Well hello there long time no read ♥

Hi everyone, 

I know it has been a long time since I've posted on here. The last time I posted was in June 2014. I'm not going to go into the details too much as it was personal but last summer we unexpectedly lost two family friends and, as you can imagine, I wasn't really in the right place to be interacting with the internet and wasn't feeling very inspired to blog, and I didn't want to put up half hearted posts. I wanted to come back to blogging naturally and not put pressure on myself.

Recently I have been feeling much more inspired and actually coming up with ideas for posts so thought it was about time I whipped my laptop out again and posted on here.

In my last post I spoke about a walk that I was taking part in for the charity 'The British Heart Foundation.' The walk was a huge challenge, mentally and physically. It was an emotional roller-coaster and we were walking for 24 hours straight. It was all worth it though as I managed to raise £1000.00. However, 16 months on the walk is still very much on my mind as I am now suffering the consequences.  

I wont bore you with the details but I have patellar tendinitis. I have caused damage to my tendon connecting my quadriceps and kneecap to my tibia. With the trauma from the walk and regular exercise I have done since then it has caused the tendon to become inflamed and damaged. Which means I am on anti inflammatory tablets, am seeing a physiotherapist and have been signed off work for two weeks. I put off going to the doctors as it wasn't causing me much pain, only every now and then but the more exercise I did the more I found it was hurting. The doctor explained that I have basically made it worse as I haven't rested it and allowed time to heal, hence why now I am off work. 

But what that does mean is that I now have a lot of free time on my hands and I have to spend the majority of it in bed, so I can start posting again and with Christmas around the corner (oh yes I am one of those kind of people, I've been excited since June!) I will be doing a lot of online shopping and wish list making! 

Let me know in the comments if you are excited for Christmas and have you started shopping yet? ;)

Carla ♥

A little heart to heart ♥

Hello everyone, 

I would like to apologise that I have been slightly MIA recently and the blog posts have really been lacking. This is my first post for June *hangs head in shame* BUT I do have a reason for this...

A while ago, myself and my cousin Amanda signed up for the British Heart Foundation London to Brighton Trek. This involves walking from Sandown Race Course to Brighton Race Course. That is a total of 64 miles. Yep, you read that right, we are walking it. We set off early in the morning and we have 30 hours to complete the trek. Obviously this means we will be walking through the night. There are checkpoints along the way but it is up to you how you manage your time and when you choose to rest. You don't have to stop at every check point if you don't want to.

So as you can imagine we have been training regularly to ensure we are ready for this, so we have been going on short walks to work on our pace and find a pace that suits us and also, long walks to work on our stamina. As the event draws closer we have been extra focused, hence why I have not been blogging as much. 

The trek is on Saturday 21st June 2014. A week today. I received my race number through the post yesterday and we will receive out British Heart Foundation T-shirts on the day. 

As much as this is a personal challenge for us and a great way to test our fitness and endurance, it all comes down to one thing. Raising as much money and awareness for charity. The British Heart Foundation is such an amazing charity that works towards saving thousands of lives everyday. Our granddad had a lot of issues with his heart before he passed away so we know first hand that problems involving your heart can be very serious. It can affect so many different things and affect people in so many different ways. So we wanted to do something in memory of our granddad but something that will also help more people.

So far I have raised £260 but I still have sponsors to come. Also, the company I work for will match what ever I raise. So, at the moment that brings my total to £520. I am hoping to reach £600!

I just wanted keep you guys updated and maybe even inspire some of you to do something for charity. It doesn't have to be a big event such as the one I am participating in it can be something as small as a cake sale. At the end of the day every penny helps and it feels so good knowing that you are doing what you can to help other people. 

Let me know in the comments if you have done/or are planning to do anything for charity I would love to hear your stories.

Carla ♥

MAC: Warm Toned Neutrals Palette ♥

I recently purchased the new warm toned neutral palette from MAC. At £65 it may sound expensive but it is actually a complete bargain. An empty starter 15 eye shadow palette from MAC is around £20 and each eye shadow in pan form is £10 costing you around £170 to create your own palette. So as I said a complete bargain as you get a ready made palette of beautiful colours for less than half the price! I went for the warm palette as the colours are made up of more golden, brown tones and I personally think the warmer tones suit my skin tone better.

