What I Got For Christmas 2014

Hello lovelies, so following from my post the other day about my the Lancome perfume i received for Christmas from my lovely Samuel, i had a few requests on instagram to follow up with the rest of what i received, so here it is!

As most people state in these types of videos, im not in anyway bragging or showing off, im simply showing you guys what i received, i am extremely grateful for all of my presents, big or small :)

I do hope you like this video and please let me know what else you would like me to film for you, i was also thinking of doing a Q&A video, so please leave your questions below for me or tweet me @frankiebooblog 

Lots of love, Frankie xXx

My Current 'Go To' Makeup Look..

With new year, brings new makeup and with new makeup brings new seflies!

Only kidding, but i have been keen to show you my current look ive been sporting over the last few months!

Ive been seriously into gold shadow all over the lids recently, no liner and a slick of black Bare Minerals Lash Domination mascara and my eyes are good to go, well it sounds easy but this gold look actually takes three different products to perfect that true 'gold' look..

Mac Paint Pot - Let Me Pop 

(please excuse the curly hair and unplucked brows - keeping it real)

Lancome Pigment - 10

Mac Mineralize Duo - Spiced Metal 

The products ive been using recently have literally become staples in my everyday routine, the Dior - Airflash foundation is literally my saviour with the cold weather weve got in the UK at the moment as it provides the perfect coverage without drying my skin out even further, a light dusting of the Clarins - Everlasting powder foundation and using my Collection concealer in light to highlight the under eye are, my face makeup doesnt budge all day, and i mean literally ALL DAY, finish off with a light dusting of my new favourite blush - Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick - Nectar and my face is complete. 

Using the Estee Lauder - Brow Pencil in 2 i lightly fill in my brows so they're more defined, i do love a good brow and this product fills them in perfectly without that obvious 'drawn on' look.

A little swipe of Mac - Sunny Seoul lipstick over my lips and im good to go.

What are your go to makeup products recently, and if you have any reccomendations for me let me know in the comments below, hope your all having a good week? 

Frankie xXx

Ps: i will be filming a youtube video this week and was wondering what you guys would like to see? let me know x

New Year, New Beginnings..

2014 left us as quickly as 2015 found us, it was such a fast year with many different things that we left there, me and samuel moved into another rental house, i started a new career, we had four lovely kittens and went on a lovely holiday with the parents, even though these seems like really huge things i didnt feel like i achieved anything in 2014.

2015 has huge things set out for Me & Samuel, we are moving out of our rental home in two weeks to go back to Sam's parents as we are saving for a mortgage, we have always wanted to own our own home and moving out at a young age meant we could never afford to do it whilst renting, were so lucky to have a second chance to go home and be able to save as, as lovely as it is having your own space, renting is such a huge waste of money, we are currently paying out around £1300 a month with rent and bills and it just seems like we are throwing money down the drain!

Im almost certain im going to miss my own space but it wont be long and we will have it back again, in the form of our very own home that we actually own!!!

During our stay at home we will both be finally driving, we both know how to physically drive we just havent ever passed our practical/theory tests so as soon as we pass those we will be buying a little car and on the road finally, we are quite old considering most people our age have been driving for around 7-8 years we again just could never afford it whilst renting so this is one of the big things i cant wait to do :)

We are going to Barcelona in three weeks time, so this will be a well needed break away after a hectic move, it will be our 7 year anniversary whilst we are there and i cant wait to finally celebrate an anniversary in another country, we have wanted to do this for the previous years before hand and never got around to doing it so im very excited and looking forward to some quality time away with Samuel <3

The last thing on my list for 2015 is to lose weight, i know most people have this as their new years resolution but i really have to, some of you may know from reading my blog that i gained weight from anxiety medication i was taking for previous years, well i am now off the medication and have already lost quite alot of weight just by stopping them so this year is the final push for me to get back to where i used to be!

