The Inspiration Post #5

For this months inspiration post I've decided to focus on what has inspired me to start blogging and what I love to do in my spare time - which is share with you my favourite blogs and bloggers at the moment!

I had always wanted to start blogging but never knew where to start or if I'd be any good at it, but after a LOT of blog reading in my free time I decided I could do it too!  

Here are just a few of my favourite blogs and bloggers that have inspired me...

Inthefrow / inthefrow.com
Victoria's blog is my source of fashion inspiration!  I love her style posts - the photos and content are great and the variety of themes are so inspiring, making me think outside the box when it comes to fashion.  A lot of her fashion posts are also lifestyle posts so you can get great styling ideas for lots of different occasions.  I also really appreciate and trust Victoria's opinions based on her background in fashion at University, I studied Fashion Marketing so I love to see what she creates in this area.

Caroline Hirons / carolinehirons.com
I love Caroline's blog!  She is my go-to woman for all things skin and I love that she shares her insane level of beauty and skincare knowledge with us all.  Caroline's honest opinion on brands and products also inspires me, she has the opportunity to test out so many products yet there are always a few that she still swears by and won't budge on.  One of my favourite blogs to keep up with, and without a doubt, many of her recommendations have helped to clear up my skin!

Ghostparties / gh0stparties.com
Kate's blog is so great, I love the mixture of content - from beauty reviews to gorgeous interior inspiration - with the addition of such beautiful bright photographs throughout.  I love the writing style of Kate's blog and I'm so in love with her interior updates - doesn't her flat look amazing?!  I'm so inspired that so much can be done to your home through a lot of DIY and searching on Gumtree..! If that isn't inspiration enough, Kate is also the creator and editor-in-chief of the stunning nouvelledaily.com - another site I love!

Amy Elizabeth / amyelizabethfashion.blogspot.co.uk
Amy's blog is so lovely, it's such a great blog to read to reflect on your life and focus on your future aspirations.  Amy is brave enough to share so many of her personal life stories and each one truly inspires me to focus on my health and happiness, not to mention they are all so well written.  Such a nice blog to spend time catching up on.

I hope these blogs can also inspire you - what blogs do you love?
Let me know about others I can start reading! ♥︎

Little Lush Haul

One of my favourite things is going into Glasgow for a shopping trip and somehow ending up going on an unplanned Lush spending spree.
I thought I'd share with you my purchases and what I think of them.

Yuzu & Cocoa Bubbleroon

This is heavenly!  I've used half already, I couldn't wait to take the photo before using it so if you purchase this you'll have double what's in the photo.  It's a moisturising, velvety bath bar with coconut oil and shea butter, I have sensitive skin and it didn't irritate it at all.  The scent sounds strange, citrus with chocolate undertones, but it honestly smells amazing - one of my favourites now.  It also adds SO many bubbles to your bath!

Butterball Bath Bomb

An oldie but a goodie, again this is gentle on my skin with the cocoa butter pieces within the bath bomb.  It has a sweet, floral scent which is lovely, however with this one it's really for the cocoa butter and the moisture it puts back into my skin that I love it.  

Brightside Bubble Bar

This is a new purchase for me, I have the Comforter bubble bar and love how long it lasts and the scent so I had to purchase another similar bubble bar to try.  Brightside has a similar citrus scent to the Yuzu & Cocoa Bubbleroon (the advisor in store actually suggested I try mixing them together!), this has mandarin, bergamot and tangerine essential oils which definitely uplift my mood.  

Skin's Shangri La Facial Moisturiser

I received this product as a gift and thought I'd include it as a new product I use and a small review.  It's a thick cream which I only use as at night every so often when areas of my skin are really dry.  When I use this the next morning my skin is nourished and my dry areas are gone.  It has five essential oils and cocoa butter, beeswax and fresh wheatgrass juice.  I wasn't keen on the scent at first but it has grown on me and I love this moisturiser at night.  

Have you bought any new Lush products recently? 

Do you love any of the products above?  

Product Empties

I'm at a point where quite a few of my beauty products are running low and I need to start thinking about those I'd love to repurchase - so I thought I'd share with you what I think now that I've used them all up!

MAC Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15 Foundation
This is a foundation I always repurchase.  I love the medium coverage which is easily buildable and long-lasting.  I used to wear this everyday but it was costing me a bit much, so now I usually wear it on the weekend or if I have plans on weeknights - it really gives me great coverage with a gorgeous finish that isn't too dewy or too matte.  My perfect go-to foundation for a pick me up!

Bourjois 123 Perfect Foundation
This is another foundation I've recently finished and mentioned previously in a post here.  This is my everyday foundation, especially during the week at work.  It is similar for me to the MAC foundation as has a nice balance between being dewy and matte while lasting throughout my working day.  I would repurchase this but also wouldn't rule out purchasing other Bourjois foundations as I'm really impressed with this one.

