mrsjennyws

January and February ended up being VERY bad for my purse in terms of makeup (in case you wanted a round up, I'm going to post about my Jan/Feb haul), but that also means that I've broken my makeup goal for the first two months of the year AND I haven't saved a thing for Canada/USA.
Oops.

Rosie for Autograph Eyeshadow Palette in I Feel Like A Million Dollars Lipstick in Lady Rose

Because I cannot control myself and I know that I want to buy all the things in Canada and America, I have decided that I will be doing a No Spend Month for March.


RULES

NO BUYING MAKEUP
Nothing, no one bit. I don't need anything.
The only exception would be if I urgently need something and I'm SURE that I DO NOT. So if it looks like I'm going to spend then I need someone to stop me.
@keepcalmtaylor that's you.
Other exceptions include any FANTASTIC deals that come up, but I mean once in a lifetime sort of deal. Like somewhere selling off Naked Palettes for £10. As if that's ever going to happen.

No buying snacks
This is probably my downfall - a packet of crisps here, a chocolate bar (or ten) there, the odd coffee. Cutting out these things will save pennies and the pounds (as in lbs pounds).

No buying clothes
Unless it's an emergency...or a once in a lifetime deal - see above.

Only buy essentials
That means shampoo, face wipes etc. and ONLY if I've actually run out. I have tons of samples of face cream, hand cream, shampoo etc. so I might try and get through some of those. But I have just bought new face wipes and shampoo, so pretty unlikely.
I will need to buy milk for work, but obviously that's fine. A girl can't live with out her tea.

NO CREDIT CARD
I have been terrible at just putting things on my credit card and thinking I'll pay them off later.
Do I? No. So no credit card this month.

Cookie Dough Krispie Kreme No more of these babies

What doesn't count as spending (cheating already)
Meals out with friends/family - these happen SO rarely that it's probably not going to be a factor, yes I have no social life. But if I have to go I'll try to tone down the spending.

Things that I have to pay for - e.g. Mother's Day Card (already got a free one!) and train tickets to go and see my sister's play.

Buying coffee to use the cafe internet - we STILL have no internet after 3 months, at the end of March it will be 4 and we're not expecting the current issue to be fixed until at least the end of March. So if I desperately need to use the internet at the weekend then I have to go to Starbucks and so I have to buy a coffee.

This is just for me, not for my husband - so things that come out of our 'joint account' (aka the Amex) don't count, so if I went out for a meal with my husband that isn't the same as going out for a meal with just my friends. We pay vs. I pay.

My fave Pret coffee

Preparing for no spend
I need some new hair products so those will be bought ahead of time and as I previously mentioned I have loads of samples stacked up to use in an emergency!
I'm going to make sure I have enough work snacks in our weekly shops to keep me going - no going out go buy crisps. And I will stock up on a few choccy bars ahead of time for my desk, every girl needs chocolate.


Wish me luck!

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I thought I'd do a little wishlist of items that's outside my makeup wishlist...my makeup wishlist is over 300 items long and I'm pretty sure that it doesn't even cover everything that I want. As that could fill around 10 thousand posts, I'll leave that for another day.
These are some of the bigger ticket items that I want, ranging from the £100 up to the £1000 mark. Some of these things are those life long dream things, or at least a 10 year long dream. The sort of purchases that make me feel like a real adult, because apparently being married doesn't make me feel like a grown up!

Mulberry Bag
What girl doesn't want twenty one of these?

I've wanted one of these bags for around 7-8 years.
On my current shortlist are the Bayswater Double Zip Tote, Alexa, (Medium) Lily and Roxette all in Oak, as I'm a blue/brown sort of girl, rather than black. I'm really not a fan of black and would never consider buying anything in black, especially not a bag!
I also wonder whether I should consider the Bayswater as it is a classic. Oh and the Roxette looks AH-mazing in Oxblood Croc.

