TipTuesday #5

#5

 So today's tip is a quick one...

Do you ever wake up from a really heavy sleep and fine you have red lines all over you arm or even your face? I have, and because I was not fully awake it thought I'd been scratched on my arms and face by like a cat! ( We don't have a cat, so you can see how awake I was!) 

Well apparently having a silky pillow protects you skin from these lines, which can cause wrinkles! Now I'm only in my twenty's, but if this work's I am all for it! I was watching TV the other day and a lady who declared herself 82, had AMAZING skin!! I was shocked, this was just a real lady! Not a celebrity, just a normal grandma to somebody. I was shocked and I will say, a little envious!

I don't want to get old, but inevitably, old age is coming at me, so if this silky pillow helps my skin of course I am going to try it out!!


So not fully tested tip, which I'm sorry I can't really try out and give a full review, because let face it, it would take years. But I can definitely see the logic in this.  I will give is a try and hopefully others can give this a try too!

Sweet Dreams :)

Hope it helps,
 Lottie xo

A 24 Hour Musical

Picture from http://www.justcauseproductions.co.uk/

So moving to Aberdeen was a huge move. And my tutors at university asked us to 'go out there and try and see as much theatre as you can!' Well I would have loved to but unfortunately it all costs money, and time and that was a tight thing over the past four months. We moved up in April, but unfortunately we couldn't get the house we originally wanted, so we ended up staying in holiday cottages and cabins for three months but moving about every week. We finally got our house we have now and we were able to take more advantages and explore a little more. So as a surprise my parents had booked tickets to see 'Strictly Confidential' which I LOVED! and you can read more on that here. 

Well, I decided to book something I had never heard about before. I though the concept was interesting, and on some level didn't quite believe it. A 24 Hour Musical? Could that happen?? Well apparently it can, and it can go really well. I have experienced working as part of a theatre group for 6 years and we lucky enough to be able to direct five nights of performances. It was only an amiture theatre group but to be able to direct was a dream I had ever since I went to my very first show by the very same group, which I later joined, once I built up my confidence to join of course.  

So the group I was apart of took all summer to audition, learn more about the characters, learn the lines, rehearse in the auditorium, build and paint the set, collect together the casts costumes, and of course find the props. That is just the things the older members of the cast worked on, the directors had to deal with buying the scripts, raising the money for the renting of the rooms, learn the locking up and of course design, order and pay for the programs. It was quite a big thing for me, I really enjoyed it and looking back I can't believe myself and my co-director did all that at 17! Again I repeat this took an entire year to organise and a summer to rehearse and perform to a paying pubic! 

Well this 24 Hour Musical... After talking to the director of the group I found out, the cast learnt the name of the musical at 7:30pm on the 9th of August 2013, rehearsed all night and right up until 7:30pm on the 10th of August! To think that a lot of the cast probably didn't get much if any sleep before the show, and it was a 2 act performance, I felt the cast did extraordinary well! The first act was really good, and enjoyable, the introduction to what they were performing was made (High School Musical by the way) and of course I grew up with HSM so naturally, I knew all the words haha (should I be ashamed? It was a good film for my age when it came out! & who doesn't love Zac Efron?) 

The cast definitely had the adrenaline and so did the audience! There honestly could not have been a better vibe in that auditorium. The second act held a few pauses, a few forgotten lines but it just made the audience laugh, it was accepted, which it should be with only 24 hours practise. 

The dancing, the singing, the set, costumes, everything was well done, even down to Sharpy's pink locker. I haven't anything horrible to say about the entire night! Well, ok I have one thing... unfortunately it was the last 24 hour musical that the group are doing. I wish I moved sooner! I am a bit gutted that I never got to see any of the other performances of 'Anything Goes', 'Grease', 'Oklahoma' or 'Hello Dolly'. 

I enjoyed the whole experience, would love to sit down and enjoy another one, and I think the idea of a '24 Hour Musical' is fascinating. If another theatre group start doing this kind of thing anywhere else in the country, I would definitely consider going and watching it! 

To find out more about this or the people behind it visit http://www.justcauseproductions.co.uk/

The picture is not my own.