The colours from L-R are ‘Hey, Warm Breeze, Gingersnap, Dark Brew, Dance in the Dark, Brule, Vanilla Extract, Honey Lust, Amber Lights, Saddle, Lemon Tart, Butterfudge, Creative Copper, Divine Decadence and Unwind'. They are highly pigmented and a dream to blend. I am in love with all of these colours. There is a mixture of matte shades and shimmers so you can create day looks and more dramatic evening looks. You can wear these on their own or blend them and wear them together. I adore it and I am super impressed by it.

L-R: Hey, Warm Breeze, Gingersnap, Dark Brew and Dance in the Dark

L-R: Brule, Vanilla Extract, Honey Lust, Amber Lights, Saddle

L-R: Lemon Tart, Creative Copper, Butterfudge, Divine Decadence and Unwind

My favourites at the moment are Gingersnap, Dark Brew, Honey Lust and Saddle.

Has anyone bought the new palettes? What is your favourite MAC eye shadow? Do you prefer any other brands for your eye shadows? Let me know in the comments your thoughts as I would love to hear them.

Carla ♥

A little trip to Boots ♥

Hello again, 

It is another sunny day so when I woke up this morning I thought it would be a perfect day for a cheeky trip to the shops. I didn't go crazy and only picked up a few things (ish) in Boots and I thought I would share them with you today. 

♥ Herbal Essences Beautiful Ends Shampoo & Conditioner:

As I mentioned in a previous post, my hair is very thick and quite damaged     (from my teen years of experimenting with the hair dye, I was blond, red and purple!) I also used to go a bit overboard in my teens with my beloved GHD's   so as a result I have fragile hair now *sob* Because of this I am always on 

the lookout for products that will help me maintain and nourish my hair. This   is how I came across these items from Herbal Essence. Initially it was the name that caught my eye. "Beautiful Ends - Split End Protection" Well that sold it to me. It is also for mid to long hair so ever better. This is in fact a repurchase for me as I loved it so much. It does exactly as it says it does. It leaves my hair feeling super soft and healthy and it is raspberry scented so smells delicious. After using this my hair always feels nourished, a bit like the feeling you get when you leave the hairdressers and at £3.89 each it is not pricey at all.

♥ Herbal Essences Beautiful Ends Split End Protection Cream:

This leads me onto my next product. As it was 3 for 2 in Boots on haircare I thought I would pick up this cream from the same collection. I already use the VO5 Smoothly Does It Heat Protect Serum (featured in my current favourites a couple of posts ago) which I love but I thought I would also give this a try as this is specifically for split ends. Again it is raspberry scented which is amazing. 

♥ Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Wash:

There has been a lot of hype about this product for a while and I know I am very late to the party with this one but I finally picked it up today and I am so glad I did. It is ah-may-zing! I fell in love with the smell instantly and I can not wait to use it. I absolutely love fruity scented body washes or scrubs as it makes me feel extra clean and fresh. Also I think it is reasonably priced. For £6.50 you get a 500ml bottle. Also, a lot of the time Soap & Glory is on offer for 3 for 2 so a definite must have. 

♥ Burt's Bees Nourishing Mango Lip Balm:

Again, this is another repurchase for me. I think it is so important to look after your lips and keep them hydrated all year round. For me, to do that I use this lip balm. It is perfect sized that you can just pop it into your handbag. It is extremely hydrating and keeps my lips moisturised and nourished. I am also a fan of the Vaseline Rosy Lips as that adds a tint of colour but I find that this product is so much more hydrating. I love to use this all year round as during the spring/summer it re hydrates my lips and during the autumn/winter it repairs my chapped/damaged lips. I especially like to pop this on before my lipstick as I think it acts as a nice primer so I can apply my lipstick and it looks nice and smooth. Also, it is another fruit scented product which I absolutely adore. (Can you tell from this post?!) 

♥ La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo: 

Another product I am late to the party with but when it comes to my skin care I am very cautious as I like to find a routine that works for me and then stick to it. (I will be doing a post about my current skin care and the products I like to use very soon) I am always wishing for better skin and I have read such great things about this product so I thought it was about time I gave it a go. I will be doing a post on this once I have used it for a while and got a feel for it so keep a look out for that but from what I have read/heard I am expecting great things from this *fingers crossed*

♥ Pink Polka Dot Mirror:

I was on the hunt for a mirror that was big enough for me to use to apply my make up but small enough to travel around with me and I came across this little beauty. It is slightly larger that most travel mirrors but what I like about this one is you can lift up the lid and flip it over so it acts as a stand for the mirror. So perfect if you need to use both hands. It is clear plastic with fuchsia pink polka dots on it and I absolutely love it.  

