop (currently has £10 off) and i actually featured it in my recent how to update your wardrobe for summer on a budget post. I am obsessed with this style of bag and the white is perfect for summer yet it goes with so many different coloured outfits. What i love the most about this bag is even though it is a "see-through" style bag with its lattice design, it also has a zip section in the middle to hide your money, cards etc.

good grain high fibre puffed wheat

As i mentioned in my previous post, i like to switch my breakfast up pretty much everyday and rotate what i am having, just so i don't get bored of having the same thing over and over again. So on the days when i just want something quick that isn't overnight oats, i have been loving having some of this puffed wheat with some almond milk and a drizzle of honey. If you are a 90's kid or you grew up around the cereal "sugar puffs" this is basically the healthy version of those and so low in calories/sugar/fat yet super high in fibre.

palmer's cocoa butter natural bronze tan lotion

In my eight products to keep you smelling beach-y this summer post i talked about a bunch of different Palmer's products that i love and i also mentioned how i had recently switched up the everyday tan lotion from what i usually use. I feel like this natural bronze tan from the brand lasts longer/looks fresher longer, as well as it being easier to apply to a mitt as it has a pump top. Another thing i love about this tan is that it smells so good with the original cocoa butter scent, as well as keeping my skin super hydrated. 

primark bronze + glow bronzer/highlighter butter duo

The two makeup items that i have been reaching for this month different to past months are a bronzer and highlighting face/body butter both from Primark (first impression linked). Since we are now coming into the summer months i have been loving the whole bronzed up skin with a natural/dewy highlighted look and these two products used together do just that.

the controversial princess by jodi ellen malpas

So i am currently suffering from a serious book hangover because i read the whole of this new book release within days of it being released, as i was just so hooked, so fast just like i always seem to be when Jodi releases a new book and that is probably why she is one of my favourite authors. I know i have a bunch of other books on my to-read list which i did do a post on recently here but i still can't wait for August for the next instalment. 

tv show favourites

Finally we have TV show favourites and i actually have a few different shows that i have been enjoying this month, a couple of regulars and a couple of new shows. This month has been leading up to the end of the current season of Grey's Anatomy, which has been my favourite show for years but with a couple of the main cast members leaving it has been a gripping yet emotion few episodes and i have loved every single one. Sticking with the similar show theme i have also been loving Station 19, which i had saved a few episodes back to binge watch. Finally a new show that i have been loving is called Bulletproof on Sky One, if you love police/crime/action tv shows you will love this and i especially love the whole banter/comedy elements between the two main cast. 

Catch up on a similar post HERE...

xo.

UPGRADING MY DRESSING TABLE MAKEUP STORAGE

Hello everyone! It has been a good year probably almost two, since i had a huge spring clean/de-cluttering of my makeup collection and it was getting way out of hand (when i say out of hand, i mean i could barely shut my drawers as they were full up to the top). So i decided to have a huge sort through and throw away/give away like i normally do, the things i didn't use or didn't want to keep anymore. I also decided to upgrade my dressing table makeup storage, i did have some Muji drawers which housed my lip products but they simply had to make way for the most perfect set of drawers i have ever seen...

So these are the set of five drawers i picked up by the brand Beautify and it is in fact a brand i have spoken about before, as part of a eBay makeup storage ideas under £40 post. That being said i actually picked mine up from Tesco via the click+collect service, you can also get the storage from Domu and eBay also but i went with Tesco as it was the quickest. You can get the set of six drawers in two different styles, one when you have a open top or one like mine which has a closed top that can be opened. What i love about these drawers is how the bottom drawer is slightly bigger than all of the others, making it the perfect size for foundations or larger bottled items and i also put a couple of my favourite highlight/contour sticks on the end. In the drawer one up from the bottom drawer, i have put all of my favourite/everyday bronzer, highlight both liquid and powder as well as my favourite face powders at the back.

In the next drawer i have some more of my favourite/go-to powder products like bronzers, blushes and highlighters. At the moment i just have them spread out like this as i had a huge de-clutter before hand so i still have some space to fill with any new favourites that might come along, that being said at the moment i don't have too many favourites left and then the highlighters/bronzers i still like but i don't reach for as often are all stored in my dressing table drawer. 

Next up i have put all of my go-to/everyday eye and brow products, as you can tell there is room for quite a lot of products including two eyeshadow palettes. Another great thing about these drawers is they are big enough height-wise to stack slightly smaller products as well, allowing you to fit more inside of the drawers overall. The quality of how the drawers are made are so much more sturdy and thicker acrylic, unlike the Muji ones which were a thinner acrylic. Then in the final two drawers i have my go-to lipsticks/liquid lipsticks, which i think i might do a separate post on in the form of an updated nude lip products collection as even after a huge de-clutter there is still quite a lot of products to go through. 

Where to buy the beautify six tier clear acrylic drawers

| tesco (click to buy) | domu (click to buy) | eBay (click to buy) |

xo.

WHAT I ATE IN A DAY: FESTIVE EDITION

Hello everyone and welcome back to another "what i ate in a day" instalment! Since picking this type of post back up again in September, i have been so proud that i have remembered to do updated versions monthly and in fact last month i did not one but two (which i will link at the end). Before that i thought i would share with you a festive themed "what i ate in a day", which is not an all healthy food post but it is Christmas right?