I think that if I had to rank them then the Roxette would be my top, followed by the Bayswater Double Zip Tote, then Alexa and Bayswater tied. Lily is a whole other kettle of fish as it's not an everyday, chuck everything you own into it one, but it is beautiful! As are some of the other smaller cross body bags. Can I just have them all please?
My aim for this year is to save up for and buy one. Be it a teeny tiny one, even though if we look at value for money, bigger is better!
Although I sadly need to be practical and save for buying our next place, kids, bills all the boring stuff that our future holds.

Macbook/Mac

I'm not sure which type of Mac or Macbook, but this one is blog related. I've had two Acer laptops in the past 10 years and both of them have basically given up pretty soon after they've been purchased. I'm struggling along with the one I got just after I left uni (I think), it over heats, shuts down, freezes and just takes around 1000 years to do anything.
At the moment I write, edit and post all my blog posts at work. Now that's fine for the moment when I basically have next to nothing to do (yeah, not a great as it sounds!), but when I get myself a job where I actually have work to do, I'm going to need something good to carry this on.
And I do want to carry this on - I rambled on enough about that in my Why I Love Makeup post and it's one of my 2016 Goals.
I also have done about 8 pages of a book, totally pathetic right? But I'd like to try and work on it more and having a laptop to sit and write at home or to go to the coffee shop and write (cliche) would be brilliant.
And I'm ADDCITED to the Sims, so I definitely need it for that. The teenager in me still lives on.

Longchamp Le Pliage Large Tote Bag

 

Longchamp Le Pliage Large Tote in Navy

I already have a Small Tote Bag in navy, which I love. I love that they're versatile, they fold up and can be tossed in wherever you're going and whatever you're taking so that you have a spare bag. It looks stylish, doesn't break the bank and the nylon is hard wearing.
I do feel that sometimes when I want to take out some more stuff with me that mine can be a bit small, which means I'm thinking of expanding my collection.
They do have a Medium Handbag, which would probably be the perfect size for me, but it only has a short handle and I'm a bag on the shoulder sort of gal. This forearm carrying is all very well, but when you have so much to carry and you're as tiny as me (5ft!) it can basically break your arm.
That means I'm going to have to consider the Large Tote, which I must say looks huge on me. I could practically climb inside. But needs must.
And I feel like spending my money on that sort of bag is a better investment then say a Fiorelli bag of similar price, as least the Longchamp bags have some leather on them.

Ugg Classic Mini Boots

Barbour Coat

It absolutely breaks my heart that I just had to sell my old Barbour on eBay for a mere £33 when it cost well over £150 new. It was a size 12 and now that I'm a size 6 it absolutely swamped me.
I will get myself a new one, the only issue is that they don't have very mean coats in a size 6.
I'd love a classic quilted one and a waxed one.

This list is bound to grown, a girl can dream!

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I have been VERY bad this month and have ordered nearly all the items on my February Wishlist, plus about 1000 other things. Last week, after what seemed like a VERY long wait over the weekend, I finally picked up my Sleek MakeUP order from Superdrug.

I couldn't really get into the products once I got home mainly as the husband certainly does not approve of more makeup purchases. Since then I have kept meaning to take photos and swatches, but I can never get any light!! It's too dark before work, and how ever would I find the time in the morning? And it's dark by the time I get home, so finally this weekend I managed to get some natural light photos - although it was still a struggle, damn this British weather!

Following on from that moan, I apologise for the mish mash of pictures. I took some one evening under our bedroom lights and some in natural light and completed failed to check that I had everything I needed in natural light...so yeah...mixing it up.
Also problems with shiny packaging is that they act like a bloody mirror! So excuse the unintentional selfies (I already had to get rid of a great photo because I had a duck face in it).

Solstice Highlighting Palette : Precious Metals Highlighting Palette Rose Gold Blush

Solstice Highlighting Palette : Precious Metals Highlighting Palette Rose Gold Blush

The morning after I picked them up I cracked them open at my desk and got to properly lay my eyes on them! Since then I've swatched the highlights (oh my) and I've worn the blush.


