Goodbye February

I am writing this in my newly built home office and I am so pleased we decided to go ahead and get sharps in to design and build.  I find this new room a haven from the world, a place to retreat should I need to take time out for the hustle and bustle.
I am much better compared to this time last year, anxiety has not disappeared, (I am not sure it ever will) but it is at a level I can manage now.  That has helped everything else get back on track and on board.  I am grateful that I have my partner and family around me and that they have made me realise that no matter what they are there for me.  I highly recommend if you are every struggling in life to find someone to speak to, whether it be the Samaritans, doctor, trusted friend or a family member.  It is easier said than done but I urge anyone who feels they are up against it to speak up, speak out and tell someone how you feel.

I cannot believe we are now in March, boy this year is really moving at a pace but I am glad we are heading towards spring (although winter was not hideous and cold just hideous and wet).  As yet Ofsted have not been into check us out and the pressure is felt, I have decided to ignore the pressure and do what I have always done and that is my job to the best I can with the tools I have.  There is no way Ofsted will see me or my team in a bad light, we are good at what we do and I lead a fantastic team.  I am making sure we are spot on without pilling on the stress and pressure others may be getting.

This new home office has a place for me to take time out, to work and to do my craft, something which has helped me keep stress and anxiety under control.  I am back to dressmaking as I can get to my sewing machine and this is a love I have always kept hidden until now.  I love dressmaking, I am still a novice but its a bit like my beauty passion, it is not hurting anyone and I love trying out new things, new methods and building a wardrobe of clothes that are unique.  Next I will be back to jewellery making too, I have the space now!

So onto what I have loved in February.

TV

• Not strictly TV but watchable all the same and that is House of Cards - Kevin Spacey is amazing in it and I have had to watch season 2 twice now.
• Eastenders - it was great to see Stacey back in the square.
• Jonathan Creek - he is back for a short season and the first episode was great.
• Silk - another BBC programme that is fantastic.
• Line of Duty - gripping.

Film

Thanks to Netflix and now Amazon Prime I have watched a fair few films this past month, the stand out ones are:

• Out of Time
• The Final Destination Films
• Iron Man (1 and 2)
• Olympus has fallen - watched last year on a flight, glad its on Netflix

Beauty

• I have loved my Sigma brushes this month.
• MAC creme blush (all shades) less drying at this time of year.
• MAC lipstick in Fanfare, a beautiful pink.
• Lush body bars, smell divine and soften the skin.
• Inglot shadows.
• My Urban Decay Naked 3 pallet
• Smashbox pallet

Eats

• Mini eggs, I love when Easter is close and I have an excuse to eat them.
• Miller and Carter restaurants, we had an amazing meal in there last week and it is now our new place to go.
• Sodastream
• Nespresso, still making great coffee.

I hope you had a wonderful February and enjoying March.

My January Favorites

I know January has left us and you could say that my post is a little late to cover the items I liked during January but I wanted to sit and think about what I liked as I had chopped and changed a lot of items over the month.  The selection is not the largest compared to other posts, I have put the items into categories to show they are not all make up related.  Here goes!

Make up
Only 3 things have been an out and out favorite for me in January.

1. MAC foundation - I am using the rest of my studio fix foundation in but I am also enjoying the new Studio Sculpt purchased a few weeks ago.  Both give great coverage and keeps the coverage going until the end of the day.
2. I am liking my Clinique Chubby Sticks, I am using the most recent purchase mostly at the moment as the berry colour sits well for the time of year.  They are so moisturising with a good colour pay off and easy to put on and wear when in a rush.
3. Clinique Take The Day Off Balm has been a hit with me.  I like the texture and how well it removes the most stubborn of my make up.

Hair

1. I am really liking the L'oreal studio line #TXT supersizing spray. click here.  Words cannot describe how much I love using this product, it gives great volume and texture without it being sticky or hard to brush out.
   
2. The second thing is my new hair style and colour, I made a change to my hair colour a few months back but had it done again this week and it looks amazing, thank you D!

TV & Film

1. Those of you who follow me on twitter would see that I have been loving the latest round of Celebrity Big Brother, since it ended my TV schedule has not been the same.  I have never known a bunch of 'celebrities' show themselves in such a poor light it was like a group of Justin Beibers in one place.
2. I loved Wolf of Wall Street.
3. I sat with Mr JAEG this weekend and watched Olympus Has Fallen, I had seen it before but it was well worth watching again.

Clothes

1. I have been loving my Zara double sided scarf.  It is huge, like a blanket with a black and white dog tooth pattern on one side and a red tartan on the other.  I would post a link but Zara sold out ages ago.  It is so soft and really does keep you warm.
2. I also love my Black and Yellow Barbour jacket, not too thick that I cannot breathe but enough padding to take the chill off.  The weather in the UK has not been cold enough to wear thick jackets, it has just been raining a heck of a lot!

So what have you been loving so far this year?

What I am loving right now.

I just wanted to put out there what I am loving right now.

