Some of my favourite dresses :-)

I LOVE dresses.. what girl doesn't? I have a wardrobe dedicated to my dresses and they are growing at an alarming rate. So I'm going to share some favourite dresses at the moment (in my price range) that I havent been able to get my hands on yet and might never get again, but would I LOVE to have!

This dress is absolutely stunning. Unfortunatly couldnt get because I didnt get the chance to get it in Monsoon before it ran out. I'd LOVE one if anyone has an unwanted one! I'm only short but I'd get it adjusted as I love this dress so much :) LOL.

I love this floaty dress by Asos.. The colour is the most amazing part! My fave colour!

This summer I'm going to invest in a gorgeous strapless summer dress :) Last year I bought one and I'm still in love with it. Summer dresses are amazing and even in winter you'll find me cuddled up in a summer dress and tights :P.

This dress is so lovely, perfect for parties, however I'd put a belt around the middle or something, love the split sleeves ! 

I've always wanted a TINNYYY mini dress for nights out ,just to say ''yeah I still got it'' lol! This one is ideal for me. As its my fave colour. Love the wrap texture, I'd feel alot comfortable wearing it, if you understand me lool.

I love the grecian style of this lipsy dress! Very revealing clevage wise but love the detailing.

At the moment I'm more girly , into my pinks and pastol shades, as I think these just look so flattering and naturally pretty :-)

So they are what I want at the moment. I'd love that 1st dress but its gone from shops. Anyone know anywhere that might sell them, like an outlet?

Yay!

Jobs, work and all the bits in between...

Looking for a decent job here is like finding a needle in a haystack. Or a barn for that matter. Firstly there's the fact a good number of jobs that are decent , but are like part time or temp work. I'm not looking for anything like that, I need more cash not less lol.And then theres the amazing ones i never seem to get. Then the okay ones ; but in a rough area that i wouldnt dare venture to. e.g. Handsworth.

Currently working for the council, and learnt so much I thought thatd be a good thing. But with this recession and all, hundreds of council workers, just like me face being unemployed in this climate. My contracts ending in June so I knew this was coming. So basically a TONNE of competition!

Luckily I have an interview for the NHS next month . I was so excited when I read it that I forgot to read the part that said ''weekend job''....

However Im still going for it! An extra £200.00 a month and the cash can buy me some nice things :-) lol. Why is it at the age of 18 I managed to get into the council and establish myself , even win 'employee of the month' (LOL) YET I am not hearing anything back. Do people discriminate because of my age?? makes me wonder...

One interview and Ive been applying since January...

When I was unemployed and just moved down  from Scotland , in the whole 6 months of applying for literally HUNDREDS of jobs, I had one puny interview. Which he said ''was a choice between me or another person''. I'd have been doing photography and website designs for a kitchen and bathroom studio. Have my own office, a MAC, undisturbed work ... ahh... and some lucky bugger got it over me.

I really sympathise with anyone who's looking for work right now. What the government have done is ridiculous.

Cut everything at once, instead of solving problems little by little. David Cameron and Nick Clegg just annoy me. Been trying for so long to get their grimey hands into Downing Street. Cameron cares more about his headlice infestation than about his people.

My advice to people looking for work and really trying their upmost best is never to give up no matter how much people turn you down,if you feel you lack on writing and cv's you can actually request help at a local job center (they don't like telling you about it as it costs them money) but you can request a specialist CV writer to some in and help write out your cv properly. And just practice your interviews as best as you can estimate with family or friends. Or even some random person or a teddy bear haha ! lol!

I'm dreading the next interview coming up. A weekend job isn't NECCESSARY but the cash would be a lifesaver right now! Working fulltime all week and a weekend job, is that too much for someone to take on though?

Will the stress of no sleep and all work send me into madness?

Will I even get the job?! who knows!

I guess with a weekend job it doesnt matter if I quit really. I need a weekly job though more. :-/ .

Around the country people seem to be struggling to find work. Its upsetting that some people are losing their livlihood and their passion for a job, and even commiting suicide. (for example when a mine shut down in Wales, the rate of suicide in this little village was at an all time high). Some people who have worked a job for so long feel so lost without one.

