November Life Round Up

I honestly can not wrap my head around the fact that it is the end of November. December, the last month of 2015 is tomorrow and I feel like it should be May or something, I just don't know where the days and months have gone?
When I was little my parents used to say 'when you are older the years will flash by' and I couldn't ever quite understand how 365 days could just pass me by, but now, I don't know how I get the to end of the year and feel like the year has snuck up on me. Time really does fly and we need to make the most of it. With everything that has gone on in the month of November all around the world, it has made me feel more aware and conscious of the time that I do have. Instead of wasting my time having a lye in in the mornings I have off work I will get up and get started with my day. In the evenings, instead of going off to my room and catch up with social media or finding old and new blogs to read I want to spend my time with the family I have. I want to sit and watch TV with my family, I want to have good, proper catch ups with old friends that, now I've moved hundreds of miles away, I don't get to see or talk to everyday. Small talk is nice and polite but I want to keep that connection just as strong as it was before I moved away and grew up.

2016 is fast approaching and I am looking back at this year and looking at myself, thinking what I want to work on, what I want to do and I think some resolutions are beginning to form. Maybe its the time of year but or everything that has happened not just this month but all year, around the world, but I'm thinking of things to improve. Have you had any of these thoughts with everything that's gone on this month? Or maybe are you beginning to think about your new year resolutions?

My best wishes to you all, 

Charlie xo

Follow

19/52

1. Its always good when monday flies by!

2. Tuesday night I wasn't feeling too good, I think the cold weather from last week had gotten to me. So along with drinking plenty of water (a great tip from an old friend) I used the good 'ld Olbas Oil, that thing is brilliant! I felt so much better in the morning and I could actually breath through my nose! The small things can really get you down but thank you Olbas Oil,  I'd be in a much grumpier state if it hadn't been for this piece of gold!

3. Maybe we left earlier than normal, but the moon was still visible when we got into Aberdeen, not only was it clearly visible but it was the biggest I've ever seen! There was a pretty spectacular sunrise too...

4. So far the weather has been quite mild and not too unbearable. It was something like 11° one morning, so not too bad really for November!

5. After two weeks of 9-6 shifts at work it was nice to finish early on friday and go around the shops to get some christmas shopping done, luckily it timed in nicely with Black Friday, I was surprised by how manageable town was?! It was quieter than your average saturday shopping day

6.  It feels good to finally start my Christmas Shopping.

7. This week has been crazy busy with work, nothing like feeling rushed off your feet to get you back into work. It's definatly a good thing as the week flys by and before you know it, it's the weekend again!

8. I had the whole day to myself on saturday, relaxing getting a few jobs done, it feels good to catch up with everything blogging

9. Sunday morning and I woke up to snow! Okay it wasn't settling when I woke up but it was still a beautiful thing to see.

10. Theres no better time than a cold, sunday evening at the beginning of winter to sit down and have a stew. Shame I don't like dumplings , but hey thats more for everybody else.

Hope you too have had a good week, may the next one be even better!

Charlie xo

Follow

What's in my Makeup bag

Ok a few switch ups. Like I said in my pervious post, which you can read here, With the help of a new product, or at least new to this blog, i've switched up my eye makeup with something I got for my last birthday, almost a whole year ago! Its a gather glittery thing so I haven't found I could use it during the spring and summer! However with November coming to an end and December literally round the corner what better time than any to crack out the glitter?

I'm still on the hunt for a new foundation so for the time being I'm still using the Maybeline Fit Me, everything else is pretty much the same. However the items above are just the products I will have with me in my makeup bag when I am out and about. You never know when you need a top up of something!

_______________________________________________________________________________

THE EYESHADOW

The biggest change is centred around my eyes. No longer am I reaching for my Urban Decay Naked 1 palette, but I'm using the MAC Veluxe Pearlfusion Shadow in Peachluxe. It is such a sparkly palette but nothing too crazy, enough for a day time look and easily changeable for a night time look. I used it when I first received it for my birthday (from an amazing housemate!) mostly using the two colours at the top of the palette and the two at the bottom. To be honest the pink shade scared me but I'm slowly dipping my toes in the water with that colour as it were. The palette is just so beautiful and  the colours are so pigmented the pearl fusion line is almost to pretty to use.