Blush in Rose Gold
The packaging is very nice, it looks as you would expect from the brand - sleek. It's matte, black and good and sturdy, with a good sized mirror...although I was pretty hard to open it the first time, I even googled and found that other people had the same problem. On the other hand, plus points, it shouldn't pop open in my makeup bag! Once I finally got the darn thing open, I managed to get a peek inside. Now I'm not going to lie, I found the colour in the pan to be slightly terrifying, it looks VERY orange-y pink.

Sleek Blush in Rose Gold

 I've worn it, putting it on with the Real Techniques Blush Brush (I looooove this brush) and it goes on very sheer. It does take a little bit of building up to see and I couldn't get as much on as I usually would (PACK IT ON), but it left a gorgeous glowy flush on my cheeks which I loved.
I swatched it, it took a few swipes to build up to this intensity, but it's gorgeous.

Rose Gold Blush

Rose Gold Blush in natural light

So far I'm really happy with it, and for £4.49, who can argue! I will definitely be looking at buying some more of these.


Precious Metals Highlighting Palette
Starting with the packaging again, it certainly looks very pretty, a sort of shiny gunmetal colour, but it does smudge A LOT, mine is already covered in marks - I had to clean it to take photos. The palette isn't too bulky, good to cart around (as if I need to carry more makeup with me) and maybe not as study as the blush, but still pretty good. Much easier to open and it has a magnetic closure, fancy (I'm sure it's not really, but I'm a fan!)
When you open it, OH. MY. GOD. those highlighters sparkle up at you - they're calling my name!

Precious Metals Highlighting Palette

 Clockwise the shades are:
Platinum - cream highlight, this is quite pearlscent and it is just gorgeous!
Royal Gold - a very bright, shimmery gold
Renaissance Gold -very similar to Royal Gold in colour, but slightly more subtle in it's shimmer
Antique Bronze - the only powder of the palette, a warm bronze

Clockwise: Platinum, Royal Gold, Renaissance Gold, Antique Bronze

 I didn't think I'd like that this had so many cream formulas in it, but they are just SO creamy, I love them.

L-R: Platinum, Royal Gold, Renaissance Gold, Antique Bronze

Solstice Highlighting Palette
This one...the packaging is hot on trend being rose gold, a reason in itself to buy it, maybe it's more on the bronze side (but rose gold = bronze - no?), but so lovely either way you look at it. Like the Precious Metals it certainly attracts finger prints and smudges. And same packaging style, fairly study, good size, magnetic closure.
 Pop that bad boy open and that highlight!! I was put off this when I first saw it online, I mean what is that purple shade? But in reality it is just so gorgeous, the highlighters in the pans are just SO. DAMN. PRETTY.

Solstice Highlighting Palette

Clockwise the shades are:
Ecliptic – a warm pink colour, the only cream highlighter in the palette, I'm a little sad after how creamy the Precious Metals ones are
Hemisphere – THE PURPLE ONE, soz I can't get over that! This is one of the baked highlights, it really is a lovely colour, a light purple colours and I'm very keen to test this out!
Subsolar – a pale, slightly yellow shimmer powder
Equinox – a bronze-y, slightly orangy colour, another baked one

Clockwise: Ecliptic, Hemisphere, Subsolar, Equinox

 This palette definitely has some colours that I wouldn't have usually picked, but they are just so gorgoues that I couldn't resist. Looking forward to experimenting and worse comes to the worse, I've got an eyeshadow palette!

L-R: Ecliptic, Hemisphere, Subsolar, Equinox

I know I totally ignored that both palettes have a brush in them, but I HATE brushes that come with palettes, I never, ever use them.

So there you have it, I'm yet to wear the Highlighter Palettes, so I will get back to you on that.
Overall a definite success, I'm really, so happy that I had a naughty splurage and bought these.
Even if it's just cause they look so pretty.

Sleek MakeUP Highlighting Palettes in Solstice & Precious Metals

Sleek MakeUP Blush in Rose Gold

Another note, after having a bit of a swatch party (hello ALL my blushes) I feel like maybe I should just swatch makeup onto my hand each morning so I can look at how pretty it is throughout the day, ha.

