TV | Samantha Who?

I love getting into a new Netflix series. After a busy day with work, house work, mummy duties and squeezing in a social life, I love nothing more than an early night snuggling into my duvet and relaxing with a bit of telly entertainment!!

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I stumbled upon 'Samantha Who?' and was soon hooked. 
'Samantha Who?' is an American sitcom featuring Christina Applegate, who I've loved since I watched 'The Sweetest Thing' back in 2002. It was co-created and produced by Cecelia Ahern who wrote my favourite ever book 'PS I Love You' and is Nicky Byrne's (Westlife) sister in law - random fact for you there! ;)

So, the programme is based around a 30-year old woman called Samantha (Christina Applegate) who develops retrograde amnesia after a car accident. 
Sam wakes up not knowing anything about herself or her past or anything about the people around her.
Before the accident she was a seemingly selfish, self obsessed and pretty unlikeable but successful business woman. She wakes up a much better person and sets out to become a nicer daughter, friend and girlfriend whilst dealing with flashbacks from the past and her memory starting to come back. 

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TheBrunetteSays...
Well I loved it, it's laugh out loud funny and a great story line too. It has a fab line up of characters and is the perfect balance between being a perfect comedy and following a story of reinvention, relationships and self reflection. 
Christina Applegate plays the role perfectly,  and her on - off boyfriend played by Barry Watson, was rather cute! ;)

Would I Recommend It?
I think it's a real girly series, but there are plenty of laughs and some eye candy to keep your other halves happy too! There are 2 series to enjoy, so if you enjoy a funny and charming comedy, def give it a watch!!

Source

'Samantha Who' is currently available to watch on Netflix.

Have you seen 'Samantha Who'?
Any recommendations on any other Netflix series I can get into??

#TheSkinProject | My Skin

Welcome to my first post of #TheSkinProject - founded and set up by myself. 

Catch up, and take a look at the topics each week...
#TheSkinProject - Wanna Get Involved?
#TheSkinProject | Cleansing (coming Dec 1st)
#TheSkinProject | Exfoliate  (coming Dec 8th)
#TheSkinProject | Toner (coming Dec 15th)
#TheSkinProject | Serum (coming Dec 22nd)
#TheSkinProject | Eye Cream (coming Dec 29th)
#TheSkinProject | Moisturise (coming Jan 5th)
#TheSkinProject | Face Masks & Treatments (coming Jan 12th)
#TheSkinProject | Anti-Ageing (coming Jan 19th)
#TheSkinProject | Q&A with Skincare Expert (coming Jan 26th)
#TheSkinProject Awards (coming Feb 2nd)

So, lets take a look at My Skin. 
(Welcome to my almost naked face!!)

I won't lie, I used to suck at looking after my skin. And now I'm almost 30, my skin is definitely paying for it. And wanna know a secret? I use face wipes to remove my make up. Yes really. I can hear you all gasping from here. 
But not just make up wipes alone, I like to remove my eye make up with them. But I do follow with a proper cleanser and cleansing routine. Most of the time ;)
I haven't been the best at looking after my skin in the past. I didn't have a regular routine, I'd just slap on the odd cleanser or moisturiser every now and then. And in turn my face repaid me which a bunch of spots, and a few fine lines. Revenge at it's best. I think I was just lazy, or thought I didn't need to.

For the first 2 years of being with my boyfriend, I actually slept with my make up on and removed it in the morning!! How awful. My poor skin! Nowadays, 4-5 years on, the boyfriend gets to see me make-up less (poor him!) and I'm trying to make up for all the lack of love I've shown my beloved skin.

Unfortunately, I've only really started to look after my skin, properly, with a thorough skincare routine since earlier this year. And I can massively tell the difference! I wish I'd have started a lot sooner. 

I was about 27-28 when I first realised I needed to start taking better care of my skin, especially since I'd been using make up since my teens, and wear a full face of make up without fail, every single day. 

I've always looked quite young for my age, so I didn't really think I needed to worry. Wrong. I'm now the unfortunate owner of some forehead lines, some quite prominent frown lines in between my brows (I squint a lot, and find myself frowning whilst I'm concentrating), some dark circles under my eyes, and some rather annoying, extremely obvious smile lines around my mouth (I feel as though I'm being punished for smiling - selfish or what?!) 