_______________________________________________________________________________

THE EYELINER

Another change, although not quite as big of a change, is my eyeliner technique. I'm still using the L'Oreal Blackbuster Super Liner, the only difference being, instead of the classic winged liner, I've been using it to just give a thicker appearance of my lash line. I love a good winged liner, and I hope they should always be even and effortless for everybody, but right now I enjoy just using it to make the lash line look thick and fuller.
Just a thin line, nothing special or really noticeable, but with mascara then liner does make a difference, and its a lot less hassle at 6:30 in the morning not having to worry about my winged liner being even!

_______________________________________________________________________________

THE BAG

It's no secret to those who know me but I love make up and stationary. Now a makeup bag is pretty much the stationary bit of makeup! There are so many lovely styles, and I swear every time I go into Boots there are always different style and colours of makeup bags! I've brought plenty of wash bags from Boots in the past, but this one, well this was a beautiful surprise one day when I went to collect my mum's click and collect item from Marks and Spencer! I always forget that Marks have a beauty section but I wont be forgetting it any time soon! I fact I highly recommend popping into your local Marks and Spencer to see what they actually have to offer! I didn't realise the types of brands they have, Pixi, Stelia and even their own brands which have some beautiful products! I love this makeup bag and for £12.50 I could not resist! 

Charlie xo

Follow

18/52

1. I am so thankful for the Met Office website, Aberdeen's weather can be miles different from where my home is so thank you Met Office for giving us a heads up! Have to love it!

2. It feels weird to return to work after time off, no matter how long you have off, returning to something that has continued on without you, is confusing, you have to get back into it and learn everything that you've missed whilst way in a short period of time! But hey who doesn't love a challenge?

3. Having wednesday off work and just catch back up after work was a welcomed break, and not only did I have time to relax but I managed to order some Christmas presents!

4. There have been some stunning sun rises, they really do deserve to take up your time in the morning, they are just so beautiful.

5. The beginning of the week was quite nice and mild but it's 100% time to crack out the thick jumpers and scarves!

6. Catching up with the girls at work after not seeing them in ages always brings a smile to my face :)

7. We are almost at the end of November and December is literally round the corner! It's crazy to think how fast this year has gone!

8. It tried to snow over night, thankfully it looks like the ground by us was too wet for the snow to actually stick! I'm not ready for the cold harsh winter and I'm defiantly not ready for snow and ice!!

9. The parker came out of the closest! Friday was FREEZING and planning ahead and getting my parker coat out was a very wise choice!

10. It snowing again, right now (Saturday eve) and I can not get over the fact that it's snowing in Novemeber, this is alien to me! January yes, but this side of christmas is just so much cooler!

Charlie xo

Follow

17/52

1. Little indulgences, face pack, cuppa tea and relaxing time! A little pamper is always nice.

2. Although I am meant to be on holiday from work, I haven't really been able to sit down and blog. To get it all out and line some posts up ready, or at least almost ready. So to sit down on monday, take some pictures, work on the layout of my posts felt good and a hopefully a step forward in the right direction.

3. I hate the feeling of unruly eyebrows, when they are just to stubborn to keep a desired shape and have grown out of shape. I am far too impatient to shape them myself and I'd defiantly know I'd pluck them too far. So having them wax by somebody who knows what they are doing is the best feeling!

4. I've never been to keen on a packed cinema screen, so we decided to go and watch the new James Bond film 'Spector' during the week in the middle of the day. The cinema was almost too quite but it was nice to just sit back and relax and watch the film

5. Mum and I decided to pop into town and do a bit of christmas shopping!

6. On our shopping trip to town I wanted to pop into MAC and see if they have the refill pan of Soft Brown, now I've been back there for five weeks in a row asking whether they have it in yet, unfortunately they didn't so I just ended up buying the normal eyeshadow pan, I wonder if anybody else is finding this problem? Can anybody else find Soft Brown in a refill pan in the UK?

7. Getting sorted and cleaning out your wardrobe, helps clean the mind

8. We don't go out for food very often, so when we went out for dinner on thursday to Bella Italia it was really nice, not to mention the food- that was delicious!