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...and dealing with those around me who don't understand. Well, trying to.

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Do you ever find it frustrating when you love something and no one else seems to understand?

Admittedly, I am the sort of person who will get hooked into a new idea, take it and run. I have an obsessive personality and so if I find something I like, I don't just like it - I LOVE IT.
Some things stick and others don't.
For example, I love McFly, I've been a fan since they formed 12 years ago and I love Harry Potter, no more needs to be said there.

I love stationary, and yes I got rather obsessed with planners and organisation in 2014. I bought a planner from Paperchase and a Filofax (a cheap one), both of which are sitting doing nothing now. A fact for which my husband doesn't let me ever forget. But if you look at it another way, it got me into using a Moleskine diary, and I've been using them for just under 2 years now and I definitely wouldn't have got through the Wedding without it. And I still lust after gorgeous planners, I've promised myself that one day I'll buy myself an A5 Ochre Malden Filofax to use at work.
And I've always loved stationary.


Now onto makeup. Yes, it's a recent thing, we're talking around 9 months of makeup 'obsession' so far. So it's possible that I could move on from this? Onto something new? It is possible, anything is possible.

But I don't think I'm going let go of this one so easily and this is why.

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I was 'forced' into learning about makeup.
 I mean I wasn't forced per say, but it was a necessity. I decided to do my own makeup for the wedding and once I'd decided that and started, unless something went disastrously wrong, there was no going back. I had to throw myself in and learn about it, lest I look like a troll on my wedding day. But what I found out as I started getting into it was that I liked it.

Not too shabby.

I have lots of nice makeup that needs using.
As a result of building up products to use on my wedding day, and this includes buying something then learning more and buying something different or better. My learning and process evolved and so did what I bought to experiment with and to use for the wedding.
When I first started I remember doing a big order from MUA, I was so excited when it arrived, trying everything out. But as I started to buy more and buy higher end, I learnt that the high end makeup is what I love.
Yes, I'm a makeup snob. But it doesn't mean that I'm not open to 'slumming it' so to speak.

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On my wedding day it relaxed me.
The most important day of my life and the most nerve wracking day of my life. Doing my makeup that morning was wonderful. Whilst I knew that it's what I'd been building up to for 7 months, and I did have a wobble when I started and the enormity of it hit me, going through the familiar process was exactly what I needed that day. Had someone else been there doing it for me, and I had more time to think, the nerves would have set in sooner.
This is one of the best reasons I love makeup.

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It is gorgeous.
You can't even argue against this. There are so many products and they look so gorgeous. Just looking at people's flat lays on Instagram, the products, colours, packaging. There is so much about the makeup itself that is just beautiful. And that's before it's even gone on your face.

@hippiesandlippies

I'm enjoying this blog.
...so much more than my old one. Yes, it may seem silly, especially with only a few posts under my belt, but I am really enjoying this blog more and I feel like the posts and ideas come to me more naturally. I'm excited about it, I'm actually making an effort to get ideas, write posts, set up a Twitter, promote posts, work on my Pinterest. And when I open up the Blogger page with my stats, seeing the page views creep up, it puts a smile on my face.

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I've learnt a new skill.
Now I know that at 26 I am not old, so it's not like teaching an old dog new tricks. But I'm so proud of myself for teaching myself a new skill. It's something that I can carry on and it means that once I have children, I can teach them about makeup too.

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I still have more to learn.
So much more, I'm not bad and I'm pretty proud of my wedding makeup. But I know that I am by no means great at makeup. There's so much more to learn, refining techniques, learning about new products. There's room for me to grow here.

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It makes me look older.
Now this one might seem really stupid, but I promise it's not. I'm 5ft tall with a very small frame and a young face. I've always been teased for being small and ID'd in pubs, bars and shops for looking young. In recent years I've even been ID'd for something that you have to be 16 to buy, I'm 26. When I have makeup on and go to buy drinks, I don't get ID'd. For me, that's amazing. Makeup makes me look older, more grown up, but it also makes me feel more grown up. And as I'm married now, the last thing I want is to look like a child bride.

