Happy New Year!

Make 2015 your year and bring it in in style!

X.O

JF

Get The Look. Naked Basics 2 Palette.

A couple of weeks ago I finally went and purchased the Naked Basics 2 Palette and boy am I glad I did! It lived up to all expectation and more. I especially love how all of the colours bar the first highlight shimmer colour are all matte. It leaves such a nice finish on the eyes and is perfect for a toned down daytime casual look. Here is the complete finished look I created.

I applied 'Skimp' all over the lid using my finger then 'Frisk on the outer corners before working a mix of 'Cover' and 'Primal' into the crease with a Real Techniques blending brush for a contoured effect. I completed the look my applying a touch of Sleek blusher in 'Rose Gold' and an Exaggerate lip liner from Rimmel in 'East End Snob'.

I hope you guys like this look and will give it a try! :)

X.O
JF

NEXT 'Christmas Wish List'

Its beginning to lot like Christmas! And I thought I would pick up the festive countdown to the big 2-5 with a little Christmas wish list to inspire you all with potential gift ideas :)

Focusing on one store all of these gifts are from NEXT. I will leave all the links below to the products mentioned.

So have a scroll and let me know if there is anything here that you guys like :) I hope you enjoy!


1. Set of 5 Stacking Mugs. £16
http://www.next.co.uk/g81140s1#653759g79

(I just think these are super cute hug mugs for keeping the cold at bay and they have such lovely little slogans on them, a definite winner for me if I received these in my stocking!) 

2. Set of 3 Bottles. £22

http://www.next.co.uk/g402664s1#797937g40

( These would add a little vintage glamour to any dressing table, a really lovely set to add that little extra something)

3. Jewellery Box. £35
http://www.next.co.uk/g403664s1#679709g40

(This is a lovely product with lots of potential. Though it is a jewellery box it could probably be used for storing lots of little knick knacks. A lovely decorative feature with a handy purpose.)

4. Navy Floral Pyjamas 

http://www.next.co.uk/g6752s1#682213g67

(These I love the coloured of, they look super soft and comfortable and I love the wide leg on the pyjama bottom)

5. Notebook and Pen Set. £12

http://www.next.co.uk/g675226s4#691195g67

(A cute gift for any list/note taking lover! I love the design and colour of these)

6. Set of 24 Spice Carousel. £30

http://www.next.co.uk/g673226s3#699164g67

(Great for a foodie and keen cooker, this would make the perfect addition to any kitchen!)

7. Pie Making Set, £16

http://www.next.co.uk/g673226s1#693522g67

(For any aspiring Bake Off lovers this will make the perfect starter set to their pie making dreams!)

8. Stamp and Tag Set. £8

http://www.next.co.uk/g405628s3#695862g40

(A lovely novelty gift, I think these are really cute and would look lovely on any writing desk!)

9. Cashmere Sweater. £75-£80

http://www.next.co.uk/g402052s5#980306g40

(The perfect gift to keep a loved one cosy over the festive period and the colours are very much in season!)

10. Pink Perfume Box Clutch, £28

http://www.next.co.uk/g672092s3#945726g67

(Keeping this quirky one till last! This clutch bag is just really cool and would add something unique and different to any party outfit over the New Year period!)

X.O

JF

Go Inner Glow!

Hey guys! So recently I have been trying out some new skincare products which add a little bit more moisture and lustre to my complexion. I had heard all the rave reviews about incorporating a serum into your daily routine so I decided to give it a shot myself and see if the hype was worth it. The two products I want to talk to you guys about are the Boots Time Delay Youth Maintain Luminosity Serum and De-Puffing Eye Roll-On. Now I know these both sound like anti-ageing products which being a 21 year old you might think is a little unnecessary however my personal view on this is that the sooner you start really taking care of your skin properly the better it will age with daily wear and tear and the better it will both look and feel as you grow older. Give your skin the TLC it deserves now and reap the brighting benefits now and better skin later!

