HAUL // LIPSTICK

Happy National Lipstick Day!

Today I bring you a haul of the lipstick kind. I recently went on two trips to Boots and bought a fair few products but today, seeing as it is National Lipstick Day I will only share with you the lipsticks I bought and save the other beauty products for a bigger haul post.

A lot of the lipsticks I bought were on a deal in Boots so 3 for 2 or buy one get one half price which is why I got so many, I've also thrown in some lip liners and other lip products int his post just because well, it national lipstick day so anything lipstick related goes right?

First off I'll start with the Bourjois Color Boost Lip Crayons, £7.99 each. I got all four colours (that were available in my local Boots) which are (L-R Picture above) Fuchsia Libre, Orange Punch, Red Sunrise and Peach on the Beach. I've never even read about them or thought about buying them until Bourjois had the 3 for 2 on so I got some. They're a long wear, super moisturising lip colour in the form of a crayon, similar to Clinque chubby sticks in principle. Not sure about formula because I don't have the chubby sticks! 

I also ventured into the Maybelline Color Sensational range and the Rimmel Moisture Renew range when shopping around, I got the colours Hollywood Red, Oxford Street Fucshia and As You Want Victoria, swatches are above. They're all extremely pigmented as well as well as super creamy and easy to apply.

Lipsticks can sometimes take their toll on your lips so I repurchased what is possibly my favourite Baby Lips flavour or scent or whatever. It's the Cherry Me one and it leaves a little read tint on the lips. These have had a lot of mixed reviews but personally I love them. I also bought 2 lip liner pencils and Rimmel's Lipstick Lock. I am yet to figure out what the transparent lip liner actually does but the lipstick lock is proving good so far, I will update you in due time!

That was my National Lipstick Day post! How has your day been?!

Love Alicia x

Why not also keep up with me and my blog on social media? Alicia Jade is also active on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bloglovin'

SHARE:

0 lovely messages

NEW // Makeup Revolution Blush and Concealer Palettes

Makeup Revolution Blush & Contour Palette in Sugar and Spice, £6 - www.makeuprevolutionstore.com

Makeup Revolution Cover & Conceal Palette in Light, £6 - www.makeuprevolutionstore.com

As as aspiring makeup artist I'm all about products that take up less space in my kit and my collection as a whole, they're easier to carry around and they're easier to find. When Makeup Revolution announced, around 4 weeks ago, that they had a new range of palettes out aimed at concealing, contouring and blusher I jumped at the chance to try them out!

I bought these two in colours that would suit me as I didn't want to spend money on them all (even though they're so inexpensive) and find that they weren't very good. Even though I knew Makeup Revolution had a good reputation for bringing out quality and affordable products, I still didn't want to take the risk, so I stuck with these two.

This isn't a review, I will review them separately when I've had the time to use them numerous times and figure out what the wear of them is like and so on but for now I can say that I love them!

The concealer is lightweight so probably not something you'd want under your eyes if you have heavy dark circles as I don't think they would cover them up extremely well but they're prefect for blemishes and cleaning up brows etc.

The blush palette contains 5 beautiful shades of blush and one highlighter (they're supposed to be contour as well but they all seem a little too pink to be contour shades? Maybe it's just me) and they wear really well and the highlighter is really really beautiful.

The blush palette I chose goes really well with the Iconic 3 Palette also from Makeup Revolution as the shades are pretty much from the same shade group all being earthy with pink undertones so they tie in really well together.

If you haven't heard of Makeup Revolution you should definitely check them out they're really affordable and the products are good for what you pay. I also have a giveaway running at the moment where you can win the Iconic 3 Palette and 2 of Makeup Rev's velvet lip lacquers so head on over to that post (click here) to enter for you chance to win, it ends in 5 days! (30th July)

What do you think of Makeup Revolution??? Let me know in the comments!

Love Alicia x

Why not also keep up with me and my blog on social media? Alicia Jade is also active on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bloglovin'

SHARE:

0 lovely messages

HAIR // Update - Pink Dip Dye

I've never been one to keep my hair the same for too long, in the last 3 years I've dyed my hair, red, black, brown, I've had it ombre, blonde, purple, pink and blue and my most recent venture is pink dip dye!

