GOMO (Get Out More Often)

I am the biggest Autumn fan around - no seriously, nothing gets me more excited about the colder weather, crisp red leaves and snuggling on the sofa watching a good film, however, this year I've decided that it's time to start getting out more and actually enjoy spending time with friends, family and the tattooed dude.

Exploring different parts of my city, going for walks all wrapped up and making memories certainly sound more appealing than "Netflix & Chill"!

Eventbrite, a ticket and event company are helping everyone GOMO (get out more often) with their wonderful website that will help you discover upcoming events near to you, as well as creating and selling your own tickets! Pretty nifty huh?  Here are some ways that I will be GOMO during the rest of the 

year!

Reducing My Use Of Public Transport

Credit: Isabel Smith Nutrition

In some of my previous posts, you'll notice that I had joined Slimming World back in January 2016 with the hopes of getting to my target weight. That goal is yet to be achieved, however, with my current 1 1/2 stone loss it's given me a huge confidence boost and the ability to walk to my nearest shop without having to stop to catch a breath.

Whilst there is nothing wrong with using public transport, for me nothing beats taking in the fresh air and waking your body up with a brisk walk whether that's to work, or to a friend's house for a cup of tea!

Gigs

Credit: Distorted Decade

I have a passion for music (preferably rock) so being inside a hall, stadium or outside where live music is playing really fills me with a sense of joy. Exeter has been known to have some incredible bands play at the Lemon Grove, Cavern and even the Great Hall so this year I shall be accompanying my tattooed dude when Slaves play here next month. Making memories, taking in the vibe and being around people who share your passion most certainly beats sitting inside!

Bonfire Night

Credit: PlayBuzz.com

We don't usually plan anything for the 5th November however this year it's much different, now that we have moved into our new home. As we have a garden we have invited my parents over to have some fireworks in the back garden, along with hot dogs, burgers and hot chocolate!

It will most certainly beat watching the fireworks from the window!

Eventbrite really is a fantastic way of finding out what's going on near you. So go on, grab your friends, family or partner and start making more memories and have lots of fun!

Edens Semilla - REVIEW

After reviewing their Jojoba Oil a few months ago and absolutely loving it, Eden's Semilla were in touch again to see whether I'd be interested in reviewing their new essential oil range. Now their Jojoba Oil has helped my sensitive skin and dry hair out immensely, so I was excited to see how I got on with the essential oils!

 The wonderful team kindly sent me the complete range which consist of 3 groups of 4 different oils.

Set 1

Tea Tree, Lemongrass, Rosemary & Frankincense

Set 2

Pine Tree, Lavender, Bergamot & Cinnamon

Set 3

Sweet Orange, Eucalyptus, Sandalwood & Peppermint

These oils are of high quality, therapeutic grade, pure and natural which is perfect since some oils that I've tried have been watery or have smelt very artificial.

You can use essential oils in many ways such as helping beat a cold, easing back aches and reducing stress. They work well in both an oil diffuser or, an oil burner, as a bath oil or even an ingredient in homemade soap. For lots of different way s of using oils then Pinterest is most defiantly your friend.

My thoughts

The oils state that they can be used in the bath which was a bonus for me as I am sucker for a hot, peaceful bath. So, after looking on the web for the top oils to battle stress (I suffer from stress a lot!), I decided to use 2 drops of the Lavender and 2 drops of the Cinnamon oils which left my bath with such a warm and relaxing aroma that as soon as I sat down I was instantly in a relaxing Zen.

 - However, after around 5-10 minutes my skin started to become very itchy and red, leaving me with no other option but to get out. Sadly, I suffered a slight reaction to the oils due to my very sensitive skin which was such a shame.

Instead, I've been using the oils in the shower - whilst your water is heating up, quickly add a few drops of your chosen oil to the shower floor. It will certainly awaken all your senses - try the Lemongrass for a invigorating and energising way to start your day. 

With that said, I was very impressed by the quality and even though I've been unable to use them in the bath, due to their versatility I've been able to use them in other ways. Good value for money, very affordable and with a huge variety of fragrances to choose from, I would definitely recommend this brand for not only their oils but their fantastic customer service and 100% money back guarantee!