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It's become a social media gateway for me.
Yes, every single thing out there has an online community, if you like something, there's someone else out there that does too. But this is different, this has opened me up to a worldwide community that share in this love that I've found. Instagram accounts, youtube channels and endless blogs. It's amazing and the people are amazing too.

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I love lipstick.
When I got my first makeup at 18, I didn't get lipstick. I hated wearing it, I hated how it felt on my lips. When I had my first makeup lesson last year before the Wedding, I hated the lipstick. I hated having it on and it made me feel SO conscious of myself, I was sure that everyone was staring at me. I wiped it off and immediately felt better.
It obviously got to a point where I knew I could not get away with not wearing lipstick on my wedding day. And somehow over time my opinion seemed to do a complete turnaround. Maybe it was finding MAC lipsticks and their general amazingness. Whatever it was, I now love lipstick. It's probably one of my favourite parts of makeup, my only problem is that I feel I need to have a full face on to wear lipstick.

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Makeup is special.
To me it means confidence, experimentation, learning, fun, change. It's so much more than what it is. And it's a treat, it's a way to pamper yourself, to feel special and girly. I've never been a girly girl and I don't think I will ever be super girly, but I love that makeup makes me feel just that little bit more girly.
And it does not mean putting on a mask to cover up, it's there to enhance what you already have.

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It will help me.
I'm also hoping that this blog, this focus and passion I have at the moment will help me. My Dad passed away in May 2014, I can't believe it's nearly been 2 years. I seem to find myself saying that a lot at the moment, but I can't believe it. I absolutely adored my Daddy, we had such a special bond and to have him ripped away from me...but this is not the time to waffle on about him.
But in reality, I haven't been coping so well since then. At times my mental health takes a real turn for the worse and I've found it difficult for me to ever get help, no matter where I ask, nowhere makes it easy. So I'm hoping that in some strange way that this will help me work through it all.

My Daddy

Both my husband and my mum don't understand.
In fact, I don't really have any friends who are really into makeup, except @keepcalmtaylor she definitely understands me the most. But bless her, she's said that I know most about makeup out of everyone she knows. When did I go from being the clueless one to the knowledgeable one? But I'm really glad I have her to ramble on about makeup to.

My husband hates makeup really, and I think he's kicking himself for suggesting that I do my own wedding makeup, but he created this monster. I think he might be warming up to it though, or maybe he's being more tolerant. We were out at the weekend and he offered to buy me some makeup, even a lipstick and he hates lipstick. I pointed that out to him and he said that he's getting used to the ones I wear now...progress.

My mum doesn't understand either, I was never a girly girl, in fact I was always much more of a tomboy. She doesn't wear much makeup and as I wasn't really interested when I was younger, we never really had the makeup bonding relationship. It's a shame, but I'm glad that I can have that with my daughters (assuming I have any). Maybe I can teach my mum too, before my wedding she said I'd have to show her how to do her makeup!

And then the problem is it, without meaning to, they make me feel bad and guilty about it. It somehow taints this feeling I have. I love them both, and I don't want anyone to think I'm being mean about them, it's just that they don't seem to get it.
I am so excited about our trip to Canada (and America) and I've posted about my wishlist. But for fear of being judged, I don't think I'll be able to get what I want.
When I asked my mum for Birthday money to spend in Canada, her response was 'You want more makeup? But you have so much already!' Yes, admittedly I do now have a fair amount of makeup, but compared to some people's collections, I have the bare essentials.
So I'm not sure what I'll do. If I have the money, maybe I should just stand my ground and get what I like.

And finally, before I round this off, I will add, as everyone does, that I wear makeup for me. I like wearing it and it makes me feel good. But in a way I do wear it for other people too, I feel like other people who see me might think I'm more put together, and I already mentioned about it making me look older. But those things boost my confidence too, so I guess whichever way you look at it, it's still always for me.

