A busy week!

Hi Everyone! What a busy week and a half I've had! Allow me to fill you in Craig David styleeee!

• Wednesday: Band rehearsal in Glasvegas town 9pm - 12am. Home by 1.15am, jumping straight into bed to wake up at 5.30am for work the next day.


• Thursday: work till 5pm then drove right from work to Stirling to sing at a wedding from 8pm - 12pm. Once again getting home as quickly as possible and finally letting my head hit the pillow at 2.30am only to be up at 5.30am for work again.


• Friday: Work till 6pm, head home to have a quick hour power nap, redo make up and head through to Glasgow for a gig 10pm - 12am. Race home for 2am to be up AGAIN at 5.30am.


• Saturday: Work till 5pm then head straight from work to Largs for a 7.30pm - 12am gig. Home by 3.30am and up again at 5.30am. This bride was actually pretty crazy - during the break she took the microphone and started ordering even the shy members of her family to come up and tell their favourite story about her - I know that someones wedding day should be all about them and they should be the centre of attention... but that was pretty odd!

Here's how it went down, and this is not a word of a lie!

BRIDE: "Uncle Bobby, come tell that story about when i was a little girl and i fell off the plant pot at your house!"

UNCLE BOBBY: " Well Lorraine, i, i, i couldn't possible, i mean,um... i don't really remember..."

BRIDE: "Yes you can!... Everybody, a round of applause for Uncle Bobby."

Uncle Bobby looks around the room with despair as the crowd begins to nervously begin a smattering of un-enthused applause. Bride shoves microphone to Uncle Bobbies mouth - Uncle Bobby physically shakes with stage fright.

So needless to say, i have been supremely knackered this week! Today however, i enjoyed a well deserved day off so i spent it catching up on missed sleep. So i slept. A LOT!

I'm writing this direct from my bed, still in my jammies with not a scrap of make up on at 7 in the evening having just woken up from an hour and a half's nap(and it was GOOOOOOD!). This is on top of visiting the land of nod from 1am till 12pm this morning. Its been glorious! And whats even better is that i also have tomorrow and Thursday off!

So, I'm planning on heading through to Glasgow tomorrow to spend some moola at the Illamasqua counter and I also have Mac vouchers to spend on Color Craft/Naked Honey - what are the must haves of the collection?

xxx

BODY SHOP TEA TREE SKINCARE REVIEW

We all know that getting free stuff is a pretty perk of the job...but doesn't it suck when you really don't get on with what you were sent to review? Its tough because the whole point of blogging is to give an honest review, you want to trust that people are waxing lyrical about something they really and truly, genuinely like not just because they feel obligated because they were very kindly sent it...and you don't want to be ungrateful or unnecessarily crappy.

Luckily, when i was sent some Body Shop things to try out by Natalie (thank you!!) i didn't have this dilemma at all!

I particularly like that instead of sending the same pre packaged press pack (try saying that 5 times quickly!) as every other blogger, Natalie actually asked if there was anything from The Body Shop range that i would be particularly interested to try. Now, I'll admit that the only thing i really get from The Body Shop on any kind of regular basis is the body butters - I mean with so many delicious flavours (?)/ scents (??) to choose from it would be rude not to! Oooh and my annual Christmas bath set...does anyone else get this or is it just a tradition in my house? I get the Body Shop set while the bro gets an Oor Wullie Annual. Anyone else? No...? Ok then. So anyway, back to the point, I had a root around on the website and decided that i could really give a fair review of any of the Tea Tree Oil skin care products.

If you're like me and suffer from oily skin you'll know that it sucks to be the only oil faced city slicker in a room of magnificently matte ladies. Oh to be able to actually add shimmer!

Many's the day that I've been retouching (at 11am i might add!!)in the mirror and noticed that the shine on my forehead is in itself, a mirror thus creating that endless mirror in a mirror in a mirror effect...kinda like taking a photo of someone taking a photo. Regardless of trippy forehead effects, its not nice. And just to make the situation even better, shine is often accompanied by spots. And i am not immune to them. at all.

So with all this said, i was really excited to try out The Body Shop Tea Tree Range for Oily and blemished skin to see what it could do for me!(note that 'for me' is key: what works for me might not be the same for you or a different skin type). The package arrived a little over a month ago and since then i have been well and truly putting each product through its paces! My camera has broken so i cant show you everything they sent but it was, as you know, seriously generous! Thanks Natalie!!