The serum is a personal favourite of mine that I apply both in the morning and evening after toning and before using my daily moisturiser and it adds the most beautiful luminosity to your face. If you haven't had much sleep the night before and you wake up looking a little dull like I do most mornings this product totally wakes your skin up and injects an almost inner glow into your complexion. I have also noticed a massive difference in my skin tone since using this product it is so much more even and brighter and my skin also feels even more moisturised which I feel helps to protect my skin even more in the cold winter weather.

The de-puffing eye-roll on is just a lovely product. For me there is nothing better than having cool fresh eyes in the morning and this roll on is such a pleasure to apply. It has a roller ball application that helps gently massages the product into the skin that claims to stimulate circulation and encourage drainage to reduce bags and dark circles. I must say once I have used this product my eyes look so much brighter it is just so super refreshing. It also sits really well under my concealer and doesn't dry up or leave any patches during the day.

These products are a nice introduction into using a serum and eye gel that wouldn't break the bank, add a nice glow to the face and as both of the products are more 'Youth Maintain' than anti ageing I personally think they are the perfect start up products to try that will help keep your skin looking healthy. 

Are there any serums or eye products you guys can recommend? I am still hunting for an affordable eye cream that has an SPF of 15 or above so if any of you know of any good products do not hesitate to let me know in comments below!

X.O

JF

Remember Remember... November Favourites!

Remember remember the fifth of November! I am SO super excited for tonight! I think this day is one of my absolute favourite times of year, the fireworks, the mulled wine, the bonfires! So I thought what a fitting day for my Wednesday post to be a selection of my November favourites!

The first product I want to chat to you guys about is my hair saviour recently... the ever amazing Tangle Teaser! I think I am pretty late to join the party with this one, but I came across them in Boots about a month or so ago now and I had heard such amazing things about them I thought I would give them a go and oh my I am in love. My hair has never felt better and it de-tangles so easily. I love the colours of mine too, I think I got the melon one? Its green with pink bristles and I enjoy using it so much I have gotten into the habit of brushing my hair with it every morning and every night before bed. As I am trying to grow my hair again I feel its super important to take extra good care of your hair and having a brush that doesn't tear the hair helps so much in the overall shine, look, feel and general health of your hair. I am definitely a Tangle Teaser convert and would urge any of you that hasn't tried this product to give it a go!

The second product I want to mention today is the La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo+ moisturiser. Recently my skin has just not been having a good time. I know that your skin does change as you get older and at the moment I think I can definitely say my skin is changing a lot. I have always had quite an oily T-zone and the usual nose blackheads which to be honest I just got used to, they were there but they were easy to cover up so they never really bothered me. But recently I have been having major issues with really sore both under the skin and pretty prominent blemishes on and around my chin area. (On a side note if any of your can recommend any other products that would help this, or what might be causing them please let me know in the comment section below because I would love to have a proper resolution to this!) In an attempt to try and totally cleanse and clear my skin I was straight onto Feelunique.com and purchased 3 core products that I have only been using on my skin apart from my usual day SPF moisturiser and that is a cleanser, micro exfoliator and moisturiser from La Roche Posay. All three products are really good but my favourite by far is the La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo+. After using this product from day one I saw a visible difference, My face felt cleaner, my blemishes had noticeably reduced and weren't as sore and angry as they were the previous evening and as an added bonus the pores on my nose were also looking less clogged and more refined. If there is a miracle moisturiser that I have tried this is most definitely the one. It is a little pricey retailing at around £14 (though I got mine for £10 on a Feelunique.com pharmacy deal) I would say it is definitely worth the money and I will be buying again. 

The last two products I am going to mention today are much more timely and festive and they are the Hot Toddy shower gel and the Northern Lights bath bomb from Lush. Firstly, the shower gel is literally Halloween and Bonfire Night and Christmas all wrapped up into one glittery festive bottle. It smells amazing! Having a really spicy and warm scent, a beautiful deep red colour and blended with gold shimmering glitter. If there is one product to get you into the festive spirit, this is the one!. The Northern Lights bath bomb is also gorgeous. I actually used it last night to get me in the mood for the fireworks tonight and if you have me on Instagram (if not I'm over @lifeofjodie if you fancy a follow!) you probably saw the outcome of the starry exploding bomb, it was just beautiful and smelt incredible! Super warming and felt so lovely on the skin. 