That is all for today for my mini Boots splurge, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. Please let me know in the comments if you use any of the products I mentioned or if you have any that you can recommend for me as I would love to know.

Carla ♥ 

Get To Know Me ♥

Hello again, 

There are a lot of 'Get to know Tags' out there and today I thought I would give you the chance to get to know me by choosing my favourite questions from some of them and answering them for you.

1) What is your name?
    - Carla Anne Lumley

2) How tall are you?
    - I'm not 100% sure but I think I am around 5 ft 6 (ish)

3) Any tattoos?
    - Yes. I have 1 tattoo at the top of my back. It is my little brother's
      birthday in Roman Numerals.
       

(this isn't the best picture but all I have for the moment)

4) Any piercings?

    -Yes. I have two piercings in my ears and my belly button pierced. 

5) Favourite show?

    - This is difficult I have too many! But to name a few, The Vampire

      Diaries, Friends, Charmed, The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother,
      The Tomorrow People, the list goes on and on.

6) Zodiac sign?

    - Aquarius

7) Favourite colour?

    - Purple

8) Fears?

    - Spiders, Clowns, Wasps, Losing someone I love and The dark (in some 

      ways, it is more the unknown really and the silence. I have to fall asleep

      with the TV on) 

9) Any siblings?

    - I have one younger brother who will be 10 in June.

10) Place where you want to visit?

      - America. I want to go to Disney World. I want to go to The Universal
        Studios and The Harry Potter Wizarding World. I also want to go to New
        York. I want to go to everywhere in America basically.

I thought I would keep this post short and sweet, hopefully you enjoyed it. Please let me know in the comments your answers to these questions as I would love to know!

Carla ♥

My 5 current favourites ♥

Hello, 

As I write this post the sun is shining and it is hot! Sunshine instantly makes me feel better and cheers everyone up. It is nice to have a bit of warmer weather for a change!

Anyway, as you can tell from the title, this post is about my current top 5 favourite things that I have been loving recently.

♥ Batiste Dry Shampoo: I love dry shampoo. As I have quite thick hair that is long (ish) it can be an absolute nightmare to manage as soon as the weather starts to get warmer (well all year round really but you know what I mean) I tend to wash my hair every 2-3 days depending on how it looks/feels. Some of you may be thinking, yuck! she should be washing her hair everyday but it is common knowledge that it is not good for your hair to wash it everyday. Anyway sometimes I will wake up in the morning and I think to myself I will need to wash my hair today, however, I don't always have time in the morning before I go to work as for me to wash my hair, blow dry it and style it so it looks semi-decent for the world to see it takes me a good hour. So recently after my morning shower I have found that I have been reaching for my Batiste Dry Shampoo in the Floral scent. This instantly refreshes my hair, gives it that boost it needs for the day and it smells gorgeous. I just pop a few sprays at my roots and rub it in. Job done. I have also found this is really good for if my hair is freshly washed or just lacking volume I can pop this in and it gives my hair a bit more grip and I can then go on to style it. I will definitely be repurchasing this and I will try out the different scents as they do loads! This is a summer staple for me and it is also super cheap! Even better. I got mine from Superdrug but I am sure you can pick them up from most drug stores and supermarkets.

                 

http://www.superdrug.com/search?q=batiste&searchsubmit=Search

♥ VO5 Smoothly Does It Heat Protect Serum: Another hair product I have been loving is this heat serum from VO5. It claims to protect your hair from heat (a must have girlies!!) fight frizz, another must have especially in the summer and leave your hair shiny. I love love love this product, it does everything it claims to do and I would not be without it. You pump a pea sized amount in to your palm and apply from the mid-lengths to the ends of your hair. I use it after I have washed my hair when it is still wet but you can also use this on dry hair. As I suffer with damaged hair and split ends this product has been a life saver. Again it is not expensive and as you only need a small amount it lasts you a really long time. I love how it makes my hair feel and look. Also it leaves your hair smelling fresh. I also love the packaging of this. It is a thin tube and fits perfectly on my shelf. Again, I got mine from Superdrug but you can pick these up from most drug stores and supermarkets.

