Back To The Grind: First Week Back At University

Hi guys, 

Sorry I have been AWOL for the past week but I have been so busy with uni, preparing my Body Coach meals for the next 2 weeks (to freeze) and just the usual shenanigan to be honest like housework, gym, life etc. but from this moment on I will be firmly back to studying mode as there is so much to do and I have only completed week 1. 

Shadeen 27 Vital Age Serum/Moisturiser and Vital Re-Gen 3 in 1 Cleanser

Shadeen 27 Vital Age Serum/Moisturiser and Vital Re-Gen 3 in 1 Cleanser

Hi Guys, 

I love skincare as much as the next person but I am always trying to find something to combat blemish scars and also leave me with gorgeously soft skin. So when I was contacted by Shadeen 27 who are a 100% organic and natural Scottish skincare company, to tell me of their beautiful products I jumped at the chance to sample them.

My Boohoo Wishlist

My Boohoo Wishlist

Hi my loves, 

Now you know I never venture into the fashion world but after checking out Boohoo`s latest offerings I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to show you what I have been loving. I am not going to go into details on each item as they are pretty self-explanatory in their picture and the list is pretty extensive. So let’s get on with it shall we... 

Indeed Laboratories | Hydraluron Moisture Boosting Masks

Hey my loves, 

I bought these Indeed Laboratories Hydraluron Moisture Boosting Masks (£19.99) quite a while ago and since I recently finished them I decided to put together a review for you. 

I tried the original Hydraluron Serum which was nice but when I clocked these in Boots, I knew I had to try them out as I do love a sheet mask. Everyone should have seen the Silence of the Lambs-esque sheet masks by now but if you haven’t they are more often than not a sheet which is the size of your face with holes cut out so you can see, smell and eat (if you are anything like me). They are soaked in serum so all you do is remove from packet, unfold and place on your face to infuse your skin with all kinds of goodness. As you can imagine, they would work wonders on dry skin as they are laced with hyaluronic acid which leaves skin looking plumper, feeling softer and smoother. I personally have oily skin but I do suffer from dry patches on my cheeks so I love masks like this that work their magic in fifteen minutes. As you know, I never listen to the timing instructions as I like to leave them on longer which is exactly what I done with this. I left it on for about 40 minutes, just enough time to watch an episode of SATC and then removed.

I have used a lot of these sheet masks and I think this is good but it isn’t one of my favourites. It did leave my skin with a certain glow and it looked so much healthier than before I used it but I didn’t love it. My favourite would have to be the Timeless Truth Beauty Masks which does the same thing but so much better! If you are looking for super smooth, radiant, hydrated and plumper looking skin I would suggest using the TT Beauty Masks as they do the job so much better than the Indeed Labs ones.

Have you tried either of these masks?

What else would you recommend?

Have you checked out my latest featuring A Little Get To Know Me Post?

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Get To Know Me

Hi guys, 

Well I am well on my way with this blog; I have been going strong since April 2014 and have loved the opportunities it has brought. But I thought I would do a tag today to let you all know me a little bit better than you already do. I have a Random Facts About Me post too if you wanna check that out. Please feel free to carry out this tag on your blogs too and tag me on Twitter (@__beautylauren) with your answers as I would love to hear them.

1. Do you have a middle name?

Yes, it’s Elizabeth after my gran. She was a belter of a woman and someone I miss every day.

2. What is your star sign?

Cancer

(She is a tidal force of perplexing emotion, and can be stubborn, compliant, furious, and docile, all in the same hour. She is deeply intuitive, and if she says she doesn't feel right about someone, it pays to take notice. ) This is 100% percent me, just ask Liam!

3. What was your favourite subject at school?

Biology and Maths were on the same level for me. I wanted to be a forensic scientist and even went as far as to study it at uni but after hearing of all the lab closures I decided against it and focused on work.
4. What’s your favourite drink?
Water, how sad am I? Alcohol wise, red wine or tequila.

5. What’s your favourite song at the moment?
Oh jeez, I am rubbish with songs at the moment. I can’t believe I have reached an age where I couldn’t tell you who sang what. My favourite song of all time would probably be Welcome to The Jungle by Guns n Roses and I listen to it constantly.

