Orange Smoky Eye

That's right, an orange smokey eye. You heard it here first!

I know this is probably not true, but a girl can dream right? 

As I told you in my previous blog I received one of Younique's amazing eyeshadow palette's for Christmas just gone.

(I really want to say Christmas this year...even though I know It's actually last year...)

I am a little bit in love with this palette. The shades are insane and are super pigmented.

I decided to put a look together at the weekend with my favourite colour being the main focus. It's called Vintage and is a gorgeous orangey pinky colour.

Another thing I love about Younique's colours is that they change depending on skin tone, which I think is great as it means everyone gets a different shade of awesome.

For this look I have taken Vintage all over my lid, and have then used Suspicious in the crease and outer corner and then blended it with the fluffiest fluffy brush I own.

I have then taken Vindictive and put a tiny bit of this in the inner corner of my eye.

To finish off the look I have used my Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeliner in Noir and then Younique's Epic Lash Mascara (Another firm favourite if you are in the market for a new mascara!) with some Boots eyelashes to finish the look off!

I hope you like it!

Much Love,

Tk xx

Strip Eyelash Application Hacks!

Ok... So we all have a lot of love for the look that a strip lash gives to your finished look... That is... If you can get the darn things on!

I used to be a nightmare with them, getting the glue on my fingers and then on my face... It wasn't pretty! 

At college I picked up a few tips from a girl in my class and the rest is history! 

I've also come to realise that it doesn't matter how cheap the lashes are, (primark do some great ones, and my favourite pair came from a pound shop!) 

As long as you have some decent glue, you are on to a winner! 

I've used the Duo glue for years, and I only ever found it in MAC. However, recently I noticed the mini versions in Boots. So if you don't wear them that often, this size would be perfect for you. 

I'm not saying this will work for everyone, and that this is the only way you will get them on. At the end of the day, do whatever works for you.

I now don't tend to even use the tweezers as it tends to slow my process down. But! They are a fab tool when you are starting out. Just please be careful!!! 

Now... You will need:

• Eyelash Glue (preferably Duo, but if you prefer a different brand, go for it!)

• A Pair of Strip Eyelashes

• Tweezers

• Cotton Buds

• Eyeliner




Everyone does their eyelashes differently. I personally do all my eye make up first before applying them as I don't want the fall out from eye shadow on them. 

I also always do my bottom lash mascara as well as applying one coat on my top lashes before applying the lash.

You need to be really careful when removing your lashes from the package and I do generally use my tweezers for this to save any mishaps! 

Once you have removed them, put them on a flat surface away from any breeze... (the amount of times I have put them near a fan or window!)

You then need to squeeze a thin line of glue across the entire thread of the lash.

Be really careful with this as you don't want the glue going everywhere! If you struggle with this bit, use one of the cotton buds to do it with. 

You need to leave them to dry a little to get tacky so that they stick. So while mine are drying, I do my eyeliner.

Now I always put eyeliner on underneath lashes as I tend to wear quite big, long lashes and so the natural, no eyeliner look won't work. 

If you are going for the natural look you can skip this step. 

I simply draw a thin-ish line of liner across my lid, as close to the eye as possible. Obviously if you are going for a dramatic look, you can make it bigger.

Now comes the lashes! 

Pick the first lash up in the middle with your tweezers and place onto your eye, as close to your lash line as possible starting in the middle.

Press down gently, and then move to each corner and do the same. 

I tend to chose the inside corner, as this is the one that matters most. Plus it's a lot easier to add glue to the outer corner of the lash if you need to. 

Once you have done both corners, I take a cotton bud, just to ensure the entire lash is firmly on. 

Don't worry about the glue, it will dry clear! 

I generally add a little more liner if needed over the top, along with a coat of mascara, but these aren't necessary steps. 

I would also add a little bit if liner, or eyeshadow as liner, in the inner corner if I have gone natural, just to join the line up.

I hope this has helped some of you with this process. 

Let me know how you get on! 

Much Love,

Tk xx

Dr Paw Paw

As an avid Carmex girl, I generally dont bother trying new lip balms, or at least dont find them to work as well as my trusty Carmex.

Recently, in one of my Birchbox's I received a Dr Paw Paw Original and have actually really enjoyed using it!