And due to no one hiring anyone. Teens and young people have nothing to do so some get into a cycle of crime. Admittidly most try. But some , as you walk into a job centre, you can tell just cant be bothered especially the ones sat outside with a Lager. Its a shame too. Because they'd actually have a smile on their face if they did something with their lives.

So most of us are in the same boat and really competition for each other. Yet when 50% of people cant be bothered and 50% of people can be bothered. Why then is there no jobs for normal people. We arent all rocket scientist with fabulous degrees in astro-physics. I think some places who hire, make it too difficult for people too.

Oh well rant over :-) I'm off to cook lol!

Kath's Homemade Chunky Chicken Soup :-)

Thought I'd put a nice recipe up which I've been cooking and perfecting now for months. Chunky chicken soup! It may not be glamourous but its perfect for these cold nights to sit down and have a lovely bowl and feel contented. It may also be a nice starter for a valentines meal, a cheer up meal, or a meal for if you feel a cold or flu coming on :-). I've created this from scratch and put together the ingredients I like but if they arent to your taste dont put them in :-).

                                                               Chickens-amazing creatures :-)
I don't really use measurements I go' with the flow' so these are rough estimates. Cooking is about your own tastes though, not what anyone teaches you. I experiment alot with my food.

Ingridients (chicken soup for two)

2 chicken breasts approx- diced up
2 small carrots- sliced into 'counters'
1 onion
1 leek -chopped up
1 celery stick- chopped up
1 small potato- cut into little cubes
small pinch of sweet corn (loose)
1/2 cup of lentils (I use the orange ones)
2 Veg stock cubes or chicken stock cubes (depends on preference I use tescos own brand veg stock cubes)
Salt and pepper
2 Bay leafs

Method

Firstly I brown off the chicken so all of it is cooked on the outside. I heat up a pan with oil and continously stir the chicken until its white all over. I then transfer the chicken to a large pot. Once all the veg ingrediants are chopped up, I add them all to the pot at once.

I then boil a kettle of water and in a mixing jug mix up the stock cubes with this water , about 2 and a half cups of watr should do it with 2 stock cubes . ( if taste is weak add another stock cube! just estimate :-) and if its too strong add more water ) Once mixed I pour this into the pot with the veggies so all are covered but not drowned lol. I then add the lentils to the soup then add the bay leaves( these are a neccesary requirement tbh! make it taste so much better) And add any seasoning you like salt, pepper, I add basil too, but parsely is used alot in soups.

I leave this to boil for a good 15-20 mins , continuing to stir and check occasionally (as lentils can stick to pan) and check that the thickest ingrediant is soft and cooked (e.g. carrot) . The soup should now have a thickened consistancy and texture, if not add more lentils and cook a bit longer. If its too thick add some water and cook for a bit longer.

Once the consistancy and taste is how you like it, take out the bay leaves. serve in a nice hot bowl occumpanied with buttered crusty bread :-)

YumYum :-)

I guarentee once your perfect this recipe to your own tastes, you'll never buy tinned soup again :-)

St Ives Facial scrub...Hit or miss?

Okay to update on my earlier blog about skincare products I said I had bought this St Ive's facial scrub.
Here is the verdict:

St Ives- A real life saint

Okay so tried this out tonight and thought I'd update you on it! I paid £5.31 for this (which I could have gotten cheaper from elsewhere but oh well) so I thought it better be worth the money! Took off all my make up and jumped into the shower and put this on. First impressions were good. Exfoliation microbeads and for sensitive skin so was very gentle on me and a pleasent-ish aroma. Skin immediatly felt soft when I started lathering it and then I rinsed it off after some circular applications. I immediatly felt the difference then applied my usual cleanser. I then felt so amazed at how soft my skin was compared to my usual ritual that I ran downstairs in a towel to make my boyfriend touch my skin just to make sure it wasn't just me lol! Couldnt believe the difference. Skin feels mega soft and totally blemish free! (Its a big thing for me being an ex-acne sufferer, never want my skin to go back to that state again! ).

Overall I'd definatly reccomend! Pay more and treat yourself as this is one gorgeous facial wash! I heard they do body scrubs too! I'm definatly going to invest in one :-).