I hope you guys enjoyed reading my November favourites and if there is any products you guys can recommend please don't hesitate to let me know! 

X.O

JF

(The Northern Lights Bath Bomb... Ahh-mazing!)

Markets-Scents and Myrrh

Hello everyone :) this week I haven't really been up to very much, just working away not too much to report! However today I did have a little wander into Aberdeen city centre to check out the International Market that visits here quarterly and indulged in a little mulled wine while browsing through the various stalls. I absolutely love seeing all the interesting little trinkets that are brought along and smelling the yummy fresh waffles and crepes that are being made along the way. At the market the have everything from cheese stalls to nougat to woodwork craft. There is such a lovely mix of interesting things that normally you wouldn't come across day to day so I thought I would take some snaps and share them with you all :)

While wandering I also found myself in two of my favourite shops. Lush and The Yankee Store! At this time of year both stores bring out the most festive smelling products and I just couldnt resist purchasing a few winter warmers! 

From Lush I invested in the Hot Toddy shower gel mini that just smells amazing! The Cinders bath bomb which I have heard such good things about and the Northern Lights bath bomb which I thought would be lovely for coming up to Bonfire night as it promises to ''turn your bath water into a calming jasmine and ylang-ylang scented swirling night sky scattered with stars.'' - Seriously how could you resist that bath time spectacle!

From the Yankee store I purchased one of the fragrances of the month which was the Cranberry Ice candle. This candle smells amazing. It is wintery but fresh and smells so yummy I could eat it. At £14.99 for the large jar I honestly couldn't resist. I also invested in a few samplers; Spiced Orange, Cranberry Pear, Vanilla Chai and Sweet Apple. Candles for me are becoming such an obsession! Nothing beats lying in bed at night with a candle burning hiding away from the world in a cloud of festive scent all cosy and warm.  

What have you guys been up to this weekend? I hope you have a all had a very pleasant Sunday! 

X.O

JF

50 Shades of Autumn At Ballater

So I know my new schedule was to share a post with you guys every Thursday and Sunday but I have been out at Ballater today near Balmoral Castle and I just had to share some of these gorgeous snaps I got from around the village! We were meant to go for lunch at Balmoral Castle but unfortunately we couldn't gain access as they were doing work on the bridge, so no sneak peaks of Prince Harry and Kate and Wills :( (They probably weren't even there but one can dream.. Mr Darcy moment with Prince Harry while lunching in the grounds yes please!) But anyway moving on from that image here are some of the snaps I managed to get today.

I hope you have all had a wonderful Wednesday! 

X.O

JF

Autumn Colours, Schedules and Lattes

Hey everyone :) So I know I have seemed to have taken a little break from blogging recently, I do apologise! However I am planning a new schedule to have new material up every Thursday and Sunday so keep a look out for post uploads through my social media and Bloglovin :)


Life for me at the moment is a little full on with uni/dissertation/work/life! And I cannot believe how close it is to Christmas! I have already treated myself to a few Pumpkin Spiced Lattes from Starbucks and they are just as good if not better than previous years! But... this week is Halloween! The time for crazy pumpkin carvings and I think the only time fake blood sells out in all stores around Aberdeen the week before the 31st. What are you guys all planning? I'm working until 10pm that night so I'm thinking potentially a late night cinema trip to see a cheeky horror film! Annabelle I have been told is terrifying, and to be honest when I saw the trailer when I went to see Gone Girl with my significant other I must say we both hid behind out jackets the whole 3 minutes she graced the screens with her presence so, could well be paying £6 odd to stare at the label on my jacket for 2 hours... but hey, isn't that what a horror film is kinda all about?


I am however super duper excited for next week... Bonfire Night! I LOVE bonfire night it is literally my most favourite night of the year, getting all wrapped up in hats and gloves and going out to watch the beautiful firework displays, waving sparklers around in the darkness convincing yourself you can see the pattern that they make in the darkness. It is just the best time. Between all that and just the smell of burning fires from peoples homes whisping around the night air.. ah it literally just makes me want to sit all cosy somewhere with a Pumpkin Spiced Latte and just enjoy being outdoors surrounded by all that Autumn goodness! I kinda wish Autumn was longer and Winter was shorter, its cold but not too cold and your surrounded by turning trees in all their Autumn glory. Its the season where change becomes a spectacle, not just a fact, and I loooove it :)

What are you guys all getting up to for to be honest the most event packed time of the season? I would love to hear from you all!

