A Year Of Biggie

Above: Little Baby Biggie

I don't know the exact date of my cat's birthday so I have decided to count it from the date that he officially came to live with us. Long story short, he originally belonged to my brothers housemate at University and was named Biggie (yes, after the rapper). It got to Christmas time and Biggie and his brother Guiness were only a few months old. All of my brothers housemates including him were going home for the holidays and there was no one to look after the little kittens. After a bit of persuading my mum kindly offered to look after them for a month over Christmas and they came to stay. I was so happy about this because i'm a big cat person and had always wanted a cat, but my Mum was never keen on the idea of getting one. Just having the kittens around for a month was good enough for me because it meant I got to experience what it would be like to have a cat (or two)...and I loved it. To my Mum's surprise she really enjoyed having them around too and I could see she was becoming very attached. I was secretly hoping that we would be able to keep them when the month was up but my brother's housemates wanted them back. So I said goodbye and expected to only see them when I was visiting my brother at Uni. This was until my brother and his housemates finished their first year there and Biggie's owner decided that he would probably be better off coming to live with us. His owner was also very attached so it must have been hard to say goodbye but i'm so grateful that he let us adopt Bigs. I think sometimes when people haven't had a pet before they don't realise just how expensive it can be, especially when you take insurance and vaccinations etc into account.

So exactly one year ago (when he was roughly one year old) today Biggie came to live with us and now I can't imagine not having him around. I love him to bits, even when he brings us...presents. I'll miss him so much when I move out of my parents house in August.

I'd love to hear about your pets or if you have any stories about them?

He can be such a grump sometimes!

Fortnight in Photos #5

 This is more like 'Three Weeks in Photos' because I missed out on posting last week as I was in Morocco. You can check out the photos from that trip here if you want. There will be more to come later in the week. Again, i've had a very busy few weeks! But now that my holiday is over and Uni is completely finished, i'm expecting things to return back to normal for the next few weeks, before I move up to London to start my internship. I'm just hoping for some good weather in the UK so that it actually feels like summer. 

Valerie Patisserie to say bye to girls at Uni, foggy on the way to Plymouth, Zzapp, giant teacake, double sided necklace I can't stop wearing, sleepy Bigs.

New job, kittens in Morocco, giving my room a Moroccan make over, avocado smoothie, necklace from Topshop sale, Cystic Fibrosis Trust afternoon tea fundraiser.

Birthday time! It wasn't a big birthday so I didn't do much for it, just went shopping in the day and then went to Pizza Express in the evening with my family.

Instagram @hannahcelder 

I'm Loving: L'Oreal Skin Perfection Micellar Solution

I saw this advertised in a magazine recently, read the words 'High performance make up removal' and thought 'I need to try this'. I've never tried Bioderma's version (I'm not sure why this hasn't happened either. Especially as I frequently travelled to France before it was available in the UK) so I thought this might be the next best thing and for £4.99 you can't really go wrong. 

This product is alcohol free and L'Oreal claim that it 'acts like a purifying magnet on the skin's surface to capture and draw out excess oil and impurities.' I've used this cleanser a few times now and really like it. It removes make up so thoroughly but is also very gentle and has no fragrance. To use this effectively I apply it to cotton pads and then leave them over my eyes for a good few seconds. This water solution magically removes all traces of eye make up without you really having to rub the cotton pads onto your skin. It can also be used all over your face and on your lips. But I always find eye make up the hardest thing to remove so this product is a lifesaver. I only use this to pre cleanse though and will use something like a cleanse and polish afterwards to get rid of every trace of make up and exfoliate. But it's brilliant for removing that tough make up to start with and is also perfect for using if you are in a hurry or in ones of those moods when you can't be bothered to spend ages cleaning your face. Another fantastic thing about this cleanser is that it isn't greasy at all. I read somewhere that it does have oil in it but that it does not separate from the water so i'm guessing that this is the reason it feels like you are only applying water to your face.

Have you tried this product or anything from the range? What are your thoughts?


Disclosure: The views expressed are based on my own experience.

A Week In Morocco | Part 1

I spent the past week in Morocco with my parents and brother and absolutely loved it there. If you haven't been then I would definitely recommend going! I couldn't believe that it only took just over three hours to fly to from the UK and is in the same time zone. It's such a different and fascinating place. 