6. What would you name your children?
Erm, if I had a boy I would probably name him after a strong male in my family with a bit of Liam’s family thrown in too so I don’t know. We have Patrick (my grandad) Dominic (Liam’s grandad) Stephen (both of our dads, not the same one though ha-ha) and Thomas (my favourite uncle) it’s a tough one, we will see when it happens. For a girl we would definitely like to have Elizabeth incorporated in there somewhere for my gran but I like Erin & Amelia, I could go on but I will stick to two. If we had a second girl then Josephine or Siobhan (her Irish name) would be added in to her name for Liam’s nana as she has been the most amazing woman for both of us, she is the nana everyone should have.

7. Do you participate in any sports?
No sports, it’s mostly the gym. I used to play badminton and swim when I was younger for school teams but I’ve never carried that through to my adult life.

8. What’s your favourite book?
Deviant Ways by Chris Mooney and Armed Candy by Reg MacKay.

9. What’s your favourite colour?
I love every shade of green apart from neon.

10. What’s your favourite animal?
It has to be penguins! I adore them and pugs!

11. What’s your favourite perfume?
Hermes Un Jardin En Mediterranee

12. What’s your favourite holiday?
Halloween for sure!

13. Have you graduated from High School?
Yes, finished with my Standard Grades including French, English, Music, Craft and Design, Geography, Maths, Biology and Chemistry.

14. Have you been out of the country?
Yes, I’ve been to Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Malaga, Marbella, Greece, Gran Canaria, Tenerife & Australia. 

15. Do you speak any other languages?
I could attempt French but it would be butchery of a beautiful language. I would love to learn Spanish though, it’s my favourite language. I should really ask my friend Sara to teach me as she is actually Spanish.

16. Do you have any siblings?
Yes! I am the oldest of four. I have a sister, Justine who is 25, a brother, William who is 22 and a baby sister, Rhiannon who is 18.

17. What’s your favourite store?
Really?! Ummmmmm, my favourite stores to walk around are probably House of Fraser or Selfridges or Lush! How could I forget Lush?  Online, it would have to be Cult Beauty.

18. What’s your favourite restaurant?
At the moments, it’s Peters Seafood in East Kilbride.

19. Do you like school?
Well I am back finishing my final year of accountancy so yes, I think education is very important and people should never want to stop learning! 

20. Who are some of your favourite YouTubers?
Vivianna Does Makeup, Nicole Guerriero, and Pixiwoo

21. What’s your favourite movie?
Oh now you’re asking. Favourite movie is Goodfellas, it is amazing. I also love, love, love How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days & Something Borrowed as Kate Hudson is one of my favourite actresses. Oh and Overboard with her mother Goldie Hawn! Four of my favourites, is that cheating?

22. What are some of your favourite TV shows?
Scandal, Grey’s Anatomy, House, Criminal Minds, Medium, The Blacklist and Sex and the City, Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Law and Order SVU, Chicago PD, Gilmore Girls (of course!) and Friends. I could watch any of these over and over again. Infact, I have done several times already.

23. Do you believe in the Supernatural?

Yes, I believe in ghosts but that’s as far as I would go.

24. What phone do you have?
I have the iPhone 5s. I`m not one for the latest gadgets.

25. Any pets?
No! I have a flat so no pets allowed but hopefully, in the near future when we buy a house we can get a little dog to complete the family (until the kids come along)

That’s all the questions answered guys, I hope you enjoyed this and if you carry it out, then tag me on twitter.

Have you checked out my latest featuring The Perfect Contour Brush?

I can also be found on Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram |

Crown Brushes

Crown C473 Studio Pro Contour

Crown C139 Stiff Tapered Crease

Crown C139 Stiff Tapered Crease

Hello guys

As you know, I am a Real Techniques girl through and through and have almost every brush & tool in my collection apart from the Bold Metals Range as I found them to be very expensive for what they are. I understand the reasoning behind the price points but for me, it wasn’t really an option, so I looked online at the alternatives out there and came across Crown Brushes.

