I bought a few beauty products last week in the hope of sprucing up my make up collection, ready for Spring!! There was also a great online sale on Superdrug's website - so you know, good timing really!

I wasn't much of a lipstick wearer until about two months ago when I won a mac lipstick in a giveaway which you can read about here! It was in the shade 'Blankety' which is a gorgeous subtle nude - perfect for a new lipstick wearer.

I decided to tip-toe out of my comfort zone and buy some 'a little bit more but not that much in your face' shades from l'oreal's colour riche range. I got three for an amazing £6 in the online sale -a bargain that I couldn't miss, especially as they're normally £6.99 each!

Wooo my first ever swatches!

Greige Amoureux and Fuschia Declaration have a bit of shimmer in them whereas Erotique is matte. All three are quite moisturising which is perfect for me as my lips are always so dry!

I'd been using Rimmel's Wake Me Up foundation up until last week but decided to call it a day as it was just making me look oily and the fact I'd picked up the wrong shade didn't help either...so I went back to my old favourite: Revlon Colorstay Foundation in 'Sand Beige'. It gives great coverage and stays matte all day. It does a great job at hiding my huge pores too! The only thing I think could be improved would be if it had a little pump as I often end up pouring too much of the foundation out!

Finally, I picked up two Barry M speedy quick dry nail varnishes which I've had my eye on for a while. I chose Pit Stop (left) and Hearbeat (right.)

I love painting my nails but I'm quite impatient and always end up smudging them into a horrible mess. These dry in around 60 seconds so are ideal for letting you carry on with your day :)

As I'm home from Uni at the moment, I decided to give my dressing table a little spring clean too :) What do you think?

10 ways to worry less

I am such a worry pot. Like seriously, anyone who knows me will vouch for this. When I make plans, I like to know absolutely every little detail or I'll worry about it. It's ridiculous and unhealthy. Soooo I've been trying to take little steps to just chill out, relax and realise that things aren't actually so bad!

1. Write it down - One of my fellow worrier friends told me to do this. You know when you're lying in bed, going over and over something in your head. It's silly because there's usually nothing you can do about it at that time so write your worry on a piece of paper and then deal with it in the morning. By writing it down, you feel like you've taken some action.

2. Prioritize - Writing a check-list of whatever you're worrying about can help you work through each issue systematically and individually so it's all a little less overwhelming. Deal with one issue at a time.

3. Switch off - It can be hard to forget the worries of everyday life when you're constantly checking social media on your phone - I'm guilty of this one! I often find that watching a film or reading a book, phone free, helps me to escape a bit and unwind.

4. Talk to non-worry pots - I always feel better after talking to my more laid back friends. They make you realise that you're being a little OTT and you can really learn a lot from them. When I'm worrying over something silly, I try and think what that friend would do in my situation - would they find it a big deal?

5. Put things in perspective - Is this thing you're worrying about going to be an issue by this time next year? Most likely not! I look back a lot and realise how daft I was to worry so much about the silliest of things that no longer even matter!

6. Get moving - Exercise releases endorphins > endorphins make you happy > if you're happy then you're probably not worrying!! 

7. Distract yourself - If there's nothing you can do about your worry then just put your energy into something else - something that you enjoy, whether it's baking, reading, going to the cinema...

8. Get some headspace - During exam time, I found it hard to stop thinking about things, so as well as writing my little to do lists for the next day, I also listened to an App called Headspace, which teaches you the basics of meditation. It really helped to clear my head and the first 10 sessions are free!

9. Cuddle a pet - Studies have shown that animals decrease our stress levels. If you're feeling like things are getting a bit much and your day isn't going well for you, go and cuddle an animal. They will take your mind off things and if you realllly want, you can talk to them without any judgement!

10. Accept it - If you can do something to take control of what you're worrying about then do and if you can't, then just accept that. Is there really any point in letting something eat you up so much when either way you can't change it....plus remember that the vast majority of things we worry about never actually happen!!! :)

I realise it's not always that easy to stop worrying if it's part of your personality but I hope these tips can help a little!!

Have you got any advice about dealing with stress and worries? 

Welcome to Chadwicks

Remember I said in this post that I'd post about the restaurant we went to for Rachel's birthday? Well here it is :) This is my absolute favourite place to eat so I couldn't not share the photos..it really is somewhere special!

Chadwicks Inn is tucked away in the quiet little village that is Maltby...it is also a 5 minute drive from where I live (handy ey!)

The food here never fails to impress me and you can find Chadwicks in the Michelin Guide for places to eat out!