Woo!

Outfit of the week 6/2/2011

Decided to post a favourite outfit each week now!
This outfit has been on my mind for months now and I REALLY want to go out and buy them, but Im strapped for cash right now so I can dream!

Firstly though I had to mention this top!!!!!

            River Island-Cream Tunic-£24.99

This is not the type of top I'd put with the outfit below but when I saw it I had to say how much I like it. Its just so summery and ME! These are the kind of tops I wear day to day. Love the detail and the lovely straps. Am SO getting my hands on one of these before the summer :-)

Now onto the outfit!!

OUTER WEAR

                                                  Miss selfridge- petites waterfall Mink-£40.00

This coat gives a perfect drop down the front and will make the plainest of outfit seem exciting, I chose this due to my top being plain in design. This draws the eye to the top and makes it more exciting, as well as being a very pretty coat.

TOP

                                                      New Look-£5.99

Yes, this top is pretty basic , but sometimes less is more, combined with the outfir the pink really stands out and draws the eye to you. The bow detail at the back is very flattering and pretty when worn without the coat, and colour matches with the shoes!! :-) Very cheap and cheerful!

TROUSERS

                                                                  New Look-£18.99

Ive been wanting some chiffon trousers for ages now and I think these are the right ones for me ! The grey suits with the lovely jacket and these do not pierce the wallet like other chinos Ive seen for sale. These would be worn over the pink top with a nice brown belt to compliment the  shoes.

SHOES

                                                    River Island- £50.00

I abosloutely LOVE these shoes . They are gorgeous cannot wait to add them to my collection!  They match with the pink top and look beautful with trousers or a skirt! Platformed too so would be more comfortable to wear and the heel will not kill me haha!

BAG

                                                  River Island- £40.00

Fortunatly I already have this bag. Chose this one because it matches perfectly with the outfit and I love this bag it goes everywhere with me. Looks so classy and elegant and can be held with a short handle or over the shoulder with a long handle. Love it!!

NECKLACE

                                                           Accesorize-£12.00

I chose this purely for uniqueness. Its a beautiful necklace which adds fun to any outfit. Ive never seen anything quite like it and I'm falling for it!

BRACELET

 I chose this bracelet as its a very chunky eye catching piece. The pink encorporates the outfit and brings it all together! The floral design is also very pretty! Accesorize- £8.00

RING

                                                                River Island-£9.99
Can't say no to a statement ring. This ring is the perfect colour and matches everything prefectly. The flower design is very flattering and very pretty tbh!

NAIL VARNISH!

                                                                  Barry M-£1.99

Had to add nail varnish. This is by Barry M and I love the colour. So pretty and suits outfir perfectly and brings it ALL together :)

Thats my outfit for this week. Hopefully will actually have the cash to buy it soon!!! Hope you enjoyed reading!

The haircare nightmare!

Hair care is a big issue for girls! Especially girls like me with very long thick hair. I find things make it greasier than it was before I washed it! To me hair is very important and I like to keep it looking its best.

For a few years now I have really let it get a mess. No cash to get to hairdressers, scared of being judged by them. So I plucked up the courage and went to ‘Badapplehair’’ in Birmingham here is the link to their website http://www.badapplehair.com/ . They did my hair perfectly; they made me look like a movie star for one day I was over the moon(cost alot of money though even on the 25% discount). But once you visit the hairdressers, you know that it’s gonna go flat due to the weather and that lovely ‘’salon’’ feeling will be gone in a day or so.

So I decided to invest in some good products, and here are my opinions below.

These products are pretty pricey for what they are but they have worked wonders for me and for tonnes of people likewise.

                                                 John Frieda -Sheer Blonde- My perfect shampoo
Firstly shampoo being most important to me as I wash my hair everyday as its greasy. I use John Frieda- Sheer blonde shampoo. I know I’m not totally blonde, BUT it does bring out my highlights beautifully. This shampoo is a bit more expensive than other brands at £5.31. But is well worth the price. It smells delightful and makes my hair feel so soft and shiny. The best thing about it is since Ive been using it , my hair has not come out greasy from a wash- which other shampoos have done. It makes my highlights glisten and my hair as soft as they would have it in a salon. I’d defiantly recommend paying a little bit more. One con to this is it doesn’t make the hair very static as it gets so soft and flyaway !

