Last week it was my birthday (the not so big 2-5) which was spent mostly shopping/eating/in the cinema - some of my favourite things to do! I also received some really lovely gifts from my nearest and dearest (as well as treating myself to a few choice beauty items) which I thought I'd share with you. I'd booked a couple of days off work to kick back, relax and indulge in some much needed retail therapy, so on the first day I met up with my best friend and began the day with key lime coolers at Starbucks (which I'd never tried before but really liked) and had a big catch up as we hadn't seen each other for a while. First stop after that was the House of Fraser beauty hall (something we'd agreed in advance was that we were both in need of new makeup) and after taking our time perusing the stands she picked up a few Clinique bits while I purchased the Bobbi Brown tinted moisturising balm. Time was also spent in Topshop, Boots and Lush - as usual, I had to be dragged away before maxing out my credit card - before heading to Yo Sushi to refuel (a bit of birthday tradition). Gotta love Blue Mondays - I opted for my usual faves, salmon & avocado hand-roll and salmon rice. After lunch more shopping took place (including a cheeky purchase of the Shu Uemera eyelash curlers in Harvey Nichols) by which time we were pretty tired, so last stop was the cinema for the 5pm showing of We're The Millers (accompanied by vanilla coke, jelly beans and M&S chocolate & pecan popcorn - perfection). The film was absolutely hilarious and I'm really glad we went to see it - I love Jennifer Aniston (always have, always will) and Jason Sudeikis and Will Poulter were really good in it too, I'd definitely recommend going to see it.
The next day (which was my actual birthday) I woke up to an interview offer for two days time, along with the usual barrage of texts/Facebook/Viber messages, plus a phone call from my clueless parents who were having trouble emailing across an E-card of a leopard (??). After a nice relaxing bath using all my Soap & Glory faves (post on it's way) I headed into town to meet a friend for coffee before running some errands (really live it up don't I) then met my boyfriend for lunch at Gourmet Burger Kitchen (my choice as I love their chicken/bacon/avocado burger and oreo milkshake - seriously delicious but soo filling). We also went to the jewellers for me to pick out some earrings for my birthday - I chose some simple gold/crystal studs which I love as they are just so subtle and pretty; I haven't worn earrings in so long and was surprised to find my holes hadn't closed up completely! We then went to see The Mortal Instruments at the cinema, which was sadly a bit disappointing (I love Lily Collins, but boy that film was cheesy). The evening was spent chilling on the sofa with Breaking Bad and takeaway from our favourite Chinese - such a couch potato evening but it's what I love best at the moment! It was a bit strange not seeing any family at all on my birthday, but it was my nephew's first birthday on the Sunday (he was actually due the day before my birthday but arrived late) so I saw everyone then which was really nice.
THE BEAUTY BITS
This was a gift from a friend and I absolutely love it; I adore mint green and jumpers are like my A/W uniform so this is perfect for me. I also don't own any other items of clothing in this shade so I'm really looking forward to wearing this and think it will look so nice over jeans, leggings and dresses (basically, anything). It's 100% cotton so as well as being really soft and comfortable to wear it's also really breathable, keeping you cool as well as warm so great come rain or shine (we all know how the English weather likes to surprise us).
As if I needed another mint green nail polish... I've been reading great things about the formula of Topshop polishes recently so when we popped in there I just couldn't resist. On inspection this is a lot 'greener' than the other specimens in my collection (Mavala's Lagoon is leans very blue while Sally Hansen's Green Tea is uber pale) and applies like a dream; I used this over the weekend and really love it. Strictly no more polish buying from now on though.... until Essie's A/W 2013 collection launches, that is.
I've wanted this for the longest time (ever since this EssieButton post); it smells absolutely amazing (really natural and kind of herbal), feels lush on the skin (not a word I use a lot but in this case it really applies) and the colour match is perfect (the sales assistant helped me to choose Light/Medium). Although I don't have very dry skin, I love a good tinted moisturiser and I think for winter time this is going to be the one - a really nourishing, indulgent purchase and one that I'm really glad I picked up as a birthday treat. Paired with the Body Shop's Extra Virgin Minerals loose powder I think this will work really well for a minimal but flawless autumn look - I shall report back!
The jewel in the birthday crown, I finally picked up the much coveted Shu Uemera eyelash curlers. I've wanted these for longer than I can remember, and now that we've been united I don't ever want to be apart. My eyelashes are notoriously long and straight so these work wonders for me - instant root lift and a curl that holds all day, meaning my lashes look good no matter what mascara I use. A definite worth-while investment and one that will be staying firmly in my makeup bag.
With the exception of a couple of Mac lustre finishes and a handful of Revlon lip butters, my lipstick collection is pretty minimal, so for my birthday I thought I'd branch out into the Rimmel Moisture Renew range that I've heard so many good things about (when you're 25 you need more lipstick, right?). I chose the shade Notting Hll Nude, a really pretty, pinky flesh-toned nude that applies beautifully and feels nicely comforting on the lips. I'm not one for wearing a bold lip day-to-day (or anytime, really) so this is a welcome addition to my collection and one that I'm perfectly happy slicking on for any occasion, day or night.
What do you do you like to do for your birthday?
Do you like going shopping and treating yourself?
Chandra
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