My skin has been so much better since I've been looking after it better. It's a lot clearer, even a friend commented on how great my skin was looking lately. I think it's down to a better routine, properly removing make up and impurities, good products, and a good brush cleaning routine - all of these very important, yet I was pretty naive to it.

My skin type is a mixture of combination and sensitive. Clearly I pulled the short straw with that one! It's a tricky one to handle. And I'm still learning what works, and what doesn't. 

So, I have a slightly oily t-zone (not overly shiny or greasy, fortunately, but slightly oily) My cheeks waver between dry to normal, depending on the time of the month, or the weather. It can also be quite sensitive and can easily become irritated by certain products. 

I am prone to the odd spot, only 1 or 2, usually on my chin area, at certain points of my cycle. But they only last a couple of days and clear up pretty fast, so it's not a problem for me. 

I'm looking forward to talking about all the different steps of Skincare, what I'm currently using, and reading all your tips and product recommendations over the coming weeks of this project! :)

So, that's pretty much My Skin. Join me next week to talk Cleansing. 

Remember to use the Twitter hashtag #TheSkinProject to read more My Skin posts from the other bloggers taking part in this project.

Feel free to comment with your links to your skincare posts as part of #TheSkinProject..

#TheSkinProject - Wanna Get Involved???

Fancy being a part of a new Blogger Project??
I've been meaning to do a blog series around Skincare for a while, and since recent projects have done so well, I wondered if people fancied joining in and doing it too? 
I started a small anti-ageing project that, due to the age of the majority of my audience, didn't really take off so well. I wondered if widening the topic to Skincare would be more beneficial...

So I've put together this lil project, that will run over the next 12 weeks. If you fancy taking part, contact me & I'll add you to the mailing list. Anyone can join in, I'd love to see some of you take part and I'm really looking forward to reading what products you're all using to get amazing skin!!

These are the topics / post titles -

*Introduction - an introduction to #TheSkinProject (optional)
*My Skin - an introduction to your skin; what skin type are you? what condition is your skin in?
*Cleansing - all about cleansers / make up removal; different types? why is it important? what do you use? when? faves?
*Exfoliate - all about exfoliating the skin; why is it important? what do you use? how often? if not, why? faves?
*Toner - all about toners; what is it for? different types? why is it important? do you use it, when? what do you use? if not, why? faves?
*Serum - all about serums; what are they? why are they important? do you use one, when? what do you use? if not, why? faves?
*Eye Cream - all about eye creams; why are they important? do you use one? when? what do you use? if not, why? faves?
*Moisturise - all about day/night creams ; why are they important? do you use? when? what do you use? if not, why? faves?
*Face Masks & Treatments - why we use face masks? different types? what do you use? how often? if not, why? faves?
*Anti-Ageing - all about anti-ageing skincare - do you use? what do you use? if no signs of anti-ageing, are you preparing? your views on anti-ageing skincare
*Q&A with Skincare Expert - get your questions in for an interview with a skincare expert
*#TheSkinProject Awards - best cleanser, best exfoliator, best toner.. etc taken from most popular products mentioned over the project

You can post your posts on your blog, on Sundays at 6pm. And advertise your post using the Twitter hashtag #TheSkinProject

Feel free to post an Introduction post, introducing the project, at any point before the project officially starts. But I would like all My Skin - an introduction to your skin, posts to go live on November 24th at 6pm. 

I understand that the project runs over Christmas & people may be very busy, but hopefully we can schedule posts to fit in with our busy festive schedules! Let's see how we get on!

The last 2 posts will be posted by myself, with your input. 
I will be organising a Question & Answer interview with a Skincare Expert - so send in all your skincare queries! I'll send more information near the time, so make sure you're on the mailing list!
The final post will be a #TheSkinProject Awards post - taken from the most popular products mentioned over the project.

I hope you'll decide to get involved!!

#TheWinterProject - Winter Nails

Welcome to my first post of The Winter Project, founded and set up by Kellie from Blog95Beauty.

Read my introduction post to find out more about the project:
#TheWinterProject - Introduction

When we start to head into Winter I step away from my summery nail colours; any pastels, neons, bright, summery colours and I start using darker colours.

