Tuesday 31 December 2013

Goodbye 2013...

Happy New Year everyone! I know everybody says ''hasn't it gone so quickly?!'' but I don't think it has, really. I'm looking forward to 2014 and all the new memories it will bring, hopefully good ones. I'd love to say that I've already got everything organised and sorted out for a 'new year, new me' but I haven't. If I'm honest, I still haven't put all my Christmas presents away yet... whoops. The only thing I have done towards getting ready for the new year is buying a new calendar and I've begun to write a list of future blog posts.

Happy new year <3

2013 has been a good year and I've learnt a lot. I don't feel like anything really major has happened, this year, but I've made changes to my life that I'm glad I have done. Yes, 2013 has had it's ups and downs - as every year does - but it's also full of memories that I shall cherish.

I wish you all a fantastic 2014 and, before things get a little boring here, thank you to everyone that has been reading my blog in 2013. It really does mean a lot.

Thanks for reading x

Sunday 29 December 2013

What I got for Christmas 2013.

I hope all of you had a fabulous Christmas! I enjoyed taking a short break from blogging to enjoy Christmas with my friends and family. I wasn't actually going to do this particular post but, after seeing many YouTubers and bloggers doing them, I thought I may as well jump on the bandwagon. I didn't get anything really expensive/extravagant this year because I didn't ask for anything huge and I was happy receiving small gifts and some money. Just to put it out there, I'm not trying to show off in any way and I'm so grateful for everything I received from my family and friends.

 As always, I get al LOT of chocolate and sweets at Christmas. I would've taken a photo of all of them together but my family and friends have already started helping me eat them!

Lush 'Snow fairy' shower gel // Burt's Bees gift set // Lush 'Sweetie pie' shower jelly // Vanilla scented hand wipes // Bath and body works 'Winter candy apple' hand sanitizer // Yankee candle in 'Merry marshmallow' // Impulse body sprays in 'Sweet smile' and 'True love' // Blue floral blanket/throw

Diary of a wimpy kid 'Hard luck' // Percy piglets // Home sign // Floral pen set // Cath Kidston soap 'Honeysuckle' // Milkybar polar bear // Various nail polishes (Rimmel 'Purple reign', Maybelline 'Ceramic blue' and L'Oreal 'Crystalissme')

My mum bought Marc Jacobs 'Honey' as more of a shared present between me, my mum and my sister and it smells amazing! 

 Batiste dry shampoo // Soap and glory 'Clean on me' shower gel // Soap and glory 'The righteous butter' body butter // Flower pharm 'Orange flower' body scrub // Balmi 'Coconut' lip balm // Milani Glimmer stripes // Chocolate coins in a bauble // 2  hand creams (these came in a set of four between me and my sister: so we divided them)

 I got this really cute doughnut cushion/toy thingy which I think I'll put on my bed.

When I opened this present I was so shocked and surprised! I'd been asking my dad for a Jack Wills book bag for ages and I was so pleased that he had got me one.

I did get other things for Christmas but it was mostly just more body creams, body sprays etc and food so I didn't think there was much point in taking pictures of them all. Again, I hope you had a good Christmas, thanks for reading! x


Friday 20 December 2013

Christmas stocking fillers #3

This is the last Christmas stocking fillers post I write, but I wanted to fit one more in before Christmas, for those of you who still have a few bits and bobs to pick up, for friends and family.


Baylis and harding beauticology mini trio - boots
Daisy studs - forever 21
Barry m glitter nail paint - boots
Burt's bees gift set - sainsbury's
Laptop case - asos
This works dream team - feel unique
Cranberry joy body butter - the body shop
Tangle teezer - feel unique
Victoria's secret body mist - ebay


I think all of these are great for stocking fillers of as a little gift to a friend. The Body Shop's Cranberry joy body butter really does smell amazing: I've added one to my Christmas wishlist now! I've seen loads of other beauty bloggers talking about the This Works Dream team set and, even though it's small, it's said to work wonders. As for that laptop case, I don't think it could be any more beautiful and I think it would be a great present for any students. I've heard tangle teezers last a long time and are very good quality so, for your best friend or your sister, this would make a great gift. So that's all my picks, I hope you've enjoyed these posts!
What's on your Christmas wishlist?