I love experimenting with different colours and I definitely feel that summer is the perfect  time for a vibrant neon colour and it's a lot easier to get away with! I did make sure my hair was in good condition before doing this as the dye was only going onto my ends which are the driest part but so far so good my hair is holding up and I'm loving the change!

I have a full post about dip dying my hair, which I wrote about a year ago but I used the same dye and the same method this time around as well so if you'd like to take a look at that then click here.

What do you think of bright hair? Would you dare to go neon? Let me know in the comments!

Love Alicia x

Why not also keep up with me and my blog on social media? Alicia Jade is also active on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bloglovin'

SHARE:

2 lovely messages

BEAUTY // Hot Weather Makeup for Oily Skin

Oily skin can be a bit of a nightmare, especially in the Summer time as makeup seems to just slip right off. I've built up a bit of a shine proof  makeup stash that helps my skin stay as oil free and protected as possible throughout the Summer days.

As a base I use Garnier's Moisture Match Mattifying Moisturiser to keep my skin moisturised but to stop the oil from becoming overwhelming and making my makeup slide off. On top of that I have been using Benefit's POREfessional primer since February just because I bought it and have loved it ever since, it's really good at blurring out and smoothing over my pores without clogging them up and it's never caused me to breakout and it's also very good at mattifying my skin. As a base during the Summer I tend to use something a little lighter that foundation and have been opting for a BB cream. The BB cream I'm using is Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream in Light and even though it has mixed reviews, for me it's been really good. My skin is oily and I do also own the Oily skin version but that ones a bit hit and miss for me, some days I love it and others I hate it, it's really starnge. I remember last year it was my absolute go to BB cream but this year I've mostly disagreed with it and I'm not sure why or what I'm doing differently!

After I've put my base on I use Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Transparent to set everything and keep the oils at bay and this is a cult Rimmel product so you probably know all about it it really is as good as everyone says and it never goes cakey on me. During the day to keep the shine away as much as possible I touch up with L'Oreal Paris Nude Magique BB Powder in Light which says it has 8 hours of mattifying power but I disagree although it is really good, but that's for a separate post. I mainly use this powder as it doesn't go cakey, has a little bit of coverage and also the compact has a mirror in it which is handy for on the go to just pop in my bag. I also use Kleenex Blotting Papers to take away the excess oil during the hotter days and they are relatively on the cheap side and also are easy to just pop into my bag which is great for me as I'm not a huge "touching my makeup up" person so I rarely pack a full makeup bag to go into my bag on a day to day basis unless I'll be out all day/have to redo my makeup completely.

I hope this helped those of you out there with oily skin like mine and even if you don't have oily skin maybe it can help you in some way too!

Let me know you thoughts in the comments!

Love Alicia x

Why not also keep up with me and my blog on social media? Alicia Jade is also active on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bloglovin'

SHARE:

4 lovely messages

LIFE // Taking Some Time Out

This weekend me and some friends took the time to go camping and take some time out from reality to just kick back and relax in the sun.

I think this is a really important thing to do as sometimes things can all get a bit overwhemling and you can really settle into a routine. Don't get me wrong, routine can be good, but it's nice to break routine and get out and do something once in a while.

The place we went to was Shell Island in Llandbedr, Gwynedd and it's a cute little island especially for camping were I got hardly any service and didn't buy the wifi for the exact reason that I didn't want to be on my phone or on Instagram/twitter all day. I wanted to relax and not think about work, general life and just chill out in the sun.

We spent most of our day times just chilling sitting around talking and going down to the pub on the island. Then come the night time we decided to go back to the camp and we all drank and got a bit rowdy and light a fire and sat together just laughing and it was super fun, even though it wasn't abroad I didn't ever want to leave!

I always find when going on holiday or for a short break the relaxation just really brings out the best side of you and you just seem to become so much happier and so much more of yourself comes through, at least with me anyway. I find when I've gotten in a routine of going to work and coming home everyday for so long that I just get so bored I become cranky, so it's nice to have that break once in a while.