We spent a couple of days in busy Marrakech before heading to the desert and then the beautiful Atlas mountains. We stayed in a lovely riad which is right in the centre of the city and just round the corner from the medina, the main square. We were pretty much the only people at the riad so it was lovely and peaceful. It was the perfect place to go back to and relax on the roof terrace after an exhausting day in the city. The food in Morocco was delicious, we ate colourful salad after salad, enjoyed different variations of tagine and drank a lot of mint tea. Here are a few snaps from the first part of the holiday.

Summer & Holiday Essentials

I wanted to post about something that involved lots of colourful and cheerful photos today, seeing as the weather's been so awful here in the UK for the past week. I'm off to Morocco for a week tomorrow and it seems like a lot of you are off on holiday too so I thought I would share my summer and holiday essentials. 

Starting with sun cream, I like the Hawaiin Tropic range and this year i'm using the Sheer Touch Lotion which smells gorgeous and as well as protecting your skin is incredibly hydrating. I will also be taking the Garnier Golden Protect Shimmering Protection Lotion on holiday with me. This smells equally as lovely and gives your skin an instant glow, enhancing your tan as it is enriched with Monoi Oil and pearl shimmer (apparently).

I love the Body Shop Cooling Foot Sprays, especial the peppermint one. This is great to spray onto aching feet after you have been sightseeing or walking around in the sun. As well as using sunscreen on my body I also apply Boots Soltan Lip Balm to my lips as it has an SPF of 30. 

After Sun is another essential because after applying loads of sunscreen I still always seem to get burnt, even if it's just slightly on the shoulders or nose.

I always like to paint my nails a lovely bright colour when I go on holiday. I love using Barry M Nail Paints because the shades are so vibrant and summery and they last a good few days without chipping.

I probably won't take any of these with me on holiday because i'd be afraid of them melting but the Revlon Lip Butters are great for sumer. Especially brighter shades like Tutti Frutti. 

One thing I will be taking is my Travelo, filled with a fruity fragrance. These atomisers are great because you can decant your favourite perfume into them and they are the perfect size for the plane. 

Victoria's Secret Good Day Sunshine Body Spray is such a good fragrance for summer, it's so fresh and floral. 

Avène Eau Thermale is a recent purchase and I thought it would be perfect for taking away. It will be so refreshing when travelling and is also good for things like sunburn. I may even do a review on it when I get back from holiday, after it's been put to the test.

I can't seem to go anywhere without taking an Antibacterial Hand Gel and Sweet Pea is one of my favourite scents from Bath & Bodyworks. These are great for travelling and using on the go, especially if you are travelling around a city. 

I bought this little lime green Topshop Handbag recently because it's the perfect size to carry around in summer. I hate lugging a huge bag around when it's hot and this little thing is perfect for fitting a few essentials in for sightseeing. 

These are the Rayban 2140 Polarised Wayfarers and my favourite pair of sunglasses. I'm sure none of you would go on holiday without taking a pair of sunnies with you, even if you were going skiing. 

The Tangle Teezer would be great for combing through hair after swimming in the sea or the pool. 

I got these Urbanears Platten Headphones from PC World a while ago because they were randomly reduced to £15 from £50! I haven't seen a pair as cheap since so i'm glad I snapped them up at the time. I always like to have a good pair of headphones to use on the plane. Although, I may end up taking  a smaller pair this time as these might be a bit of a nuisance to carry around and would be uncomfortable in the heat.

I love this H&M Gold Hairband. I always like to have some sort of hairband at the ready when i'm in a hot country to tie my hair up and out of the way. 

What do you usually take on holiday with you during the summer?

Disclosure: The views expressed are based on my own experience.

Tried & Tested | Summer Samples

I've seen a few people write posts like this and thought that it would be a great way of using up samples from magazines and subscription boxes etc that I have sitting at home. I even had a couple of sachets for each product so I was able to test out everything (apart from the Viper Venom) more than once.  

Murad Time Release Acne Cleanser

This product came in a Glossybox a while ago and I am so impressed with it. A 200ml bottle is £29 which is pretty pricey but this stuff works miracles so I would spend that much on it any day. I don't have acne but I use this whenever I break out and it clears any spots up so quickly. 