So for breakfast this particular day i didn't have the most "winter-y" breakfast, like porridge as i usually would but i fancied something different and it is super quick to make. I had some mixed berries which were frozen and i warmed up in the microwave, with some homemade granola (cacao, almonds, oats, mixed nuts, dried fruits) and then also some Rachel's organic greek style honey yogurt and to top it off some more honey on top. As i had not had my coffee first thing when i got up, i had it with my breakfast instead.

Lunch time and i mentioned in a previous what i ate post that i had wanted to try smashed peas on toast for the longest time, then i finally did. Since then i have found another amazing recipe from Jamie Oliver, which is smashes peas and broad beans on toast with chilli the only thing different i did to his recipe is that i didn't add cheese as we didn't have any in ha ha. This is a great alternative to avocado on toast, especially if you are like me and aren't the biggest fan of avocado. 

Dinner time and i was actually at Meadowhall doing some last minute Christmas shopping, so we decided to get some dinner whilst we was there as it would be a little late to be eating dinner once we got back home. There is also finally a GBK (gormet burger kitchen) opened in Meadowhall, so of course we had to give it a go. I opted for burger, skinny fries and a sparkling elderflower drink, which was amazing!

Seeing as it is Christmas (which has been my excuse for the whole of December) i had dessert in the evening and i can never refuse anything mince pie related. With that in mind i had a options (low calorie) salted caramel hot chocolate and a viennese-mince pie, which was so yummy!

Catch up on some previous "what i ate in a day" posts...

| what i ate #1 | what i ate #2 | what i ate #3 | what i ate #4 |

xo.

LAST MINUTE FATHER'S DAY GIFT IDEAS

Hey guys, hope you are all having a great day! With Father's day coming up in the UK this Sunday, there is still some time to get your Dad the perfect whatever your budget. I have been researching a bunch of different great gift ideas and deals available for the big day, so if you are stuck for ideas then please keep reading...

iTunes or other gift cards from £10 - Most supermarkets and stores.

Gift vouchers are always a good buy as if you are unsure if someone already has something then you can give them a voucher to get whatever they want and has required more thought than just handing money over.

BBQ tools £40 - John Lewis.

Dad's are always the ones in charge at friends and families party/bbqs so this tool gift set would be perfect, it comes with 4 tools and a canvas cover with handles.

Aftershave Boss by Hugo Boss £36.50 - Boots.

Boots have great deals on for men's aftershaves with a variety on offer up to half price and also free next day delivery for online purchases. The half price deal is also available in Boots stores.

Gillette grooming gift set £13.33 - Boots.
Boots always seems to be the best place to be when it comes to gift sets for deals.

This particular gift set was £20 but is now a lower offer price which contains...

1x Gillette fusion manual razor

3x Manual blades

1x Hydrating shaving gel

Top Dad father's day collection £19.99 - Thorntons.
Chocolate is always a safe present to get for your dad, this gift set of Thorntons products is ideal as it has a mixture of their collection included...
1x Pre iced happy father's day milk chocolate beer mug plaque
1x Classic milk, white and dark box collection
1x Original special toffee box
1x Milk chocolate trophy model
1x I love dad truffles
1x Red milk chocolate tag

Ghost Stories by Coldplay CD £8.99 - Sainsbury's.
CD's and DVD's always make a great gift for someone if you know what they are into. I know personally for my dad this is usually one of my go to gifts to get for him. These types of gifts are so easy to get hold of either with next day delivery's online or at your local supermarket.

4 (selected) Real ales for £6 - Tesco.
For those beer loving dad's this would be a great gift and especially for under £10. Tesco's currently have a 4 for £6 offer on selected real ales which are £1.97 each.
(Offer applies up until 1st July 2014).
http://www.tesco.com/groceries/SpecialOffers/SpecialOfferDetail/Default.aspx?promoId=A31452131

Hope you find some of these ideas helpful and all the Dad's out there have a great day!

MOTHER'S DAY GIFT IDEAS

So with Mother's Day (UK) being just a little over a week away, that means there is still a time to get a special gift for all the lovely Mummy's out there. You don't have to spend heaps of money on an expensive gift to show someone how much you love them. Here is a few gift ideas you could surprise your Mum with this coming Mother's Day and still leave your bank balance undamaged...

I know i talk about The Body Shop all the time but they have some really amazing Gift Sets available in-store and they are only £15. This is such a great deal for full size products (body butter, shower gel and body spray), if you purchased the body butter on its own that would be £13 so for £2 extra you are getting two other items to make the perfect gift set.

 

At the moment The Body Shop have a great deal on their shower gels. This could make a perfect gift for your mum, they come in a wide range of different scents.

1 shower gel for £4.

2 shower gel for £6.

3 shower gel for £8.

4 shower gel for £10.

If you are unsure what to buy your mum on a tight budget but still want to get your mum a little something just to show her that you appreciate her, there is so many great gifts for £5 and under.

I saw this super cute floral mum cup whilst shopping, perfect for them special mums who love their cups of tea and coffee. Mum Cup - £2 Tesco.

What mum or person for that matter doesn't love being showered with chocolates. This doesn't mean you have to go out and spend £40 on an expensive box of chocolates, you can get great quality chocolates for much cheaper. Lindt Lindor Chocolates - £3.50 Tesco (Available in a variety of places).

I also had a look online at several other gift ideas you could get for this Mother's Day.

Already bought your mum a gift? I would love to know what you have bought.

Have an amazing weekend...

Katie♥