Don't get me wrong, I still reach for my Carmex more often than not, but I really like the way it feels on my lips.

It keeps them super moisturised, and last for a good couple of hours.

The only thing I did miss was a scent like with the Raspberry Carmex, which smells awesome.

After looking into it a bit more, I found that it is a multi use product. It can be used on dry and cracked skin, as well as helping to set fly away hairs, brows and more.

I didn't realise Dr Paw Paw was only launched in 2011, and was the UK's first Paw Paw lip balm.

The website states that the two most important ingredients are:

Carica Papaya (PAWPAW)

The nutrient-rich fruit is full of antioxidants, minerals and also contains vitamins C + B. It helps to aid skin repair, provides anti-inflammatory properties and adds moisture.

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

A desert plant with amazing abilities to absorb and restore moisture. It contains more than 200 different plant constituents that promote glowing, youthful looking skin and hair.

– Retains and restores moisture to lips, skin and hair.

– ‘Bathes’ skin cells and helps promote skin regeneration.

– Helps minimise appearance of pore size.

– Excellent ingredient for skin cleansing and toning.

If you haven't tried it, I would definitely recommend it. I'm thinking of trying their tinted balms next!

What are your fave lip balms?

Much Love,

Tk,

xx

Being Organised - Part One

So, if you remember, like everyone, I set myself New Years resolutions this year here and one of them was to be more organised.

Part One of my organisation was to buy my cards for the year.

By this, I mean, I went out armed with a list of all the birthdays, anniversaries, weddings etc and purchased all the cards we need for the year.

I have also purchased a few extras, just in case I have forgotten anybody!

Plus I brought engagement cards, new baby cards and new house cards as you never know what could happen throughout the year.

I also want to start buying Christmas presents so that it is not such a massive rush at the end of the year.
I know this makes me sound mental rather than organised, but I know that come November I will be so grateful!

I'm now off to write all these cards ready for each birthday for the year, as well as pop stamps on the ones I need to send. Then I need to set alarms to send them!

Do you do anything this crazy organised or is it just me?!

Much Love,

Tk,

xx

10 Things About Me

Happy Lunchtime!

I popped up a video last night on my YouTube channel all about me.

Click here to have a butchers!

Would mean a lot and if you could like and subscribe would be even better!

If you have any ideas for future videos I’m all ears!


Much love

T xx

Colgate Sensitive Toothbrush and Pen.

I'm fully aware that this is such a random thing to write about, but it is something we all have to use multiple times a day.

Back in November, Myself, Jack, My Mum, Grandma and Brother travelled up to Birmingham for BBC's the 'Good Food Show'. 

Having never been before I was very excited. I had heard really good things from the rest of my family who have been going for years. 

For those who have never heard of it, it is basically a massive convention style food and drink event. 

There are an insane amount of stalls to see and sample various foods and drinks, that I think you need more than one day in there. Next year we will do this I think. 

At the end of the show, we were given goodie bags which had a variety of products in from pasta to powdered mash potato! 

One of the items was this Colgate toothbrush. I had completely forgotten about it until I realised last week that I needed to throw my toothbrush out as I had had it for too long (I think you are meant to change them every 3 months). 

I then suddenly remembered that it was in my 'try me' drawers. I have been pleasantly surprised with it as I'm usually quite fussy with my toothbrushes, this has definitely made the cut. 

It also comes with this cool pen which is for treating sensitive teeth as and when required and is stored within the toothbrush itself meaning you won't forget... hopefully not anyway!

If you struggle with sensitive teeth, I would advise you to look into getting one, they aren't expensive at all, coming in at around £3/£4 each. 

Let me know your thoughts if you have one already or if you end up getting one. 

Much Love, 

Tk xx

Spectrum Brushes

Back before Christmas, myself and my friend went along to a blogging event and within our goody bag, was this little gem.

Now, as a make up fiend, I owe wayyy too many brushes already. So I was super happy that I was able to smuggle some more into my house - (without Jack asking why I'd brought more when I have so many!)

This is a gorgeous set of Spectrum brushes. I have a few of their brushes from various Birchbox's over the last year or so and love them.

