The Boots for Skinny-Ankled People

I've probably explained before but i have long but very skinny feet, i wear about a 7 and a half but usually take 8s with innersoles, so have never been able to wear usual ballet flats or chelsea boots. I've had to stick to shoes with an ankle strap or a T-bar and lace up boots otherwise my feet just slip out and that's not fun for anyone. Since working at John Lewis i've had a lot of brands available to me that i've either never heard of before or never been able to afford, or try. Thanks to my discount i've been fortunate enough to buy things that i couldn't before, some i've hated but others have become staples in my life and Carvela is one of those brands.

The Kurt Geiger family, which includes Kurt Geiger London, Carvela, KG by Kurt Geiger and Miss KG, are all brands we stock at John Lewis both online and in-store, and frankly they're pretty pricey. When it started to become Autumn last year i realised that i really lacked in boots for the Winter, and was sick of wearing my ugly lace ups. So, browsing the John Lewis website brought me to a lot of new boot brands including Dune, H by Hudson, Steve Madden and John Lewis' own line called Kin. I ordered a few, went into stores to try them on but they were all just too big around my ankle making it impossible to not only walk in them but even keep them on. It wasn't until i fell in love with a pair of Carvela boots that i really looked at the brand because the price was putting me off. Unfortunately by the time i came to wanting them they'd sold out online and in-store, so then i found this pair;

The Carvela Tag Block Heeled Ankle Boots in Black Leather, i tried them on in-store and just fell in love. They're smart without being too dressy and i can wear them with anything from jeans to dresses. The amazing thing is that when i put them on they fit my ankle so well. The main issue i had was that the front of the boot never ran up the front of my foot, there was a huge gap which then made the ankle too big but these fit me like a glove. The feel isn't too high but makes me feel extra sassy when i walk, they're very comfortable and i love the gold hard wear.

These ones are the Carvela Splash Chelsea Ankle Boots in Black Leather, and this is the pair that my parents bought me for Christmas. I am still amazed that i can wear a pull on pair of chelsea boots without them feeling too big or falling off, and the novelty has definitely not worn off yet. I love the different textures of leather on this pair that really makes them a little more special than your average black boot. I also really like the triangular toe which usually isn't my thing, but again it just makes them that little bit different which i really like. Again, they're really comfortable but i would say that if you have wider feet then the pointed toe might pinch a little as my feet fit almost perfectly but, as i explained, they're abnormally thin.

Lastly is the Carvela Slow Leather Chelsea Boots in Wine Leather, which is what i spent my Christmas money and John Lewis gift cards on. They're the most expensive pair i've owned yet but they're definitely my most worn. I often end up wearing a lot of plain outfits and a lot of black or grey, and these just jazz up any outfit. Again, they're smart without being dressy but i can wear them with a dress or jeans and they look great with it all. They also do come in Tan but i just loved that these were a bit different.

Well, there you have it; my Carvela story. I'm so glad i found these boots, and i feel like i won't be buying any new boots for a long time. They're all leather and beautifully made, and will hopefully last me a very long time. So, if you're like me and own a pair of very skinny ankles then definitely give these a try!

K|xo

Spritzing My Face with the Pixi Hydrating Milky Mist

As i explained in my new skincare additions post i was watching a Youtube video when they mentioned about using a spray moisturiser which is a really strange concept, when you think about it. Like i said previously, i had tried the Clinique Moisture Surge Face Spray and really didn't like it so i haven't really tried anything similar since, until now.

Pixi says it's "a featherweight, skin-nourishing spritz, Pixi’s Hydrating Milky Mist is brimming with hyaluronic acid, to attract water and maintain moisture levels. The perfect way to boost dewiness without suffocating your complexion, just mist over clean skin pre-serum or day cream, to ‘plump’ up parched cells and diminish fine lines for a luminous, youthful appearance. Refreshing and revitalising, a blend of black oat, provitamin A and linoleic acid then works to reduce redness and sooth irritation, for skin that feels calm and contented."

I'd have to say that i pretty much agree with how Pixi describes this product, it does feel really light on the skin and when i've applied it, no matter how much, my skin never feels greasy or over moisturised. I have had some leak through the top of the bottle and when i've cleaned it the product does feel oily but not at all when it's applied to my skin. My only jibe would be that although i can't say that my skin feels dry, i'm just so used to traditional moisturisers that when using this my skin doesn't feel as hydrated as usual. Although, saying all that, never has my face felt dry or un-moisturised and when i wake up in the morning my skin does feel smooth and some-what plump. I wouldn't say that i'd totally forget about my other moisturises instead of this but i do enjoy using it occasionally when i'm limited on time or when i'm being lazy.

K|xo

My Not-So-Favourite US Beauty Buys

As promised here is my not-so-favourite american beauty buys post and, as i said, i think there will be products in here that maybe you wouldn't expect me to not like. Anyway, i may as well just hop on in and share my thoughts with you.