Maybelline Falsies Mascara Black Drama
I'm sure this is the second time I've purchased this mascara, it's another drugstore product I loved for everyday use with it's super black formula and for it's staying power.  Would I repurchase? Probably.  However I have my eye on a Maxfactor mascara I'd like to try too - do you have any other great drugstore mascara recommendations?

Soap & Glory Foam Call Body Wash
I absolutely love this shower and bath body wash, the scent is gorgeous and the product doesn't aggravate my dry skin.  The 'Fruitigo' scent is very fruity, woody and citrus, which you can still smell when you're out of the shower - it's great followed up with Butter Yourself in the same scent.  Butter Yourself is my favourite moisturiser, it makes my skin so smooth and again smells great.  I always repurchase this body wash, try it if you haven't already!

Clarins HydraQuench Cream
This moisturiser is a smooth, moisture boosting cream which I tend to use in the evenings as it is a thicker face cream.  I am prone to dry patches quite often and this is great and injecting moisture back into my face without it feeling oily or heavy on the skin.  This is most definitely a repurchase for me.

Rimmel Lycra Pro Peppermint Nail Polish
This nail polish was such a staple for me last Spring/Summer, such a gorgeous mint shade of blue and with only needing one coat it was a fuss free polish!  It's starting to get a bit gloopy so it's time to say goodbye to my old faithful.  I'd repurchase from this range and have done so already in other shades, however with nail polish I love trying out new colours.  I love shades of blue at the moment so I have my eye on Topshop's Boy Next Door and Essie's Blossom Dandy.

Do you have any of these products and do you love most of them too?

The Fashion Edit: Spring Staples

Happy Saturday ♥︎

Spring is here (although the weather is having trouble making up its mind sometimes..!) and I've been admiring some Spring fashion staples I thought I would share with you all.

Spring Staple 1 / Perfect Playsuit 
A great addition to your Spring wardrobe is a gorgeous playsuit, Springtime means wedding season and you can't go wrong with a playsuit that's smart yet fun to wear - especially one you can still wear on fun nights out over Summer!  This Cinese Playsuit from Ted Baker is so pretty.  The floral top on this staple piece has the most amazing pattern and colours, you can always rely on Ted Baker for gorgeous floral designs incorporated into their collections.  The colours of this playsuit look great in person so if you're passing a Ted Baker store go and have a look!

Spring Staple 2 / Ankle Grazer Jeans
Spring means you get to pull out those super clean trainers and cute shoes, and they all go so well with a classic pair of jeans.  A great pair for Spring are ankle grazers, the Topshop MOTO Ripped Jamie Jeans are great, they suit any outfit ideas - from casual days out to fun dinner's in the evening.  Make sure to invest in a pair!

Spring Staple 3 / Pastel Jacket 
This is a great staple to combat the weather when it can't make it's mind up! This Noisy May Pastel Collarless Coat is stunning, the colour makes it perfect for Spring and suitable for slightly colder weather.  This can be styled with so many great items and a mix of colours.

Spring Staple 4 / Super Sunnies
When spending time in the sunshine make sure you're rocking a cute pair of sunglasses this Spring.  These Pastel Acetate Sunglasses from & Other Stories look great and definitely look the part in Springtime!  They are in a gorgeous shade of blue and would set off any outfit.

What Spring staples are you looking for this Spring?

My Favourite Green Smoothie

There are so many green smoothie recipes available nowadays and it's great that everyone tries mixing and matching their ingredients to find the perfect green smoothie for them.

I thought I'd share my favourite recipe courtesy of OhSheGlows - this is a great site by Angela Liddon with lots of vegan recipes and she also as an Oh She Glows Cookbook full of recipes (which I haven't seen yet but I'm sure it's packed with great recipes and ideas!).  

My favourite green smoothie from Angela is the Classic Green Monster, I've tried lots of green smoothies and what I love about this one is how easy it is to prep and make and it's also filled with ingredients I always have in the house - no need to go out and buy lots of different fruits or vegetables I wouldn't usually have at home so it's very convenient for me if I'm looking for a green smoothie pick-me-up!

You'll need:

• 1 cup of almond milk (or another milk of your choice)
• 1 tablespoon of almond butter
• 1 frozen banana
• 2 handfuls of spinach
• 1 tablespoon of chia seeds
• A dash of cinnamon
• 4 ice cubes

To make your yummy smoothie:

In a blender add your liquids - so pop in the cup of milk and almond butter first.  Then add your pieces of frozen banana, spinach, chia seeds and cinnamon.  I then blend for a few seconds and then add in the ice cubes and blend again until smooth.  

Done! It's that easy.  This usually makes 2 cups for me, if the mixture looks too thick I'll add more milk or water and blend again until it has the consistency I like.  

It tastes great, the banana and almond butter really comes through and the flavours compliment each other well - meaning it's a super easy smoothie to drink!

Do you have a go-to smoothie recipe you love?

Have you tried the Classic Green Monster recipe before? Let me know what you think!