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Before you say, yes I am aware that we are basically half way through February now...

I was looking through my Evernote (where I store all my blog drafts and general notes about everything) and came across a list of goals that I wrote for 2016. I'm pretty sure I had intended to blog about them, but with the change of blog I never got round to it.

2016 Goals

Buy only one piece of high end makeup a month
Well this goal has failed already, in January alone I bought a Stila palette, 2 MAC lipsticks, YSL Touche Eclat and Clinique Stay-Matte Sheer Pressed Powder.

Oops.The last two were on the last day of January, so does that count if I don't buy anything in February? I am going to try a little harder not to spend as much on makeup this year, as last year I was building up a whole stash of makeup from nothing.

On the other hand, I'm doing this blog now and it is makeup related. So I can justify anything if I try hard enough, right?

Obviously this one will go on hold when I go to Canada/USA and buy ALL THE MAKEUP.

YSL Touche Eclat in 1 Clinique Stay-Matte Sheer Pressed Powder in 101 Invisible Matte

Complete the 52 Weeks Saving Challenge

Again, another fail, so doing really well so far...

I did save the amount I needed to in January, but in February I had to spend all my savings to pay off my credit card (naughty) and now I'm scraping through February.I'm not sure whether I'll actually end up doing this in 2016, maybe 2017 is the year for that.
Maybe I'll move it to the Life Goals section.

Build up a pot of savings

The last one is kind of covered by this, but after I've saved up spending money for Toronto I'll be trying harder to put some proper savings away for the future (moving house, holidays, kids etc.), but also to have some money to buy the things I want, like a Mulberry and a Mac. I'm going to blog next week about my more general, non-makeup wishlist.

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Work on decluttering

I have WAY too much stuff and I hold on to EVERYTHING. Everything means something to me, everything holds a memory and it means that we have a flat full of crap and loads of stuff still at my mum's. I'm getting better, slowly, but I want to try not to hold onto as many things. I might Marie Kondo that shiz, which ironically is an excuse for me buy another book!

Oh and if it's something to do with our Wedding or my Dad, then my grubby paws will clutch onto it forever.

Have a more stable weight

In 2013 I was overweight and unhappy about it, over the next year and a half, I lost 4 stone (56lbs) taking me from nearly 11 stone (150lbs) to just under 7 stone (92lbs).

Yes, yes, I know that reaction. The reaction I always get when people find out I weigh less than 7 stone. But I assure you I'm not underweight, my bones don't stick out and I eat like a bloody horse. I'm just tiny, I'm 5ft and I have a very small frame.

Last year in the lead up to the wedding my weight did fluctuate, but I knew I had to be a certain weight to fit into my dress. But now the wedding has passed and we had the honeymoon, followed by Christmas and I knew I could relax more, but it also meant my weight has crept up nearly half a stone.

This year I want to get back down to around what I was for the wedding and try and maintain that instead of yoyo-ing. My weight is still up from the honeymoon and Christmas, but at the moment I don't seem to be able to shake it, which is something I'm trying to deal with.

I will also add that I lost weight for me, and I am so much happier now. I also couldn't have done it without my wonderful husband.

Buy a Mulberry Bag

This might seem a little frivolous, but I've been wanting one of these bags for years and I feel like this is the year...this is the year that I will finally be able afford one! Well, let's hope I can. I'm going to do post with a more generalised (i.e. non-makeup) wishlist, so look out for that if you want to see which Mulberry bags are on my list.
All of them.

Make more of my life

This one sounds a little crazy I know, but read on and it might make sense.

Try harder with instagram and start blogging again - I feel like, for once, I'm actually getting somewhere with a goal/resolution I've made for myself. I've started a whole new blog, I'm trying to use instagram more and think about what I'm posting. I've rearranged by Pinterest and started a Twitter page, and I'm thinking about doing a Facebook page too. Yes I have barely 50 page views on most of my posts so far (except my February wishlist, which is storming ahead!) and I have 1 follower on Bloglovin (thank you!!!) but it's a start.