I tried a few things that I've never been brave enough to do before when I went on my little break, like skinny dipping, don't worry it was pitch black and we were all a bit drunk but it was so funny and such a good memory that I'm really glad I did it and didn't chicken out this time!

I already can't wait to go on another break!

Love Alicia x

Why not also keep up with me and my blog on social media? Alicia Jade is also active on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bloglovin'

SHARE:

0 lovely messages

SKINCARE // The Run Up To Summer/Gradual Tan After Care

During the hot, summery months I like to be a little more bronzed and sun-kissed, don't we all? Don't get me wrong I embrace my pale all year rounds (mainly due to being lazy) but when I can be bothered I like to get a bit of a glow on and I've been trying out a few new products to help me get there.

Before I shave, tan or moisturise I like to exfoliate and I usually use Soap & Glory's Pulp Friction or Scrub of your Life but I wanted to try something different so I went for Boots Mango Sugar Scrub which smells absolutely amazing. I also bought the body mist to go along with it.

I use exfoliating gloves and body wash first then I go in with this on its own and scrub in circular motions all over my body just to get ALL the dead skin cells off before I go and shave my legs. When I shave my legs and body I just use ASDA's own Shaving Foam for Sensitive Skin to get an extra close shave.

After I've finished showering I pat my skin dry and wait for about 15-20 minutes for the pores on my legs to close up to avoid the tan going into them and creating that dark brown spotty thing that tan does!

I don't tend to use moisturiser when I'm using this gradual tan as Dove products tend to be very very moisturising so I find this is enough for my on it's own.

As for aftercare I just shower every other day and put the gradual tanner on everyday for 5 days to build it up, then when you get the tan to the level you want just put it on every other day to maintain it and exfoliate once a week, the exfoliater will scrub a little bit of the tan off but if you don't exfoliate your skin with tend to go scaly/the tan with stick to every dry patch it can find!


Hopefully you can take something useful away from this post, let me know your favourite summer skincare items in the comments!

Love Alicia x

Why not also keep up with me and my blog on social media? Alicia Jade is also active on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bloglovin'

SHARE:

0 lovely messages

BEAUTY // Ten Minute Work Face

No one has time in the morning to get on a full face of makeup before work, more to the point I doubt anyone actually wants to in the current heat.

I have recently mastered the art of doing my makeup in ten minute as opposed to 45 and have indeed cut down the number of products drastically from about a million, to under 10. The thing that takes me the longest to do is probably my eyebrows and I like to get them just right.

After I've washed my face I've recently been applying my St. Tropez Everyday Face GRadual Tan in Light/Medium to give me a little bit of colour. I then use my Benefit POREfessional and Maybelline Dream Pure BB Cream with SPF 15 in Light and Rimmel Stay Matte Powder to set it. On my brows I use Sleek's Brow Kit in Fair and Maybelline's Brow Drama Brow Sculpting Mascara. I've been loving using my Makeup Revolution Blush Palette in Sugar and Spice for contour and blush as the colour tie in really well with my eye makeup when I use the Makeup Revolution Iconic 3 Palette and the colours I usually use are shade 3 in the crease and underneath the bottom lash line and shade 6 from the inner corner to 3/4 of the way across the lid and just blend it all out (the shadows don't have names so I just counted which one they were in the palette) I also use the Eyeko Lash Curlers, Benefit's They're Real! Mascara and Estee Lauder's Sumptuous Extreme Mascara. I usually just put lip balm or something similar on my lips when I'm going to work and the one I've been using at the moment is EOS lip balm in Summer Fruits and that's me done!

It literally takes me ten minutes and lasts me a good 6 hours of wear due to the amount of mattifying products I use to keep my face shine free. It's and easy yet dramatic looking makeup look for days where you can't really be bothered but want to look like you made some sort of effort!

Love Alicia x

Why not also keep up with me and my blog on social media? Alicia Jade is also active on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bloglovin'

SHARE:

0 lovely messages

HAIR // Products and Potions, My Updated Routine.

