Week 25

Delicious dinner - gammon steaks, Parmentier potatoes, green beans and asparagus / Dominos / Mars bar / How to follow Lost In Lipstick on Bloglovin' / New necklace from Next / A visit to Primark in Manchester / More asparagus! / Liz Earle repurchases / My current favourite nail polish shade

Hi lovelies,

My Instagram is slowly becoming all about food! Sorry if that's not what you want to see. I will try and post more beauty/fashion pictures. It will be a lot easier to in three weeks time when I finish work for six weeks! (If you didn't already know, I work in a school.) I cannot wait to become a full time blogger for six weeks. Hopefully I will have lots of events to go to as well! If you know of any events that I might be interested in, let me know below in the comments, tweet me (@lostinlipstick) or email me (lostinlipstick@gmail.com).

What is going on with this weather?! It certainly doesn't feel like the end of June! One day it's 20 degrees then other days, I'm shivering and it chucking it down! I've actually just put the heating on believe it or not! I seriously hope we have some more sunshine to come, preferably when I'm off! Usually, it's hot when I'm at work and raining at the weekend/holidays. I'm just that lucky!

What have you been up to this week?

If you want to follow me on Instagram, my username is lostinlipstick. If you do follow me, make sure you leave your username below. I love finding new people on Instagram.

Rachel x

Lost In Lipstick

The Wedding Series - My Journey To Becoming A Mrs

Image from Google, edited by me

I have been thinking about starting a wedding series on my blog for a while now. Just to document our journey of planning a wedding and then sharing the actual wedding itself. I thought it would be lovely to have something to look back on in years to come while also helping other brides to be when planning their dream wedding.

Our history...

We met over five years ago through mutual friends and a love of pizza! On June 28th, we will have been together five years but we got engaged in August 2011. We decided on a long engagement as we wanted to live together and we needed to save up for a deposit first. Since November 2012, we have been living together in our own little house which we love and it has meant that we can finally start planning our wedding. So far we have decided on a date - Friday 1st August 2014, booked the church and booked the wedding reception venue. Now with just over a year to go, the fun starts! My plan is to share with you ideas, inspiration and document our success in wedding planning. 

Tips! 

My first tip is to visit wedding fairs, we've been to a fair few! They provide you with excellent inspiration, allow you to chat to local businesses and most host a fashion show with wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses and mother of the bride outfits. Some you have to pay an entrance fee too but there are many which are free and they are just as good. I have built up quite a collection of flyers for possible options. These are great to add to your scrapbook (see below).

Buy lots wedding magazines (sometimes you can pick up free ones at wedding fairs) and create a scrapbook of anything you like. I'm going to try and organise mine into sections so I have a section on hair, cakes, flowers etc. I also have a secret section in the back for wedding dresses I like so the fiance doesn't find them so easily! I plan on taking this along with me to share with the professionals so they can get a feel of what we're into and what we like. 

Pinterest is also a great tool. If you are unaware of how it works, it's like an online scrapbook, a virtual pin board where you pin anything of interest to you. I have a general 'Wedding' board, a 'Wedding Hair' board and a 'Wedding Flowers' board so far. You can view other bride to be boards and repin anything of inspiration to you. 

I hope you enjoy reading about our wedding journey regardless of whether you are getting married or not. I'm looking forward to sharing it with you! My next post will be about Save The Dates as that is where we are up to. Hopefully, it should be up this week. 

Rachel x

Lost In Lipstick

Follow Lost In Lipstick on Bloglovin'

As I'm sure most of you are aware, Google Reader is going to disappear on the 1st July, which is actually less than three weeks away! To be honest, I've never been a fan of reading blogs through Google. In the past, I've always just had my favourite blogs bookmarked on my phone and I would read them from there. However, it became a little overwhelming and I couldn't keep up. I missed some of my favourite bloggers' posts as I didn't know when they had published a new post and I couldn't remember which ones I had read or not read. Quite a few months ago now, I discovered Bloglovin'. I now read all my favourite blogs through Bloglovin' as I have the app on my iPhone. I log on several times a day and new posts appear in my feed and it also marks posts as read or unread so I can keep up with which ones I haven't read.