TV

1. I am loving Sherlock, the last one was Sunday but it has been gripping since the first episode of the new season.  The episode when John gets marries was fabulous.
2. Eastenders, I am not going to lie I like watching it even though it can be depressing and sometimes the story lines are just wrong.  I mean you have to suspend belief when watching it as it is not a true portrayal of the London's East End, after all I should know its not that far away!  But, I like the new Carter family (I once did have a thing for Danny Dyer) and I think they have tackled a tricky story line well.  Eastenders is the only soap I will watch and I am glad they are trying with new characters.  Although I sort of like the old characters, Ian Beale has had more wives/girlfriends than I care to think about but I have known people like him.  The Jackson family are always good to watch, Bianca pinching the TV remote from her ex boyfriend was funny.
3. Breaking Bad, ok this is not on mainstream TV but I have Netflix to thank.  What a programme, highly addictive and I just cant stop watching it in marathon sessions, I am up to season 5 and I have no clue what can happen next.  I highly recommend.
4. Celeb Big Brother, a bunch of mixed up people locked away and fighting, snogging, sleeping and playing a game.

Film

1. Sweeney
2. Despicable me 1 and 2.

Music

1. Can We Dance - The Vamps
2. We Are Young - Fan
3. Roar - Katy Perry
4. Happy - Pharrell Williams I love this video

Beauty

1. MAC Studio fix
2. MAC lipstick  - Fanfare
3. Medik8
4. Urban Decay Naked 3

Other

1. My new Superdry glasses, the case is rubbish but the glasses are brilliant.
2. My pewter Dr Martens co comfy now they are broken in.
3. Sharps bedrooms they are designing the study we both cannot wait for the finished room.
4. Arc Notebooks the best way of organising a set of notes.
5. Moleskine passions books a good way to consolidate information, I wish they did one for make up/beauty.
6. All my Duo boots

What are you loving right now?

November favorites

November has been a month of new discoveries and I thought it would be nice to share.

I have never been a fan of matt nail varnishes or varnishes that have a gritty feel to them......until now. I am not sure why I felt compelled to purchase a new nail varnish, I have a few already but I was drawn to 'it's all San Andrea's fault' from opi. It's from their sand finishes range and well let's face it the end result is a gritty matt varnish.

Despite the finish I love it, the colour is a lovely brown/fawn colour so can fit with anything you have in the wardrobe and because of the finish is very hard wearing. Opi uk have that and other varnishes in their San Francisco range http://www.opiuk.com/store/san-francisco/it-s-all-san-andreas-s-fault.  I am trying to switch up the nail varnish routine a bit now I have tried this, more matt versions are on the cards to buy now.

The other thing I have been loving is the pure twilight clock radio.  I had spent a long time eyeing up the unit, looking at reviews and prices weighing up whether getting a click radio that also had a sunrise/sad lamp set up was worth it. My initial thoughts are that it is an amazing bit of kit and plenty of functions to keep me happy and impressed.  The waking up is a pleasure now, the lamp comes on gradually and I am softly woken by that then the radio.  I like how it is a bed side lamp too and that you can change the lamp colours from white to soft greens, yellows, reds and oranges.

I purchased a new set of make up brushes this month. For years I have used MAC brushes and they have worn well.  I decided to put them into semi-retirement and started to look around at other options. There were many brush sets to choose from, a choice from cheap to very very expensive. After mulling it over for a few weeks I went with real techniques brushes http://realtechniques.com. What I liked about these brushes was the fact they are labeled with what they should be used for for example the contouring brush has contouring written on the handle. For someone with OCD this is a total thumbs up from me.  I also like how the handles are colour coded, gold for base, purple for eyes pink for the finishing touches like blush and highlight.  The bristles are soft synthetic so can be used for liquids, gels or powder.

Having used them for a few weeks I am really pleased with them.  They pick up product really well and I have a lovely smooth finish to my look.  They clean very well with no shedding of bristles.  The handles have flat bottoms and so can stand up on their own, making it easier for travelling.

For those who know me you would know I love space (yes I am a geek), last weekend we went to see Gravity and this weekend sees the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who.  Even Google have got in on the act with their banner.  There has been plenty on the tv to commemorate and tonight sees the BBC day of the doctor.  I really cannot wait, I have been a fan of Doctor Who since the days of Tom Baker (yes you can now tell how old I am), I used to hide behind the sofa when the daleks came on.  When the BBC decided to bring back Doctor Who with Christopher Eccleston I was really excited and once again I was hooked.  I have liked every Doctor since Ecclestom but I like Matt Smith, he fits the role so well and I am truly disappointed that he is leaving at Christmas.  I am not sure who I feel about the new Doctor replacing Smith, Peter Capaldi.  Capaldi is a good actor but is he right for the new Doctor?  My niece and I discussed this during the summer when it was announced Capaldi was taking over and we both decided to keep an open mind and see ho he is on the first episode.  I will be honest when I heard Matt Smith was taking over I was unsure I decided to keep an open mind and wow he to me was the best Doctor!

Talking about TV I have also been liking Strictly Come Dancing, I know it didn't start in November but it becomes really good this time of year when the 'comedy' dancers have left.  I watch it every year, I love the glitter, outfits, make up and the actual dancing.  I am not sure who I want to win yet.  Another  TV show I love is I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, you can tell we are close to Christmas when this comes on every year.  Ant and Dec really make this show, without them I don't think it would be good especially when they take the mick out of the 'celeb' including Joey Essex who is "sick at counting I used to do it all the time". 

I have also discovered American Horror, hmmm I like and dislike horror in equal measure.  I hate really bloody horror with no decent story line.  With this series there is a bit of gore but it is central to the theme and the story that runs through the series.  In the UK it is now on season 3 and the sub heading is coven, so you can guess its about witches and witchcraft this season.