An Ode To My Favourite (Retired) Boots

Heya, hope you're all enjoying the drizzly weather ;)

Today I wanted to do a quick post on my favourite boots. They aren't the prettiest, or the most on trend, but they are the best. Comfy, go with everything (in my mind), work the stained look with pride... These boots have reached their twilight. I've set them away to retire, unable to let them go just yet. OTT? Quite possibly. But I've worn these boots practically every day for the best part of a year. Here are the humble beauties:

These basic military(ish) style boots are from River Island. I got them in a sale for about £20 reduced form £60 I think. Bargain! I love them so much more than I thought. As I'm tall and 'curvey' more masculine styles can make me look a bit butch, sexy. Not these though. I could bang on about them for weeks. Honestly. I'm sure everyone has that one faithful item of footwear. What's yours?
They've lived through several muddy fields, torrential rain, a peice of chewing gum has stained them for at least 6 months; but that's what makes them unique. They look loved. Because they are!

Unfortunately, owing to the heel of one of the boots no longer having a close relationship with the actual boot (i.e. a massive hole), they have reached retirement. And though they can no longer be worn, I want to say thank you and farewell to my beloved boots.

;)

Livvy xo

Today's Shopping - Boring Essentials and a Few Naughty Treats.

Hey ladies, I hope you're all smiling :)

Today is the whingiest of days. I'll be brief, get it out my system and then power through. First off my camera is now working, but the SD card reader in my laptop isn't. What a pile of poo. So I've used my phone for pics today. Second I've just had one of those days where you feel a bit pants and you're all clammy and clumsy all day. So pretty. And third I wanted to spend a voucher (and money I don't have) on a hydrating oil at the Clarins counter in my local John Lewis. The curt lady that worked there was just chatting rubbish about 'maybe it's discontinued'. Maybe you should learn what products you're supposed to have on your counter. Aaaaaaaaaaand I'm done ;)

So today I got a couple of sneeky make-up bits I ordered off cheapsmells.co.uk the other week. I'm just going to put it out in the open now that other beauty bloggers/Youtubers enable me like no other. If I see people giving rave reviews/lots of people love something, it's like my hand's reached in to the new Zara bag everyone has (which I think is already breaking because I over-filled it, oops) and suddenly my debit cards in my hand. As if I don't know the number off by heart. Someone get me a therapist! Haha. Anyway, I ended up getting:

Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in Shade 2 - Apricot Shimmer, £12.50 and YSL Touche Eclat in 1 Luminous Radiance £21.50 (Eeeek).

Let's discuss (or justify to myself). I'm obsessed with getting the perfect pale, pinky/peachy lip. However, I've come to the realisation that my lips are quite dark naturally, so I'm going to investigate 'beigeing them out' with some Viva Glam Gaga 2 and then putting colour on. This does feel nice on the lips, but for the price I was expecting unicorns to jump out my mouth. No such luck. I'll show you my lip drawer in another post if you want, so you can feel my pain of the never-ending-search-for-a-colour-my-lips-probably-won't-go. Ha. My problem is I see something on someone else and hope it'll look the same on me. For example I saw this on Anna from ViviannaDoesMakeup.com and it just looked sooo good on her. I definitely have face envy.

I also got Touche Eclat, I'm definitely not explaining what it is. If you don't know, go back under your rock. Or Google it ;) This is THE cult product. I bought it for the pure fact I'm a beauty junkie and I wanted in. I got it in the palest shade because when I researched it it was the pinkiest. Now my skin is definitely very cool toned, but I thought it's be good to counter the blueish tone under my eyes. Then I'm planning to whack my Bobbi Brown creamy concealer over the top and hoping my face will be mistaken for a ripe peach. I'll let you know how that goes.

After the excitment of the post I had to plod along to Boots to get some essentials I've been putting off buying. I just hate spending money on non-fun things. But, needs must so I got:

2 face cloths, 99p each (i.e. the classic flannel) and some Boots own brand Simply Sensitive face wipes - on offer for £1.85, usually £2.79.

Dove Invisible Dry Stick Deodorant, £1.66 reduced from £2.50, TRESemme Instant Refresh Dry Shampoo for Normal to Oily Hair, £4.79 and Colgate Advanced Whitening (Tesco) £1.86

I imagine most of these are self-explanatory. I got the flannels because I read on beautymouth.com, she's a skincare expert extrodinaire, that they're just as good as muslin cloths and you should change the one you're using every day (also apparently the flannel is becoming redundant, save the flannel!). I'm trying to get a good skincare routine going because my skin's so dehydrated. As a general rule I've cut out face wipes, but they're so handy. When I'm away for a weekend I like to take my face products, but let's face it after a few voddy's it's either facewipes or waking up with the rocky mountains on my face. The deodorant's a handy size, the toothpaste was the only choice in our little Tesco beacuse I forgot in Boots, and I thought I'd give this dry shampoo a go because Batiste is eurghh. All I'm saying is, I had the one for dark hair and accidentally sprayed it on my face (don't ask), it looked like I'd rolled in a dust bunny. Ew.

How about you, do you find essential re-stocking a chore? Or do you secretly love any excuse to find yourself in Boots? How do you feel about facewipes? Have you made any disgustingly priced purchases you can share to make me feel better about my own? ;)

Livvy x

Lush, disco and sensibility. (I went to the shops and I bought...)