Above is a screenshot of my homepage when I log into Bloglovin' on my laptop. The most recent blog posts appear at the top of my feed and on the left is a list of all the blogs I follow. As you can see, I am extremely behind on reading a lot of blogs! If you prefer, you can group these into categories but to be honest, I prefer it as a list of blogs. That way I can easily find a particular blog that I am looking for.

If you're new to Bloglovin', it's free to sign up and as part of the process, it will ask you if you would like to import your favourite blogs from Google Reader. If, however, you are already using Bloglovin' and you haven't imported your favourite blogs it's really easy. Firstly, you will need to visit http://www.bloglovin.com/import/reader. You will be greeted with the following page...

You will then be asked if you give permission for Bloglovin' to manage your data in Google Reader. Obviously, to import your favourite blogs, you will have to accept. Bloglovin' will then import the blogs you follow, this only takes a few minutes. And voila, you're done!

If you would like to follow Lost In Lipstick on Bloglovin', go to http://www.bloglovin.com/feed/blog/4005722 and click on follow, it's that easy. I'm off to catch up on my reading! 

Are you on Bloglovin'? Leave your link below and I will follow you!

Rachel x
Lost In Lipstick

May Empties

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser - This will come as no surprise. I have been using Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish for a year and a half now. Besides my hormonal acne, my skin is lovely. The texture and appearance of my skin is clear and smooth. I just have the odd areas of acne, which is really getting to me but that's another story. 

Cath Kidston Wild Rose Hand Cream - I got this in a gift set, either for my birthday or Christmas, I can't remember which. I love most of the Cath Kidston prints so someone decided the gift set would make a good present. They were right. It included this hand cream, a cuticle cream and a nail file. I absolutely loved using the hand cream. It smells delicious - wild roses - and absorbs quickly without being sticky or wet. I would definitely repurchase again, I know they do bigger tubes in store. 

Charlie Pink Body Fragrance Spray - I usually just stick with my Impulse body spray but I think this was only 99p so I picked it up. It has been in my handbag for a few months just in case I ever needed a quick fragrance boost! I like the scent but when I think of Charlie purfume, I think if teenagers. To be honest, it's the same with Impulse but I love Tease to much to stop buying it! 

Johnson & Johnson Baby Shampoo - No I don't have a baby and no I don't wash my hair with baby shampoo. I use it to deep clean my make up brushes. A lot of people recommend baby shampoo to clean make up brushes as it's gentle and it conditions at the same time. I don't get any bristles falling out (I use Real Technique brushes) and my brushes feel like new again. I try to deep clean my brushes once and week, if I remember I do! I don't spot clean though so I feel like maybe I should deep clean them twice a week! How often do you clean your brushes? 

Rimmel Extra Super Lash Mascara - I have been using this mascara for years and years but I haven't bought another since this one. I have been using the Liz Earle one ever since I got it and it is definitely my new favourite mascara. However before I buy a new mascara, I have quite a few that I need to use first. It shouldn't take me too long as mascaras don't last very long. I haven't been able to wear mascara for the last two days because of stupid hayfever! My eyes have just been too sore to even go there! I love Summer but hayfever is one thing that really gets on my nerves! 

Collection Illuminating Touch Concealer - I've lost count of how many of these I have gone through. It's been a fair few though! I use it as an under eye concealer (and I use Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer on my spots and blemishes). It's not too thick for the eye area and blends in nicely using a brush or my fingers. I either buy shade 1 or 2. While my face is quite pale, shade 1 is definitely better. Whilst shade 2 is best for when I have a tan, natural or not!

Origins Out Of Trouble Mask (sample) - I asked for this sample whilst in the Origins store in Boots, Manchester. I managed  to get 2 or 3 uses from this pot, which is a pretty generous sample. I really liked the face mask and I enjoyed using it. I am thinking about purchasing it but I am hoping to book in for a complimentary facial, if they still do them, and I will make sure that it is the right mask for my skin type before actually repurchasing it.

Liz Earle Daily Eye Repair - I purchased this eye cream quite a few months ago and this tiny little tube has lasted a long time. I have already repurchased it as I love using it so much. It is so moisturising on the eye area and refreshing in the morning. I apply it after moisturising and I don't have to wait long before it has sunk in and I'm ready to apply my make up. It's perfect for me as I haven't got time to sit around and wait in the morning. (I already waste enough time catching up on Bloglovin' and YouTube!)