Tuesday 10 December 2013

The Sunshine Award.

Although the sun may not be shining right now, it's actually really cold, I was nominated by Maddie to do this award and thought it was a good post for you to find out a little bit more about me. So here we go...

Untitled
Here's the rules for each nominee:
  • Share 11 facts about yourself.
  • Answer 11 questions by the nomination blogger.
  • Nominate 11 other bloggers.
  • Include 11 questions to ask your nominees.
11 facts about me...
1. I'm in love with the band Hurts.
2. Cats are my favourite animal.
3. I hate my things being untidy/messy, I'm pretty sure I must have OCD!
4. Christmas is my favourite time of the year.
5. I must own, at least, 30 nail polishes and yet I still buy more.
6. I took business studies for one of my GCSE options.
7. I'm good at saving up my money.
8. I love vintage/shabby chic things!
9. I used to play the recorder, when I was at primary school.
10. I hate creepy crawlies, especially spiders.
11. When I was younger, I used to have a huge collection of my littlest pet shop toys.

My 11 questions were...

1. How is the weather where you live and what are your current favourite clothes to suit it?
The weather where I live isn't great, it rains quite a lot. My current favourite clothes to suit the weather are either super cosy tights and a skater skirt with a top or some jeans with a plaid shirt.

2. How did you come up with your blog name?
I just wanted a very simple and easy to remember name for my blog, sometimes I wish I had a more creative name though. Although I quite like the name 'Amy's Beauty Journal' because it's like I'm writing a diary of products I've tried out.

3. Name something on your bucket list?
The thing right at the top of my bucket list would be to travel around various places in the world and just explore new places. 

4. What is your favourite brand of clothing?
The main places I buy my clothes from are Newlook and Primark, with the occasional thing from Topshop or River Island. I know Primark is Atmosphere but I'm not sure about Newlook?

5. Jeans or leggings?
It depends on what kind of day's ahead but, if I had to pick one, I'd go for leggings.

6. Do your family and friends know about your blog? If so what do they think?
No, actually, my friends and family aren't aware of my blog but if I told them, I'm sure they wouldn't mind.

7. What is your favourite candle scent?
Hmm, this one is tricky because candles are one of my obsessions. I'm loving the merry marshmallow and fireside treats Yankee candles at the moment.

8. If you could pick any three make up items to get for free what would they be?
Firstly, I'd pick a MAC foundation because I'd feel so guilty buying one for myself. The second would be one of the Hourglass ambient lighting powders, after seeing Anna (from ViviannaDoesMakeup) rave about them so much, I would love to get my hands on one! And finally, I'd pick the Ciate mini nail polish advent calendar, it looks amazing plus I just couldn't spend £42 on an advent calendar.

9. What is your favourite pair of shoes? Why?
My favourite pair of shoes are my white high top converse because they go with anything and are great to wear any time of the year. They also last for ages.

10. Heels or wedges?
I don't really wear either of these but I think I'd go for wedges because I think they look gorgeous and wedges go with a lot of different outfits, even on casual days.

11. Mac or Urban Decay?
Even though Urban Decay have the famous Naked palettes, I'd plump for MAC because I like a lot of their products for face, eyes and lips. Whereas with Urban Decay, I only really use their eyeshadows.

The nominations...