We all want luscious hair that feels thick and smooth and reflects the sun like diamond encrusted silk - or something equally as shiny, bit of an OTT metaphor, eh?

I got my hair cut for the first time in 5 years on my 21st birthday, it was a terrifying moment. I have a great fear of hairdressers ever since one cut my hair off, about 7 inches of it, when I asked for a "trim" and I've never been able to grow my hair out since, even having it grow out for 5 years didn't sort that out, which made me deeply sad. 

However I am now enjoying my shoulder length hair and just want it to be healthy rather than long and I'm sure in time my hair will grow as it becomes healthier. When I went back to the hairdressers - after said lengthy period - the hairdresser advised me to do a few things which were 1) get regular cuts whenever the ends feel a little dry 2) always use a heat protectant if using heat tools, otherwise try to avoid heat tools when I can 3) use a hair oil, mainly Argan or Moroccan. 4) Use heat protectant when the weather is very warm 5) never use bobbles with the metal tabs on them 6) always condition the ends, not the roots.

I have taken on board her advice and bought a few things to renew my hair! The shampoo & conditioners that I use are really basic. Sometimes I go all out and buy Toni and Guy (For blondes) range or sometimes I just buy drugstore/supermarket basics like VO5 Smoothly Does It (which is what I'm using now) They both do good for my hair but the Toni and Guy one keeps my hair smoother for longer were as the VO5 one keeps my hair smooth for about 2 days then the weather tends to take its toll and my hair goes a little dry.

Once a week I also use a L'Oreal Preference or Clairol Deep Conditoners, these usually come with hair dyes but I never use them with the hair dyes, I use my own conditioner, so I save them up for uses in between dyes. I put these on after shampoo and before my normal conditioner and I put them all over my hair. With my normal conditioner e.g VO5, I just put this on the ends.

After I've washed my hair I apply the Argan Oil of Morocco by OGX and the L'Oreal 3 Day Straight & Anti Frizz Hot Smooth Cream and then brush through it with my Tangle Teezer before blow drying. I apply another heat protectant before straightening which is the LOreal 3 Day Straight Heat Protectant.

When the hair is straight I run a teeny tiny amount of oil through the ends whenever they start to feel a little dry just to revive them and give them extra moisture as they don't get any of the natural hair oils.

That's basically everything I do and my hair has been feeling really soft and thick recently, so hopefully it's working and my hair continues to be healthier!

What do you use on your hair? Let me know in the comments.

Love Alicia x

Why not also keep up with me and my blog on social media? Alicia Jade is also active on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bloglovin'

SHARE:

0 lovely messages

HAIR // The Constant Battle for Blonde.

Before:

After:

Jerome Russell BBlonde Platinum Blonde Hair Toner, £4.99 - Boots

My hair and I are constantly battling between copper tones and pure white tones and no amount of purple shampoo or toner has seemed to correct that. 

I usually use the Touch Of Silver purple twice weekly treatment from Boots but recently it's been turning me more grey than blonde and due to my hair's stubbornness it wasn't even doing it evenly, I just had random white patches. random grey/silver patches which had purple hues and then brassy/coppery tones all over my head, it wasn't fun.

I've seen these toners advertised on TV a while back but never thought to use them but on my recent trip to Boots I saw them again and decided to give them a try. I chose the Platinum Blonde toner.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for paying a fair amount for a good product but paying £4.99 for this one time use toner seemed a little steep to me when I was purchasing it, especially since it only lasts around 8 washes, however for the sake of my hair I gave it a whirl.

You apply this toner all over the head evenly to damp/towel dried hair, after you've washed it with a clarifying shampoo. After this you put on a plastic hood (commonly used during hair dying sessions) or a shower cap and apply heat with a hairdryer for 5 mins, after this you leave it to set for 30 minutes or however long was indicated  by your strand test (I skipped the strand test) and then you wash it out as normal.

I followed these steps minus the clarifying shampoo, I just used the Juicy Green Apples one by Alberto Balsam.