Get a new job, one that challenges me - I've been working on this too, I've been applying for jobs and I had an interview a couple of weeks ago (which I didn't get, which is a bit of a downer) and my current managers are SO supportive, it's truly amazing and I'm so lucky to have them. The problem is that in the 4 years I've been working since uni, I'm yet to have a job that properly challenges me. I spend most of my time sitting at my desk browsing the internet, or now, blogging. It may sound great, but let me tell you, it's not.

Prep for family life - I know how this sounds, I don't want to announce to the world that I'm desperate to get pregnant or that I'm definitely planning on popping out a little one soon, but I do know that my husband and I don't want to wait too long. So I'd like to be a bit more ready, healthy, know what supplements I'll need to take, having some savings etc.

So that's nearly enough what I wrote a month ago (edited slightly) when we started the year. I feel like I'm not doing too badly so far, yes some of them have been slightly ignored or broken, but I feel like the majority are achievable things for me and that they're things that I actually want to try and work towards.

Life Goals

I guess that some of these probably overlap with my 30 Before 30 on my old blog. I need to review and update it so that it's on this blog, but I'm going to include one here that isn't on the 30 Before 30.

Move to Australia

This is a real option for me and my husband. I'm actually an Australian National as well as being British. My Dad was Australian, born and raised. My Mum is English, but has Australian nationality from when she was living there and they got married. My parents registered me, my brother and sister as Australian citizens when we were born.

Which means I can get my passport and we can go, well as far as I'm aware. I think I may need to make a visit to Australia House.

We do need to go to Australia for a holiday first, my husband has never been and I think he needs to go before we make a huge life decision like this. Another great advantage we would have in moving there is that I have loads of family there and I feel like it would be really nice to have a support system in place before we go.

I also feel like it's something that my Dad would have been really pleased about, I mean sad that we'd be moving half way across the world, but I knew he always wanted to move back to Australia. I'd like to do it partly for him. 

I think that's it in terms of goals/resolutions for this year. I can't explain exactly why, but this year I feel much more fired up than usual.

I also just feel more positive, like more is achievable. It might just be because we're past the wedding and the move. Whilst the last couple of years have been full of amazing highs, getting engaged, buying our first home together and getting married, those things have come with pressures and restrictions. We had to save a huge amount for both the move and the wedding, both of which were very stressful in terms of savings and making decisions. And of course the wedding came with a whole string of people pleasing issues.

There's also been huge lows in the last few years, one really, which was my Dad passing away in 2014. I still can't believe that it's been nearly 2 years. It makes me upset to think that he hasn't been around for us buying our first place, getting engaged and married, things that he would have been so happy and proud.
But we did learn from everything that happened and we got engaged not long after his death because we knew that we wanted to get married and there was no point in wasting time. Life is precious.

Maybe it's because 2016 can be a fresh start for me, we're newly married, we have a new flat and we've shaken off the pressures of the move and wedding. It also means I can start looking for a new job.

I feel like these things mean that it's actually possible for me to start building up some good savings this year AND buy some of the 'big ticket' items that I really want. And after a year of solid saving (and now having nothing remaining), that's exciting for me.

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I wanted to write a little post to say a very Happy 70th Birthday to my dear Daddy.
I only wish that he was still here to celebrate it with us.

As I've mentioned, a few times, he sadly passed away in May 2014. It was completely unexpected and out of the blue and within the space of a day, my life changed forever.

We had a very special bond and I miss him more than I could ever express to anyone.

As this year would have been such a big birthday for him, I couldn't let it go unmarked.

Happy Birthday Daddy
I love you so much and I couldn't miss you more than words can say.
xxx

So I'll admit, up until the beginning of last year my skincare routine consisted of taking off my eyeliner and mascara with a face wipe and washing my face in the shower in the mornings. I always thought that as my skin is quite greasy that I shouldn't be using a moisturiser.