Plums, blacks, greys, blues, bronze, emeralds, metallics, reds - they're all in this season.

It seems the nail shape this season is all about natural, short and square or squ-oval, with rounded edges. Or long and almond shaped if you're into your acrylics.

Here are a few shades from my Winter collection...

Dark Blue Nails - This season is all about rich, dark and deep shades. Dark blues and navys are perfect this winter. This shade looks great on short and squ-oval nails.

Black Nails - Glossy blacks are back this Winter, the blacker the better, so layer up that polish!! :)

Berry & Wine Nails - Deep purples, berry & wine colours have been super popular throughout autumn and this continues through to winter. Along with burgundy, dark cherries and oxblood, these shades are must haves this Winter. These shades can look super sophisticated and sexy!

Red Nails - Retro red nails are bang on trend this winter, a rich, classic red screams luxury and glamour. Keep it bright and bold. Clearly my collection of reds need to be addressed lol, but make sure it's true bright, classic red with lots of gloss!!

Nail art & wraps, metallics, textures, dip dye and magnetic art are BIG this season too. So go crazy!!

This week I've chosen a wintery metallic colour on short, squ-oval nails. This colour is 'Greige' by Accessorize (£4.00*) - I'm not quite sure why it's named 'greige' as I'm not picking up any grey or beige but a metallic lilac-y purple. I love the pigmentation of this polish, it is advertised as a one-coat polish and I do think you could get away with just the one coat, but I went with 2. It applies perfectly and dries pretty quick too. Metallics are perfect for winter, they look super cute with fingerless gloves and are the perfect finish to a party outfit.

That's my take on Winter Nails. Join me next week to talk Winter Accessories.

Remember to use the twitter hashtag #TheWinterProject to read more Winter Nails posts from the other bloggers taking part in this project.

Feel free to comment with your links to your Winter Nails posts as part of #TheWinterProject. 

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#TheWinterProject - Introduction

After the success of #theSOproject - a project aimed at people Starting Out with MakeUp (Catch up on all my posts here), Kellie from Bold95Beauty has introduced a new Bloggers Project to get our teeth into!!

Introducing... #TheWinterProject!

As the weather is turning cold and dark, we're approaching Winter (& Christmas!!) thick and fast! 
Each week during the project we will discuss a different Winter/Christmas related topic!

I really enjoyed taking part in #theSOproject, I loved putting the posts together and I learnt so much from others' posts too! So I'm looking forward to starting this one!

The project will run over 7 weeks, up until Christmas, with the topics as follows...

• Winter Nails

• Winter Accessories

• Winter Scents

• Christmas Present Ideas

• Christmas Accessories

• Christmas MakeUp Looks

• Christmas Outfits

Keep an eye out for other blog posts from the project, using the Twitter hashtag #TheWinterProject

The posts will all go live at 6pm Tuesday evenings - so keep a look out for them!!

If you're also involved in this project, feel free to comment with the links to your intro posts.. :) 

Enjoy!!

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October Empties

My empties for this month:

No7 Lift & Luminate Eye Cream | Sure Roll-On Deodorant in Clear Aqua | Skinetica Anti-Blemish | Nivea Facial Cleansing Wipes | Dettol with e45 Hand Wash | Alison Claire Remarkable Mango Body Butter | MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NW20 | Dermalogica UltraCalming Mist | Soap&Glory Flirtigo Spray-On Body Moisturising Mist | Lush Charity Pot Hand & Body Lotion | Rituals Magic Touch Cherry Blossom & Rice Milk Body Cream | Calvin Klein Sheer Lipstick in Luxe | TheBodyShop Hemp Body Butter | TheBodyShop Vineyard Peach Cream Body Scrub | Soap&Glory Night in Shining Armour Night Cream | Avon Planet Spa Illuminating Body Lotion in Japanese Sake & Rice | Philosophy Purity Cleanser for Face & Eyes | MAC Brush Cleanser

Dermalogica UltraCalming Mist (£27.60)* - I received this sample toner to try out (see this post) It gives a really nice, even, primed feel to my skin ready for my next skincare step. Considering it's such a sensitive mist, it's still fantastic at removing any leftover makeup, cleanser or impurities on my skin and feels nice and gentle and not too drying. I'd definitely use again, but I'm not sure I'd purchase again as it's quite expensive!