Lottie xo

Pinterest Nails

So I've been on Pinterest for what feels like forever now and I still remember seeing a pin of somebodies nail varnish, as you do these days. I can not find the one that I had originally discovered back in the day but this one is very similar.

http://pinterest.com/lolaq92/hair-and-beauty/

I love the colour and the little hint of glitter at the end of the nails. I had always been resistant to try it until yesterday, there wasn't much going on and I had a lot of spare time on my hands so I decided to give it ago.

My nails are no where near as nice as the ones in the picture above but I am pretty pleased with the out come, seeing as I can not do a thing with my left hand, except of course holding a knife or fork, It just does not feel right!

So here is my attempt at something I've seen from Pinterest!

It's not the same colours as above because I don't have them so instead I decided to try it with a pearly pink base by the brand make 17 and then use a Barry M glitter polish around the top of my nails. I like the effect and I'm especially please with the fact that I tried to copy something from Pinterest and it worked!  

Barry M - Pink Silver Glitter
Natural Collection - Champagne
Barry M - Base coat, Top coat and Nail hardener - Clear

The image was found on pinterest, it is on this link: http://pinterest.com/lolaq92/hair-and-beauty/

Lottie xo

Strictly Confidential Shhhhhhh

Picture from :http://aecc.co.uk/events/strictly-confidential/

Craig Revel Horwood's Strictly Confidential gives it's audiences the chance to get up close and personal with some of the stars of the BBC1 television series Strictly Come Dancing!

So the new school year rolls around and you can damn well expect two things to be on the fore front of tv thinking in my household. Dr Who and of course Strictly Come Dancing! We have always watched these two shows come september. They are both well loved and defiantly a family sit down time slot.

When I was in school, I loved fashion and textile lessons and Strictly was an absolute inspiration. The elaborate, beautiful, colourful costumes were stunning to me and I also wanted to be behind the scenes, seeing how they were created and learn more about it. All those rhinestones and sparkles, how could you not be enticed! 

So when I got home for the summer from university, I told my parents that our tutors asked us to see as much theatre and public performances as we could! They surprised me by producing Strictly Confidential tickets that they brought earlier on in the year! Coming up to the day of the performance I was excited but a bit unsure of what to expect. 

The arena wasn't the best, the seats were not the comfiest to sit down in for 3 hours and the next day left us with pretty sore bottoms and backs. The only other thing which wasn't brilliant, which probably wouldn't bother anybody else but me, was that nobody informed us with a time limit for the interval, the first part of the performance just kind of ended and we were left guessing, which would be fine in a normal theatre because we, as an audience hear the five minute bell to inform us to plonk our bottoms into our padded seats.  But this performance was held at the AECC which is a big place. So some people had to jog back to there seats when the lights dimmed and the music played once again.  Well that's all that was not to top notch for me so I will stop with the negativity now, promise.

I didn't know anything about how this would play out, what it involved, all I knew was who to expect to see. This year involved Lisa Riley, Artem Chigvintsev, Natalie Lowe and Ian Waite as well as an amazing instrumental group and dancers. The audience connected to the stars and the atmosphere was great, loud, alert and lively! To be honest if this was to take place in a theatre I don't think the building would be able to take the noise! Ears ringing, hand sore from clapping and apples of my cheeks tingling from laughing, smiling and cheering, it was a really good matinee performance that everybody enjoyed.

It was really interesting to find out more about the stars and the program was quite informative, giving details about the stars back stories and of course a whole double page on the costumes, from fabric and thread to swirling on the dance floor.

It isn't exactly Strictly Come Dancing, but it is more of an insight into the whole story, the things behind the scenes and just the general excitement of the celebrities and dancers. I enjoyed my experience and I would love to go along to one of the live shows, even more so now I've seen into the show a bit more. An excuse to get dressed up for an evening? Well who would say no to that?

To find out more about Strictly Confidential visit http://aecc.co.uk/events/strictly-confidential/ 

Picture is not my own.

Lottie xo

Win £200 to spend at Chi Chi London

Etail PR have launched a Blogger Competition with Chi Chi London and after having a good wonder around there site I decided to create my entry.