The result is as you see above and I'm pretty impressed, I think I missed a few bits of my hair on the underneath but overall the colour has blended in really well and ever got rid of the grey/purple tinted tones in my hair and evened it out.

I'll probably continue to use this in between root touch ups just to get my hair to a whiter colour as I am pretty pleased but seeing as my hair is so thick that one bottle can't do the roots and the lengths ~I may have to buy two *burns money instead.*

What do you think of this toner? Have you used it? Or if not, would you consider it? Let me know in the comments!

Love Alicia x

Why not also keep up with me and my blog on social media? Alicia Jade is also active on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bloglovin'

SHARE:

0 lovely messages

FAVOURITES // June.

Ah favourites time again, each month (nearly) every blogger writes one of these to share what their favourite product, items, things have been in the month that's passed. I am no exception, although I do find these posts helpful, I can't help also finding them a little monotonous in the way they're presented. But, alas, I am no exception and will drill out to you my favourites of the month June 2014!

Since the weathers been a little warmer I've been opting for the lighter BB cream rather than my usual foundation. The one I've been reaching for most is the Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream SPF 30 in Light this is just really good on those days where you don't want to feel like your face is weighed down by foundation and products, although I am oily in skin type this version seems to work better than the one actually targeted towards oily skin, at least for me anyways. I always start of with a primer no matter what base I'm wearing as I have quite large pores so the Benefit POREfessional Primer has been my favourite for a long while now, I'm currently still on my first bottle despite using it since February but it is on it's last legs, I've actually cut it open so I can scrap out the last bits of the stuff, but fear not, I have the little mini travel version waiting for me when my 22ml version kicks the bucket!

I've been in love with the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge since it came out but recently I've been too lazy in the morning to go downstairs, dampen it, then come back upstairs and use it so I've been reaching into my brush pot for my foundation/base brushes. The one I've been reaching for the most is the Real Techniques Buffing Brush it just buffs in the base so so flawlessly and it's super soft on the skin and I've just been loving it for my foundation/BB Creams.

For the face/powder products we all want that summer bronze look around the summer time, right? I've been using a combination that is not only to die for but smells amazing too! To get my cheeks bronzed and glowing I've been using Bourjois Delice De Poudre Bronzing Powder in 52 and MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Soft and Gentle Highlighter with these two on my cheeks I really feel like I've been tanning and looking after my skin, even though it's just a powdery visage, it doesn't look cakey on the skin and I love them both separately or together.

Recently that "Kylie Jenner" nude, plump lips look in really on trend right now and I'm seeing it everywhere. My lips are naturally quite full so with the help of a glossy nude lip they look plump and moisturised. The lip concoction I've been loving is L'oreal Privee Collection in Cheryl's Nude and Maybelline ColorSensational High Shine Gloss in Coffee Kiss these two together are a dream, I'm not so fond of the gloss on it's own as after a while it really dried out my lips if I don't reapply every few hours but on top of a lipstick it prolongs the wear and keeps my lips moisturised and looking plump and I just love it.

As for eye's I've been keeping it pretty simple. I've been creating most of my eye looks with my Makeup Revolution Iconic 3 Palette it's so versatile and can take you from day to night. Rumour has it that it's a close dupe for the Naked 3 Palette also and for £4 you can't lose. i'm actually giving one away, click here to go to my giveaway! On the lashes I've been loving Maybelline's The Rocket Waterproof Mascara the only thing I'm not so in love with is getting it off, it sticks like glue, but that will be great, I'm hoping, for when I go into the water on the beach! It really holds a curl in my lashes and is super super black. I also like the super thick look of lashes so I've been pairing L'oreal Miss Mange Mascara in Black with my The Rocket one, I usually put the waterproof one on first, let that dry a little bit then layer over the Miss Manga and boom, big luscious lashes!

Non Beauty Favourites

Food: Jacket Potato with lots of butter and cheese. YUMMERS

Song: Summer - Calvin Harris

Item of Clothing: My pinapple print runner shorts from Missguided!

Drink: Good old tea!