Benefit Total Moisture Facial Cream 
This moisturiser came in a six piece skincare set. I thought this would be a great way to try out each product from the range and this is the one which stood out the most. I love the smell, it's really clean and fresh. The consistency of this moisturiser is quite thick which is great because it absorbs quickly without being greasy at all. It's incredibly hydrating...in fact I don't have a bad word to say about this moisturiser and I would definitely purchase the full sized product. The glass packaging is also beautiful and this can be said for the whole range.

Mary Kay Nourishine Lip Gloss  
I don't think Mary Kay products are available in the UK, so when my cousin came to visit from America she brought a sample of their latest lip gloss for me to try. I absolutely love it and the bright shade is so pretty for summer. I don't usually wear lip glosses but like this one because it's more of a tint and is very pigmented. The staying power is pretty good but not amazing as it doesn't cope too well with drinks and food but that's not too much of a problem because it does seem to last longer than a standard lip gloss. It is sticky to begin with but the stickiness seems to disappear after a couple of minutes and it becomes smooth and moisturising. I wish that Mary Kay was available in the UK because i'd love to try this product in more shades. After using this product I read that Mary Kay claim that it adds shine to your lips and softens them, making them look younger. I can see what they mean because this is the most moisturising lip gloss i've come across!

Nivea Express Hydration Primer

This product smells lovely, but that's the only thing I liked about it. I appiled it underneath foundation but instead of acting like a primer and creating a nice base it seemed to almost repel the foundation. I really didn't like using this primer so will not ever be purchasing it, which is such a shame because I really like Nivea's facial moisturisers and liked the idea of a 2 in 1 product.

Nip & Fab Viper Venom Wrinkle Fix

I don't use products for wrinkles but decided to give this a try anyway to see if it 'blurs imperfections' and what the product is like to apply. The things I didn't like about it were the smell and the fact that it has an odd texture which is very sticky when you take it out of the packet. However, it did apply onto my skin nicely and absorbed straight away, which meant it lost the horrible sticky texture. It also made my skin feel smooth when I had applied it so i'm sure that after using in morning and night (which is what it says to do on the product) you will be left with lovely soft skin.  I'm not entirely sure that it would 'fix wrinkles' though, but it probably does help to even out your skin in some way. 

Max Factor Face Finity Foundation

This product claims to be a primer concealer and foundation in one. This may be the reason that I found it horrible and awkward to apply. I really disliked this foundation as it is way too thick and just seemed to sit on my skin. I guess if you like using a foundation with a lot of coverage then you might enjoy this product.

Rimmel 9 in 1 BB Cream 
I've seen mixed reviews about this BB cream and apart from Bourjois bronzing one it was the first BB cream that I have tried. I'm really skeptical about these types of products. But after trying this one I am really tempted to get a full sized bottle. I don't really understand how a BB cream can be 'skin perfecting' when it doesn't give any coverage! But, after I applied this, my face did look different and I couldn't really explain why. I think it would be a great product to use over the summer though instead of foundation and I really like the fact that the consistency of it is like a moisturiser and I love the natural glow that it gives to your skin. I'm still undecided, but it's definitely made me want to give BB creams a chance.

Quite a mix of products there with a mix of opinions. But, that's the beauty of samples and being able to try something before you splash out on it, especially if it's higher end product.
Let me know if you have tried any good beauty products recently, or if there are any you think I should steer clear of. 

Disclosure: The views expressed are based on my own experience.

Organ Donation Through a Lens

This is a very different type of post to usual so I don't expect you all to be interested and I don't mind if you aren't. But it's about something that's important to me and something i'd like to share with you guys. I mentioned briefly a few posts back that I had entered an NHS film competition called Organ Donation Through a Lens. My three minute film 'It's Time We Talked' was shortlisted along with eight others and the film has now been on the Transplant Week YouTube channel for a couple of weeks. I still have until next Friday 21st to get as many views as I can. There will be an overall winner and the film with the most views by that date will be awarded the 'People's Favourite'. 

The film is about my friend Kate who underwent a double lung transplant last year. She is the most incredible and brave person I know and this is why I wanted to make the film. The film is aimed at young people and promotes the importance of organ donation as well as the fact that you should tell your family about your donation wishes if you do sign up. 