So as you can tell this year ahead of us has some big things in store for Me and Sam, fingers crossed this time next year i will be writing a new blog post from my new house with a new year to look forward to!

What are your plans for 2015 and do you have any new years resolutions, let me know i love hearing about them all :)

Frankie xXx

Lancôme - Le Vie Est Belle

So i had planned to do the typical beauty blogger christmas edition 'what i got for christmas' post, uhmming and ahhing over whether or not to do that post i decided i would just stick to what i know best and keep it simple and post about the products i love, there is so much scepticism over those posts that i just wasnt sure if it would be a viable move (although if you would like to see a post about it comment and let me know, you may wangle me round!).

I had been banging on and on about Le Vie Est Belle to everyone for so long, i spray it at work continuously on myself and ive probably upped Lancome's sales over the last few months by promoting it so much, but i just didnt own it.

Everyone who knows me, knows im a pefume fiend, my collection is ever growing, but never big enough and i just knew LVEB had to become a staple in my collection!

Samuel had a nudge in the right direction by the mother in law and this landed in my present stash this christmas, i was over the moon as i didnt expect anyone to have remembered me talking about it and that i finally owned my own!

The scent at first is very sickly sweet, but bare with it, when it warms down it is the most beautiful sweet but elegant scent, the notes contain Iris, Orange blossom, Jasmine and Patchouli and considering the notes are floral this fragrance is actually not very floral at all, although you can definitely smell the Iris when first sprayed, the fragrance is warm and inviting, perfect for the cold winter months.
LVEB really lingers around for a long time so even if you only go for a small bottle it will last you a super long time, i sprayed this on my scarf christmas day and i could still smell it when i picked up my scarf yesterday, so your talking a good week and it smells just as beautiful as when i first applied it!

If you ever go past a Lancome counter please have a little test of this fragrance as im sure you will love it as much as i do, a big thankyou to Samuel for getting it for me!

Frankie xXx

Lancome - Le Vie Est Belle from £39+ 

Life Update, Birthday, Kittens & More..

Hey guys!
So I know its been a very long time since I last blogged and I do have my reasons this time!

Life has been very manic, I started a new job with a luxury skincare and cosmetics company (I wont name them as they have no affiliation with my blogging) its been fantastic and have enjoyed many weeks in London training, with the odd luxury dinner and hotel thrown in there for good measure.

We've had four little extra babies join our household, in kitten form of course ;)

 

 

They are all absolutely adorable, the final two are leaving home tomorrow and im super sad, I've been in tears this evening at the thought of them all being gone now, but very happy as they all have really lovely homes to go to with lots of new places to explore!

 

Aside from all the mania at home Myself and Samuel finalllyyyyy went on holiday this year for the first time in over 3 years, it was extremely well overdue, we actually went with his parents as we had never been away with them before.

 

 

We stayed in Matagorda in Lanzarote (where me and Sam had our first ever holiday together 7 years ago) and it was actually a really lovely time, we ate delicious food, visited beautiful underground caves and visited the old town where we first went all those years ago, of course there was a little shopping involved which I will be filming a haul video of very soon :)

 

The past few months have been a whirlwind, as my readers will know I suffer from anxiety and panic attacks and have previously been on medication for this which I can say after a manic few months of being all over the place I am finally medication free and have been for almost 8 weeks now and I feel so free and happy to finally be rid of the awful things, don't get me wrong I do still have all the same problems as before, I just manage them a lot better now with the added bonus of feeling like ME again!

 

See.. I told you I had my reasons ;)

Im really glad to be back to blogging again, I've been wanting to write a post for a while now but just needed the right time to come for me to get back into the swing of things and finally feel ready with myself to do so!

 

There are some huge things coming my way for 2015 and I literally cannot wait to share my journey with all you lovely readers, for now lets concentrate on Christmas and what the festive season brings us!

 

Lots of love, Frankie xXx

 

 

 

 

Aveda - Damage Remedy - Daily Hair Repair

Ever damaged your hair so badly you believe it's beyond repair? *raises hand* yea that's me!

