Well guys, I have missed being away for so long and am so happy to be getting back into the swing of things! One great part of my blogging experience so far is being part of Lottie's Finishing School. Doing these posts has been great inspiration for me and has also been great to remind myself to make sure I have a little bit of glamour in my life. One of the things I admire most about Lottie herself is the fact that she always makes an effort, and makes that effort for herself. She knows that making herself feel good on the outside can help her feel good on the inside. She has a love for life that it catching...
I know it has been a while since the last finishing school post, J is for Juggling - so let's get cracking with K...'Kit'
If you read this blog regularly, you will know that I recently moved house. Due to a pretty rubbish chain of events me and my OH had to move into my mum's for a year so our circumstances were pretty cramped. Don't get me wrong, we were really lucky to have a) somewhere to live and b) we had 2 rooms of the house that were ours, a living room and a bedroom. But you can imagine, it wasn't the most ideal of situations.
So you can imagine my absolute delight when we got our new place, and the bathroom was PERFECT. For years now I haven't been able to have the luxury of a dressing table, something I have missed out on for so long. And whilst I haven't got a dressing table as such, I have a lovely bathroom and plenty of space for all my cosmetics. I can now indulge in the art of pampering myself and enjoy doing all of the things that it takes to keep us girls looking good.
Now you may think that I am really vain and self indulgent, but I love spending time on myself. I love all of the little beauty rituals that are part of my day to day life. And quite frankly, what is wrong with wanting to look and feel good? When I saw what K represented in the Finishing School, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to let you have a little snoop in my bathroom, and share some of my current favourite products with you...
I have been careful when choosing where I put everything in the bathroom. Everything is in reach and in a logical place for when I need it. Shampoo, conditioner etc are all at the end of the bath and in a corner unit. Toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash etc are all on the shelf another the sink. I have hand cream within reach for when I have washed my hands, talc to hand when I get out of the bath or shower, and my cleanser, toner and moisturiser to hand for ease of use twice a day. You get the picture. This may all sound silly but it means that I save time. I don't spend all my time of a morning rummaging around because I can't find something.
I also have got some little bits and pieces that are pretty much just in their because I like them or they look nice. The trinket box in the last picture above was a charity shop find and my giant rubber duckie is a present from my little* sister (* when I say little, she's actually 19!).
One of the favourite things that I have in my bathroom is my unit from IKEA that holds all of my perfume and face creams (and the OH's aftershave). On the top shelf I have a jar with my cotton pads in, which makes them look less scruffy whilst still being easy to get to. I also have a little narrow chest of draws behind the door which stores all of my other cosmetics and spares (there is a drawer with just LUSH bath bombs and bubble bars that I forgot to take a pic of!). My little cupcake trinket box holds all my clips, and my lovely Celia Birtwell vanity case holds all my make up (of which there is a lot!).
For general daily use, I have a handy little make up back which holds all of my daily make up basics and is the perfect size to drop into my handbag if I need too. Again, this makes things much easier of a morning because everything I need for my basic daytime look is in there. I think I got this make up bag from superdrug, but I have had it for a while. I have small storage boxes that I keep inside the drawers to keep like for like together, for example my nail varnish, bobbles, hair accessories etc all have their place.
The 10 products that I can't live without at the moment...
This gentle cleansing milk has been really great for my sensitive skin.
This soothing toner leaves my skin feeling fresh and oil free, but doesn't make the skin feel tight like some toners.
This night cream is great value for money, and helps to care for my dry sensitive skin. It is a really thick cream so a little goes a long way.
I am really picky with my face creams, as I suffer from sensitive skin that is prone to dryness but I have fallen in love with this one! It actually keeps my skin hydrated all day and my skin feels great when I use it.
This is my favourite new perfume! It manages to be light and feminine whilst having a hint of sexiness.
Johnson's baby oil is a classic fail safe product. I use it on damp skin after a shower and it locks the moisure in, keeping my skin nice and soft.
I keep this by the sink and use it after washing my hands as I find they get really dry. It absorbs quickly and smells nice.
Perfect for soothing chapped skin, dry knees and elbows it is a classic beauty buy.
Face Wipes
I am not really fussy when it comes to face wipes but they are an essential item as far as I'm concerned. My favourite ones are porbably Johnson's but I will buy any that do the trick. It is by far the easiest way to remove make up before cleansing.
I am an eyeliner addict, and at the moment my favourite by far is L'oreal Contour Khol pencil. It's a really nice soft pencil that is easy to blend and great for general every day use and also for creating a great smoky eye of an evening.