I think a month and a half has been sufficient time enough for me to appropriately test the products and really get a feel for them, to be able to answer the following questions: would i repurchase, are they worth the money, would i recommend them, are the formula's good, how they work...and most importantly: if they work at all!

So firstly, lets start with a couple of things that i will definitely be repurchasing:

TEA TREE OIL BLEMISH FADE NIGHT LOTION:

This product has BIG claims - "A lightweight, soothing gel crème that sinks into the skin to help improve the appearance of blemish-damaged skin, equalise oiliness and replenish moisture while you sleep" and i would certainly agree with every single word of that.

This has fast become a must have product in my make up bag. If I'm staying over at the Boy's house, this comes with me...there's a chance there would be tears before bedtime if this was forgotten. It's a really light, almost barely there creme that sinks in within the space of 30 seconds or so, but unlike most moisturisers that are super quick to sink in, i can really feel the benefits of this. Its not so much a film of moisture left on the face...more like an overall softness. Ach, i could hark on about this till the cows come home, I LOVE IT! This is the Superman to my daytime Clean and Clear Oilfree moisturiser's Clark Kent (BF will love that geeky reference).

Im not so sure what kind of effect its had on my old existing blemish marks - it could be a placebo but id swear the scar (luckily the only war wound i escaped with in my battle against acne) on my right cheek is ever so slightly less visible.

The only 'con' as far as i can see is the smell. It is VERY strongly scented...but with a strong medicinal scent like tea tree, this is expected and i don't personally find it a problem. Having said that, if you have a delicate conk this might not be for you.

I also love THE BODY SHOP TEA TREE OIL FACIAL EXFOLIATOR.

Its a great scrub for those who really like a course texture to really sloosh away that dull skin. I also love that the scrubs is a green coloured gel cremey texture that leaves me looking like the incredible hulk, (another BF pleasing geek ref. He will be pleased!), ah bathtime fun! Its not one for everyday use as it is so gritty - when i first started testing it i used daily for 4 days before i noticed the overscrubbing sting accompanied by significant redness. I have however since perfected the art of exfoliation ala BodyShop. During the week i use my regular Neutrogena exfoliator and keep this as my perfect 'Once a week, get results' product. As before, the smell is STRONG and can be a bit overpowering at first but i for one find the smell a good thing - i have lots of memories of being a teenager and slathering on Tee Tree oil direct from the bottle and knowing that i was KILLING the bacteria dead. Like Cillit Bang for the noggin.

One thing that im sooo close to loving is the TEA TREE OIL BLEMISH STICK. At only £3.90 its hard to have anything bad to say about this product. Its tiny enough to sling in your handbag and the concentrated formula make it a reassuring medicinal treatment for whenever u can feel a spot brewing under the skin. I used this recently on an 'almost' hormonal chin breakout. I caught it at the beneath the surface phase, applied in the morning, took off my make up as soon as i got home from work and applied it then and then once again before bed and it really never came to anything. What a RELIEF!!

My only criticism with this product is that i just cant stand the lipgloss style doe foot applicator. It makes me cringe at the thought of spreading and reintroducing bacteria so i use the applicator to coat a clean finger and then apply to the area. Not a huge issue but significant enough for me to just 'like' this product.

Have you tried the Tee Tree Oil Range? How did it work for you? Id love to hear whether your favourites from the range are the same/ completely different...cos that's the funny thing about skin isn't it? Everyone's completely different! HARK!

FOTD and my room!

I am soooo glad to be back! :0)

Today was my first day off in such a long time so i didn't want to do anything too taxing or tiring...just a nice chilled out, relaxed day. According with this i decided i wanted to give my eyes a rest and have a glasses only day, wear sloppy clothes...and fun make up!

Here's today's FOTD - really relaxed, just a bit of my usual Lily Lolo foundation, tiny bit of Summer Love Beauty Powder on my cheeks (this is my favourite *blush* at the moment - cant get enough of it!!), 1 single eyeshadow (mythology) on my lids, graphic black liner & black mascara and my favourite Up The Amp lippie. Dead quick, relaxed but still a bit fun.

