beauty haul

Just thought I'd do a quick post of my recent beauty buys. 

I've never tried this brand of skincare products before but after reading the blurb on the back about it being free from lots of nasties I thought I'd give it a try. I had been using the Nivea Visage Rich Moisturising Cream - probably for several years actually so I fancied a mix up. I love the smell of this moisturiser - it's very fruity so if you don't like that kind of thing it's probably not for you. It's quite light which I like as I need my moisturiser to sink it relatively quickly before I apply my makeup. The only downside is that it doesn't specify what the SPF number is, although it does contain UV filters. 

I like the exfoliator too - very fine beads but you don't want to use anything too abrasive on your face, and again a yummy fruity fragrance. 

This is just a re-purchase as Garnier Summer Body has been my go-to fake tan for years now. I know technically it's only a gradual tanner but I buy the deep sun-kissed look so it is closer to fake tan only more moisturising and more buildable in my opinion. You do have to keep on top of it though - I had a really good glow going on a couple of weeks ago but I let it slip and now I'm back to pasty white. I'm going away in less than two weeks though (albeit only to Wales) so I'm definitely getting back on the tanning wagon soon. 

Nothing original here but I bought two copies of Glamour (gave one to my Mummy), purely for the freebies. I've always wanted to try Benefit's Bad Gal to see what the hype is about but it's a little out of my price range so this sample was perfect. I have to say I'm not as impressed as I thought I would be and I'm glad I've never splashed out on it. I think lots of drugstore mascaras do the same if not a better job on my lashes. 

I quite like the Porefessional, but again I'm not sure if I'd splash the cash on it. It gives a similar finish to Boots No 7 Shine Free Make Up Base which I always buy for £6 when they give out the £5 off vouchers.

And lastly, onto a new shampoo and conditioner set. I actually ordered my favourite John Frieda Go Lighter products but it got substituted with these in my ASDA grocery delivery. Atleast they were still in the 3 for £10 deal which is a bargain considering their meant to be £5-£7 each. I haven't tried them yet but I'm having another full head of foils done at the hairdressers tomorrow so 'highlight activating' is pretty fitting.


Tomorrow is my day off work so I'm getting my hair done in the morning, going shopping and to the cinema with the boy in the afternoon and then having a pizza night with friends in the evening. Bring it on :)

instagram and weekly ups and downs

 cooking outside feeling like a tv chef, amazing disco taxi, night out with my besties, drunken nail painting = yellow stain on leather jacket :(

eek so excited to see Cheryl live, can't find this dress anywhere on asos, a nice slow 5k, drying my hair in a topknot a la Dollybowbow

follow me on instagram @lifeofemilyalice

I keep changing the way I write these sorts of posts, sorry about that! I'm a pros and cons kinda person though so I think this way will be fun.

Ups

+ Me and my uni besties had a cracking night out on Tuesday - possibly the last night we go out before they leave the city and move back home as they've finished their degrees now. The highlight of the night was probably the disco taxi (only by request, it's kitted out with strobe lights and your choice of very loud music) - definitely getting in that again.

+ My parents came and stayed with us for the weekend and brought their amazing gardening skills. A day of gardening later and we can actually walk down the garden path and sit out in the yard (if summer ever comes!). 

+ I now only have 5 weeks left at the nursery before leaving. That means 5 weeks til my epic summer plans begin. 8 weeks of little trips, seeing friends and going to festivals before knuckling down to third year in September. 

Downs

- After getting a new PB at parkrun last week, this weeks time wasn't anywhere near as good and I've no idea why. Just need to remind myself I can't improve every week! I've still cut 5 minutes off my 5k time since I started in November. 

- Just general money troubles blah blah. So many pretty things I want and not enough funds!

weekend lust list #2

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 

1. I'm always on the hunt for the perfect white lace dress. I must have about 5 different white dresses in my wardrobe but none of them are as lovely as this one. I love the flared skirt and boat neck. If only I had an occasion to wear it too, I could definitely justify buying it then!

2. I've seen this dress on a couple of different blogs and I've fallen in love with 18 and east's plate print. I *have* to have something in this print but I haven't decided what yet. 

3. A black maxi skirt is a wardrobe staple, I think this would look great with different vest tops in the summer months. Only £8.99 on ebay so I've taken the risk!

4. I just love Kate from Dolly Bow Bow and want everything on her website! This crown would look so pretty with the white lace dress. Or with wellies at a festival :)

5. Fell in love with this purse in John Lewis the other day, but at £69 I think it might be staying on the lust list for sometime. Maybe one for a birthday/christmas/anniversary if I'm lucky!

6. Discovered Kirsty's blog this week and love this jumper she was wearing. It reminds me of the kind of thing I wore when I went through my emo/goth phase in my teens. Think it would look great with my AA disco leggings. 

instragram photos and update

proud of my dad running, ice-cream and pizza - perfect sunday food, gave up diet coke but cracked

travelling home, fish and chips picnic, <3, summery dress

fotd, sunbathing by the arts tower, jubilee flowers in preston, my grumpy face

me and my mum, passed my driving theory, couldn't choose so bought both, strawberries dipped in nutella

  chocolate and banana loaf, pimms o'clock, jubilating, queen for a day

follow me on instagram @lifeofemilyalice

Wow, lots of instagram photos from the last two weeks. I uploaded them in a different way this week as I noticed the quality of the photos wasn't very good in my last instagram post. It was a bit more time consuming but hopefully should look a lot better.

Me and a couple of friends headed down to our union bar for a jubilee party today. Did a bit of flag waving and pimms drinking in honour of our lovely Queen! I'm not a massive royalist or anything but do love getting a bit patriotic on these sorts of occasions! I've learnt a lot about the royal family this week and found it quite interesting. Just watched the documentary about the making of the jubilee single with Gary Barlow, that song is soo catchy!

The highlight of my week was passing my driving theory exam. As soon as I passed I booked my practical test for mid-July, fingers crossed that's enough time to fully prepare! If I pass this, summer is going to be great - someone in the family has offered to lend me a car for a few weeks so I have a few roadtrips planned :)

Enjoy the bank holiday weekend, even if it is raining!