Which products have you used up this month? Have you been loving any of these products?

Rachel x

Lost In Lipstick

Week 24

My favourite MUA eyeshadow palettes / Haul - necklace and shoes from Next, purse from Cath Kidston / My new necklace / Catching up on Made In Chelsea / Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Nail Polish in Blueberry / L'Oreal Top Coat Confetti - love this combination! / Paella for Father's Day / Bedtime Reading / Cara's funny face!

This week has been a fairly quiet week. It's been a miserable week, I'm missing the sun. Monday to Friday was spent at work, as usual, and I actually really enjoyed Saturday and Sunday. It didn't fly by either like it usually does. 

On Saturday morning, I babysat my nephew. I do this every Saturday for a couple of hours to help my sister out but I really love playing with him for two and a half hours straight. It's extremely tiring as he wants and needs constant attention. I don't want to go into details but he's had a tough life thrown at him and he's only 18 months old. But he's doing amazingly well and we're all so proud of him. 

On Saturday evening, me and the fiancé went to The Trafford Centre. We went to do a little bit of shopping (late Father's Day shopping!) and have our tea. We both just fancied fast food in the end and had McDonald's and Burger King! I bought some beautiful shoes and a statement necklace from Next (see above). I've already wore the shoes quite a bit but I'm looking forward to wearing the necklace. 

On Sunday, as I'm sure you're all aware, it was Father's Day. I invited my mum and dad over to our house so I could cook tea for them. Since we moved in, in November, they've only had tea once before and that was on Boxing Day, where I put on a buffet. It was hard work but it's not the same as a sit down meal. I had decided to have a Spanish themed evening as we had been to Majorca together last Summer and we had a fabulous time. I got some olives, bread and allioli to start, like they do in Spanish restaurants and I made paella for our mains. It was delicious, even if I do say so myself! 

What have you been up to this week?

If you want to follow me on Instagram, my username is lostinlipstick. If you do follow me, make sure you leave your username below. I love finding new people on Instagram.

Rachel x

Lost In Lipstick

Week 23

Enrapture Encode Totem Styler thanks to half price offer and free delivery on Boots.com / My collection of herbal tea / 30,000+ views on my blog! WOW! / Oriental buffet / Sunbathing / BBQ / Ben & Jerry's / Gardening in the sunshine / Mini haul

Hi lovelies

This is the second, and last, weekly post that I fell behind on with the laptop problems we've been having. Hopefully, it will let me do tomorrow's post and then I will be up to date. I need to properly get back into blogging. Having technology issues and owning a house, which takes up a lot of my time, makes that difficult. 

On Twitter, I saw that Enrapture were having a one day sale on Boots.com and some of the appliances were half price! I decided to order the Totem Styler as it was only £29.99 and had free delivery. I couldn't resist really. Since purchasing, I have had my hair cut shorter so curling it will be a little more difficult but I will give it a good go. I've never used curling tongs before, so I'm interested to see if these are easy to use. I shall report back and let you know my opinions. 

The weather this week was amazing. Every opportunity I had, I was outside in my garden. We don't have grass, only decking and a paved patio, so I've been buying plants to make it more homely. We need some garden furniture so next time it's nice, we'll have to go get some. 

What have you been up to this week?

If you want to follow me on Instagram, my username is lostinlipstick. If you do follow me, make sure you leave your username below. I love finding new people on Instagram.

Rachel x

Lost In Lipstick

Week 22

 Lauren Conrad Beauty book / La Roche-Posay goodies because I cannot resist 3 for 2 in Boots! / Making Paella / Delicious Paella / My naturally curly hair / Summer! / Teapigs peppermint tea / Sunshine! / Chicken marinaded in Nandos sauce with Parmentier potatoes, green beans and asparagus / Mars Attack Cake Away from Applewood Farm / My hanging basket / Chilli Con Carne

Hi lovelies

As some of you may know, we've been having problems with our laptop because it won't charge and the battery was completely flat. Every now and again, we have been trying it to see if it will get any charge but there's always been nothing. Last night, I tried again and nothing but this time I forgot to unplug the charger. An hour later, we noticed it was charging! We left it in the same position until it was fully charged and I've never been so excited about a laptop charging in my life! Haha. Anyway we changed the performance settings so it would last longer and I managed to do the above mosaic picture and format the post! Yay! (Plus a few others!)