I bought these brushes way back in February/March time and have used them almost every day as they are amazing at doing their job. The C473 Studio Pro Contour Brush (£9.99) is a sable and goat haired brush which fits well in the hollows of my cheeks but also transfers product to the forehead, temples and nose areas very well. I use this brush with cream and powder products and so far have been impressed with everything I have used it with as the product transfers well onto the skin and the brush blends it out perfectly. The Crown C139 Stiff Tapered Crease (£3.09) is a medium sized goat and sable haired brush which fits in the crease of the eye perfectly. This blends out any eyeshadow I have tried almost flawlessly.

The bristles on the brushes are very soft and feel of very sound quality. I haven’t had any issues with the bristles falling out when washing and they haven’t lost their shape either. All in all, these brushes give the feel of a very expensive brush but for a much lower price than most competitors out there, I mean the Nars Ita Kabuki brush is £43, the Real Techniques Bold Metals 301 Flat Contour is £22 and the Crown C473 Studio Pro Contour is only £9.99, this is a no brainer for me! 

Have you tried Crown Brushes?

Would the fact that its natural hair rather than synthetic stop you from buying?

Have you checked out my latest featuring Books I Read On Holiday?

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What I Read This Summer

What I Read This Summer

Hi Guys, 

As you know, I was on holiday for two weeks in Greece and I decided to put together a little list of some books I fancied reading. As with anything I do, I deterred a little from the list but I was very proud of the amount of books I actually got through. To find out what I had every intention of reading then click here. 

I will start off with the books that I wanted to read and actually read on holiday. These were as follows: 

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn: 

If anyone read Gone Girl then you will be familiar with Gillian’s method of telling a story from everyone`s point of view and this book is no different. This is quite dark as the name would suggest as it involves a brutal murder of three family members and tells their stories from the morning of the murder until the final act itself. It also tells the story from the murderer’s point of view and the only surviving daughters view in the present day. This was an absolute joy to read; it flowed easily and was finished in one day!   

Michael J Fox Autobiography: 

I loved this book in the beginning but then it got a little boring. I loved that his sense of humour shone from the pages but I did get a little bored with the political side of things to be honest.

Something Borrowed by Emily Griffin: 

I was going to read Something Blue too but after reading the first book I thought I would give it a swerve. This was very predictable and honestly not for me! I love crime, horror, biographies etc. but I really wanted to give this a go as I loved the film but it gets a big old thumbs down I’m afraid. 

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness:  

This book is 700+ pages long and I was contemplating throwing my kindle in the pool by 50% as it took so damn long to get to that point. I persevered and managed to get to 88% on holiday. This is one long ass book but it’s amazing! I have really enjoyed reading it but I will need to finish this when I get a minute or two due to university starting back and then I will then purchase the next two books in the series. Well worth a read for any Twilight fans out there except this is for grown-ups and not teenagers (nothing stopping teenagers reading it though as it’s not 18+).

Now onto the books I decided to read when I was on holiday. It’s amazing how many books you can get through with no TV, great weather and a few cocktails. I am a very fast reader so please don’t think I am bragging about reading so many books but once I am hooked it’s very hard for me to put it down. I did actually do other things on holiday including various excursions but whilst traveling to them I decided to get my kindle out and read as it helped the time go in quicker. These are the books I managed to finish:

Four Chelsea Handlers Books (yes, you read that correct, 4!) including: 

Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang, Are you There Vodka? It’s Me Chelsea, My Horizontal Life and Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me. 

I’ve never been a fan of this Chelsea as I thought she was a little obnoxious but I wanted to read something different so I started off with her first book which was My Horizontal Life. This was laugh out loud funny so I carried onto the second which was Are You There Vodka, then Lies Chelsea Told Me and finished with Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang. I honestly thought I was going to throw my back out from laughing so much. If you are prudish or don’t particularly like vulgar language then I would suggest you give these a miss but I couldn’t put them down. I would go into fits of laughter whilst reading these as they were all hilarious. I got a few looks from my Liam and also some people who were travelling with us but I couldn't stop myself. Her dad is now my hero. Please read if you have a sense of humour! They are amazing.

The Accident by C.L Taylor:  

This was a well written piece of work. Finished in one day. Honestly couldn't put it down. This starts off in present day Brighton with the main characters daughter stepping out in front of a bus and then brings in diary entries from the main characters life from 15 years ago in London. It weaves in the diary entries perfectly and leaves you wanting more and more. Would highly recommend.

