Sunday 25 September 2016

Living room update/wishlist



So it wont be long until my new sofa arrives, very exiting! I've been wanting to replace our current sofa since we moved in. The current sofa was one I bought cheap just so we had a sofa to move into our first place but it was always the plan to get a new one when we could. When we (when I say we I mean I) picked out the new sofa, I decided that of course, it would need some new cushions. I also want to add a few more bits into the living room to make it feel less 'just moved into' and more homey. Especially as Autumn and Winter are just around the corner and I would love to have a nice cosy living room to snuggle up in. 

Naturally I went to Pinterest, I love looking around there for inspiration. I've created a new living room board dedicated to this little decor project. I'm actually being very restrained with this board and rather than pinning every single thing I think looks pretty, I've mostly just been pinning pieces I can actually buy. I like seeing it all in one place, its so much easier that way to see what will actually look good together. It's also much easier now that I am buying for a house I live in so you can picture how everything will look in the space, before it was hard buying furniture before we even knew what kind of place we were moving into. 

The theme is going to be a little bit shabby chic. I already have a TV stand and coffee table that I'm happy with, the new sofa is really going to be the new bit of furniture. Colour scheme I'm going for will be mostly neutrals with a little bit of duck egg blue. Again the furniture already in the room is white so they will pretty much go with anything.

Having said all of that I thought it would be cool to share some ideas/my wishlist for the living room update. 

One thing I found that is top of my wishlist are these scrabble tile canvases for the wall. I came across these and pinned them. However when I clicked the link I found that the item was now unavailable! ARGG! I cant seem to find them anywhere else either and I NEED these. I'm tempted to maybe try and DIY something similar but also a bit put off that idea as I know what my crafting skills are like! Maybe if I can find a tutorial somewhere...It would probably be a lot cheaper to do myself.

Another thing I love is this chunky knit throw from Dunelm. I love the knitted pattern and its nice to have something to get cosy under. I also found these knitted cushions, which I think would look lovely with the throw. There's one in duck egg and one in cream, of course I will have to have both colours! 


Another one from Dunelm is this lamp. I'm not 100% sure on this one yet but I do want another lamp and this one is gorgeous. Another lighting option is a Himalayan Salt lamp. These are said to have many benefits, you can read more about that here. Other than the benefits, these lamps look beautiful. My mother in law had a couple in her living room and they make the room look so cosy. It gives off more of a glow rather than a harsh light. I can only have one or the other due to the limited space so though decisions to be made! Which do you prefer?


So thats just a few things I've found so far. I welcome any more suggestions or ideas! And if anyone knows anywhere I can buy the scrabble tiles please tell me! Or even how to DIY some..I'll give it a go!

xxx


Monday 12 September 2016

Why Autumn is the best season


While most people are mourning the end of summer I am super excited that Autumn is finally on its way! By far my favourite season. Here's a few reasons why...


Bonfire night
Cosy jumpers
Autumn leaves
Halloween!
Cosy nights in 
Hot Chocolate
Cute pets in Halloween costumes
Good TV!
Fireworks
Fresh air
Scary movies
Pumpkin carving
It's not freezing cold yet
Christmas is just around the corner!
Halloween treats
Scented candles
Autumn Fashion
No more hot and humid days
Toffee Apples
Long walks


Goodbye sticky summer weather, hello crisp Autumn mornings!
What are your favourite things about this fabulous season?

xxx



Sunday 4 September 2016

My current (budget friendly) skincare routine

My skin has been all over the place lately. I was pretty lucky through my teen years and didn't get many spots at all but boy I'm paying for it now! My skin type has definitely changed over the years and my skin care has also had to change as a result. Gone are the days when I could just use a bit of moisturiser. Over the last month or so I've established and actually stuck to a routine that seems to work for my skin. My forehead, the most problematic area, has pretty much cleared up! This is partly due to me just leaving my spots alone and not picking at them... pretty gross I know but we're all guilty of it! 

I'd seen a lot of hype about the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water so decided to try it out for myself. One thing that drew me to this product is that it contains no perfume or other nasty ingredients. This makes it perfect if you have sensitive skin like me. It's a really gentle product to use and it removes any make up residue really easily. It doesn't sting if you manage to get it in your eye, a big plus for me as I literally always manage to get everything in my eye. It's also great for removing eye makeup as it's not going to irritate sensitive areas of your skin.

Next I move on to toner, I'm currently using Tea Tree Toner Water from Lush. This also contains mainly natural ingredients. Tea Tree is antibacterial, which helps keep spots under control, which is the main reason I started using this again. This also contains Grapefruit water and Juniperberry water, these are rich in vitamins and also antiseptic. You can either use this product on a cotton pad and wipe, or you can spray it directly onto your face. I prefer to use the cotton pad method as I feel like this helps to wipe away and leftover cleanser or makeup. 

Next I use a tiny bit of Vaseline Intensive Care Moisturiser. I have quite dry skin on some areas of my face and this works much better than any moisturiser I've used that is specifically made for use on your face. For me this is the perfect balance, it isn't to greasy but it's not so light that my skin just instantly drinks it up. I only have to use a tiny amount and that gets the job done. It absorbs quite quickly and leaves my skin feeling smooth and soft. 

The last part of my skincare routine is to dab a bit of Newtons Labs Spot Zapping Gel onto any spots. I actually found this product in Home Bargains and decided to just give it a try. I've also found it on Amazon so you could purchase it online from there. I'll admit wasn't expecting great things from this product but It's actually pretty good. When used in combination with the other products in my skincare routine it's managed to clear up my forehead and also keep further breakouts under control. Although this isn't a magical product that will get rid of spots over night it certainly has helped mine to heal and has helped to prevent them coming back. As well as applying the gel to spots, I also dab a bit between my eyebrows every day as this is the most problematic place and this gel helps to prevent spots breaking out in the first place. After all prevention is better than treatment! 

And that's it! The whole thing only takes a couple of minutes which means I'm more likely to stick to the routine! I do this twice a day, in the morning before I apply my makeup and at night after I shower. I think, for me at least, natural products are the way forward. My skin just seems to get along so much better with products containing less perfume, colours etc. And if you're having problems with your skin it might be worth looking at switching out some of your current products for more natural options. It's worked well for me! 

xxx