No7 Lift & Luminate Eye Cream (£16.00) -  This was nice to use, although didn't work miracles for me. Read my full review here.

MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NW20 (£21.50) - My daily foundation. Big fan, no sooner as I run out do I have another bottle on the go. Love this stuff!

TheBodyShop Vineyard Peach Cream Body Scrub (Now £5.00) - I bought this when it came out at the end of the summer, limited edition. I love TheBodyShop's scrubs as I love how 'scrubby' they are, they really do scrub your skin!  

Soap&Glory Flirtigo Spray-On Moisturising Mist (£6.50)* - This is now known as 'Girligo' - I have no end of bottles of this stuff, they always seem to come in gift sets. I use it after I've put on my deodorant under my arms to keep them nice and soft then spray all over, it's not an amazing product but as with all S&G products, smells amazing!

Nivea Facial Cleansing Wipes (£3.09) - I use face wipes as my first step of my night time routine, I know I know, they're not great, but I find them the best way to remove my make up before cleansing properly. I always have a pack in my bedside cabinet. 

Sure Roll-On Deodorant in Clear Aqua Crystal  (£1.79) - Can't fault this, does exactly what it's meant to! :)

Dettol with E45 Hand Wash (£2.50)* - I loved this, really soft & smooth. Read my full review here.

Rituals Magic Touch Cherry Blossom & Rice Milk Body Cream (£17.00) - I bought the full size after trying out the smaller size, which I loved. Unfortunately it wasn't the same consistency. Although it's a lovely cream with a nice, fresh smell, I'm not sure it's worth the price tag. Read my full review here. 

MAC Brush Cleanser (£10.00) - I use this cleanser to spot clean my brushes twice a week (read how here) - I've yet to use a better brush cleanser! 

Philosophy Purity Cleanser for Face & Eyes (From £8.00) - I received this sample pot in a beauty box, and I loved using it! It claims to cleanse, tone, melt make up and hydrate the skin, and it removed any make up and dirt on my face and I loved the feel it left on my skin afterwards. I'd definitely re-purchase this in the future! 

Soap&Glory Night in Shining Armour Night Cream - I really loved using this as a night cream, it smelt and felt amazing on my skin. I can't seem to find it online now though, has it been discontinued? That's so disappointing if it has!

Avon Planet Spa Illuminating Body Lotion in Japanese Sake & Rice - I don't think this is longer available. This was a nice, standard lotion to use after showering.

Calvin Klein Sheer Lipstick in Luxe (Price unknown)* - I received this as a Secret Santa present last year, a gorgeous creamy nude coloured lipstick, really lovely to use!!

TheBodyShop Hemp Body Butter (£13.00)* - I received this as part of the Hemp set for my birthday from a friend. I tried to put off using the body butter as the smell wasn't the best. But when I ran out of body butter, and being on a beauty spending ban meaning I can't purchase anymore, I thought I'd give it a go. It's really thick, I really had to dig my nails in to get hold of some. Although the scent isn't the best, my skin felt great after using.

Skinetica Anti-Blemish (£9.99) - I received this sample bottle in a beauty box a while ago, and it's been amazing as an overnight treatment on any spots or blemishes, I then started to use it as a toner as part of my night time skincare routine. It works great to remove any left over make up or impurities and clear up any blemishes. I received 2 full size bottles in a goody bag lately so was really chuffed!!

Lush's Charity Pot Hand & Body Lotion (£1.00) - I like to pick these up when I'm in Lush, as 100% of the proceeds go to good causes. It's a yummy, creamy, cocoa butter and almond oil lotion that I keep beside my bed and use on my hands before bed.

Alison Claire Remarkable Mango Body Butter (£7.99) - I received this small sample pot from a beauty box, I've used this product before in the pump bottle and loved it. I really like Alison Claire, the products are super natural. And this mango butter smells delish!!!

So, as you can see, I got through quite a bit this month!! Let's see what November brings!! ;)

*PR Samples / Gifts

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Fashion | ANOTHER Primark Visit

I seem to have a bit of a problem with Primark at the mo. I can't walk past without just 'nipping' in, and coming out a few bags heavier.