I'm so happy that I managed to get it working just a little, enough so I have posts formatted that I can type up on my phone. The blogger app is brilliant but you can't edit, only add photos and type! I have been posting a weekly update every week, for 21 weeks since January. Sometimes I was a few days late but I had never gone a whole week without uploading it for 21 weeks until now. 

I have decided to post the weeks I've missed to keep up with the tradition. Plus I had all the Instagram pictures and I didn't want to post a picture heavy post when it was eventually working. I really like doing these weekly updates as I get to document my life and it makes my blog more personal as you can find out more about me. 

Sorry for the ramble, I just had to explain the situation. As the laptop isn't completely fixed, there may be another gap with these posts but hopefully we can continue to get it to charge. 

What have you been up to this week?

If you want to follow me on Instagram, my username is lostinlipstick. If you do follow me, make sure you leave your username below. I love finding new people on Instagram.

Rachel x

Lost In Lipstick

May 2013 Favourites

Apologies for not posting my weekly Instagram update on Monday. I was on the laptop, making the mosaic image, when it died. We cannot get it to charge again so that means no update. There has been a few problems with it charging recently and we took it to a computer repair shop. The man replaced a part and for a couple of days, it worked perfectly. Now it has no battery left and will not charge. Luckily, I had already formatted this post on the laptop and it was just a case of typing up what I think of each product pictured above, which are obviously positives as they are my May favourites! Anyway enough rambling... On to the post!

Soap & Glory Hand Food Hand Cream - This was included in the Soap & Glory Best Of All Christmas gift set. Beforehand, I had never used any Soap & Glory products but I will definitely be repurchasing some of the products in the future and Hand Food is definitely one of them. I know hand cream is a boring favourite but I honestly cannot go anywhere without it. My friend even got me some one Christmas as a Secret Santa! This hand cream is the perfect texture, it smells amazing and it absorbes really quickly. It keeps my hands and nails moisturised until I next wash them.

Rimmel Wake Me Up Make Up Foundation - As I said in a previous post, I wasn't going to get this foundation as I wasn't a fan of the dewy look. However, when I saw it on offer for £4.99, I couldn't resist. I have been using it everyday since. It really does wake me up  in the morning and stops my face from looking puffy at 6am! A bonus is the smell. I have never come across a foundation that smells so nice! At the moment the shade is a little too dark for me but it's summer so it's ok. I will definitely keep my eyes out for the offer again so I can stock up! 

Vo5 Miracle Concentrate Elixir with Argan Oil - I'm about half way through this already and I only use two pippets in my hair. I have noticed that if I apply it to my roots, it makes them greasy. Therefore, I stick to the ends and gently comb through before styling. It helps to detangle my hair and smooths down any frizz. It's just a shame I can't use it on my roots as that's where most of my frizz is! 

MUA Undress Me Too Palette - I have posted a review of this palette on my blog. Altogether, I have four MUA palettes. The quality and pigmentation of the eyeshadows are amazing considering the low price of them. I continue to use all four, sometimes together picking and choosing shades to mix and match. Undress Me Too is a perfect dupe for Urban Decay Naked 2. Personally, I haven't used UD but if you search for comparison posts, the shades and swatches are so alike. When you compare the prices - £36 for UD and £4 for MUA, I know which I'd choose if I was you!  

SEVENTEEN Doll'd Up Mascara - I'll be honest, I only picked this up from Boots because I had a voucher. The voucher allowed me to get the mascara for £2. £2! It would be rude not to! I wasn't looking for a new mascara but I am so glad I've got it now. The wand is plastic, which I'd never used before but I am now a fan! The brush is also curved, which allows you to give your lashes a lovely curl. The mascara claims to give curl for 24 hours. I'm not sure how true this is as I don't leave my mascara on that long but for the time mine is on, I definitely have a beautiful curl. 

Topshop Lipstick in Innocent - I have been wanting this lipstick for ages. For some reason, I would swatch it in Topshop but not purchase it! However one day, I decided to treat myself and I picked it up! I love Topshop lipsticks. The formula is so creamy and moisturising and they dry semi matte. I have three in my collection and this is definitely my new favourite lipstick. The shade is perfect during the day with just one application or it can be layered up for a perfect evening shade. 