Heya, hope you're all okay :)

In the summer I moved in to a flat, it came with the double edged sword of being a five minutes walk away from the town centre. Now if I need to meet friends or pop in to Boots for some essentials it's fab, however once I'm in town I can't stay away from the shops. In fact, the quickest way home is through Boots. That's just asking for trouble. I am not one of those people that can pop in for some toothpast and leave, knowing full well there's a floor of make-up above me. After lunch with my Dad the other day I came home via the shops. With the addition of a few other recent purchases, I thought I may as well haul the lot. Needless to say I'm not bragging, I just love having a nose at other peoples shopping, so I thought I'd share my lot :)

First up I went in to Presence, which is like a stationery/candles/cool random bits and bobs shop. I bought something I'd been eyeing up for ages and managed to steer clear of buying any Yankee candles, which was like walking away from a fidge with a magnet strapped to my back. My favourite scent BY FAR is Lemon Lavendar, but I already have that. So I bought this:



Waldo Pancake 'I could have been a notebook' Notebook. £6.99



I bought this because I really want to write a novel, so it's just to remind me to follow my dream. Someone got their feet out? Smells like cheeeese ;) But it's true. To me £6.99 is literally ridiculous for a notebook, on this occasion I felt the splurge was necessary. Although, it's not like I'll be writing the story in it. That would be classic cave-man. I may as well have bought a slate and some chalk.

Next I went to Lush. My intention was just to inhale the concoction of smells that just IS bath time, but naturally the one day I didn't want something I got the over-eager assistant. I was guilted in to purchasing, or that's my excuse ;) I got:

Left to right: 'Sweet Soap of Mine' - 2 soaps (1 The Godmother + 1 Rock Star), (top) 'Charity Pot' moisturiser tin, 'Veganese' conditioner.

After a consultation with the lovely/eager guy that worked there, I rejected all of his help. Purely because he was showing me skin care and I bow to Liz Earle's superiority. As I casually side-shuffled away from him I found myself at the soap counter, sniffing the most incredible sweet smell. After shoving my face in almost all of the soaps I found 'Rock Star' to be the source. Like an eagle waiting for it's prey a second assistant ceased the chance to help me. Bugger, I thought. I was wrong, she directed me to this multi-pack. The soaps smell very similar, sweet and fruity. Amazing. Sold. Then I wandered to the hair area. My head has been so dry this winter so I was searching for a natural shampoo that didn't smell like something a cow had eaten then projectile sicked back up. I went for Veganese. This was stupid on two levels; first it smells like lemon and grass, fail. Second, it's actually a conditioner. I now have FOUR conditioners and an itchy head. What a wally. Eventually I get to the til, practically throwing myself towards it to avoid any more help. Little did I know that the charity pots were at the til. Only £1 and that goes to charity. To avoid any further discussion, I purchased it. It smells like chocolate and is actually quite nice, it doesn't dry quickly though so it leaves your skin a bit soggy. I didn't even ask what the charity was. Lush trip = 'saved by the soap'.

Last that day was the unavoidable trap that is Boots. I would love to work there but I don't think my wages would ever make it home with me ;) On this occasion I got:

Left to right: TRESemme 'Naturals' shampoo in Nourishing Moisture, Rimmel 'Disco Ball' nail varnish and Natural Collections 'Peach Melba' blush.

The shampoo doesn't really need explaining, I was rectifying 'Veganese-gate'. I normally use TRESemme anyway, it's only the harsh winter that's dried my scalp. I thought the natural version might do the trick. My head hasn't exploded so... win. Rimmel's 'Disco Ball' polish has been sold out of my local Boots and 2 Superdrugs for ages. Apparently I was going to buy it ages ago, but I thought it was just a plain silver (it's actually rainbow glitter, which reflects beautifully in the light). My friend reminded me of this as she displayed what looked like the night sky on her nails. Disco Ball over a dark purple by Barry M I was assured. That was it, mission Disco Ball was deployed. It took me about 2 weeks to get my hands on it. Two lessons; 1) If you love something, buy it (especially if it's £3, it was reduced to £1.99 when I got it though ;)) and 2) Perserverance pays off. The blush I just bought because I've seen it recommended quite a lot on Youtube. I've only tried it once and to be honest, I didn't really rate it. Basically because it didn't show up on my skin tone/the tone my skin is when I put my make-up on, my 'I'm going to pretend my face is tanned' colour. I'll keep you posted when I re-try it though.

So that was that trip, not particularly epic compared to the jungle adventure I've hyped it up to be. When I got in though, there was also a package for me. It was just some shoes I ordered in anticipation of needing a job/interviews for internships. These black moccasins from Asos are the culprits:

Just realised I haven't priced anything, comment if you want me to check for you :)

They are a bit pinchy, so I definitely need to wear them in. Feet dripping with blood does not scream 'hire me'!

Last and probably least, I popped back in to Boots today (I might as well initiate the staff in to my family, I'm there that often) to spend my No. 7 voucher. For anyone who doesn't know, every few months Boots give out £5 off vouchers for their No. 7 brand with any purchase. It's amazing, except you spend it and get given another one. Normally I'd buy a nail polish. However, I know have over 50... I know. Get me some help. Or comment if you'd like to see the collection ;) So, I thought I'd best avoid buying one for now. Instead I came across this:

Boots No.7 'Nourishing Nail and Cuticle Care'.

I've not heard anything about this, but with the vouceher it was £2, so I thought 'Why not give it a go?' Considering I'm such a nail polish freak, I've never owned a product that actually cares for my nails. In fact, my nails are almost never 'polishless'. Today is their first naked apperance, I think they're blushing ;) I've put on the cream which has the smell of a moisturiser, good start, so I'll let you know how I get on.

That's it, my mini haul. Do you like reading hauls? Do you always 'accidentally' buy a few extra things? What are your recent guilty purchases? Be sure to let me know in the comments :)

Livvy xo