One Night in Winter by Simon Sebag Montefiore:  

This is not something I would have bought had I read the back of the book but the front cover sold it for me (judging books by covers eh?) This is based in 1945 Russia when Stalin was in power (not my cup of tea at all) and has everything in it including love, fear, conspiracy, adultery & murder. I was gripped from the first page as it brought history and fiction together to tell a story that was heart-breaking for so many characters. I couldn't believe it started off with a game being played by teenagers to them all being arrested for trying overturn the government. A firm favourite of mine now. 

The Boy That Never Was by Karen Perry:  

This was similar to Gone Girl and Dark Places as it told the story from the main characters point of view but it was so much more. It is based in Dublin and Tangiers and tells the heart-breaking story of a couple who are trying to hold it together after their child dies in an earthquake. There are a lot of twists and turns and by the end of the book, you could tell what the outcome was going to be but it was a superb read. 

This was everything I read on a two week holiday to Greece! Ten full books and very nearly an eleventh! Looking at the list it seems like so much but as I said, I am a very fast reader and these books were so hard to put down. My flight was also 5 1/2 hours each way so it was plenty of time to finish off a book. My top recommendations would be One Night in Winter (Top Pick), The Boy That Never Was, Dark Places and The Accident although I thoroughly enjoyed most of everything I read. I now only have nine books left to read to complete my reading challenge of 25 books for 2015 through Goodreads. Wish me luck.

What have you been reading?

What would be your top picks?

Have you read any of these books mentioned?

Have you checked out my latest featuring Forever Living Beauty?

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Forever Living | Aloe Vera Gelly & Aloe Vera Moisturizing Lotion

Hello guys,

This is my first post since returning from Greece, I am totally thinking of moving there next year! (Says everyone ha-ha) Anyway, it was a great trip, actually my favourite trip abroad with Liam. I faced a few fears including heights and boats but I really couldn't conquer my fear of the open water, I was a nervous wreck trying to jump in (took me an hour to pluck up the courage) that I panicked once I jumped and then burst out crying when I finally got back on the boat, I will never do that again. The water was beautiful don't get me wrong but I really hate the sea! I would recommend anyone go to Corfu as there is so much to do and the Old Town was such a sight.

As you know, Alex from Forever Living kindly sent me over some samples of her Forever Living products to try out and I totally fell in love with the MSM Gel* (£16.60) as it soothed my aching joints like no other but I was keen to try out the Aloe Vera Gelly* (£12.23) and the Aloe Vera Moisturising Lotion* (£12.23) as these were beauty based products.

My skin was playing up before I went on holiday, probably because I have been wearing my summer skincare products in what is quite clearly not summer weather here in Glasgow and then going away on holiday and having slight sun damage even though I was a sun cream fanatic so I thought I would try out this range to see if it calmed down the redness on my skin and help out with the little dry patches I’ve had.

The gelly is great, it is the same texture as a serum, fragrance free and clear in colour. Once I cleansed my face and popped on my Peter Thomas Roth Toner (£25), I added a little bit of this and worked into my skin to cool it down as the glycolic acid in the toner can sometimes sting. This is great as a cooling agent, it completely calmed down the redness on my skin and especially round my nostrils. It absorbed into my skin very well but I felt it became a little sticky so I had to leave it for a few minutes before applying moisturiser.

The moisturising lotion was amazing. It contains collagen and elastin which helps with the skins elasticity and softness. I applied on top of the gelly and let it settle into my skin before heading to bed. When I woke up in the morning I had the softest skin ever, it was a true delight to use. There was no real strong scent to this, I did detect Aloe Vera but it wasn’t strong at all.

I would be quite happy to use these products in both the day and night time as they are not heavy nor rich. They absorb into the skin very well and done a fantastic job at calming down the redness on my skin after using the PTR acid. I found my skin looked plumper and healthier. It also felt really soft to the touch. If you want to get your hands on these then speak to Alex or head straight over to the shop and purchase, you won’t be disappointed.

Have you had a chance to try any of these Aloe products yet?

Would you try them out in the future?

Have you checked out my latest featuring 

What Books I Planned To Read In Greece?

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