X.O
JF

A little snap I took last Autumn, but I thought it was so pretty I would share it with you guys :)x

Sneaks and Snacks

Hello everyone :) I thought I would just write a mini post today on some of my new buys.. one in particular, new sneaks! If any of you read my last post you would know that I am currently challenging myself to get fit and lose a significant amount of weight in order to place myself in the healthy region on the BMI scale. So far I am on day 4 and have been gyming eveeerrryday so far. Just now I am enjoying the challenge but we will see how I feel this time next week! Anyway in order for me to look at least a little gym savy I had to go out and purchase some new sports gear, one item of which was some decent trainers! The trainers I was using before I had had for about 3 years, they were worn and weren't providing me with the correct support for my running technique and general feet health. I am a member at DW Sports which is absolutely brilliant, its a gorgeous gym but its also super handy as upstairs they have a sports shop where members of the gym receive 10% off purchases. So taking this deal to full advantage a few days ago I went and got my feet and running technique tested so they could try and find the best supporting trainers for me. They gave me two pairs of trainers; one cushioning and one supporting,  and I had to run on a treadmill for 5 seconds with each on. Once I had completed this they analysed the way my feet landed and determined from there what shoes would best support me when running. What I found out was that when I run my inside ankle on both feet seems to bend inwards (apparently this is how most people run) so I was recommended to purchase cushioning trainers with a supportive insole to support the inside of my feet. I managed to find a fantastic pair on sale and I am absolutely in love with them already! They are a dream to work out in and they are this pair of Newbalance trainers. I think they are so lovely and I love the colours! Not something I would usually go for but amazing all the same.

If any of your guys are budding runners and have never had your feet tested I would totally recommend it. The service is free of charge and it is so good especially if you are wanting to get the most out of your workouts and not have the worry of gaining any injury from not wearing the right supportive footwear. And on that note I am away to finish my breakfast and head to the gym! I hope you all have a lovely day :)

X.O 

JF

Truth Laid Bare, Pound by Pound

Hello all, so today I am laying myself bare and would like to talk to you guys about a challenge I am setting myself, and I feel if I write about it and my experiences along the way it will help keep me motivated and help me to stay mentally strong. I have taken it upon myself to try and lose quite a bit of weight. A lot of close friends of mine and people who know me will be more than aware that since the middle of second year at university I began to have issues with my weight. Moving up to Aberdeen and becoming a student in first year was such a fantastic experience but second year was more of a challenge. I had darker days and struggled to stay on top of my health both physically and mentally. In that time my weight has since been slowly creeping up and although I am not ready to fully reveal my actual weight to the internet I can say that my BMI is above average and I am classed as 'overweight' in the eyes of the BMI measurements. On countless occasions I have tried silly fad diets, cutting out carbs, jogging round my local park every day, living on green smoothies twice a day etc but all I seemed to give up after a week or so as I just was too tired and hungry all the time. This time I am taking proper action in the right way. No fad diets or gruelling jogs, just a healthy mix of cardio, weights and balanced healthy eating. I am only on day 2, so this could totally go like the others before; who knows. All I know right now is when I see pictures of me being tagged on Facebook the first thing I do is de-tag. When I try on clothes in shops I have mental break downs in the changing rooms. Im 21 years old, I should be healthy and wearing gorgeous dresses and clothes not covering everything up on summer days and being ashamed of myself. Anyway, I am planning to write weekly posts on my progress and some hints and tips for exercises after I book in with a trainer in a few weeks time. If anyone at all would be interested in these let me know and keep up with my journey. I have a fantastic support for this, my main being my partner who is going along and doing all the same workout/eating plan with me. If he cant motivate me no one can! So wish me luck and if anyone has any healthy eating or exercise tips please don't hesitate to let me know, all advice is more than welcome!

X.O
JF