http://www.superdrug.com/vo5/alberto-vo5-shine-on-shine-serum-45ml/invt/209383&bklist=

♥ Marc Jacobs Daisy Perfume(100ml): This is my all time favourite perfume. Ever. I can never usually pick one favourite I always have a few options, but I can 100% say this is my number 1 perfume. As the name would suggest it is a light sweet floral scent. Not sickly sweet, but a nice sophisticated smell that lingers all day. I usually get used to the smell of my perfume and can no longer smell it later in the day but this scent stays put all day. I love perfume and wear it everyday but this bottle lasts me a long time as you don't need too much at any one time. Obviously it is up to you, if you are one of those people that sprays every inch of their body in perfume then it will go a lot quicker, but I like to spritz some of my wrists, neck and a general swoop of the body motion (not the best description in the world but I am sure you know what I mean) Also, the packaging is adorable. Marc Jacobs perfume bottles are always so pretty and cute and I absolutely love this design as daisies are one of my favourite flowers and it looks beautiful on my shelf. This is priced at £63.50 for 100ml so it is one of the more expensive perfumes on the market but as I said it lasts me such a long time and I am in love with it so I see it as a worthy investment and money well spent. I got mine from The Perfume Shop as I have a rewards card for there. You get 1 point for every £1 you spend and then you get £5 off when you get 100 points (I am a sucker for a rewards card I have them all, The Perfume Shop, Superdrug, Boots the list is endless)

http://www.theperfumeshop.com/pws/ProductDetails.ice?

ProductID=2631

♥ Yankee Candle "Black Cherry": I have a slight obsession with candles. I love them I own far too many and I am always on the look out for more. My favourite company where I get the majority of my candles from is Yankee Candle. They offer such a wide variety and they are good quality as well. They smell gorgeous when they are burning but the smell also lingers after you have blown them out. I love walking into my room during the day and still being able to smell it, I feel like it is a candle and an air freshener all in one. This one is a "Large Jar" and priced at £19.99 I think this is very reasonable. It is really long lasting and smells delicious. They do so many different shapes and sizes but my favourite is the large jar. I love the black cherry scent as it reminds me of summer and eating cherries...yummy! I got mine from a lovely Yankee Candle shop in Worthing but you can also order them online.

http://www.yankeecandle.co.uk/en/uk/large-jar-candles/black-
cherry/invt/1129749

♥ Les Misérables: Yes I know the hype for this has been and gone but this has made it's way into my current favourites as I am going to see the stage production of Les Misérables for the second time on 27th May and I am so excited I was very lucky and received tickets for my birthday back in February. Obviously this is something that has been around for nearly 30 years but it wasn't until it came out in the cinema that I became very interested in it. I went to see the film 6 times (yep you read that right 6 times!) in the cinema as I loved it so much and I bought the DVD as soon as it came out as I was desperate for my Les Mis fix. Of course during the time between cinema and DVD release I had the album on repeat constantly! It is not to everyone's taste but I love it. The music, the production, the film, the story. Everything. I can not recommend it highly enough if you haven't already seen it.

Phew! I feel like I babbled on a bit hopefully you are still with me, if you are well done for getting to the end and I hope you enjoyed it.

Please let me know in the comments if you use or enjoy any products that I have mentioned or let me know your current 5 favourites as I would love to know them.

Carla ♥

Come and sit down we have loads to talk about ♥

I have been contemplating starting a blog for a very long time. I enjoy reading lots of blogs and think it is a great way of sharing things with like minded people or introducing new things to new people. I enjoy talking about my current favourite things, what I splurged on at the weekend and what I got up to and basically a general chit chat so I thought why not. Lets do it. So this is me. Blogging. 

I will use this blog to talk about my interests such as beauty items, clothes, books (and all that jazz) but I will also use this as a lifestyle blog and just document things that I can look back on in a few years and say "Oh yes I remember that day" Basically I will use this blog to have a good old fashioned natter with anyone that wants to read it and enjoys being nosy like me.

So sit down, get your onesies on (yes I know it is getting warmer now but they are just too damn cosy I can't resist!) grab a cuppa and lets get started!

Carla ♥