1. kkkiranxoxo
2. Ros Tinted
3. Ashleigh Beauty
4. A Day in Beauty
5. A touch of velvet...
6. A Is For Ayla
7. Style & Starbucks
8. Carrie:Brighton
9. Talk Pretty
10. My Vintage World
11. Laura Through The Lens

My 11 questions...
1. What's your favourite TV program?
2. What's one thing you can't stand?
3. Who's you favourite singer/band?
4. What is at the top of your Christmas wishlist, this year?
5. Do you have a pet? 
6. Do you love or loathe marmite? (random question there!)
7. What's your favourite shop to buy from?
8. What's your favourite perfume?
9. If you could pick one piece of technology to use, for the rest of your life, what would you pick? (For example: iPad, laptop, camera)
10. What made you want to start blogging?
11. Who's your favourite blogger?


Thanks for reading this, incredibly long, post!

Friday 6 December 2013

Monthly Favourites | October/November

First of all, happy December everyone! I missed out on posting my monthly favourites for October, so I thought I'd add in October's favourites to November's too.




NYC Applelicious Balm in 'Applelicious Pink'
NYC isn't really a brand I've tried out before but when I spotted these in Superdrug, I had to give it a try. This particular shade is a deep-ish pink and, once applied, leaves a smooth glossy finish to your lips. I think these are good for Winter because they come in a few deep shades but also moisturise your lips. So if you're one of those people who feel they can't wear lipsticks in the Winter, due to chapped lips, then these are for you. And lets not forget the price, for £2.49, you can't go wrong.

Barry M Nail Paint in 'Black with Multi Glitter'
When the seasons change, so does my choice in nail colour. In Spring/Summer I'm all about bright, bold and pastel shades but once it's Autumn/Winter I'm all over deep, dark and glittery polishes. Well, of course, the odd pastel shade will sneak in at some point but most of the time, I'll be sporting 'Autumn/Winter' shades. This nail polish is what it says on the tin: black with multi glitter. You only need one coat and I was very pleased with how quickly it dried too. Once it's dried it does have a textured feel and look, which I know some people hate, so I thought I'd mention it. Although, in my opinion, it isn't as bad as their textured nail paint range.

Panda Jumper £14
I have been living in this jumper, from Primark, recently. I've just been finding it too cold for t-shirts at the moment and this jumper has kept me nice and toasty - yes, that is a word - and I'm currently stocking up on them to make sure I survive these cold months, haha!

The Christmas Penguin Bubble Bar 
This isn't in the picture because I've already used it all up but it has been one of my favourite things I used last month. Aside from looking adorable, this smells delicious with Sicilian lemon oil as it's featured fragrance, this is one for lovers of citrus scents! It also smells similar to the olive branch shower gel, which is a permanent lush product.

Soap & Glory Peaches and Clean Cleanser
This is a thick and creamy cleanser that removes makeup brilliantly. I use this daily and it works wonders for my skin. I like to use a couple of pumps and massage it on my face, then rinse with water and it leaves my face feeling clean and fresh. This is one of my all time favourite face cleansers I've used.

Lady Gaga Perfume
This is one of my favourite perfumes to use in the Winter time. I'd describe it as quite a heavy perfume, which I why I only use it around this time of year. It contains notes of saffron, apricot, jasmine, honey, incense and more. The thing that really attracted me to this perfume, in the first place, is the fact it's actually a black liquid but it doesn't leave a black stain on your skin.

So there's a quick round-up of my favourite things over the past couple of months, what have you been loving recently?

xxx

Thursday 5 December 2013

Christmas Stocking Fillers #2




Chunky knits pen pot - paperchase

Moustache party straws - etsy

Mini rabbit lamp - urban outfitters

Globe watch - ebay

Santa pocket mirror - cath kidston

Galaxy giraffe nail decals - etsy

Cat wearing glasses iphone case - etsy

The christmas penguin bubble bar - lush

Satzuma usb led spotlight - boots

Watermelon origami note set - liberty


So, as promised, here's another Christmas stocking fillers post! My favourite things from this list would probably have to be the rabbit lamp because I just know it would look so cute in my room. I recently bought The Christmas Penguin from Lush and it creates a crazy amount of bubbles, perfect for hot Winter baths.

xxx