9. The first week of my holiday went super quickly but this second week took it's time, which is always nice when the second part of your time off doesn't flash past you in a blink of an eye!

10. A nice chilled weekend topped off with a beautifully tasty sunday roast, what better way to finish the weekend?

Charlie xo

Follow

Everyday Face of October

Taking a picture of all the stuff that I actually use on my face every time I do my makeup is actually a  little overwhelming. I never realised how much I use!
Any how whilst I come to terms with how much I use on a daily bases, here is how I wore my makeup during the month of October...
_______________________________________________________________________________

THE EYES

Ever since watching a Jaclyn Hill video, where she started her makeup by doing her eyes makeup first, I've changed the way in which I do my makeup routine. I find that the end result is actually affected when I do my eyes after my foundation as I lean on my cheeks to draw on my eyeliner and sometimes mascara. Now I like to do my eyes first, I start by priming my eyelids with MAC Painterly Paint Pot. A shade that helps to even out the colours on my eyelids and creates a good base for my eyeshadows. I'm still using my Urban Decay's Naked and Buck eyeshadows (yes I'm obsessed). After covering my eyelids in the shade Naked I use Buck in the crease and outer 'V', I then go in with my L'Oreal Blackbuster Super Liner to create a classic winged liner and Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara (my absolute favourite mascara wand ever!) I've been hooked on this look, and I'm deciding now to try and switch it up a bit. My next Everyday Face will have some different products I promise!
One this that most likely will stay the same is my brow routine, I'm still filling them in with the good ol' MAC Quarry eyeshadow but at the moment I'm waiting till they grow a bit to have the shaped by a professional, so for the mean time I'm trying real hard to stay away from the tweezers.
Brows

One last step I do for my eyes, can only be completed once my foundation and under eye concealer is done. Once everything is dry and set, I will go in with more Buck eyeshadow on a smaller brush and add it to my bottom lash liner, only on the outer corner blending it up to the black eyeliner.

_______________________________________________________________________________

THE FACE

One my eyes are complete I move onto my foundation, I start by concealing any blemishes or imperfections with MAC Studio Finish  Concealer in NW20, I love the consistency of this product and I use the Zoeva 142 / Concealer Buffer brush to blend in into the skin. For my foundation I'm still using the Maybeline Fit Me Foundation in '115', I really am enjoying this foundation and am happy with it, however it could be time for a change, if you have any recommendation please do let me know in the comments below, I'd love to hear about other products!
Under my eyes I prefer to use the Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer, the tiny specks of glitter in the product really does help to make me look more awake, I only like to use this under my eyes as I do not like the flecks of glitter over my face, I feel as though it would highlight my imperfections rather than flatten them out and hide them. To set the Rimmel concealer I use my MAC Emphasis powder, which too has tiny flecks of shimmer in it, to keep it in place. Even when I've had the worst nights sleep this method hides all the problems I don't want people to see!
Blusher is one of those things I've been getting into more and more after watching a few bloggers talk about their favourites. Never having been one for bright colours, I am working my way up slowly and I felt that this colour was the perfect place to start. MAC's Blusher in Blush All Day is a dusty rose shade, not too harsh but just the right amount of colour for me.
With the summer drifting away I find myself not reaching for the highlighter as much. Although I like to pull of the MAC Soft and Gentle I find it can be a bit much for day to day, so when I feel like I need a bit more of a glow, I like to use the Emphasis powered to give me a bit of highlight on my cheekbone area and under my eyebrow, double the usage, always a good thing!

_______________________________________________________________________________

THE LIPS

If I'm having a particularly bad day, I'll always turn to the Blistex Relief Cream to give them an intense healing treatment and just let it do it's thing. (I'll only use the cream at home, it takes ages to soak into the lips and so you'll find yourself with beautiful white lips, it's not attractive I'll tell you that for free!)

If my lips are doing ok, I will just apply Blistex Lip balm in Mango (Favourite!) and start on my makeup, letting them hydrate and soften before applying any type of lipstick or stain.  Throughout the day I will keep on topping up with the Mango lip balm making sure they don't suffer from the wind or the cold.  