Naturally, the first thing we did was order a bottle of White Zinfandel which went down a treat as Rachel opened her presents. 

Every time I've eaten at Chadwicks, the Chef has had some kind of special complementary appetiser to offer us. In the past we've had freshly baked breads of all different flavours, but this time we got sea salt & balsamic popcorn with some kind of fish thing. I don't actually like fish, but this place is expensive, so I didn't even ask what it was and just gulped it down! It was actually realllllly good! 

For starters, we both got a wild mushroom risotto which was light and delicious. I do love a good risotto but I've never actually tried making it at home!

The main event was chicken wellington for Rachel and pork belly for me. The pork was cooked to perfection - melt in the mouth with a tasty crispy crackling - heaaaveennn!

Now if you're going out for a meal, you have to do it properly. Not ordering dessert would be a sin. I mean, why would you make all that effort to dress up and go out and then turn down the best part?

Yep, dessert happend. Just look at it - is your mouth watering a little? Mine is.

I got this cute looking tarte tatin that was baked fresh to order...worth the extra wait I tell you!!

Rachel got a lemon tart which I tried a bit of and I found it to be quite cheesecakey - which is a good thing in my books!

Where's your favourite place to eat out? I love reading posts like this so pop your link in the comment if you've done one!

A cute idea: afternoon tea at home

Last Sunday, I decided it would be nice to have the girls over for  bit of quality time together. We're all lovers of tea and cake so it only seemed right that we do our own little afternoon tea!

Everyone was told to bring a sandwich, which we cut up and shared between us, and then a bake!

I feel like triangle sandwiches taste better than rectangle ones! So dainty and delicious :)

I made scones using Mary Berry's recipe which you can find here. I was a little hungover so I ended up making these very last minute...which turned out to be a good thing as I took them out them oven just as the girls knocked on the door!! Freshly baked scones are the best!

Jay made some yummy raspberry mousses with coulis which were very light and fruity! They looked great in the little jar pots - She used the pots you get with GU desserts (great excuse to buy some!)

Tiffany made a selection of chocolate, vanilla and marble cupcakes which I actually thought she'd bought as they looked that good!

Helen made some brownies - a true classic! Our chocolate fix was met that day..

There's nothing like fresh flowers to finish off the look of a table :) I bought these for my room to cheer me up this week for only £1.50 in Tesco!

I really wanted to share this all with you as we all had such a lovely afternoon and it's just a bit different isn't it! I think next we'll have to have a "pot luck" night or something...we're all major food lovers!!

If you're into afternoon tea posts then you can read another one here!

#NWBloggersMeetUp Part Two: The Goodie Bag

So here it is...the one you were waiting for; The #NWBloggersMeetup Goodie Bag!

First of all I just want to say a huge thank you to all the brands that were so generous and got involved in our event! I am overwhelmed by the amount of samples we were given to try and I am still working my way through it all so I will be able to do proper reviews later :) But for now, have a good nosey!!

I know you can't realllly see it properly but if you can spy the can on the right hand side, that's Virtue Strawberry and Peach Ice Tea which tastes super refreshing! Apart from Lipton's Ice Tea, I've never found another one I like until now. It's something that would be perfect for a hot summery day. You also can't really see the Nail HQ all-in-one formula but it deserves a mention as I have tried it out and liked the results. It's a clear varnish containing argan oil and minerals, which can be worn under or on top of your regular nail polish. I always break my nails so I'll be using this as much as I can now!

The Mello and Mallo marshmallows didn't last long as you can imagine! I've never tried gourment mashmallows before but they taste amazing, even just standard vanilla flavour mmm... Foodwise, we also got a few packets of Border biscuits which have been a great addition to my daily cuppas! Crunchy Oat Crummbles is my favourite! If you can spy the silver hearts bracelet, that's from Utility, which I mention all the time and is made by Estella Bartlett. I will have to put a better photo up of it later because I absolutely love it! It's so dainty and pretty.

Bespoke Bracelets kindly gave us these!! How cute of them :) They'd make great personalised little gifts!

I apologise for the fact that a lot of these photos are a bit manic..I just didn't know where to begin! But can you spy the Amazing Cosmetics concealer samples? I've been using it a lot this week and I'll be buying a full size tube as soon as my student budget allows for it...It's reaaaaallllly good at hiding blemishes and I have had awful skin this week! I haven't tried the Vichy Normaderm Hyaluspot cream (what a mouthful!) yet but it is meant to be for blemish-prone skin so I'm looking forward to trying it out.

