February Favourites 2016

OK so February fly by a little quicker than I expected! But with 2016 being a leap year and today being that extra day we only get once every four years, it seemed like a good day to share this month's favourites.

The February Subscription Boxes 2016

March is just a couple of days away and it's time to delve inside the February offerings from some of the UK's best monthly subscription boxes. Covering beauty, lifestyle and vegan friendly treats, there's some incredible products and brands featured inside the February boxes and some very exciting themes to get stuck into.

Etsy Life Planner Sticker Haul

Back in January I shared my new Erin Condren Life Planner and my first impressions of what is a pretty popular method of organisation and planning. One thing that comes along with using planners of this nature is the lure of pretty stickers, and boy am I obsessed! I can't stop buying stickers for my planner, and so I thought today would be the perfect time to share some of my recent sticker buys and favourite UK sticker sellers, for anyone who is well and truly addicted to planning and organisation.

Chutney Ivy Leicester Review

One of my favourite cuisines is Indian food. Whenever I go for a meal with friends it's always to our local Indian restaurant, whenever my partner and I order takeaway it's more often than not Indian and I love cooking an array of Indian dishes at home, experimenting with flavours and spices. I'm a big fan of flavourful food, I love everything from fruity and mild dishes to the more spicier and vamped up curries that'll leave me feeling flustered. When I was kindly invited for an intimate private dining experience at Chutney Ivy Restaurant & Bar, situated in Leicester City Centre, I couldn't resist the chance to try a local restaurant, hopefully finding a few new favourite dishes along the way.

Michael Kors Sexy Sunset

Spring might be another month away, but that hasn't stopped me switching up my scent library and turning to scents that are lighter, fresher and slightly sweeter than the deep and musky scents I adore in winter. One such scent is a brand new release from Michael Kors, a brand I am loving more and more with each new fragrance release, with a stunning combination of scent notes that leave me in pure lust with each spritz.

High-end Beauty Dupes

Today, I’m talking about some of my favourite high-end products and their drugstore dupes.  I have a real weakness for high end makeup, and I love treating myself on payday, who doesn’t?!  However, I also really love the more purse friendly brands and there is nothing better than having a bit of a spree in Boots picking up four or five shades of lipstick for the price of one luxury shade!

One Month On

I can't believe I'm already writing about Willow's first month. The past four weeks have absolutely flown by and it's crazy to think that she is one month old already. It only seems like yesterday that I was making my way to the hospital to be induced, to deliver Willow by emergency c-section less than 48 hours later. It's been four weeks of sleepless nights and tiring days as we get the hang of this parenting business and as I settle into life as a new mama, I realise everyday is a challenge and adventure all rolled into one. It's been a crazy first month.

Lush Salted Coconut Hand Scrub

Although I love indulging in a pampering body scrub and I apply hand creams religiously, I've never really been all that fussed about having a specific scrub for my hands. Considering our hands are one of the first places to show the signs of ageing and are very easily battered and worn by changes in temperature and weather, water and washing and everything else in between, they definitely deserve more TLC than I give them.

Things I miss about the UK

In 2014 I packed up my life in the UK and moved halfway around the world to Perth, Western Australia. There were a lot of things I wish I knew when we moved; I even wrote a blog post about what it’s really like moving to Australia but I didn’t realize how many little things I’d really miss about Britain, so here I am now writing a post all about it for you all.

Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum

Bases are the one aspect of makeup I think it is really important to invest in, especially if you have skin woes and need a base that'll last from morning to night without having to faff around with reapplying or touching up throughout the day. Of course, a good skincare routine is the ideal place to start when you want your makeup to apply flawlessly and last well; creating a happy canvas will always leave your makeup looking better and lasting longer, but for me at least, high-end bases are the only bases I can rely on for a perfect finish.

SnüzPod2 3-in-1 Bedside Crib

One of the most important things to consider when you're expecting a baby is where they will sleep. It was definitely one of the first things that crossed my mind when I found out I was pregnant, especially as it is advised that your baby sleeps in the same room as you for the first 6 months of their life.

GLAMGLOW Brightmud Eye Treatment

I love a bit of GLAMGLOW, and it was actually when Sophia tweeted some time ago that BeautyMart were having a 50% off site wide sale that I quickly picked up the GLAMGLOW Brightmud Eye Treatment. 

20 Dates That Aren't Dinner and Drinks

As much as I love getting dressed up and heading somewhere special for dinner/drinks, sometimes it's nice to think outside the box when it comes to date night. My boyfriend and I have never really been huge celebrators of Valentine's Day but this year we decided to make an effort to do something other than our usual meal out. 