In other breaking news, I tidied my room on Sunday night! I know, its a rare occurrence for me but i am really going to make an effort to keep it somewhat tidier than i have been of late. The reason for this tidying was really a necessity: Ive have had my eye on the Ikea Malm Dressing Table for months now - my parents use one in their computer room and they fill the drawers with cables and other technical computery bits, so i finally decided that as it was my birthday on the 2nd of July, i would use my birthday money to finally get myself the malm and sort myself out a proper make up area. Grand. Good plan...except, the way my room was laid out, although big, there was just nowhere to fit it in!

CUE ROOM REARRANGE!

I used to love rearranging my furniture when i was little. My mum's really into interior decorating and she always made sure our rooms where always decorated beautifully.One of my favourite things to do when i was bored would be to rearrange the furniture into different places and I loved the 'freshness' that you get from moving the bed from one place to another.

So when i realised that i just couldn't fit the Malm in with my room laid out the way it was, i took it as a rearrangin' challenge! Fras came over on Sunday night and was pretty unimpressed with my plans to make him move heavy things around...not to mention the room was a bit of a tip that would need clearing out before any big things could be swapped around...but i was positive and bossy, and won the battle. A rearranging it would be! One of Fras's comments was that the whole project really heightened our differences as a couple: I'm a messy cow whereas he's super tidy, I start things and have faith that it'll all work out well whereas Fras likes to draw up the whole plan before anything is started. But as with most couples, the woman gets the final say so we moved 1 piece at a time, trying different things in different places before settling on a final choice. It took a few hours but when it was done we had moved the bed from the middle of the wall to in the corner which made the floor space double! Needless to say, i was right and there is now more than ample space for the Malm AND the room looks HUGE!

I do however regret to say that i forgot to take before photos. But heres the room now!

Rearranging the room made me realise that my bedding is quite a state! I dyed it from white to pink as i thought it would be easier to clean but it looks really rubbish - there are no poppers on the bottom of the duvet cover so the duvet spews rather unattractively out of the end AND my pet hate: The fitted sheet doesn't actually fit and comes away from the mattress every night while we sleep. To summarise, its a bedding DISASTER!!!

So today my plan was to go into town, get a whole new set of bedding; fitted sheet, duvet cover, pillow cases: the whole lot! I found this really cute set in Next...

...which i liked cos its fresh and sparkly white but also had a bit of interest about it...but when i got home and put it on the bed... ...i found that my duvet is evidently NOT a king size like i thought, and the cover is about half a foot too big for the padding. RUBBISH! Also having seen it on the bed I'm not so sure i love it anyway. The Zig Zags are sown on with just a single line of stitches so there are flappy bits all over - I'm thinking that when i return i might have a look for something else completely. Hmm.

Anyway, tomorrow I'm heading over to Newcastle with my Mum to IKEA to pick up the Malm...Oh yeah, did i mention when i tried to buy it at the Edinburgh shop on Sunday i found out that its now been discontinued and the only shop that has any left in the whole of Britain is the Newcastle shop? Just Greeeeeeeat! Its only a 2 hour drive!Grrr!

Fingers crossed that they have 1 in stock when i get there tomorrow or this whole thing with have been complete waste of time! IM SCARED!!

Im back with 20 Q's!

Hi everyone! I know, shock horror - after nearly a month i am back and shamelessly creeping back into blogging. I blog absolutely for fun and i feel no obligation to post regularly but usually i do, because i love it and i love how it has opened me up to a whole community of like minded people!

So here's why i fell off the blog wagon - firstly, i recently started a new job that has literally taken over every waking minute of my life...and for every minute that i should be sleeping Ive been gigging. I LOVE wedding season cos it means I'm gigging EVERY weekend and quite often at other times too which = lots of MOOLA for spending!...but it does also mean that Ive had no time at all to relax and blog. Every second that I'm not working or gigging has been used for much needed sleep. Having said that, I'm now getting quite used to 2 or 3 hours sleep per night.

And finally to top off this glorious month, Ive not been too well - ladies, this might be a bit fo an overshare, but this month i have been the lucky recipient of a 2 and a half week, very painful period that has left me feeling pretty awful. :0(

Anyhoo, i hope i can resume normal service again - i really missed you all!

The very awesome Pandadoesmakeup tagged everyone to do this post and as its an easy one I'm going to use it to get me back into the swing of things. Bare with me if I'm a bit rusty!