The set came in this cute pink bag, with a silk lining and a zipped pocket.

Inside the bag, are four brushes, in a gorgeous pale violet, with pink and purple ombre bristles. I have also added my most recent Birchbox brush in a gorgeous nude with a cream and pink ombre bristle.

The brushes are super soft and I can't wait to use them. I've kept them clean until writing this post, so as of tomorrow, they are going into my collection and I will use the bag for make up. 

These are some of my favourite brushes to use along with the Real Technique brushes, and if you haven't tried any yet, you definitely should. 

The set I was given is this one here and is so reasonable at only £24.99!

Much Love,

Tk 

xx

Matte Smoky Brown Eyes - Urban Decay

Hello Again,

Happy Thursday! Hope you have all had a fantastic day. One more day until the weekend, you can do it!

If you have seen my 'What I got for Christmas' video, you will have seen how lucky I was with my presents. If you haven't, what are you waiting for?  

One of my lovely friends brought me the Urban Decay Jean-Michel Basquiat eyeshadow palette, and it is just beautiful. 

As an avid fan of the Urban Decay Palettes already, I was super excited to receive this one. 

The colours are always super pigmented from Urban Decay which is one of the many reasons I love their palettes.

They are also so easy to blend, which when you are creating a smoky eye, really helps.




I love all the colours in this palette, but my favourite has to be 'Not for Sale'.

To create this look, I have used 'Enigma' on my upper lid and under my brow bone with 'Not for Sale' on my main lid. I have also used it underneath my lower lash line. 

I have then taken 'Suckerpunch' to blend into my crease and outer corner of my lid. 

I have then taken my Rimmel Scandaleyes black eyeliner to line my eyes, before using Younique's epic lash mascara to finish the look off. 

What are your favourite eyeshadow palettes?

Much Love,

Tk,

xx

Younique Palette 5

I have been after this palette for what feels like forever!

Jack very kindly got it for me this year as part of my stocking at Christmas.


I love the Younique palettes, and already have palette 2 which I use daily, mainly for my brows. The colours are super pigmented, and blend like a dream.

The reason I have been after this palette for so long is mainly these two colours; Vintage and Sarcastic.

Just look at how gorgeous they are!


If you haven't tried any Younique products, I would highly recommend doing so, as pretty much everything I have tried I love.

I can't wait to try more looks with this palette, the colours are amazingly pretty.

Take a look:


Have you tried any Younique products?

If so, what were you're favourites? If not, what are you waiting for? Click here.

Much Love,

Tk,

xx

The 'Jade Goody Effect'

When Jade Goody sadly passed away in February 2009, the whole of the UK was shaken. A young mother, with her whole life in front of her, she was just 27.

She was younger than I am now.

Her journey before she died was an incredible one, as poorly as she was, she made a concerted effort to raise awareness to all women to ensure they booked their smear's in.

In the year following her death, results showed that the number of women aged 25-29 booking a smear had shot up by a third and the number of women between 25-64 had gone up 12%.

Just incredible.

However, now, the figures are showing that in the UK, figures are now down by 72%, the biggest decrease in two decades.

What the media are calling the 'Jade Goody Effect' is well and truly over which is so sad.

She used the months leading to her death, using her position as a public figure in the media to raise awareness to help women everywhere.

We need to get this movement back. So many women go through this horrendous journey day in and day out.

As of September 2017, just in Kent alone, 2,600 women were diagnosed with Cervical Cancer.

---

For some reason, smears and gynae problems in general are always hush hush and not spoken about.

As women, we have to go through a lot throughout our lives, periods, childbirth, mammograms, smear tests, all of which put a toll on us, whether its physically or mentally.

We have it ingrained in us to want to ignore check ups, such as smears. For fear that they will be uncomfortable, both the act itself, as well as the fact that our legs will be thrown apart, bent at the knee, with everything on show, while a nurse or doctor takes swabs.

I had this exact problem when it came to me being old enough. I panicked as I had heard such horror stories from friends and of course the internet...

Then never receiving a letter due to moving... the letter requesting me to book in actually went to my ex boyfriends parents house... lovely!

I mentioned it to my doctor one day, thinking they would then book me in for a later date. Nope! She told me to lay down and undress from the waist down. I was not prepared for this... in more ways than one!

