I hate camping......

....However

I normally cringe at the thought of going camping however due to a drastic change of plans of for my summer leave period so going camping was the one offer of fun I had had from my sister. So I decided to embrace it say YES and go for it!! And boy I am glad I did. I wanted to write a little post detailing the stuff to take with you to make camping awesome from someone who normally hates camping! So lets get on with it....

• A large tent
- I realised that my main fear of camping is a have "littletentaphobia" a fear of being in small tents alone. This time a shared a massive tent with my sister and her boyfriend. This thing was bigger than my room and you could full on stand up in it which is the most important factor. I am 5ft 10 and not being able to stand up to put clothes on is just wrong!! Also if you have a rainy day like we did, where it did not stop for 7 hours!! You at least have somewhere you can all hang out and have a tent party, it turns a rainy day into a fun day!!!

• Gas stove - Nothing beats waking up climbing out of a hot toasty tent to have a cuppa tea in the sunshine! Bring extra gas canisters too!!

• Tea, sugar, milk and biscuits - See point above 

• fluffy socks and fleecy PJs (Onsie's are also an option) - It gets fricking cold when the sun goes down and if you are sat outside the tent with friends chatting you wanna be warm.

• Air bed and a car pump - best thing I borrowed was that car pump especially when you pump up the air bed at midday in the blistering heat (UK version of it anyway) and then realise its a lot flatter by the time you come to sleep!!

• Camping chair - goes without saying but there are chair politics and you do not want to be the one who doesn't bring a chair when you are in a group.

• BBQs - next time I think I would actually pack a small coal BBQ as we had some dramas with or disposable ones, like them relighting themselves 4 hours later so it may be works packing of folding one that can also be used as a fire pit if your site lets you have them of course, always check! It's good to have something you can do cheap meals on as eating out becomes expensive quickly!

• Duvet and own pillow - best decision I made here also, I was toying with the idea of taking my king sized duvet or just using the sleeping bag. So glad I chose to take my own duvet and pillows, I hate the restrictions of sleeping bags I get so annoyed not being able to stick a leg out when you want to so taking your own stuff from your own bed makes you feel like you are at home!!! 

• A Good book - for those early evenings when you just want to go to sleep early but 6pm is far too early however you drank 8 pints the night before and then did a raft race where you thought you were going to die ...I digress. It's good to have a light hearted read that you can chill with when you just fancy a quiet moment or two. 

• Slip on shoes - finding shoes, tying laces or risking barefoot to nip to the loo at 3am can be fun. Just have something easy to hand that doesn't require brain power to get on your feet in haste. 

• Samsung Galaxy S4 - I was the only one out of our convoy who had a phone that could pick u signal at out camp site and could get on the WiFi too, I love my phone :) sad I know!!

• Extra sleeping Socks - feet get cold at night when in a field. Simple but effective.

• Torches, push lights, head lamps, mini lamps and 10,000 candle lamps! - the more the merrier no one will ever say you have too many and they will also be useful!

Well other than the obvious things like pants and a toothbrush I can't really think what else to include. I really enjoyed my camping trip so much so we stayed an extra day as the weather was so nice. I went to Praa Sands in Cornwall for the Pirate raft race which we got called in to do last minute and it was amazing even those my blood sugars were 0 and a started shaking. A coke and a Kit Kat fixed that!!!

Oh I did forget one last thing... AMAZING FRIENDS!!!! That is what really made the time camping to be oh so special! 

What are your essentials that make your trips more comfy?? Let me know! 

xoxo

HUGE Make Up Swap from the US

Hi there! Long time no speak, I know, I am rubbish with this blog but to be honest I don't think I've established what I should use it for. I mean I'm no beauty guru I just love make up but don't generally have a good enough face to take pictures of it daily and put them out there! However I do get the urge to write inspired posts about make up especially when I get a hefty ass box of it from the USA!!!

So I am going to warn you now this blog post will be VERY picture heavy! As I don't film videos like Jerlyn does This is just going to be a still life version! 

 So I was so excited to get this I didn't even wait till I got dressed to open this, so here's a sexy PJ shot.... hummm Doughnuts (not gonna lie bough these because of EssieButton)

 This was the first thing on the top and its a Sonia Kashuk brush set which is amazing I have wanted to try these brushes for ages and this set was perfect!