I came up with a number of ideas to share with you - these fit a variety of tastes and budgets and are great for both new couples as well as those of you who've been together for a number of years. Even if you don't celebrate Valentine's, these are all things you can do with a friend or family member. They're not just restricted to February 14th, either - date nights can of course be enjoyed all year round! 

Inika Vegan Brush Roll

I have a lot of love for Inika, a 100% natural beauty brand which creates vegan friendly, cruelty free and certified Halal products, a few of their makeup products are essentials in my beauty stash. I'm a particularly big fan of the Mineral Eyeshadow range, which for me is unbeatable for the beautiful shade range, incredible formula and ease of use, a range I've raved about more than a few times here on Tattooed Tealady.

Today I have a very different Inika review for you, straying away from the natural makeup products and instead giving the beauty tools a try; it's time to delve into the Inika Vegan Brush Roll.

Lush Intergalactic Bath Bomb

When Lush expanded their range in 2015, one of the things that didn't disappoint on was the huge new range of bold, bright and colourful bath bombs with scents that instantly please the senses and turn your bath into a magical display. One of those beautiful new bath bombs is Intergalactic, and I think I might be obsessed.

Five Budget Beauty Products

I often seem to write about high-end products, but there are a few very affordable brands that offer some fantastic products which I just love, and so I thought I'd share my top 5 budget picks with you today!

The Body Shop Red Musk Eau de Toilette

It's no secret I am a big fan of The Body Shop fragrances. I've raved about several of the scents The Body Shop have to offer here on Tattooed Tealady before, covering everything from their Body Mist range which is exceptionally affordable and great quality for a mist range, to the very affordable Eau de Toilette and Eau de Parfum ranges which get better and better each year. Every time a new scent is released I can't help but get excited; affordable scents that are just as good as their high-end counterparts, what's not to love?

Brands That Blogging Introduced Me To

Whether you read blogs or also write one yourself, one of the things you will soon pick up is a hefty list of brands and products you want to try for yourself. For me beauty blogs are invaluable, because instead of just seeing an advertisement on the television telling me I need a product, beauty blogs offer details reviews from people who have actually taken the time to try those products out for themselves. You can find out whether a product might work for you based on reviews from people with the same complexion, skin-type and needs as you. The majority of brands and products in my beauty stash have been picked up based on reviews from other bloggers, an endless list of brands that blogging has introduced me to.

Five Budget Eye Picks

I'll be honest, I love a high-end splurge and if you delve into my makeup collection you'll be hard pressed to find many budget brands. But if you look closely enough there are some real purse-friendly gems hiding away, products which I have repurchased time and time again, products which have proven to be long-lasting and with better formula's than their high-end counterparts, products which I know I can always rely on because they get the job done. I know a lot of you love a beauty bargain, so I thought it was about time I started sharing more of my favourite budget brands and products with you all - starting with five budget eye picks from priming and correcting to soft shadows and intense liners. 

Erin Condren Life Planner First Impressions

Planning is becoming more and more popular in the UK, but it's the American YouTube channels I am subscribed to which first introduced me to planning and organisation on the level of the popular Erin Condren range. For over a year now I've had my eye on the planners, particularly the coveted Life Planner, but being an American brand I was always weary of ordering and being hit with custom fees. 

Over Christmas I decided to take the plunge, taking advantage of a 15% off Boxing Day offer and being persuaded by one of my favourite bloggers and YouTubers sharing her own Erin Condren Life Planner, finding it impossible to resist. I headed over to the site, made my order - personalising my planner to suit me - and waited patiently for it to arrive. 

Top Family Vloggers

I've always been a bit of a YouTube addict. I fill my watch list with video after video and spend hours wasting away time watching tutorials and reviews. I used to soley watch beauty related videos, but over the past year or so I have become absolutely addicted to watching vlogs. Vlogs from all kinds of different bloggers and YouTubers, from right here in the UK all the way over to America. 

Of course, my interests have also changed quite drastically over the past year and since finding out we were expecting a baby, one of my most watched type of videos on YouTube is vlogs from family and parenting vloggers. If I thought I had an addiction to beauty reviews, then this is on another level! So today I wanted to share with you my top family vloggers, the channels whose videos I always look out for and vloggers who I think you should be subscribed to. 

The De-stress Pamper Evening

I love pamper evenings. Face masks, at-home manicures, a good movie and plenty of snacks (preferably of the chocolatey variety) is my idea of a perfect night in! If you’re an avid reader of beauty blogs then I'm sure you've seen plenty of pamper-themed posts before but I thought I’d throw my two cents into the mix.