                                                                Kerastase-The 'Miracle' Serum!
I’d then use heat protection as I straighten/hair dry almost every day. I’ve tried a few heat protection brands on the market but I have still ended up with burnt ends to my hair. So after I had it done at the salon I wanted to stop the burning! I purchased from the salon- Kerastase heat protection cream. This has by far been the BEST protection product I’ve used. It not only helps to stop burning, but also makes your hair very glossy and shiny, and also smells lovely. It’s the miracle serum! But at a pricey £15-20 and a small bottle, use sparingly! I use once or twice a week.

                                

                            

Then to hold ev erything in place a hairspray! For the HOLD factor I’d defiantly recommend Elnett by L’Oreal. This is an amazing mist which holds without the horrible ‘hardened’ feeling to your hair and doesn’t bust the wallet too! If you’re looking for the SHINE factor I’d choose Bedhead-TIGI head rush. This stuff smells AMAZING and makes your hair smell salon fresh all day! It also gives an amazing shine to your hair or can be worn without brushing through for a messy look. Overall at £10-20 its pricey for hairspray but worth it!

That’s pretty much my hair care routine for salon soft hair! J  Does anyone know cheaper alternatives which I could test out to compare these?

Xbox Kinect..Pass or Fail?

I’ve been obsessed with the xbox kinect now for some time so I thought I’d give my personal opinions on this!

The kinect is an accessory to the xbox which allows people to interact with movement.  Rather than sat down just pressing buttons, you’re standing up moving your arms to press buttons known as the ‘’control free experience’. It also ‘’recognises’’ you and you can control this with voice.

I find it fascinating how it can recognise you and your words and every time I use it i feel like I’m in a sci fi film! Haha.

First day I bought this I plugged it up to the xbox and the 50inch tv on the wall (my baby) and got it up running. My first impressions of this weren’t good. ‘’This is gonna be crap’’ I kept saying. I felt a bit embarrassed when I was proved wrong.

                                              Kinect Adventures-The Adventure starts with YOU!

I firstly tried out kinect adventures, which was free with the kinect so didn’t cost us anything. I was in my element, kicking at nothing and leaping around the front room and found this very fun. It’s amazing how the kinect can tell your every move, just sucks that you have to be so far away from the tv as the sofas obstruct most our front room so I found myself kicking the sofa a few times lol! I’d give adventures 7/10 just based on the fact that it sometimes lags for me. After a while I was eager to try out the other game I had bought.

                                                           Dance Central's 'Miss Aubrey'

‘Dance central’ is a game where basically I had to dance! I was excited about this and very excited about the music on the game! When I put it on, it took a short while to get used to my moves and where to stand but I picked it up quick and the kinect is very accurate in picking up where your body is in comparison to the character (I use Miss Aubrey but her egotistical ‘’I’m hot’’ remarks annoy me). The dance moves are great fun and unlike ‘’just dance’’ for the wii you interact with your whole body rather than just your arms.

Dance central is by far one of the best games of the last year for me as I can really get involved and my dancing is kinda good now lol! I especially like the freestyle picture moments, where it looks like something out of a prodigy music video. I ended up playing for 4 hours, and the xbox told me ‘’do you want to take a rest?’’ . I really could have played it all night. I bet it also has good health benefits for ways to lose weight (well just don’t play for hours and hours as you might have a heart attack ).

For a dance enthusiast you really don’t want to stop dancing! J

Once you’ve danced all the songs, after that I think I’d get bored of it. You CAN buy songs for the game but it costs money for them and nobody likes to pay for anything these days (some free songs would be ideal, anyone know of anywhere I can get them?) So I’d give dance central 9/10 just for the fact there should be MORE music!

                                                   Fighters Ingaged- Not a girls cuppa tea..