 As you can see this is one heck of a box! I love the mint green peanuts and the multi coloured tissue paper she had wrapped everything in!!!

 This was a very cute little bag of samples and perfumes that she had sent me! A fab idea. I only threw a few in to my box for her I wish I had thought about it a bit more because I have so many of those sample packs hiding around!

 A close up of the craziness.

 Heel rescue balm, two Milani lip products, MAC Creemesheen Glass and NYX Lippie

 I loves all the little notes, it's like a clue to what's inside also I think she said her cousin helped her do the wrapping hence all the stickers. They were also scratch and sniff.... No joke the Banana ones were A-MAZ-ING!!!!

 Sally Hansen Salon effects THREE OF THEM!!!

 ELF Mascara and NYX lashes

 ohhhh those stickers lol LOVE! 

 A very nice little ELF palette and cream eyeliner!

 It's never ending!!

 Ooooh how exciting... Yes I did what I was told!!! 

 These were such a surprise I adore the colours. I could not wait to try these!

 A BareMinerals blusher and a Victoria Secret Blusher

 MORE SAMPLES!

 FAB FAB FAB

 OOOH The famous NYX Jumbo eyeshadow pencils - she had sent me the one in Milk in my first swap box and I loved it!

 Milani Liquid Eye liner 

 Face masks

 ELF BLusher and mineral lipgloss

 O-M-G!!!!!

I wanted one of these palettes so bad!!! 

I was so excited to get this I had asked for this and I squealed a little bit when I got it! 

I have heard so many amazing things about these palettes I couldn't wait to try them!

 Senna - a neutral eye shadow trio which is really pretty and an Ulta single eye shadow 

 Two Maybelline 24 hour colour tattoos

 Two of the Revlon Lip butters

 Now this is so funny, I got my parcel Friday morning and I kid you not but on Wednesday I was in Boots looking at Peach Parfait thinking I really want to get this it is such a lovely colour! I refrained as I knew I was getting a box of goodies in the post soon so I walked away.... AND IT FOUND ITS WAY TO ME ANYWAY!!! Jerlyn is amazing I swear I didn't even ask for these! 

 Some lovely NYX loose pigments

 A BareMinerals lipgloss and ELF luscious liquid Lipstick and I think this one is her very favourite and I know she talks about it in many videos!

 Two Lippies from Wet N Wild

 This was a complete surprise...

 The studio Gear lippie was fab  although a little to brown for me at the moment however my mum snapped it up from me as she wears these colours all the time. I loved the packaging though so would love to see what other colours they do!

The Kat Von D Lip glosses were such a surprise the packaging is beautiful and the two colours she picked were lovely one was a red and the other a muted rose pink brown. So looking forward to wearing these! 

I knew exactly what these where....

China Glaze Anchors Away Collection

I had asked for these especially and I think she bought them well over a year ago as this box swap has been a good two years in the making I think! I loved this collection when it came out but the problem is over here the sets are around £45+ each and I think she got them for around $30 which is insane. SO I was beyond happy when I saw these! 

A NYX Make up bag and some NYX palettes plus she threw in some brushes which was very nice!

NYX Runway Collection palette in Champagne & Caviar

NYX I dream of Jamaica Palette

Some brushes

See I did what I was told!!! 

HOLY COW! 
I know she has had this on her blog sales a few times and to be honest I would have bought it off her but I could not believe this was in my box, It was so sweet! Ahhh I love it. I never managed to get this when it came out in the UK I think I was either away at sea or it just sold out before I got near it!!! Cannot get over this one!!! So amazing!!! 

This was the aftermath..... hummmm

WOW that was a post and a half! I have to thank Jerlyn so much for such an amazing box I think we really did well this time. This box was, like I said two years in the making, since we had done our last one so there has been alot of thought to it. It isn't cheap to do one of these just to warn you, we try to set a budget but don't really stick to it. Especially when it is bought over so many months it doesn't feel so bad. The shipping is a killer though our boxes were around 6-7lbs each and we both had to use a courier to ship them out. I think if I remember rightly hers cost me £44 and the one she shipped to me was $66 so it's does, do you in on that front. Hence the two year gap. 