However, it was painless, and was over before I realised it had began.

The fact that she was shining a bright light towards my vagina (yes I said it!) and told me I was a good girl was a little strange... but hey. I had done it and it was over for another three years. Or so I thought.

Fast forward a week or so and I received a letter from the hospital explaining that I needed to go and have a colposcopy.

As a 25 year old who had just had her first smear, I completely freaked! I rang one of my friends who I knew had had a similar experience and she came straight over. She went through the letter with me, which was full of medical jargon. How they expect anyone to understand it and not think the worst is beyond me.

Anyway, my mum came with me to my appointment. I had to put a gown on and take my underwear off, then was led into a room with two ladies in, and asked to sit on the chair. This chair makes you feel like you are going to fall off of the back of it because the angle is so high up!

She explained what was going to happen before going ahead, which was very helpful. She then started...

Now, me and my mum are rather close... but when there is a tv screen facing you with a lovely view of your cervix on it, you definitely reach a whole new level of closeness!

Following the procedure, I was advised I would hear back soon with the results.

When I did, I was advised I had CIN1 and HPV.

They explained that generally these go of there own accord, but can end up forming into cancer in some cases.

I was extremely lucky not to have had a higher CIN grade, and I now have yearly check ups to keep an eye on it. I'm happy to report, so far, so good!

When I saw this in the media I realised I needed to speak out, as many of my friends have also done.

If you are 25 or over and are yet to book your smear, please get this booked!

If you are under 25 and are experiencing any symptoms (such as unusual bleeding or bleeding after sex), please see your doctor and ask for a smear!

Is missing a 5 minute appointment really worth losing your life? Or your mother, daughter, cousin, friends?

Share this with all the women in your life and help the figure rise again, as well as educating younger women that maybe haven't had their first smear yet. Please don't be scared. Book it as soon as you get your letter!

If this just reminds one person to book theirs, I will be happy.

Many Thanks as always,

Tk

xxx

Jo Malone

One of my best friends brought me a very special gift this year for Christmas, and she was very naughty doing so!


As you may well know, I love Jo Malone products, but they are rather expensive, which unfortunately means I very rarely have any products.

My favourite scents that they have are Wood, Sage and Sea Salt as well as Velvet Rose and Oud.

Knowing this, she brought me a 50ml size of the Velvet Rose and Oud cologne, which I freaking love!

I was super spoilt, and now I want everything! I think I may have to treat myself for my birthday in February to some more of their gorgeous scents.

I also want to get the Velvet Rose and Oud candle to make my house smell as gorgeous as I know do, but I think Jack may weep if I tell him how much it is for a candle!

What are your favourite Jo Malone scents? Are there some others I should try?

Much Love,

Tk,

xx

What I got for Christmas 2017

Hi guys,

I have just uploaded my first video of the year!

In it I discuss and show you what I got for Christmas this year. I was extremely spoilt by all my amazing friends and family.

Please take a look, the link is below.

I will be aiming to get a video up once a week, on Sundays, and blog posts at least twice a week.

Much Love as Always,

Tk

xxx

Monzo

Rewind a few months ago, and Jack was raving about this pay as you go card he'd found run by a crowdfunded bank that his mate at work had told him about.

I was extremely skeptical, and also didn't really see the point in all honesty.

I had a bank account already, why did I need more cards clogging up my purse? Especially when I would have to move money over in order to use it, which seemed like a lot of extra hassle that I wasn't keen on.

Eventually he wore me down and I agreed to get one.

To start, you download the Monzo App, and fill in all of your personal details, as you can expect. You also need to send a 15 second video of yourself to confirm your indentity, which I was a bit skeptical about to start with but it's not as bad as it sounds. They confirm your video against pictures from your passport or driving license that you also send pictures of.

Once this is all sent off, you will then see a cute little gif of your card winging it's way to you.


The app shows you when you spend your money, as well as where and also splits your money into categories such as Shopping, Groceries, Eating out and more.
If required, you can change these if they have got it wrong, although I have never had to!

I had to admit defeat and accept that Jack was right, which is super difficult for me to say!