Blogger/youtuber: Zoe LDN of www.zoelondon.me

Those were my favourites of June 2014? What were yours? Let me know in the comments!

Love Alicia x

Why not also keep up with me and my blog on social media? Alicia Jade is also active on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bloglovin'

SHARE:

2 lovely messages

The Monday Matter #16

Makeup Revolution Everyone must have heard of Makeup Revolution by now, right? Well, in the blogosphere. I have bought a fair few things from the budget beauty brand and recently I bought the two palettes pictured above, which despite the price tag are surprisingly good quality!

Bblonde I've been striving for brassy and orange free blonde hair for a while now because it's difficult for me to get rid of these tones due to my natural hair colour which is sort of a dirty, golden blonde (meaning I have ginger/red undertones) My usual hair tone (Provoke Touch Of Silver) was turning my hair more grey than blonde, which I guess is in the name... "silver" but I was really striving for a more ashy/platinum colour and this toner worked wonders for me. The only downfall was the lack of product as my hair is fairly thick and there wasn't enough in the pot to do my entire head.

Pineapples I have gone Pineapple print crazy, when I saw these shorts on the Missguided website I was instantly obsessed with how cute they are. I even found matching high waisted bikini bottoms to go with them on the Bank Fashion website. Score!

The Ugly Shoe Trend I recently posted on these shoes and how much I love them but how ugly they look, no matter how much you love sliders you can't deny they're a bit granny, or is it just me? The only thing is the uncomfortable-ness of them at first but after a while they're super wearable. Oh and did anyone know that they're not ALL called "Birkenstocks" and that Birkenstocks is actually a BRAND that started this shoe style? I'm so clueless.

Getting my tan on I never usually fake tan. I often go through phases were I overly tan and have a bad experience or I tan and it goes wrong and then I just stop for ages. I've recently delved back into gradual tanning and I used to use the Garnier Summer Body but the smell really puts me off so now I've opted for Dove Summer Body which I've heard really good things about. I also bought a body scrub and the body mist to go with it (not fake tan related) because I NEVER exfoliate properly or regularly which I know is bad but I'm lazy. The Mango one smells AMAZING and it's really good at scrubbing the dead skin cells off. It has a bit of an oily residue afterwards but once the skin dries it leaves a moisturised feel. I've decided to get a bit of a faux tan as I'm going camping for the weekend which will involve a bikini and shorts and so on so I don't want to be so white that my skin reflects the sun and blinds everyone, I want a little bit of colour!

That's my week in review - how has your week been? Let me know in the comments!

Love Alicia x

Why not also keep up with me and my blog on social media? Alicia Jade is also active on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bloglovin'

SHARE:

2 lovely messages

LIFE // The Best Advice I Have

Source

Currently I'm sitting in my living room with my family, my cats and my cup of tea and just spinning words from the top of my head, not knowing if I will even make sense to any of you, but hopefully I will write something of meaning and something you can take away from this blog post, hopefully.

A couple days/a week ago I wrote a blog post about feeling overwhelmed with pressure and anxiety about not getting blog posts out on time and to the satisfaction of my readers and feeling as though I was really insignificant and that my blog was just sliding through the cracks of a much bigger blogging world that I couldn't seem to break into and this post kind of slides along next to that whilst also giving the people who feel like they're in the same position as me, a little helping hand and a friendly "you're not alone in feeling this way" because every now and again it does get a little to much, even for us not so big bloggers (if we're going to even step into the "big and little" realm) but let's be real, stress does funny things to the way we think and the way we react in a situation, and I was in serious "my blog is nothing compared to *insert big blogger here* so what's the point" mode.

At the time of writing this post a lot of other posts were going round about the same topic from bloggers such as Victoria from In The Frow, Katie from Scarphelia, Zoe from Zoella and so on and they all got my feelings spot on, but the fact is, they weren't MY feelings which is why I put in my own two cents.