At the moment I am totally obsessed with Rimmel Lipstick in 077 Asia, its creamy and has a good staying power , safe to say I've already brought another to replace the one I'm using when It inevitably finishes!

Charlie xo

Follow

16/52

1. Taken mum to Boots and introducing her to makeup brands she's never tried was a great bonding thing for us.

2. Dads back from the hospital and all is back to normal.

3. I forgot how much I love watching Time Team, such a guilty  pleasure! I used to watch this when I was home ill and feeling sorry for myself!

4.  Catching up with people who you haven't seen in a while

5. Not ashamed to say it, but I loving visiting gardner centres, granted not for the plants, for the kitchen ware and home decorations and anything else they sell! I especially love going to garden centres around this time of year, christmas just takes over everything in garden centres around late August early September and I'm just loving it!

6. I finally went and box dyed my hair, unfortunately it hasn't turned out as planned, infact its way off. I wanted red hair, brought a dye called deep red and my hair is brown with a warm tint... never mind it could have gone a lot worse, live and learn, live and learn.

7. Having time to spend on yourself. I love having my own space to do anything, sit and watch tv, be on my laptop, watch a film or just singing my heart out. However coming back from uni and moving back into my parents house time by my self doesn't come up with often. The house is far to small for me to sing without annoying anybody so when mum and dad went out on saturday I sang my heart out, because why not!

8. Seeing the beautiful vibrant colours of the autumn leaves, is just breath taking in the sunlight

9. Summer may be over but orange juice and lemonade is still one of my go to refreshing drinks, no matter what the time of year.

10. The weather finally started to clear, no fog in the mornings and the day actually had some sunshine, so much better than the grey atmospheric feel of the rest of the week, hello sunshine!

Charlie xo

Follow

October Life Round Up

It crazy for me to think that I've almost done an entire year of monthly life round ups. But they say that if you love something your passion never really dies. Unlike the taps and modern dance lessons, and all the other out of school activities I did throughout my life. Blogging on Lotties Thoughts has been so fun and I'm so interested in the whole idea of blogging. I never stuck to anything for this long and I'm still so excited as to the endless possibilities that I could do with this blog. It's become my bobbie and a passion.

I feel that this year has been a very positive outlook for posts, making me look back on the month and even the weeks in my other series of posts, 52 weeks of positivity, and I'm glad I've done them. Whether I continue these types of posts through next year is still a question I'm yet to decided the answer too but its in the full front of my mind.

October has been a busy month, full of work and all new challenges. Some things went well, others not so much, but it's all a learning curve at the end of the day. Not too much else has happened, but we tend to have those kind of months where work takes centre stage. Hopefully now, with two weeks off I can get back on track with everything else I've been neglecting. Two months to go until the new year (not to mention Christmas!) Any how onto the next one, November what have you got for us?!

Charlie xo

Follow

15/52

1. JAMES BOND came out this week! I do love a James Bond film and I can not wait to see it!

2. It's really easy to just buy a meal deal on your lunch break and have the choice of what you want to eat. However preparing and making a homemade lunch feels and tastes so much better than anything you can buy.

3. MAC delivery! Nothing makes me happier than a packaged that arrives earlier than expected!

4. The evenings have gotten cooler and we can now sleep comfortably without having the window open (I rather suffer in heat than open my window and let the creepy crawly spiders in!)

5. I was really impressed by peoples commitment to Halloween, I think costume makeup has really kicked off it the last few years, I did see some people who were a bit too freaky for 8am for my liking but I admire the commitment!

6. Hot Chocolates galore (same as last week)

7. Finishing work on Saturday to enjoy a week of holiday, relax, catch up with everything and to get back on track with my little space online. Cant no wait!

8. A home cooked Sunday Roast, quite possibly the BEST meal ever.

9. Its been a while but after maybe three years because of uni. but I finally got back behind the wheel of a car! Crazy how everything my driving instructor said to me during my lessons is still there is the back of my mind, but clear as day as if he was still sitting beside me!

10. Being at home during the day and driving around seeing all the beautiful colours on the trees! I don't get to see the autumnal colours on the drive too and from work! Its pitch black, good old daylight savings, nothing says winter than go to and from work in the dark.

Hope you had a good week too!

Best wishes Charlie xo

Follow