Below are the links for each of the sets - click HERE for their website!  If you do purchase any of their products, please give them some love by leaving a review on Amazon! Save 10% when buying 2 sets & 15% when buying 3!

SET 1

SET 2

SET 3

NYX LIPS

"Velvety smooth, delivering a burst of creamy colour that sets to a stunning finish"

"Sweetly scented surprisingly durable, delightfully creamy & lightweight"

"Each glossy colour delivers sheer to medium coverage that melts onto your lips and is never sticky, leaving your lips soft, supple and kissable"

...... I couldn't describe the NYX lip collection better myself!

Yes, fellow make up lovers - NYX cosmetics has touched down on British Soil and is here to stay! I cannot tell you how excited I was when I heard that my local Boots were stocking NYX. The amount of time that I've spent browsing the U.S website, lusting over all the different products, and now I can finally view all the gorgeous products in person!

Their lip collection is to die for, offering everything from mattes to glosses. The colours are insane starting from nudes all the way up to dark reds - they literally have everyone covered!

A few months ago, I visited Boots to check out the NYX stand - bearing in mind I was a NYX virgin and never had owned any of their products. Fast forward to today and I am a huge fan owning 4 Matte Lip Creams, 3 Butter Glosses and 1 HD Powder. I sometimes have to resist going near to the stand as I will always end up coming out with even more lip products but, I guess you can't help it when they're so affordable ranging from £5.00 - £6.50!

So let's show you my current collection...

Matte Creams

-  London (04)

-  Abu Dhabi (09)

-  Cairo (16)

L - R (London, Abu Dhabi, Cairo)

These nudes are highly pigmented, incredibly durable and soft to touch. They do not transfer, nor do they stick in the cracks of your lips, unlike some other products that I've tried. Some matte lip products in the market today can leave your lips feeling sore and dry but, with this whipped like formula/consistency, you're lips still remain soft no matter how many times you apply the product.

**I do have Istanbul (light baby pink) however, I seemed to have misplaced  it, so check our my Instagram to see what I think of that product**

You can purchase the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams for £5.50

 Butter Gloss

-  Creme Brulee (05)

-  Fortune Cookie (13)

-  Devil's Food Cake (22)

L - R (Creme Brulee, Fortune Cookie, Devil's Food Cake)

These glosses have a sheet to medium coverage, allowing you to build it up as much as you want, without leaving that sticky residue  that some products do. I like to have at least one nude, pink and dark gloss in my make up collection, especially on summer days when you don't want to wear a heavy lipstick.

You can purchase these glosses from as little as £5.00.

I never used to be a big fan of wearing lip products but this has now changed since NYX came into my life (and make up bag) - I'm always reaching out to Abu Dhabi or London on a daily basis as they're prefect nude colours to wear to work. I'm sure that I'll be topping up my NYX collection very soon - I've already got my eyes on their baked blushes!

You can purchase the NYX range from any of the below retailers;

- Very

- Boots

- Feel Unique

- Selfridges

- Asos

My Slimming World Journey... so far

The best decision I made at the start of the new year was joining Slimming World. I wasn't happy with myself on the inside, disliked what I saw in the mirror, wasn't active enough and all of this not only affected me as a person,  but also my relationship. So, on the 10th January 2016,  I plucked up the courage, along with my best friend Dani in tow and signed up there and then.

When you sign up to Slimming World, you'll meet your dedicated group consultant. They will ask you to fill in a form, provide you with a Slimming World pack, and go through everything about the Slimming World plan.

As soon as you've had your welcome chat, you'll be asked sit alongside the other current SW members who stay for Image Therapy. Image Therapy stands for;

Individual

Motivation

And

Group

Experience

Within this session the group will share their ideas, recipes, inspirational stories as well as having a laugh and a giggle. It's such a motivational way of kick starting your new week whether you've gained, stayed the same or had a loss.