Over Half Term I was in town & thought I'd pop in and pick up another pyjama set. If you read this post you'll remember that during this colder weather, I love nothing more than coming home from work & getting straight into some lounging pyjamas or a onesie. Bliss. And Primark have some cute sets at pretty decent prices.

I soon found myself with a basket in hand, throwing things in. Let me share...

Cute fluffy slipper socks

These are soooo comfy and warm

 Leather gloves with diamante studs 

Really warm & almost identical to the leather gloves I spent a fortune on a couple of years ago!

Silver & Black bangles

You can never have too many accessories!

Bunny lounging pyjama set

Love these, long sleeved sweater and 3/4 length trousers - perfect for lounging around the house in.

More lounging pyjama vests

I love these vests and matching long sleeved tops to wear with my pyjama leggings

Some bendy rollers

It's time I got in a bit more practise with these babies, I suck at curling my own hair!

2 dresses

A wine coloured and a geometric patterned 3/4 sleeve dress, perfect for Autumn wear, teamed with black tights and boots

Black tights

Another set of tights, these are patterned and nice & thick!

Gloves & Woolly headband

Essentials now the weather is getting nasty! The gloves are finger less or mittens & a grey headband with a cute bow. I lived in my headband last year! :)

Black snood

I needed a new one & this one feels so warm & luxurious!

Wet look leggings

I like to wear shiny leggings on nights out during the colder weather so thought I'd pick up an extra pair for my collection ;) I've not tried them out yet. I'm not usually a fan of Primark leggings, they're usually quite thin, but I'm hoping these are a bit better quality.

Silver ring

Love a quirky silver ring, so picked this up to add to my collection

Have you picked up any Autumnal essentials lately?

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Beauty | Dermalogica Skincare

After becoming a big fan of Dermalogica's Daily Microfoliant (read my review here), I was interested in trying out other products from their range.

So I've been using them over the past 2 weeks, this is what I thought...

UltraCalming Cleanser (£25.50/250ml  RRP:£26.30)* - A gentle creamy gel that helps combat skin sensitivity. I suffer with quite sensitive skin, particularly around my nose and chin area, so this is really nice to use, it makes my skin feel soft, clean and I have noticed that I've been getting less redness around my nose after cleansing. 

Special Cleansing Gel (£25.50/250ml  RRP:£27.00) - A soap-free cleanser that lathers up to remove impurities, toxins and debris without disturbing the skins natural moisture balance. I'm not much of a fan of gel-based cleansers, I just don't like the feel of it on my face. But I've been giving this a go as part of my night time routine, after make up wipes, and it's done the job of removing any left over make up, or dirt and left my face feeling clean. It didn't dry my skin out or make it feel tight or uncomfortable. 

Total Eye Care (£37.00/15ml  RRP:£37.90) - Skin-smoothing eye cream that helps conceal dark circles and reduce the appearance of fine lines and puffiness. This is EXACTLY what I need. It's quite a thick, pinky/peachy coloured cream applies really nicely to my eye area, feels really fresh and dries really quick. It feels really nice on my eye area and I'm really enjoying using it.

UltraCalming Mist (£26.50/177ml  RRP:£27.60) - A soothing, calming toning mist for sensitive skin to calm redness and sensitivity. I've been using this as my toner on a cotton pad each morning, it feels really fresh on my skin and doesn't take too long to dry. It gives a really nice, even primed feel to my skin ready for my next skincare step. Considering it's such a sensitive mist, it's still fantastic at removing any leftover makeup, cleanser or impurities on my skin and feels nice and gentle and not too drying.

UltraCalming Serum Concentrate (£49.80/50ml  RRP:£51.30) - A super concentrated serum that helps calm, soothe, restore and defend sensitive skin. I've been using this daily as part of my morning routine after cleansing and toning. My skin feels comfortable and primed after use.

Visit Beauty900.co.uk, authorised stockists for Dermalogica products, for speedy delivery, carefully packed items, fresh stock, latest Dermalogica releases and free samples with every order so you can try out more products. 

*PR Samples / PR Collaboration

*Prices shown are Beauty900 prices, as of October 2013

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