I recently have felt like my blog, even though I love it and I love my content and I love the control I have over it has been a little monotonous, review after review after review. I felt like I was becoming a bit of a robot churning out things I thought were relevant and things I thought "beauty bloggers were supposed to do" and not writing anything worth reading, no matter how much effort I put into it and how many days I spent scheduling posts it just felt a bit half arsed and not much thought was going into it and I wanted to change that, the question that was haunting me was - how?

I thought If I took a week of blogging and then I would miraculously come back and be a blogging master creating posts that would get a million views a minute or whatever but truth is, my heart just wasn't in it at that point so I ended up unintentionally taking another week out in which I wasn't "officially" on blogging break, I just couldn't be bothered to post. Just because every time the thought of writing a blog post cropped up, I'd just procrastinate to take my mind off the fact that I was bored of even writing the same old crap anymore.

The thought of blogging and writing monotonous review after review after favourites after "my favourite this or that for under £10" was just haunting me as I want my blog reflect a little bit of me and who I am rather than just a faceless beauty blogger. No offence to those posts and the poster's they help me heaps but my blog was becoming solely that and I was just regurgitating information I thought people wanted to see. I want to have my own stamp and for my posts to show my passion and thought within them. So the very thought was keeping me from blogging and keeping me from wanting to even open my laptop and go onto any blogs, I just did not want to do it for a short period of time, until I rethought my take on blogging and pushed myself back into it.

My honest advice to anyone feeling the same would be to take a break, not a huge one, maybe 2-3 days and just really think about what it is you really want to write about and what it is you're passionate about. I'm passionate about makeup and lifestyle writing really fascinates me to read and to write so I love to write about that, but writing just beauty on it's own really took it's toll on my blog and it became a one topic blog, which wasn't my style. So now, I've changed it and I'm feeling a lot more motivated and happy about my blogs outlook.

So honestly, from me to you - just throw yourself back into blogging full force and whole-heartedly. Once you really grasp what it is you're passionate about writing, it'll basically write itself and it will really pay off because your passion will show through.

I feel to make my blog relavent to my readers I have to be true to ME and I'm still figuring out how to do that, but hopefully, in time my blog will grow with me and it will be a sort of step by step of how I've grown as a person.

Until next time,

Love Alicia x

Why not also keep up with me and my blog on social media? Alicia Jade is also active on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bloglovin'

SHARE:

2 lovely messages

FASHION // Deathly Hallows Choker

Deathly Hallows Choker* £3.70 - Sugarless Skulls

I recently won a giveaway held by Amy & Sarah who are the creators of an online Etsy store called Sugarless Skulls who specialise in affordable and quality chokers and bracelets which are all hand made/ home made.

My prize for winning the giveaway was this really cute Harry Potter inspired Deathly Hallows choker and it seems that chokers are really on trend this year so I was delighted to win one as I was going to buy one anyway!

I am a huge fan of Harry Potter which is the reason I entered the giveaway, I didn't expect to win as I never win anything so I was really happy when I did, so thank you Amy & Sarah!

They didn't ask me to review or post about this necklace but I love it so much that I decided I would share it for anyone who wants one or just wants a choker but didn't know where to find one.

They also offer giftwrap options in their store so if you're buying as a gift that's a really great option and it's (usually from what I saw) only 0.20 pence (GBP) extra, so not breaking the bank!

What do you think of this choker? Let me know!

Love Alicia x

Why not also keep up with me and my blog on social media? Alicia Jade is also active on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bloglovin'

SHARE:

0 lovely messages

LIFE // Olive Restaurant & Bar, Liverpool

Olive Bar and Restaurant - Liverpool

Despite not having a huge amount of photos, or any of the actual place, I just felt I had to hare my experience of this restaurant as it was above and beyond my expectations.

My boyfriends, our friend and I ventured out to this restaurant on a Wednesday afternoon to grab a bite to eat as we were hungover but craving something half decent and what we got was definitely more than half decent.

We found this little restaurant just off the Liverpool One site (up the top near the crown court) and decided to go in as our friend had a 40% off the total bill membership card deal and I was really craving pasta.

The restaurant itself is underground, you go in through the door at street level and are immediately met by some stairs taking you down into the bar/restaurant which has an open kitchen and is really quite spacious, the whole restaurant was filled with Italian aromas, I was in heaven being that Italian is definitely a top contender for my favourite type of food.