After spending the majority of my late teens over dying, straightening, curling and excessive blow-drying I had well and truly ruined my lovely long hair! 

Cutting it all off was just the first step and I literally couldn't believe I had super short hair after years of growing it, but the damage was still quite apparent through my hair as I had applied chemicals to it for so long i knew it needed some extra treatment, so off I went to my local department store to seek out the miracle product to get my hair back to feeling new and nourished.

Having a little wander around the beauty department the Aveda stand caught my eye, with those super large bottles of shampoo and conditioner, how could it not? 

I knew the brand must be great as the demand must be high for their products to carry bottles that large! 

Explaining my hair woes to the sales assistant she recommended to me the Daily Hair Repair from the Damage Remedy range, a product she uses herself due to her own over-dyed platinum blonde locks, she told me this literally saved her hair from falling out, I instantly snapped it up and couldn't wait to head home to try it out! 

I was quite sceptical at first as the product itself is a rather strange consistency, it's almost like a serum/gel that you apply to wet hair and leave in, it seems almost like your applying conditioner to your hair, but after drying (no heat protectant used as it already has this in the product, perfect for lazy girls like me) my hair felt nourished, soft and supple with the hair repair literally undetectable! 

• Certified organically-derived quinoa protein penetrates hair to instantly repair damage and strengthen from the inside out.
• Wheat protein helps protect from heat stylingâsuch as blow-drying and ironing.
• Soy-derived oil detangles to help prevent further damage and breakage.
• Certified organic essential oils including bergamot, mandarin and ylang ylang provide an uplifting aroma.

I've been so impressed with this product, that along with my holy grail; Moroccan oil, I've added this to my hair routine consistently for months, I'm down to the very last drops of this and it's lasted for well over 9 months as you only need a 10p piece size amount for even long hair like I have and ill definitely be re-purchasing come payday!

Have any of you tried this or another product by Aveda as I'm super keen to try some of their other products too, let me know :) 

Hope your all having a wonderful week so far? Lots of love Frankie x

Aveda Daily Hair Repair - £22.50 

Summer Ready Mani/Pedi - Gelish - Tiki Tiki Laranga

Tiki Tiki Laranga, does this name just not have you imagining laying on the beach with your toes in the sand, a cocktail in hand and the sun shining down on your bronzed up body, it does for me! 

Being trained in CND Shellac means I'm constantly making other peoples paws look bright and colourful other than allowing the time for myself to do my own, with that thought in mind I decided to take it upon myself to have a little treat and book in to have a mani/pedi at a salon near my home! 

I must say the experience was soooo relaxing I could've fallen asleep in the massage chair whilst my feet rested in a bubbling warm jacuzzi stylefootbath with heavenly spa salts mixed into it!

I've never been someone who likes my feet being touched, I'm naturally a ticklish person so the thought of a pedicure slightly scared me, though I was pleasantly surprised as to how relaxing it was! 

I opted for Tiki Tiki Laranga as I've been on the hunt for the brightest neon orange for too long so as soon as I spotted this on the swatch reel I instantly knew that was my shade for summer! 

It's really is super bright, almost highlighter fluro bright, I love how it stands out so much and I feel slightly more tanned with it on, funny how colours can do that?

The whole process is simple, base coat for 10 seconds, colour coat x 2 for 2 minutes each and top cat for a further 2 minutes all cured under a uv/led light.

The finish is super high shine and you can instantly see the difference between gel and regular polish, the shine is just like nothing else I've seen before! 

Adding in the fact it can last upto three weeks with no chips, scuffs or peeling, and best of all, Gelish still allows the nails to breath underneath meaning they grow long and strong, mine have started growing already and I can seriously notice the difference in strength since having the gel applied! 

     

                                    (Manicure after a week of having the gel applied, no chips!) 

I'm so pleased I had these applied, as my nails after two weeks are still perfectly intact and look as fresh as they did when I first stepped out of the salon! 