Recently, the company have upgraded many accounts from prepaid to current accounts. So we still have bright orange cards, but we can use them as we would with any other bank account.

The app is also new and improved, still categorising your spends, as well as having saving features called 'pots'.



You are able to name the pots whatever you like and move Money into them super quickly and easily.

We are also to pay for items together, by requesting a split monzo payment. (obviously only available with friends and family who also have Monzo cards)



I would definitely give Monzo 5 stars and if you haven't heard of them and want to know more now, click here for more information.

Any questions, just ask!

Much Love,

Tk,

xx

New Years Resolutions

So it's that time of year again where everyone comes together to celebrate the end of last year and the beginning of the new one.

I have never really enjoyed New Years Eve, but last night worked an event with Jack and my brother and had a surprisingly good evening!



I usually follow the crowd and make resolutions for the sake of it, as it seems to be something that everyone does.

You know, the usual, save more money, lose weight, give up drinking, blah blah blah.

This year I'm making my resolutions for me, and no one else. It's up to me to decide on them and to stick to them, as much as my friends and family can help me, it's down to me at the end of the day.

Hopefully this time next year, I can look back at this list, having ticked off as much as possible.

I'm going to do it in two parts, my resolutions -or rather, things I want to achieve, and then things I want to do.

• Lose weight - Healthily, not on some fad diet, with good food and exercise. I will be documenting my journey. Having started my journey this year, with my PT, I want to carry on but even more gung ho. 

• Go to bed earlier and get up earlier - I know this one sounds a bit strange, but I hate rushing around in the morning because I've snoozed the alarm too many times. So I want to take more time waking up without feeling like I have 5 minutes! This will also help with some of my other resolutions, making more of an effort with myself will help me feel better, plus I can get some more steps in int the am!

• Spend more time with Jack - We are both guilty for this, with long hours at jobs we love, when we get home, after housework and dinner, it's usually bedtime for both of us, but especially me! I want to make more of an effort for date nights, even if it is just having a meal at our dining table as if we were going out. Just making more of an effort!

• Blogging and Vlogging - I want to make a conscious effort to keep up to date with my blogging and also make sure I have consistent videos going up on my channel too. 

• Being Organised - This is mainly in relation to above - I want to plan everything out so I know what I'm doing. What I have going up on both channels, and what I am doing week to week.

• Learn more - This mainly applies to my new job, as I have so much more to learn. I am loving it, and can't wait to learn more. I also want to teach myself how to edit my videos better, as I love doing it but wish they looked a bit better! 

• Save more - We want to buy a house, and so we need to start saving more than we have been! This is part of our mission for 2018! We also want to travel to New York for my 30th Birthday in February 2019, so that is a big holiday for us to save for too. Very exciting even if it does mean I'm officially old!

• Look after myself more - I'm ridiculously bad at doing this. I am booking a dental appointment and opticians appointment in the New Year, as I haven't been for a couple of years which is really bad. Time to sort myself out!

• Say No more - This might sound like a strange one, but I'm a sucker for helping people out without thinking about myself. I don't mean I'm going to be miss negative, just saying no to some things every now and again so I don't knacker myself out physically and emotionally should help me out a bit more.

• Travel more - As much as I want to save as much money as possible, I also want to make more effort to see the world. I have so many places I want to see and now I don't work weekends, there is no reason why myself and Jack couldn't take off after work on a Friday and come back Sunday night to a bunch of European cities. 

• Do more for me - I want to take the time to pamper myself now and again, take my make up off properly, use skincare as I am now getting older! Drink more water, go to bed earlier, get rid of clothes that I don't wear anymore, read more books etc.

• Pretty Muddy - I really want to take part in a Race for Life Pretty Muddy event, I can't run for shit, but hopefully by doing more exercise will help me massively with this. Cancer charities are very close to my heart, so raising money for one of the biggest charities will be an amazing thing to do in 2018. 

• Give up Crisps - This is one I've added this morning. Jack has recently managed to give them up for a whole year and is now enjoying the tastes of his faves, so I've decided to take over from him for 2018. Wish me luck! 

I'm sure throughout the year I will come up with more, but these are my starting post.

Do you have any New Years Resolutions, if so, what are they?

Much Love,

Tk,

xx