Once that's over, new starters will be asked to pay and then onto their first weigh in on the scales. Prices start from £4.95 weekly, or you can choose from one of the many countdowns that they have to offer. This is usually the best option, as not only are you getting a few weeks for free saving you some pennies but, it gives you the push to go to group every week.

After this, you'll be asked to weigh in on the special SW scales. The specialised SW tablet will not only show you consultant your current weight but, will work out your Club 10 weight too!  Your Club 10 goal is 10% of your body weight, and as soon as you reach this target you will certainly start to feel the health benefit and if you keep i off for 10 week you'll be rewarded with a free week! It's such an amazing goal to start off with, however, speaking of targets and aims, Slimming World allow you to decide your target weight. This is not calculated by a computer nor, is it something that your consultant tells you to aim for it's all you, and that's what I love about Slimming World.

If you reach your target and decide that you want to change it again - you can! Even if you stay at target, you still have 3Ibs either side (3Ibs loss or 3Ibs gain) to play around with.

Once you've weighed in, your journey pretty much begins! When I weighed in I was 13st 7Ibs, and felt a mixture of emotions when I came off the scales but, I knew that this was for the best and the only way was down!

Since I joined back in January I have lost a total of 1st 8Ibs, work out at the gym, and still have the odd treat here and there. I'm no where near my target as of yet, but I feel fantastic and so determined to get to that target before my birthday in September, or close enough.

Most of all, Slimming World has allowed me to eat real food! There are no fads, no shakes or specific calorie intake - just real food.  

Below is the photo that spurred me on to change my lifestyle, and what I currently look like. 

 Every Wednesday, I shall be updating the blog with my weekly weigh in, as well as my favourite SW recipes and treats!

Feel free to email me at kmacsblogs@gmail.com if you would like to learn more about the SW plan or to discuss anything SW related.

Candle Obsessed

Most of you now know that I am a sucker for candles, and every year for my birthday, me & John always take a trip to Bristol for some shopping and of course - a splurge in Yankee Candle!

I mean , let's face it,  Yankee Candle are true candle royalty and every single scent that they bring out just smells exactly like what the label describes, however, they have increased their prices slightly and whilst this isn't a major issue, I personally can't afford £21.99 for a large jar every month.

So in between this time, I like to scout around all the different high street stores to see what they have to offer and my oh my, are there lots of stores bringing out their own candles.

 Below are a few of my favourite candles that I have recently purchased, and also my current Yankee Candle stash. Enjoy!

This Mason Jar candle can be found in Card Factory at an affordable £2.99 a jar. They have lots of scents to choose from, and I decided to go for the Blueberry & Lime scent. Some would question whether or not the throw would be half as decent as a Yankee Candle due to the price, and they would be right in saying this - to a certain extent. Whilst it may not give off a huge fragrance in a large room, it does throw much better in smaller room such as a downstairs cloakroom, bathroom or even a small bedroom. 

L: Sweet Iris & Patchouli - R: Nectarine & Lemon Blossom

L: White Tea & Violet - R: Cedarwood & Myrrh

These days, I rarely visit Primark for their clothes (unless it's Disney themed PJ's of course :)) but more for their home range. Their home range has everything from bath towels to indoor lights, to bed linen and my favourite.... candles!

Again, these candles are affordable and smell absolutely incredible! My current favourite from their range is Sea Salt & Lavender - a wonderful fresh, sea breeze scent with a slight hint of floral. Not overpowering whatsoever ad perfect for the bathroom.

Their candles range from tea lights to 3 wick candles, all starting from £1.00 to the max of £6.00 (if I am correct) which is why I like to stock up as much as I possibly can. They also have the most dinkiest reed diffusers for £1.00 - adorable!

Reed Diffusers - L: Madagascan Vanilla - R: Sea Salt & Lavender

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Obviously my candle obsession has rubbed off onto John which is why he decided to purchase his own Yankee Candle from their Barbershop range! He purchased this one from Boots when they were having a 20% off selected Yankee Candles (RRP: £12.99) - they only had 3 different scents available at the time and decided to go for Hot Towel.