I'll definitely be converting from Shellac over to Gelish as the product is far superior to my original Shellac polishes and results after weeks of use are much better!

Have you ever tried a gel manicure? Let me know your thoughts on them, lots of love, Frankie x

The Candle Series .. Neom - Sicilian Lime and Fresh Basil

 

Is it possible to love a scent so much you acquire the mini size and the next day go out and purchase the larger one, well I did and I'm not sorry! 

 

Housed in newly redesigned packaging, the new scents from Neom are to die for, Sicilian Lemon and Fresh Basil is exactly that, fresh, citrusy goodness and I can't stop lighting it! 

 

 

I picked these up for two reasons:

1 the fact that it's a lemon candle is just me to a T.

2 the nature behind this candle being aimed at aiding stress relief, mental fatigue and encourage clear thinking, definitely some attributes I've had recently and relaxation is something I'm desperately seeking! 

The scent is just so inviting, and literally feels the whole of my house within 30 minutes or so, now I'm someone who loves a candle to be smelt everywhere in the house, I have no time for spending money on something that smells good in the jar but not noticed outside of that, complete waste of beautiful scent in my eyes! 

"Sun baked lemons, picked at the perfect moment of ripeness from the lush branches of the trees from a Sicilian lemon grove. Coupled with clean, fresh basil, this is a pure, energising scent." 

I also love the simplicity of the redesign of the Neom brand, it's much more sleek and crisp now, before you had glass candles with neom transfer in gold, I feel the new look is much more me and this definitely aided my buying of two candles, bad for my bank balance, good for Neom's branding team! 

I love the fact they come in a frosted white solid jar, you could keep these when there finished with and use them to keep flowers in, (sneaky one in the background from an old Yankee Candle with my peonies in) or for jewellery, sweets or little sample perfumes :) 

Maintaining your candle is definitely key to maximising the burn time with these candles, always trim your wick and make sure you burn them until the top layer is completely even to ensure even wear throughout the life of the candle, burn for a minimum of 2 hours and a maximum of 4! 

More on candle maintenance in a post coming up soon (who knew candle maintenance was a thing? Show of hands!) 

Neom as a brand are fast becoming one of my favourite brands of candles, although I could possibly say that every time I purchase one from somewhere else haha! 

The reason I really like Neom is due to the fact they are pure natural vegetable wax and 100% natural fragrance! now don't get me wrong im not a green peace fanatic but I do like the idea of burning natural scents around the home.

They are made up of 30-40ml of pure essentials oils and work to change your mood as they fill the air with scent when you breath it in, so breathing in natural oils make me satisfied I won't be breathing in any nasty chemicals or fragrances! 

I'm super happy I picked these up and couldn't be more happy that I've finally dipped my toes into the Neom pond, I will be adding more and more to my ever growing candle collection very soon, so if you have any recommendations let me no in the comment box below, I love hearing from you all! 

Lots of love, Frankie x 

Small £16.00

Large £45.00

                                                                 

Day Out Essentials..

Good morning lovelies, so this post is spurred on by a recent trip to a theme park, whilst I was whizzing myself around on all those wonderful but dreadingly sickening rides it deemed across me that I just had to write a post about those 'day out essentials' everyone needs but not everyone thinks of when, ultimately there on there feet all day and only able to cram everything into one of those little side satchel bags!

   

Go to products have to be east to apply, effortless and last all day without needing to be reapplied as you don't want to be carrying around excess you don't need with you. 

MAC Face and Body foundation is a life saver, it's waterproof, can be layered for heavier coverage if needed and looks super gorgeous alone, I apply this with the MAC Pro Longwear Concealer over my blemishes and using this little sample of the Prep and Prem primer so everything sits well on my skin and stays all day! 

A few slicks of Soap and Glory's Thick and Fast Mascara as it doesn't smudge on the bottom of my eye area and is a one coat wonder, slap on a layer of Nuxe Reve De Miel Lip Balm (my favourite) and your good to go! 