The is also an outside eating area just by the front door, if you prefer to take your drinks/food outside which is a lovely idea, but on that day I didn't really feel like it.

When we got in I ordered Carbonara with Smoked Pancetta and a nice glass of chilled lemonade with a slice of lemon in it and we ordered some garlic bread for us all to share. When the meals come out the waiter or waitress will cover over with some Parmesan cheese and over it up, I'm always up for a bit of that so I definitely got some and I'm so glad I did.

The meal was amazing and it was probably one of the best Carbonara's I'd ever had and the service was so so friendly. The fact that this place is also a bar makes me definitely want to go there for a pre-night out meal and have a few glasses of wine before I venture into the night.

Have you ever visited the Olive Press Room Restaurant? They also have a Manchester location!

Love Alicia x

Why not also keep up with me and my blog on social media? Alicia Jade is also active on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bloglovin'

SHARE:

0 lovely messages

BEAUTY // The Day Off Face.

Makeup is a great love of mine, yet working in a retail store with air con that doesn't do f-all, I barely wear a full face as it's not really necessary for work, so on my days off - when I'm going out - I like to do something more exciting and fun and this is what I came up with!

The products I used were Benefit's POREfessional Primer, Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream,  Makeup Revolution Concealer palette in Light, Sleek Brow Kit in Light, Makeup Revolution Iconic 3 palette, Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Transparent, Makup Revolution Blush & Contour Palette in Sugar and Spice, Illmasqua Precision Gel Liner in Infinity, Collection Creme Puff Matte Lip Cream in Cotton Candy, Benefit They're Real! and Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara.

I only pictured the basics here as I didn't want an over crowded picture but that's basically everything I wore. Despite having oily skin I actually prefer the normal version of the Maybelline BB Cream as the oily skin version doesn't suit my skin tone (even though I have both versions in light the oily one turns me orange) and it also makes me more oily? Weirdly.

I really enjoyed this makeup look as it was a lot more fun and dramatic that my usual everyday look, I will do a post on my ten minute work makeup in due course but for now, see you next time!

Do you use any of these products? What's your opinion on them? Let me know in the comments!

Love Alicia x

Why not also keep up with me and my blog on social media? Alicia Jade is also active on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bloglovin'

SHARE:

0 lovely messages

FASHION // The "those look like something my Nain would wear" Shoes

New Look Birkenstocks/Pool Slider - £12.99

The Rise of the "ugly shoe" the shoe that everyone can't stand to look at but for some reason can't stop wearing. I myself have fallen victim to the Birkenstocks or Pool Sliders, whatever you want to call them and rather than sticking to the norm and buying the black or white offerings, I bought red ones, to add a pop of colour into my usually monochrome wardrobe.

My boyfriend actually said "They look like something my Nain would wear" I was like gee thanks, he did save the insult with a follow up of "if you like them, buy them who cares what anyone else thinks!" Though which was pretty well worded. To add insult to injury a lovely old lady sat next to me and said "Oh I love your shoes" which while I was delighted, just reminded me I was in fact wearing old lady shoes as my boyfriend so kindly pointed out.

I bought these from New Look a few days ago, literally on payday and now they've gone into the sale for £9.74 - why me? 

I don't particulalry have an amazing fashion sense so will probably wear these with a bikini and a kraftan/cover up on the beach or as you can see me wearing them here with jeans and a kimono.

The one thing that irks me about these shoes is the curved rims, they really began to rub on me during the day and almost gave me blisters, as for the red buckle faster/strap, that DID give me blisters, full on top of my feet, can't wear any other sandles for weeks type of blisters - ouch!

I will definitely be sporting these again when I recover from my tramatic blister experience/when I can be arsed buying compeed!

So what do you think of the pool slider/birkenstock/ugly shoe trend? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Love Alicia x

Why not also keep up with me and my blog on social media? Alicia Jade is also active on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bloglovin'

SHARE:

0 lovely messages