It's similar to Clean Cotton and Fresh Towel candles, but with an added musky, sea salt fragrance -  perfect for those of you that love the whole relaxing, soothing fresh scents that are currently available at Yankee.

The rest of the Barbershop range can be found HERE. 

 Top L - R : Bundle Up, Christmas Cookie, Sparkling Lemon

Bottom L - R: Campfire Treat (UK name: Fireside Treats), Jack Frost, Christmas Garland

Top L - R : Cosy By The Fire, Christmas Eve, Candy Cane Lane

Bottom L - R: Black Cherry, Honey & Spice, Winter Glow

Top L - R : Sparkling Snow, Vanilla Frosting, Moroccan Argan Oil

Bottom L - R: Angels Wings, Wild Fig, Christmas Garland

This is my current Yankee Candle wax tart collection, some of which I've yet to open. As some of them are from America or are no longer available on the website/in stores,  I will try and spare them as much as possible simply by halving the melt. Still gives off the same amazing throw but, means you don't have to use the full melt in one go.

Also, this is a good way of mixing different scents too! Try Home Sweet Home & Clean Cotton for an almighty cosy, warm yet fresh scent!

Do you have a favourite candle scent? Have you tried any of the above candles? Let me know! :)

Kerry xo

Long Time No See

For a very long time, I've debated whether or not to keep my blog. It's been a struggle to just come up with the content and actually open up my laptop after coming home from work, but if other bloggers like myself, can come up with content, review products and review products whilst dealing with a busy, hectic lifestyle - including full time jobs - then I sure as hell think I can too!

Whilst my blog was purely created for me, and my way of utilising my writing skills and providing my views and reviews on the latest beauty, lifestyle products and trends. It was also a way of meeting other bloggers in the blogosphere, reading their content and it sure has been lovely to see how many of you have decided to click on my little blog and read the content that I so very much, love and enjoy!

With that said, I will be keeping the blog alive but, for the time being I shall just be updating it over the weekends. This is just until I can get back into the swing of things and find my feet again. I have such a big life update which I'd love to share as well, so do keep your eyes peeled!

Kerry xo

Image 

Born Pretty | Review

A month or so ago, I received an email from a company called BornPretty. They invited me to take a look on their website and to see if there was anything that I'd like to review. Now, I must admit I have never heard of this company nor, have I visited their website prior to them contacting me, however, when clicking on the link I was just simply overwhelmed by all of the different products that they sell - and excited too!

Born Pretty were first set up in 2010 where they primarily sold nail art items. Since then and over the years they have rapidly developed and have now started to sell make up, accessories, phone case etc. They have opened their website to over 150 different countries and offer everyone free world wide shipping! WHAT A BONUS!

I was asked to choose a few products from the website, and my did I have a right field day. The website is just full of amazing things, and I really did find it so hard to choose. In the end, I settled with 3 products; 1 nail product and the other 2 were beauty related. NOTE: The nail product will be on a other post next month, so stay tuned for that.

Wooden Handled Foundation Brush*

This may come as a surprise to you all, but I don't actually own a foundation brush. For some reason, I just find that using my fingers as a way of applying my foundation works best for me, but boy have I been missing out. This brush caught my eye straight away when viewing the website, and I loved that not only was the handle wooden, but it had an angular shaped brush, so even if I didn't end up using this as a foundation brush, it could be utilised for contouring etc.

It's a perfect sized brush, and the bristles are soft as anything - which of course meant that my foundation was being applied smoothly, and without any pesky streaks being left behind.

Mini Beauty Sponge*

I have tried many beauty blenders, and whilst they're good for smoothing out your base  and picking up any excess make up, for me they're not the best at getting under the eye area, or any area that is difficult to blend. So, when I saw this product I knew I had to have it - not only is it adorable, it's the perfect size for under your eyes and around your nose.

Just apply your concealer as usual, run your sponge under water so it becomes damp and voila! It double in size. It really is a perfect addition to any ones make up kit, as it can be used for under the eye area, mouth, nose or brow bone.

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BORNPRETTY have kindly given my readers 10% off their next purchase. Click the link to visit the website, and treat yourself!