Sweet Cecily's sent us these super cute personalised lip balms! I think this was my favourite item in the goodie bag due to the personal touch and you can ask them to print any photo onto their balms - great as a gift or wedding favour! Mine is Mojito flavour and it really is a delicious smell! Their shop is based in Whitby which is close to home, so I'll definitely be popping in next time I'm there.

Okay, so these two items weren't from the goodie bag, I actually won them in the raffle but I couldn't leave them out! They are from the Naked Skincare Company which is a very natural and eco-friendly brand. I really love their packaging! I have only tried the Hemp and Avocado Body Butter so far which has the texture of actual butter..you know when it's been left out..not like hard out the fridge! It doesn't have the strongest scent but it does leave your skin super hydrated and feels a bit how bio-oil does when you rub it in. I feel like it'd be great for stretch marks!

The Dessert Counter sent us some yummy macarons and cake pops! The macarons are the nicest I've tried and I'd never had cake pops before but they tasted amazing! Baked goods are always a win with me..

I have tried the Glam Glow Mud since my last post but only once so I can't really give it a fair review. It smells amazing, feels nice on your skin but I'm not sure I'd pay £50 for the full tub unless I really start to see miracles..not whilst I'm a student anyway - definitely more a luxury item! They gave us a brush to put it on with which made it feel extra special :)

A few pineapple themed pieces from Utility again - A pineapple lip balm, which I am yet to try and a 3D room fresher thingy (do these have a proper name?!)

Witch Overnight Skin Clearing Serum - I have been using this all week because I love how hydrating it is. It feels less harsh on your skin than their blemish stick, which I feel you can only use on targeted areas! My skin has been breaking out terribly this week but I feel like it has stopped some of them coming out properly. 

I'm not a frequent user of fake tan after a few disasters, so I'm a bit nervous about trying this self tan bronzing mineral powder from Vita Liberata. You brush it over moisturiser or liquid foundations and it claims to last for up to 5 days! I'll be saving this one for the summer time I think, when I'm away from uni..just in case it goes wrong, but hopefully it'll be easier to use compared to other products I've used in the past!

We also got some more fake tan products from Xen-tan; A body scrub and a luminous glow gel self-tan in medium. I've had a professional spray tan using Xen-tan which looked really natural, so hopefully I'll be able to achieve this at home now!

I was really excited about these Asleep and Awake potions from Faust's Potions but I have to be honest and say that they really don't smell good. I gulped down the asleep potion which tasted better than it smelt, but still... really not good....I did have a great night sleep though but it's always hard to tell with these things whether or not it's just the placebo effect..I don't know! 

This Happy Lips lip balm from Blistex smells so fruity and summery! I've pictured just the Mango one as I gave my housemate the Strawberry one to try. All the blogger girls have said how much they love this lip balm and it's another one of my favourite items, easily :) I'll be picking up more of these come summer!

This eye gel which is supposed to stop puffy eyes is from Balance Cosmetics. I don't really get puffy eyes so I can't really say much about that but I've been using it a lot before bed just because I like the cooling sensation is has on my eyes...sends me straight to sleep!

This hand cream from Crabtree and Evelyn has already made its way into my handbag. It has a fresh water sort of smell which I love :) 

I'm really loving this Mavala nail varnish in shade 'Elle'. I've actually got it on as I'm typing! I hadn't heard of the brand before so it was a good little introduction :) It's a good colour for every day and not OTT for work or whatever!

I'm a sucker for stationary!! I was so happy to get the coloured pens from Stabilo because I use them a lot for revision. I'm so much more productive when I get new stationary!

I got a magnetic 'to do' note pad from Busy B which will come in very handy, as well as some cute kitchen labels. You would not believe how excited I got over kitchen labels haha..I now have visions of myself making my own jams and chutneys just so I can use them!!! Who knows, maybe in the summer I'll have a go at that! 

A cute card from Utility! I'm pleased I got this one as I'm a keen tea drinker! I might just stick it on my wall rather than give it away (I know, how selfish) as it's so cute :)

Skinetica is an anti-blemish toner than can be worn under make-up which I think is great! I know it's not great for your skin when you wear foundation etc. so I feel a little less guilty about it when I have this working away underneath it all! I don't really like the smell of it though which is the only negative thing I have to say about it! It's not bad enough to put me off using it though!

Finally, a big shout out to Wild Thang who made our lovely bags :) 

I have tried to include as much of the goodie bag items as I could, but there was soooo much! I will be able to tell you more about them as time goes on though. 

Anything caught your eye?