It's open to all bloggers and if you are interested at all have a look at this blog http://etailpr.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/competition-update-win-200-to-spend-at.html.

The chance is to win £200 to use on their site! 

Beautiful and elegant dresses, right up my ally! Love the whole princess feel that gorgeous, pretty and girly dress gives you :) How could you skip this opportunity?

Take a look for yourself at these beautiful dresses, the picture above are of my favourite ones! What's your's?

http://etailpr.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/chi-chi-blogger-competition-win-200.html

Lottie xo

TipTuesday #4

#4

A lot of people are loving the bright lipsticks this season, and who can blame them? Summer was meant for bright colours and playful patterns. 

If you feel like using a bold glossy lipstick/gloss, don't over do your look with bright sparkly eye shadow. To much glitter is not a great look for the day time. 
If you want to rock the eyes and a bold lip try using a shimmery eye shadow with a matte lip. This wont overpower your look and people will know where to look, whilst a face of glitter and sparkle can result in eyes flying all over your face, not knowing where to look! 

I have always thought 'Less is more' but 'If you have it flaunt it' or in this case rock it. Dark lipsticks unfortunately don't suit me so to those of you who do suit it, note, I'm jealous!

Hope it helps,
 Lottie xo

Film | Inception

Image from IMDB.com

Production Year : 2010
Certificate (UK): 12A
Running Time: 148mins
Directors: Christopher Nolan 
Cast : Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ken Watanabe, Leonardo DiCaprio, Marion Cotillard, Sir Michael Caine, Tom Hardy for more on this film click here.








With yesterday's rainy evening my family decided to sit down and watch Inception, and since its release on DVD I continue to ponder the idea that it leaves you with. 

If you have been living under a rock or just didn't want to watch Inception, well you are and were missing out! It is a great brain teaser, you either accept the challenge or you don't. Unfortunately somebody on my facebook revealed the plot to every bodies home page, and you can NOT unread what you have just read! So naturally my mind is now remembering what they declared to the world (well the people they know) and I am sat here waiting, watching out for it. Very annoying. But before I knew what I know now, I really enjoyed the film and the little game it has with it's audience. 

I think that the idea behind the plot, is a great one, I have never experienced a plot like this, or if I have seen a film with the same kind or similar plot, it obviously wasn't worth keeping in my memory.
I remember going to see this film in cinema, and the group of friends that I went with were all blown away by this film! I could not have imagined what was going to happen from the title (which I my opinion is great) and I can normally see how a film is going to end or what is going to happen next, but to be perfectly honest with you, I was so captivated by the idea, that nothing but the film was in my head at the time, just the film, I could not be disconnected from the big screen at all. Even when someone gets there phone out in the cinema, and you can see the bright glow of the screen, well normally I would be so distracted by that, that I'd miss a lot of the film! 

The only thing however, is to sit down and watch the movie at home, as a family, you kind of have to be in the right mood. The different levels in the film can be quite challenging to get your head around if your shattered and not really feeling it.

Altogether I've loved this movie, and because it isn't a film you want to watch over and over again continuously, you forget how the movie plays and it seems like you are watching it for the first time each time you press play. 


Image from IMDB at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1375666/ . It is not my own.

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Hair Envy

I've just had my hair cut, and too be perfectly honest with myself... It's a lot shorter than I wanted. After the hairdresser had finished I looked down and saw all the hair she had just chopped off! And there was loads!!! I don't know about you, but I always find it hard to explain what it is I am asking for, so I tend to take a picture with me either printed out or on my phone, this means that I don't have to try and explain to much about what I want, because lets be honest, a monkey can describe what he wants better than I can.

So now that it's done I found myself having something called "hair envy". And why am I having these envious feelings, because of those absolutely gorgeous pictures of long lovely locks on a little thing called Pinterest.

 I love Pinterest, I've said about it enough in other posts but I just get drawn into it, for hours?! Anyway I found this gorgeous inspirational pictures and can't help but be a little bit jealous!  

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Of course there are so many more pictures that display really pretty hair, I just chose these three. I sure my hair will grow back to the length it was, and in a couple of days I will probably wont even notice my hair that much. 