We also bought a game called ‘fighters engaged’ Not, my cup of tea so watched my partner play it. It’s basically from what I saw, beating kicking and punching people. Looked fun but he was close to smashing up the tv screen and I think he just gave up after a while. I think 5/10 for this game although I might change my mind if I’m in a bad mood and feel like punching some air...
Basically the kinect has been good to me so far! I’m enjoying it and its also got a handy built in microphone too. Overall I say it beats the wii (although I do enjoy the wii games too) and PS3. Wii was too annoying, having to buy motion plusses, remotes breaking , accidently throwing remotes lol. And PS3 move didn’t look too fun when I watched people try it out in gamestation.

I’d say Kinect is a worthwhile investment if you either- want to lose weight, want to have good parties, enjoy ‘’getting involved’’, or just enjoy moving rather than sitting down alot. I wouldn’t buy if you have a tiny home and I’d have a big tv for a kinect because you can really feel ‘involved ‘ in the game.

So how have your experiences been on the kinect? How does it match up to Wii and PS3 move? Would Kinect games would you reccomend to add to my collection ?

My first blog :-) Going to review a few skin care products I've tried in the past

Hey all!
Welcome to my blog, I hope it is an interesting and insightful page for you. I’m going to review today some products I've used in the past and the effects they have had on my skin.

The products I use are not necessarily the most expensive brands on the market, but when you’re pinched for pennies I have no choice. My skin is a mixture of oily and dry, dry on my nose. I find that anything can make the oiliness worse, so finding the correct product for me is vital – I just think I may have found them have too!

One Christmas ago I received the gift of AVON anew-Daily Oxygen face wash, as pictured below.

                                                           Avon Anew Oxygen Wash
So Xmas morning (as you do) I decided to try this out .It’s basically a transparent wash containing blue microbeads (well more soft beads that exfoliating beads). After applying to my face, I realised that this gel must have cooling qualities to it and it made my face literally feel like there is a cool breeze blowing against me, which felt very invigorating and wakes me up! After washing it off my face instantly feels refreshed and smooth. The only con I’d say was it doesn’t remove make up too well. So I’d use a face wipe first or a good make up remover (especially for mascara). I’d also say caution to people with sensitive skin as I’m not sure what the cooling product is but sometimes it can sting broken skin a bit.

Overall pricing in from £3.70-£5.00 it is a worthwhile buy and I would strongly recommend it as it’s such an invigorating refreshing wash!

After this wash, I would then use a cleanser, just to remove anything that may be left over. I had also been given one as a gift and dug it out to try it on one of my ‘let’s experiment’ days. Boots- cucumber cleansing lotion. It felt amazing when it was on, very cooling on the face, smelt lovely and an amazing milky texture! Didn’t want to take it off! I rinsed it off and my face was very soft and cooled off. All in all great value for money at £1.69 and very worth it! Cons- again it does sting broken skin alot.

                                                            Boots-Cucumber cleansing lotion
After the cleanser again I use the same boots cucumber range but instead the toner. I dab this all over my face (watching for the eyes!) Instantly my face feels refreshed and CLEAN! Again I’d defiantly recommend value for money. Cons- Very potent smell of alcohol, and watch out sensitive skin this will hurt! I’d recommend a toner with lower alcohol content J

                                                                 

      Boots Cucumber toner

And to finish with my favourite moisturiser, I use (for day) Nivea natural beauty (as a base for my makeup, however watch out with mousse foundation as sometimes they don’t mix well). It gives the skin a nice glow and smells divine. In the jar it is the colour of foundation and tbh for people with very clear skin, I think you wouldn’t even need foundation as this would give a lovely dewy glow. Cons- Not tasty for someone kissing you on the cheek, don’t get on your lips, tastes horrid, and isn’t a good base for certain types of makeup. For night moisturising I use johnson's dreamy skin with a lavender scent. Specifically designed to wear at night this cream is very thick and smells absolutely gorgeous!! The only cons with this cream is the weird texture on your face which feels very strange to me anyway! Overall very ‘dreamy’ due to lavender scent and a nice price tag!

                                                    Nivea- Natural Beauty

                                                              Johnson's dreamy skin.
Well there you have it! My cure to my oily skin and my fave products! Just bought some St Ives apricot facial scrub and I’m going to go use that now and tell you what I think! So what are everyone’s favourite facial products for a daily routine??? J