I just want to add I hope no one thinks I am bragging with this post it was just my way of showing what she sent me as I know she mentioned it in the video and there have been comments of people wanting to see. I do also know this is alot of make up. My sister said when she saw it that it was more make up in that one box than she has owned, ever! This has sparked a clear out for me and alot of my new back ups that I don't need have gone on eBay and I've given away stuff too. So I am going to try and down size! 

Now I have to say I am very lucky to have met Jerlyn through her You tube and we are friends online which is how we decided to do this. I do see so many horror stories of people doing swaps and getting screwed over that I am very thankful I have found such a honest and lovely young woman to befriend and share this all with! 

We both wrote each other a long letter which was so nice as it meant we got to learn about each other on a more personal note. I intend to reply to her letter and keep that going as no one writes any more and I love getting letter in the post! 

I know we have already mentioned our next one which WILL be smaller but we are going to aim for a higher end package. This I imagine will take another few years... That's if we don't visit each other and end up going shopping together one day. God think of the carnage that would be!!

Anyway that is all for this epic post. Once again a massive THANK YOU to Jerlyn!!!

All her links will be below and you can check out her video on her You Tube channel to see what I sent her!
If you made it to the end I am impressed!!!

xoxo

Jerlyn's Links

You Tube Twitter Blog Instagram 

Sinful colors Nail Polish in Boots UK now!

So I popped into Boots the other day to help mum pick out some face cream as we had two No7 vouchers that we HAD to use up before they expired today. As we walked into out little tiny boots that we have in Winchester I was stopped by this beautiful display of nail polishes that I hadn't seen before. This was the newly launched in the UK, Sinful Colors (spelt the wrong way *twitch*), a popular american brand that has made it's way over here. Even my mum liked the look at these. So I had to pick up a couple at least just to try them and mainly because they were £1.99 although in the US they are $1.99 so we still aren't getting a bargain like they do! Never mind hey it's now one of the cheapest nail polish brands in Boots. So we can't complain all too much. I also discovered whilst walking around with two of the polishes in my hand that it was 3 for 2... so I walked back to the display for my free one :) 

 These are the Three that I chose, I Love neons for my toes and I'm OK with most colours on my fingers so I just picked up the ones that grabbed me first. The display was pretty empty already there were no reds or many pinks left. But never mind!

 Nail Junkie, Dancing Nails and Timbleberry

 One days wear on the polish, ALL polish give up the go on my nails very quickly so this is holding out pretty good to be honest. Just some slight tip wear and a chip on the corner.

 Love this colour, had to put it on as soon as I got home! This is without a top coat or base coat because for me personally It makes no different to wear on the polish so I'd rather save myself the hassle and not bother with two extra steps!

 Nail Junkie (flash)

A Teal jelly like base with silver, teal and opal glitter of different sizes. Tried this on one nail and was opaque in two decent coats. Personally would do this over a teal chrome like colour and use this as a thick top coat. 

 Timbleberry (flash)

A Coral neon pink which dried slightly darker with more of a red hue in my eyes. I think this would need three thinner coats for a fully opaque. I was hoping it to be more true to a neon but it wasn't. Still a nice colour though. 

Dancing nails (flash)

A Copper based rose gold which is just lovely. It has a duo chrome like finish and it very smooth. 

This colour actually reminded me of my absolute favourite nail polish which is Bad Fairy from the MAC Venomous Villains Collection which was limited edition and I think I'm down to half a bottle which saddens me greatly! But it is pretty similar although Bad Fairy is an actual glitter polish. 

 It doesn't have the Yellow tones to the extent that Bad fairy does but it's close enough to make me happy. Plus I find the MAC polishes chip like hell on me so this polish maybe my go to instead of Bad Fairy :D 

So some final thoughts on these little beauties:

*Drying time was brilliant. I use my hands all the time and I don't have the patients to sit and wait for polish to dry but these dried in a reasonable amount of time and were touch dry very quick. 

* The price cannot be faulted at £1.99 a bottle and when they are three for two they work out at £1.33 a bottle!!! 

*The colour selection was impressive I think they have 72 colours which is fab! Obviously I haven't tried all the finish types but I generally find matte/nude/natural polish won't have the greatest of pigmentation and I do not have the patients for more that 3 coats and three is pushing it to be honest. 

Overall I am happy with these polishes and really cannot wait to get some more!

xoxo