Firstly, and probably most surprisingly, is the big, old, Marc Jacobs-sized elephant in the room, otherwise known as the Marc Jacobs Style Eye Con Eyeshadow Palette in 204 The Starlet. I was absolutely dying to buy one of these and, don't get me wrong, it is beautiful but it's just not as amazing as i was expecting. The shadows are super finely milled and very soft but i'm not that impressed with the pigmentation, i'm not sure if it's because they're so metallic but they're very shimmery but with not much colour pay-off. I was really hoping that colours such as the khaki green or the orangey shade would look beautiful in the crease, and they're great when swatched but when applied on the eye they just seem to blend into nothing. I think maybe i need to try washing them all over the lid or perhaps trying them with some matte shades, rather than together.

Another eyeshadow palette that didn't live up to my expectations, especially after falling in love with another one that i mentioned in my US products i loved post, is the Limited Edition Lorac PRO Metal Palette. This actually ended up being very similar to the Marc Jacobs palette in that the shadows are super blendable, which almost makes it their problem as they're so metallic they just blend into nothing. They seriously lack in pigmentation and maybe they just don't work for me, or the look that they create is not for me because i'm no saying that the quality of the eyeshadows is bad, it's just the selection of metallic colours.

Yet another eyeshadow that i bought on a total whim, as i'd heard so much about the brand but i just wasn't sure where to start, is the Kat Von D Metal Crush Eyeshadow in Thunderstruck which, in the pan, looks white. However, when i swatched it in Sephora it turned into this beautiful duo-chrome, white, golden, silver, shimmering shade unlike anything i'd ever seen before. However, when i got it home and applied it to my eyelids it just went blotchy and uneven, and i'm just not sure the shade suited me either. I would love to try out some other Kat Von D products because people love them but this one just wasn't for me.

Last eyeshadow, i promise, is the Nars Dual Intensity Eyeshadow in Pasiphae which is a shade i bought almost on impulse. I knew i wanted to try one of the Dual Intensity eyeshadows and decided i should go for something unlike anything else i have and this one really fit the bill. In the pan it looks like a green/gold/grey duochrome so i suppose i should have expected it to be pretty dark but i wanted something i could put all over the lid. This just came out way darker than i was expecting and when applied, although it is still a duochrome it's just not as impressive on the lids.

The last product to share with you is a lip scrub as, at the time, i was having a lot of flaky lip problems. This one is by Fresh and is their Sugar Lip Polish, i just found that it didn't do all that much. Maybe it's just me but i found that this didn't really do all that much to smooth out my lips. I was expecting to have super smooth lips after using it but sadly, not so much. Again, maybe the condition of my lips wasn't right for this product but i just hoped for better.

K|xo

My Favourite American Beauty Buys

This is way, way overdue seeing as i visited Florida last August but since i've been using all these products for a while now i thought it might be a good post to share with you some of my favourite purchases from my time in America. I had planned that i was going to stock up on beauty products, as there is so many things you can buy over there that you can't get here, and i shopped everywhere from Sephora to Ulta, to CVS and Bath & Bodyworks. I also thought it'd be a good idea to share with you some of my not-so-favourite purchases from my buys in America, in another post as i often find those types of posts even more interesting to read. If you're heading to the states any time soon, or live there, and are thinking of buying any of the items i didn't like then it might make you think twice or help you make a more educated decision whether it's something that would work for you. Anyway, here are some of the items that i fell in love with from my America haul.

I'm sharing two powders with you here, the first being from Physicians Formula which is a brand i had heard so much about from beauty bloggers. I bought this one from CVS but i'm pretty sure you can buy it from Ulta too, and it's the Mineral Glow Pearls in Translucent Pearl, which is a pink-toned shimmer. I'm pretty sure you're supposed to use this all over your face but it is way to shimmery for me to do that, so i love using this as a subtle highlight on all of the 'sun lit' spots on my face. It just adds an understated shimmer on my face which i really like and works amazingly on my very fair skin. It blends beautifully and is super soft, leaving no harsh lines and not much blending even needed. The other happens to be another highlight, actually, this time from Becca and this is definitely a product i heard all about before i left. This one is the Pressed Shimmering Skin Perfecter but you can also buy them in the 'poured' version which is a cream. This shade is Moonstone and is described as a pale gold shimmer, but i would say that it's slightly more champagne-y and not at all a yellow gold. This is probably my favourite highlighter that i own as it's so finely milled, applies beautifully and is about the perfect shade for my fair skin.