I love making films and it is such a great way of reaching people. This is such an important message to me and that's why I wanted to share it with you guys. Here is the direct link if you would like to watch the film or share it with friends and family.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZKZYXARV_4

 Below are some stills from the film. 

Pass It On! 

Getting Organised | Part 3: Storage Boxes

I'm the kind of person who likes to collect pretty ornaments and candles and put them on display all over my room. I also like to keep the things that i'm not using in storage boxes and give that box pride of place on a shelf somewhere instead of hiding it away in a cupboard or wardrobe.  

The boxes on the left are old Glossyboxes covered in CathKidston wrapping paper. I'm sure a lot of you have piles of boxes from subscriptions, do you use them to store things like jewellery and cosmetics?

I have covered the middle box in some left over wall paper so that it ties in with the theme of the room. The box on the right is from TK Maxx and is part of the Hello Kitty Liberty range which i'm a big fan of. I use this box to store things like nail polishes. 

How do you store things in your houses? I'd love to hear any new ideas.

Fortnight in Photos #4

It's been another crazy two weeks! I honestly thought that after I'd handed in my last ever essay at uni everything would come to a halt. But I have experienced the opposite and life has been non stop since that day. I recently entered an NHS film compeition called 'Organ Donation Through a Lens' and my film was shortlisted so i've been trying to promote it like mad for the past couple of weeks. They will choose an overall winner and the film with the most views will win the 'People's Favourite' award. The film is about the importance of organ donation and stars my friend Kate who was born with Cystic fibrosis and underwent a double lounge transplant last year. If you have a few minutes then it would mean a lot to me if you could watch the film and then share it with your friends and family. You can watch it here. 

I had only technically been 'unemployed' after finishing uni for about two weeks and luckily got the first job that I applied for! So I will now be moving to London for a year in August, which i'm pretty scared about but excited at the same time. Do any of you live in London? 

Lastly, I'm sorry for the lack of posts over the past few weeks. The number of days between each one seem to be getting bigger and bigger. Now that I feel like i'm back on track with life I should be posting on here more often and have a couple of ideas for some beauty related posts. 

I hope you've all had a lovely couple of weeks and have been enjoying the rare week of sun in the UK. Here are a few photos from life recently. 

Beautiful countryside, Gold Hill, Cafe Rouge, Big chandelier in the Bath Assembly Rooms, Great British Summer Range from M&S, Old photos of my grandparents, Charity shop bargain, Thorntons ice cream on the way back from a day in Southampton, Couldn't visit London without eating at Wahaca. 

Night out at the BATVA's (award ceremony to celebrate end of my TV Production course), Bigs enjoying the sun, We had vouchers for Wagamamas, My friend and I went out wearing pretty much the same outfit oops, Cuddles with Bigs, Catching up on Game of Thrones, Making paper chains, Leftover BBQ food for brunch, Enjoying the sun in my pjs.

 Instagram @hannahcelder 

On My Nails: Nails Inc Caramel & Maybelline Colour Show Polka Dots

I love the Maybelline Colour Show Polka Dots in Chalk Dust. I haven't tried the L'Oreal Confetti Top Coat but i'm guessing they are similar. The reason I opted for the Maybelline one is because it's a bit cheaper and I now have a few polishes from the Colour Show range and i'm really pleased with the quality. I decided to try it over a neutral colour so used Nails Inc Caramel which I got free a while ago in Boots when I bought two bottles of Coke. I love it when they do deals like that as even though I do like the Nails Inc polishes I never want to spend £11 on a bottle. I love the neutral shade underneath the black and white polka dot effect, it reminds me of eggs. I think next time I use it i'll try it over some pretty pastel colours such as Barry M's Blue Moon.

I would definitely recommend the Colour Show Polka Dots, it dries really quickly, gives such a lovely speckled look and you only need to apply a couple of coats to get an even and eye-catching effect. 

There are two other shades which look really pretty, let me know if you have tried them or are a fan of the Chalk Dust polish too! 

May Favourites

I have been really impressed with a lot of beauty products recently and have enjoyed using them so much that I thought it was only right to tell you about them.