I use the Mitchum Pure Deodorant as it's super fresh, smells so good and lasts a good day without any need to apply more and no horrid smells emitting from those pits to worry about.

                         

I add a few spritzes of a body spray to keep things light and smelling good, one of my favourites are from Victorias Secret, this Wild At Heart is beautiful, if you can have a spritz, do, I guarantee you won't leave the store without it! 

  

People who know me personally know that I'm never seen without a trusty scarf, they have so many multi-purpose uses to them, tying in your hair to keep hair off your face, drape over your shoulders for a cover up from the heat, or to keep you warm when it's cooler or just to add a pop of colour to your outfit.

I always try to keep with these sort of styles above as they are super lightweight and can easily fold up into your bag for when you don't need it! 

 

Scarf - Mango £19.99

            

                                                        (Image from Caroline's Mode) 

Comfort is essential on a long day out, be it lots of walking, or a casual stroll at your own pace taking many photos of the sights, converse or any other type of trainer/plimsoll is a must.

My personal favourite are the white classic ones above as they pretty much go with everything, are super comfy and wash up incredibly well, always good if the day includes some sort of dirt! 

The satchel/side bag is my go to, it's convenient to pop over your shoulder or just effortless and casual hanging on the side, they fit the perfect amount of essentials inside them without being bulky or frustrating to carry round with you, also it frees your arms up for those long shopping trips, meaning you can carry more things.. Hello more clothes ;) 

All the above products kept me going for a super long day out and I wasn't needing anything I didn't take with me, I hope you enjoyed this post and let me know if you have any other ideas or pieces you take with you on days out. 

Lots of love, Frankie x

Current Skincare Routine

So my skincare routine has changed up significantly since the last one I posted a good year ago, everything from my cleanser to mousturizer has been switched up and I'm loving the results I've been having from them combination!

This Garnier Miceller Water is seriously amazing, Ive always been against these cleansing waters as I they always leave my skin with a horrible texture and residue, this doesn't do either of those and I'm pleased I've found a good makeup remover that doesn't cost the earth.

Ok, so no I'm not sponsored by Clinique or being paid to write anything about them it just so happens that the rest of the products I've been using are by them.

I had been breaking out over the last fews months and wasn't sure what exactly was causing it so I decided to pick up these products as I'd heard a lot about them being really good for acne and blemish prone skin, the liquid facial soap lathers up and thoroughly removes left over makeup from the using the Miceller water and feels lovely on the skin, you could use this alone without a toner although I do like to use the toner as part of my routine as it ensures all traces of makeup are removed.

The toner is super clarifying and has a soothing tingle to it, the first time I used it I was quite shocked by how strong the tingling sensation was but after the second use I was used to it and actually enjoyed the feeling as it seems asif it is soothing everything after the cleanser! 

Moisturiser is a step I'm quite lazy with, I do tend to forget to apply it and when my skin is breaking out I feel like I should avoid using it as it tends to make my skin worse, I know you have to go through the purging stage with new skincare so I've been trying to stick it out and give this a fair go, initially it feels light on the skin but it thickens up whilst rubbing it into the skin making it quite a rich formula, so far this has been fine with my skin and I haven't broken out any further than before hand.

The last step is to apply the anti blemish solutions spot treatment gel to any current acne I have, this works incredibly well at diminishing and reducing the size of any spots, it clears them much quicker than if I hadn't used anything atall, again this is a product that gives quite a tingle and can be sore if applied to any open acne but only lasts a few seconds, it dries out the spot and the next day whatever I have applied it to is practically disappeared.

I'm currently feeling really happy with my skincare routine and feel lik my skin has cleared itself up significantly since using these products, the clinique skincare range is something I would really recommend especially with people with acne prone skin!

I hope you enjoyed reading about the products that have been working for me recently, have you tired any of them? 

Lots of love, frankie