I would say that my most favourite purchase of the entire trip, as you can probably tell by the state of it, is the Tarte Coloured Clay CC Undereye Corrector and this is in Light/Medium. I was previously using the Bobbi Brown Corrector but i had a shade that was too dark for me and, honestly, i just fell out of love with correctors until i bought this one. It was the absolute perfect shade for my skin, it was creamy but didn't crease, almost melted into the skin and did everything it was supposed to. I'm actually back using a lighter shade of the Bobbi Brown offering and while it's good, it's just not doing it for me like this Tarte one is. So when i visit the states, later this year, i will definitely be picking up a few more from Tarte.

A very last minute purchase, while standing in the check out line at Sephora, was this Bite Beauty Luminous Creme Lipstick Duo in Fig & Date. It's just so handbag friendly and i love the nude yet rosy shades, perfect for everyday. I liked this idea so much in fact that i bought one for two of my closest friends too. They're creamy and buildable, and work great alone or with a gloss too. They're super hydrating and have an almost velvety finish as they're not matte but don't have a gloss either, making them very versatile.

An almost cult product are the Bath & Bodyworks Pocketbac Hand Sanitisers, which i think everyone and their cat has at least heard of. I've loved antibacterial hand sanitisers for a long time and in the UK it's not so much a thing to have fun scented ones like it is in the states, there are a few on the market but they're very limited. Over there, it's like a free-for-all - there are just so many to choose from and i love that they generally go by season. They're not at all drying on the hands, no matter how much you use them, and they're the perfect size to pop in your bag.

Lastly is a Lorac products, and not actually the one i went in for but i was so desperate to try out the brand that i picked this one up instead. I went into Ulta to track down the elusive Lorac Pro or Pro 2 Palette, which they were totally out of stock of which, i suppose, just goes to show how popular they are so i decided to opt for this Unzipped Eyeshadow Palette instead and i'm so glad i did. Buying this palette has just made me want all of Lorac's offerings. The shadows are so, so creamy and i know i've said this before but these shadows really do blend like a dream. They are so pigmented and versatile working amazingly together or with other shadows. If you get a chance to get your hands on any Lorac shadows then i highly recommend you try them out because, for the price, they're the quality of Urban Decay for me.

And there you have it, friends, a run down of my favourite American beauty products. I'll definitely be posting a not-so-favourite beauty buys post too as there are probably a few products in there that you wouldn't expect.

K|xo

My Fitness Journey

I know, i know that everyone seems to want to loose weight and get into fitness in the new year but i have been wanting to sort out my eating habits and get into some sort of fitness for a long time, the new year just gave me the kick up the butt i needed. Now, don't get me wrong, i am not becoming a gym bunny and i am not giving up hours of my week to work out, it's not like that for me because if i did that i would not keep it up and this time i really want to make some changes. I decided that i more just needed to make some healthier choices in my life, make a few changes and that way, hopefully, i can keep it up. I'm not going on any crash diets, i'm just changing the way i look at food, how much i'm taking in and what i'm eating.

At work we have an amazing canteen that makes wonderful food for even better prices, but usually the food is very carb heavy, and often there isn't much that i like vegetable wise or otherwise, so i end up eating pizza, or pasta, or potatoes, which does me absolutely no favours. After eating a huge, carb-ladened portion for lunch i then came home to eat a hot, often carby dinner too and although i'm not huge, it's definitely not doing anything for the pooch i'm trying to loose, you know what i'm talking about. So, i now take my lunch to work with me and go for something like a ham and salad wrap, or a chicken salad, or brown rice with grapes, banana chips, sometimes a bit of popcorn and although i was worried it would leave me feeling hungry, it really hasn't. It's just shown how much i really didn't need the heavy lunches at work. Although i'm still having a home-cooked dinner when i get home, my mum and i have made the choice to take out pretty much all carbs for dinner and just eat meat and veg, with a few sweet potatoes thrown in. As i said, these are all easy changes and things that are easy to keep up as they're easily fitting into my current routine.

As for working out, as i said, i ain't no gym bunny but i have wanted to introduce some sort of activity into my life. I have participated in fitness classes before but my confidence is pretty low in that respect, so i've decided to start things at home and hopefully work my way up to being comfortable enough to attend some fitness classes. I'm currently doing a lot of home workouts from the amazing Cassey Ho, otherwise known as Blogilates on Youtube. She has all sorts of workouts from short to long, from Abs to legs and full body, honestly they're just so easy to watch and do at home and really easy to keep up with. Alongside that, as i said, my stomach is my least favourite area so i'm trying do sit ups every night, increasing in how many i do every week.

These may all sound like simple changes but that's what i'm going for. I want this to be an easy transition and not anything mad or huge which is going to make it hard to stick to. Just by making these few simple changes has already helped me loose some weight; since i started this in the middle of January i've already lost just over half a stone which is honestly amazing. I'm not sure if i can see that i've lost it, but just seeing the number on the scale is enough to keep me going.

K|xo