Revlon Nearly Naked Powder
I always like to use a pressed powder on top of foundation to set my make up. I'm a massive fan of MACs Mineralise Skin Finish but wanted to find a cheaper option. So I decided to try this one by Revlon as I have tried their powders in the past and loved them. This powder did not disappoint! It is very finely milled so when I use a brush hardly any of the powder comes loose during application. It's such a light powder but still gives great coverage over foundation. It's amazing because even though it gives a lot of coverage, you can hardly see it on the skin and it's not chalky at all.

Bourjois Radiance Reveal Healthy Mix Foundation
I used to use the original version of this foundation all the time a few years ago but for some reason moved onto using other ones such as MACs Studio Fix Fluid and Rimmel's Wake Me Up Foundation. When I find a foundation that I like I tend to stick with it so I had completely forgotten how amazing the Bourjois one is. When I saw that it had been relaunched and was getting lots of positive reviews I thought it was time to go back to Bourjois when I ran out of my Rimmel foundation. I'm so happy I did because I love this product. It gives a medium coverage and a dewy finish and is hardly visible on the skin at all which I love.  

Bourjois BB Bronzing Cream
I was a bit wary about trying this product but it was on offer and I was just really intrigued by what it said on the bottle. 'Boosts radiance', 'Prolongs tan', 'Refreshing sensation', 'Addictive fragrance'. Firstly, yes it does have a lovely fragrance which reminds me of holidays! It also says on the bottle that it gives a 'flawless complexion' which actually isn't true as when I tried it by itself it gave no coverage AT ALL and just made my face a weird colour. But don't let this put you off! When I use it over the Healthy Mix Foundation I really like it as it gives me a really healthy glow and actually begins to do what it says on the bottle. I can see myself using this a lot over the summer (just not on its own).

Maybelline Baby Lips
They don't sell these yet (I don't know if they ever will?) in the UK so I asked my cousin to bring one over from the States (Thanks Jess) for me to try as i've heard good things about them. The rumours were true! I love this lip balm and it has three great things going for it. The smell- it smells/tastes like tangerine. The formula- it's so moisturising and soft on my lips. The shade- i love the fact that it has a subtle coral shade to it which transfers really nicely onto the lips. This lip product is perfect for summer and I would love to get my hands on some other scents! 

MUA Pro-Brow Kit
For a while I had been using Buck from my Urban Decay Naked Palette to fill in my eyebrows. I realised that used alone it's probably not the right shade for my eyebrows. So I thought it would be easier to just get a small brow kit so that I could mix shades that worked for me. I really didn't want to spend a lot of money so decided to get the MUA Pro-Brow Kit (which was sold out in a lot of my local drugstores). I can see why as I'm really pleased with it and love the fact that it contains setting gel to use on top of the powder. I mix the darker and middle shade together to create a pretty good match for my eyebrows and love the staying power and good quality for the low price.  

Vera Wang Lovestruck
This is probably one of my favourite perfumes ever. I really like the packaging (even if the lid is pretty unpractical) and I love the fact that the scent stays on my skin for a long time. Top Notes of Pink Guava, Angelica Flower and Mandarin. Heart Notes of Indian Jasmine Sambac, Tuberose Buds, blue Lotus Blossom and Base Notes of Sheer Musk ,Precious Woods and Vanilla. This perfume is lovely all round! I also tried the Floral Rush version of it recently and would love to get it when this one runs out.  

Palmer's Natural Bronze
I really dislike using fake tan...I just don't get along with it. I was a fan of the Dove gradual tanning lotion but gave up on using it because I wasn't really noticing a difference. So when I saw that Palmer's had released one I really wanted to give it a try. It really does work!! I had a uni event to go to the other day so I started using this the week before and applied it once every morning leading up to the event. After a week I was glowing and the best thing was that it did look natural and there were no streaks. I have stopped applying it now though because I'm sure if I applied it for a few more days i'd be close to looking like an Oompa Lumpa. It seems to be a great product for building up a tan the week leading up to something that you want to look tanned for. The one thing I'm not a fan of is how strong the smell is, but you seem to get that with most tanning products and the cocoa butter does seem to cover that up a bit. 

H&M Phone case
I picked up this phone case in H&M the other week for just £2.99! I mean, it's turquoise AND it's a cat...two of my favourite things. It's surprisingly good quality and it really does protect my phone because it fits all the way around the edges. 

I'd love to hear which products you enjoyed using during May!