1. Things you cannot leave the house without:

Usually I would be right with the rest of you shouting 'PHOOOOONE' but alas tis not to be!Recently my phone has been playing up, cheekily refusing to charge properly and mischievously turning off mid phone call but a few days ago it well and truly, completely gave up the ghost (i actually just had to ask boy if this phrase is 'giving up the ghost or goat?' I was met by several bouts of incredulous laughter. SWINE ps hi Marie) and now won't turn on...and do you want to know the crazy thing? I'm actually quite enjoying being off the radar! so yeah, NOT my phone anymore, and to be honest i feel quite bohemian in saying that i do just fine with just the clothes on my back.

2. Favourite brand of MakeUp:

Hmm, well im a pretty loyal customer of Lily Lolo for base products but MAC does it for me with most other things. Predictable but true!

3. Favourite flower:

I ADORE Peonies! They're so pretty and fluffy and the smell is divine. Im not one for receiving flowers, id much rather have something that'll last...but peonies are the exception! BRING EM ON!

4. Favourite clothing store:

Im the first to admit that the balance between clothes and makeup in my life somewhat skewed. Clothes aren't really my thing and im not one for following trends. Id much sooner do a simple outfit with really awesome make up and bright accessories, but i do enjoy Urban Outfitters for simple, casual pieces that are a little bit 'on trend'.

5. Favourite perfume:

Has to be Paco Rabbane Ultra Violet. LOOOVE!

6. Heels or Flats:

Purely in terms of aesthetics id have to say heels. There's something almost artistic about a beautiful pair of heels that just makes me 'oooh'. Like this pair. Case in point.

but having said that, like many others, comfort is just too important for me to wholly stand behind an answer of 'heels' for this. So my final answer: Flats it is then. But i do have my eye on this pair of Topshop beauties.

7. Do you make good grades:

I was always good at the creative side of things. English, art, drama, music, and history saw me fine at school but i was hopeless at maths and science. Grades were according. I did well when i went to music school though and got distinctions all the way through. Proud of that! :0)

8. Favourite colours:

Teal, turquoise and gold. Tasty!

9. Do you drink energy drinks:

At the moment due to lack of sleep i start each morning at 5.30am and find myself at 8 o clock, sitting at my desk at work with a bottle of Lucozade cos im already knackered. Not ideal!

10. Do you drink juice:

Im a Pepsi or Lemonade kinda girl (mmm real lemons lemonade!) but i have been known to dabble in Cranberry juice. Does anyone else think its quite a satisfying 'woody' taste?

11. Do you like swimming:

I can take it or leave it really. meh.

12. Do you eat fries with a fork:

Nope. Fingers all the way! If i was out someone posh where it would be frowned upon I probably wouldn't order chips anyway. Potato Dauphinois all the way baby!!

13. Favourite moisturiser:

Neutrogena oil free moisturiser. I do love it.

14. Do you want to get married later on in life:

Yeah! But working at weddings pretty much every weekend means that i now know exactly what i DONT want for my own wedding!

I feel like weddings these days are really unpersonal...ive lost count of the endlessly interchangeable weddings where the bride looks the same, wears the same corset dress ive seen for the 4th week running in a faceless hotel function room served endlessly patient waitstaff who really just want their shifts to be over so they can go home and the bridezill wont have to be at the very centre of their being anymore.

I want something that really reflects me and the person im marrying! And i want it to be fun and relaxed with not a single stuffy waiter in sight!

Having said that, i want a marriage not just a wedding!

15. Do you get mad easily:

Nah not really. Im ok i think! Maybe Fras would say differently though!

16. Are you into ghost hunting?

Why yes, i LOVE it! erm....no!

17. Any phobias?

Not a phobia, but certainly a fear of the ocean which very much extends to sharks. I HATE especially when it gets black and you have no way of knowing whats underneath you. My worst nightmare would be surviving a plane crash but landing in the middle of the ocean. SHUDDER!

18. Do you bite your nails?

Nope, never have.

19. Have you ever had a near death experience?

Nope. touching wood now!

20. Do you drink coffee?

NO!!! this is a weird thing of mine. The thought of drinking something hot makes me cringe. I think drinks should be cold and refreshing and just cant comprehend the idea that any beverage should be warm or hot. This incorporates any teas, coffees, hot chocolate or warm juice. Blergh. I do however LOVE the smell of coffee.