But once I started wearing more makeup and needing to get my skin wedding ready I realised that I needed to develop more of a skincare routine.

I have combination skin, probably more on the oily side as I don't get many dry patches, but in the winter I do find a few trouble areas cropping up. I tend to have quite large pores around my nose and it's blackhead heaven, I've never really seemed to shift them no matter what I've done.
I do get a few spots, usually reoccurring monthly, around my chin, between my brows and I have a recoccuring one that won't shift between my nose and my lip - it's a constant red mark that surfaces as a spot every now and then.
And finally, as a result of a burn, I have a raised patch of red skin on my forehead, that seems to become worse when I'm stressed and tired (pre-wedding it was an angry flare all of the time). It often seems to show up through foundation and can look a bit caked if I try to cover it more. Ideally I'd like to do something to make it less red and less 3D. (Also, just in case you wondered, you get a burn scar on your forehead when you make tempura and the oil explodes in your face - terrifying to say the least.)

Step 1: Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

I put this on a cotton pad and press it over my eye and hold it there for a few second and wipe off, then I hold it between my eyelashes (anyone know what I mean?) and do the same. Then the other eye. Then sometimes I'll do a fresh one and wipe it over my face.

I have very sensitive eyes and I find that a lot of eye makeup removers can make my eyes water and sting or leave them clogged with gunk if it's a thicker one. Once I was having my makeup done at the Benefit counter and the lady gave me something to take off the mascara I had on (I'm not sure what product it was) and my God, my eyes were streaming for the rest of the time I was there.

Touch wood, this hasn't made my eyes bad, so recommended if you have sensitive eyes.

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

Step 2: Clean & Clear Deep Cleansing Lotion

This is one of my favourites, I love that it has that tingly, almost burn-y feeling on my skin. If it does that, then something in my head tells me that it must be working! I use this on a cotton pad to get the rest of the makeup off my face. Obviously as it's a skin tingling one, keep it away from those sensitive peepers!

Clean & Clear Deep Cleansing Lotion

Step 3: Boots Essentials Cucumber Face Wipes

I usually find that I still have some makeup stuck on my lashes and waterline, so I use these to get in there and get that off and then give the rest of my face a once over.

Boots Essentials Cucumber Face Wipes

Step 4: Cleansing Pads

I've been using the Superdrug Deep Action Pore Cleansing Pads recently, although my husband decided that they didn't work and he's bought some other ones now, I think they might be Clearasil, but I'm still finishing off the Superdrug ones.

I like this as they're textured they feel like a good exfoliating scrub on your face. But this is probably the most likely step that I'd skip as I'm not sure if it's always needed.

Superdrug Deep Action Pore Cleansing Pads

Step 5: Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel

A pea sized blob (I probably use too much) all over my face.

So how many cleanses is that?

Face Wash

As previously mentioned, I wash my face in the shower (it's just easier that way) every morning. What I use does vary, but I do favour something that's quite a coarse exfoliating scrub or has charcoal or tea tree - or ideally all of the above. Sometimes I use more than one face wash per shower, excessive I know.

Boots Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Charcoal Facial Scrub

Masks

I do love a mask! I currently have the Superdrug Witch Hazel Mud Mask, Superdrug Dear Sea Mud Mask and the Boots Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Charcoal Face Mask. Maybe some others knocking around. And I've just worked my way through a tub of Lush Cosmetic Warrior (review here). I probably don't use these as much as I should, but I always get them in my hair, so I have to do it before I have a shower.

Superdrug Dead Sea Mud Mask Boots Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Charcoal Face Mask, Superdrug Witch Hazel Mud Mask

I've come late to the party and have just spent some time reading up on the Pixi Glow Tonic and I've decided that I must have it.

Advice please?

My skin's been feeling a little greasy/tacky lately and I've been getting a few spots, so I'm open to mixing up my current skincare routine. I also wonder whether I should be using an eye cream or something similar. I'm not really up on this area!

Any ideas to help with the greasy skin and the burn scar?
Suggestions more than welcome!