What have been your favourite products this month? Have any of my favourites made your list?

Rachel x

Lost In Lipstick

MUA Undress Me Too Palette

MUA Undress Me Too Palette £4

The moment I heard about this palette, I knew I had to have it! It's my fourth MUA palette and I probably won't stop there! I was a little late buying the palette as at the time of its release I was on a spending ban! Gutted! When I saw it in Superdrug, I couldn't resist any longer. It's such a bargain at £4 and the similarities to Urban Decay Naked 2 is just much to pass up on. This palette contains a lot more shimmer shades than Undressed but these days, I actually seem to wear shimmery shades more than matte shades. When applying eyeshadow, I usually have both palettes open and I pick and choose between the shades. There are so many shades to choose from and so the many different looks that can be created. It means I can create a different look every day and be a little more creative with my make up while still sticking to neutral shades. I will always be a neutral girl at heart! 

As you can see from the swatches above ten out of the twelve shades are highly pigmented. The other two I use to highlight my brow bone and inner corner of my eye. As usual, the quality is amazing for the price. I use Real Techniques brushes to apply and there is hardly any fall out. It really is a perfect palette. I sing my praises for MUA enough but this is another product that gets a huge thumbs up from me. I recommend everyone to get one. At £4 who can say no? It's worth it even if you just use one or two shades! 

Do you own the Undress Me Too palette? Do you think MUA have created a good dupe? 

Rachel x

Lost In Lipstick

#SheffieldMeetUp

On Saturday 18th May, I went to the #SheffieldMeetUp which was organised by Rachel, Caroline and Charlotte. The event was actually in Meadowhall, somewhere I had never been to before but luckily there was a train from Manchester Picadilly that took me directly to Meadowhall. On first impressions, I was so impressed of Meadowhall. From the train station, I just followed a tunnel and ended up in the shopping centre. It meant I had less chance of getting lost! Plus Rachel had arranged for Claire to meet anyone that didn't know where they were going. Thank you!

I bumped into Frances (http://francescassandra.blogspot.co.uk/) on the way and along with Claire, headed to Handmade Burger Co (http://handmadeburger.co.uk/). Even though it was very busy and there was a queue outside, they very kindly let us use a section of the restaurant for the meet up. I was quite early to the event and the girls were still setting up but they showed us to our seats where a massive goodie bag with our name on was waiting for us. 

Handmade Burger Co were extremely generous and all the bloggers that attended received a complimentary burger, side and a refillable drink. I chose the cheese and bacon BBQ beef burger along with chips. I can honestly say it was the nicest burger I have ever had! I was disappointed to find out there isn't one in Manchester but I have since found out there are plans in the pipeline to build one in Manchester! Yay! I cannot wait to take the fiancé as we both love burgers! 

Before, during and after our meal, we had the opportunity to socialise with some other bloggers. Sitting on my table was the lovely Abby (http://www.un-observed.com/), Frances and Jen (http://www.bowsbanglesandbakes.com/). I was apprehensive beforehand as I was going to the event on my own and I didn't know anyone else going but everyone I spoke to was so lovely and I'm so glad I went. 

Once we had finished our food and chatted about blogging to fellow bloggers, we had a little bit of time for shopping before it was time to head to Lush. We popped in Boots, Superdrug and obviously Primark! The lovely people at Lush Meadowhall had agreed to give us mini workshops in groups. We had the chance to play with FUN, which is like playdough for your body and hair! We had fun moulding it into different shapes and it smells delicious. We also had a chance to look at the new Emotional Brilliance range which is so bright and colourful. Lush were super generous and we got a goodie bag with a few products in. Thank you Lush Meadowhall! 

I had such a brilliant day, totally worth travelling 2 hours for! Thanks again to Rachel, Charlotte and Caroline for organising the successful meet up. Thank you to Handmade Burger Co for providing our base and our lunch - I cannot wait until I can visit you in Manchester! Thank you to Lush Meadowhall and all the other companies that had provided goodies for our goodie bags. 

I met so many lovely bloggers, I hope I keep in contact with them. I'm sure I'll see them at future events and meet ups. Make sure you check out their blogs (links above).

Did you attend the #SheffieldMeetUp? Leave a link to your blog post below and I will have a read. 

Rachel x
Lost In Lipstick