I think our hair is something we girls love and wish was as perfect as it is in those pictures. But having it cut off and seeing it on the floor makes us realise what we had, and how long it will take for it to grow back & I have always been one to struggled with choosing what I want.

It will get back to how I wanted it, it will just take time.

*None of these images belong to me.

TipTuesday #3

#3

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!!!

Our bodies depend on water for survival, waters makes up about half of our body weight! It is so important to keep yourself hydrated through the day. 
Not only does water help your complexion but it helps keep you at your best for the day. 

Some issues that you might have if you do not drink enough water is that you can have... 

• Headaches
• Dry mouth
• Fatigue or Sleepiness
• Confussion
• Lightheaded
• Dizziness

I suffered a bit with dehydration when I was in school, especially during the exam time. (Two to three hours in an exam hall, not allowed to go out to use the toilet and of course the summer time heat, meant that a lot of people suffered with headaches and light-headedness during and after exams, including myself.)

Ways in which I combated my problems proved really useful to me and a few friends. 

Things like...

• Keeping a see-through plastic bottle (see through for exams) was a really easy way to keep hydrated through the school days, I still do this now on a day to day basis. Reusing the plastic bottle means that I'm saving money instead of buying a new one everyday and it also means that creating waste is limited.

• I saw a Youtube video a few years ago that actually inspired me to do this one: If plain water doesn't take your fancy then try adding a slice of lemon or lime. Or if you have a bit more time, get some fresh fruit, clean and blend using a blender, add some water and then place into ice trays. Make sure the ice tray create ice that can be placed into a bottle if you want to take it out the house, and ta da!, flavoured water.

• Drink before and after doing exercise, this will help you out when finishing your work out so you don't become light headed or dizzy.

Hope it helps,
 Lottie xo

Neutrogena | Muilt-Defence Daily Moisturiser Review

Harsh UV rays, wind, rain and all those other natural things that we just don't think in to much detail about are pretty bad for our skin. I have inherited my fathers skin type.. oily, gee thanks dad. 
I also have inherited my dad little brown dots (or that horrible word, moles(!)) Because I live in England of course it isn't to sunny and I don't have to lather on the sun cream every day but I feel that this little thing gives me a peace of mind. 
Neutrogena Muilt-Defence Daily Moisturiser has a SPF of 15. I apply this before going to bed and after a shower. Having the knowledge that my face has some protection on a day to day basis reassures me that my skin is a little bit protected.

I used this little product for over two years now and I really do like it! I don't know if it has protected my skin as well as I hope it has but I feel better for using it.

Moisturising before going to bed means that in the morning I have a great base to put my make up on. My foundation slides on and appears smooth and my pore look minimised. I can  see and feel the difference if I don't use this cream. My cheeks, which are the driest feels tight and my foundation catches on to all the pores and, well, you can clearly see that my skin is dry.

I have always brought this product from Boots, I'm not sure where else I can buy it, but for £7.99 which is pretty good I will continue going back to repurchase this at the same price.

Lottie xo

Nail art

Accent nails have been a big thing for 2013, you could see them everywhere. Whether it's been eight simple plain nails and two accent glitters! I completely fell into this trend, glitter is addictive! 

I'm not good at doing my nails, I can do my left hand easy, but my right hand.... well a 5 year old who has had to much sugar could do a neater job. I know it's awful but I tend to just try my best (which goes all over my fingers) and I just think 'It'll come off my skin in the shower it's fine...'

So when I see people nails like this.... 

I wish I was ambidextrous! I love the colours the shapes the lines, I love it all!! I wish I had this skill. Just so freaking gorgeous! Perfect for any time of year! 

This is not my own picture, I found this picture from pinterest on this link:

http://pinterest.com/pin/260082947203657655/ 

If you haven't already seen these amazing designs go and check them out, be prepared to be inspired!

TipTuesday #2

Do you have problems with your hair in the shower, like strands coming out? (Gross I know :( !) Well a useful little tip that I have learned for anybody else who has long-ish hair, if you give you hair a once over with a brush, I find that a LOT less hair seems to fall out.


#2
A brushing before a shower gets ride of the most loose strands and helps you out when shampooing and conditioning. Now I do not know why I have this problem, maybe it's stress, maybe I just need a REALLY good hair cut, but I have been dealing with this problem for as long as I can remember, in the last year however it has gotten a lot lot worse ( probably due to stress).

I find that brushing your hair before washing it means that my hair isn't a nightmare to deal with when it comes t drying it. 

I know I'm not the only one, but it does get on my nervous and I'm sure it does for other people who deal with it too. I find this method works for me.

Hope it helps,
 Lottie xo

Alien Perfume

I received this perfume for a birthday present last year. It started out by one of my flat mates, mate at uni. The scent kind of stayed around like an ora? It was so strong! I didn't know who was wearing it but you knew when that person came into the flat. Luckily my other flat mate (there was eight of us in the one flat) knew the scent, she too Loved the smell. She introduced me to this wonder in the local House of Fraser. In the store, I sprayed the perfume onto the rim of my coat, and it stayed there for AGES!! I'm talking about maybe a week or so? I guess because you don't really wash a coat very often it just stuck around.

It is a Very strong scent and I am yet to find somebody who wrinkles their noses at the smell. I think it isn't an everyday scent, perhaps for a evening meal, party or just something fancy, something you plan for but not something for chilling in the garden! If they had invented smell vision or something I would add a swatch because you can not imagine the scent.

I like the bottle, the colour, shape and size. It fits nicely into my bags, whether it is a tote or a wide shaped clutch. I like the Alien perfume, it's lasted me a long time so far, you definitely only need 1 pump I wouldn't use any more that 2 pumps, it's that strong!

Lottie xo

Rimmel London | Wake Me Up Foundation Review

The Rimmel London Wake Me Up Foundation is a foundation that's right at the top or the foundation list right now. I've seen this in almost all of the beauty blogs that I follow. Everybody is raving about it! I brought this foundation from boots for £8.99 which isn't too bad. I think, for me right now in the summer I wont be wearing this foundation too much, however I feel that this will be perfect for the autumn/winter time when the summer sun is disappearing and I need that bit of extra coverage. It can be applied with your finger tips or with a brush and is very easy to apply and blend all over the face. 

Overall I think that it is a great foundation, good coverage which you can build up, depending on your own preference, an amazing smell that you don't expect and it gives you an amazing glow and dewy appearance, hence the 'Wake Me Up' bit. There are small shimmery bits in the foundation what makes you look bright and of course wide awake. I think that this a really good option of foundation for most skin types, oily skin might have a bit of trouble with this, however I feel that in natural light you'd be fine, it's just night time, artificial lighting that you need to be careful of.
The smell was a complete surprise to me when I first tried this. It smells a bit like soap, which I realise isn't perhaps want people want on their skin however I really like the smell? Am I the only one? Is that weird? The smell doesn't last as long as the foundation does, but it was a really nice surprise when I first applied it.

This isn't my choice for the summer when I need my foundation, but I will be trying this out more in the autumn so perhaps I will review it again when the weather changes. Hopes this helps anybody who reads this and is contemplating buying it.

Lottie xo

Blehh about me.

There is two things about me that I wish nobody had to deal with! Those two things... oily skin and dry lips. I hate it, nothing good or attractive about it. My skin, definitely inherited from my dad, bless him, it's been a problem for me for ages, all the way through secondary school and even now. We all wish we had something we don't have, and this is no exception.
I combat this slight inconvenience with a few products. I find moisturising and finding the right moisturiser a task, I can tell you!
I have found that Neutrogena's Muilt-Defence daily moisturiser is really good for me. I don't know whether it's best for my skin type or whether there is something better out there.

So the other thing was my lips. Now the level of dryness I am referring to is like going to the Sahara Desert and being in the baking sun all day! I use all sorts of lip butters but the only thing that REALLY works is

It is a Life Saver. Apply it before going to bed and your lips in the morning are so smooth and nourished! I love it, don't know what I would have done with out this little piece of gold, couldn't recommend this enough!

Lottie xo