Currently | April 2015

I was intending to have this post up on Thursday, but I've been hit with a nasty cold and chest infection (or quite possibly, the plague), and I've been too poorly to blog. I still am, really. The worst part is the relentless chesty cough; I'm coughing so hard I keep tasting blood, and it's not doing my back any favours, either. My eye balls are aching like crazy, too, making it painful to look at my laptop screen, so it's taken me four days to put this post together! I'm fed up of working on it now, so I'm doing my best to power through and get it done.

So... starting today, I'm going to write a monthly favourites post, where I will be writing about my favourite things of the month just past. These posts will give me the opportunity to share the new or current faves in my wardrobe, the beauty products I've been using, entertainment I've been enjoying, creative hobbies I've been working on, and anything else I might be enjoying, or just want to mention. I think this will be a great way to  share all those little things that often don't make it on to the blog, but should! I honestly don't know why I didn't start this feature sooner, but I'm going to give it a shot and see how it goes!

Wearing / Latest Fashion Purchases

I bought the cutest scallop print dress from Dorothy Perkins last week. It's just a simple fit and flare jersey dress, but I have a feeling I'll be wearing it to death this Summer; it's so comfy! I finally bought a couple of cropped cardis from Peacocks last weekend, too, since most of mine are on their last legs. I obviously ordered the yellow and the green, which are two of the most vibrantly-coloured pieces of knitwear I've ever seen! They're so cheerful! The fabric is super soft and thick, and I'm so surprised by how great quality they are for just £12. 

Accessorising

April was a great month for accessories. I wore the funky little tulip brooch from Cath Kidston pretty much every time I was dressed (even if that was only a handful of times! Haha!). What can I say? It's cute! I also fell in love with the ice cream and strawberry clutch bags from New Look (though, I think I bought the ice cream in March). They're so much fun, and they look good worn with almost everything. They're definitely two of the best novelty bags around this season. I talked a little more about them here.

Beauty products I'm loving

♥ I bought my very first product from Bobbi Brown (on sale at Bicester Village); a gorgeous mint green eyeshadow called Sea Glass. It's so pretty.

♥ My old faithful Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water is still one of my favourite beauty products. I'm impressed that it even removes Roller Lash with very little effort.

♥ I adore the smell of Original Source Skin Quench All-In-One Moisturising Shower Gel in pineapple and coconut oil. I wish more beauty products were pineapple-scented!

♥ Yes To Coconut Cleansing Wipes smell just like summer! They're brilliant at removing make up, too, and are even compostable.

♥ I can't stop wearing my violet Urban Decay eyeshadow 'Flash'. It feels like velvet, and the colour is so striking.

♥ One of my newest discoveries is Kiko, and I'm a little obsessed with their gorgeous £2.50 nail polishes. I especially love 530, which is a shimmering mix of ocean blue and green that looks like mermaid scales.

♥ I'm still addicted to Benefit's amazing Roller Lash mascara. It gives me incredible long, curled lashes.

♥ I've been using Rimmel Matte 9-in-1 BB Cream for over six months, and it's the best base I've found in years. The colour match is pretty spot on (I use very light), and it gives decent coverage without covering up my freckles.

♥ Barry M Speedy Quick Dry nail paints are the most perfect pastel polishes for Spring. My faves are 'In A Heart Beat', 'Pole Position', and 'Road Rage'.

(Reviews I've written of the products are linked in blue. Reviews for the others will be coming soon!)

Reading

Unusually for me, I've barely read (novels) all year. I've had difficulty concentrating, with so much going on in my head, and when I've been able to concentrate, I've been falling asleep before I've read three pages. However, I started reading The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey a few days ago, and I'm already half way through, so I may have finally made  a break through! I'm really enjoying it so far, so expect a review soon!

Watching

I'm just a little bit obsessed with Mockingjay right now, and I've also been enjoying Begin Again. (Well, hello, Mark Ruffalo!) I watched The Impossible on TV last weekend, too, which really caught my attention. Have you seen it yet? It's a film about the Boxing Day tsunami, based on the true story of one family who were engulfed in the wave, separated, but miraculously survived. It was heavy, heart-breaking, realistic, and a bit graphic in places, but I think it was really well done. 

Listening

I've been playing a lot of Fall Out Boy, and Linkin Park lately... but hey, what's new? I'm particularly loving Fall Out Boy's latest album 'American Beauty / American Psycho', especially 'Uma Thurman' and 'Favourite Record'- they're infectious!

Creative Writing

I've been picking up the 712 More Things To Write About book (review here) almost every day lately, doing my best to complete at least one new task each time. I know I'm not the best writer in the world, but I've always enjoyed creative writing in my spare time, and this book is basically a creative writers dream. Well, maybe second to the dream of being a published novelist!

Cross Stitching

I'm working on another Christmas cross stitch sampler from River Drift House, albeit rather slowly. Well, December is seven months away, so there's no rush! I know it'll be finished in time. Getting it framed in time for Christmas is a whole other story! Haha!

Journaling

I can't remember if I've mentioned this before, but a while back I started a creative-slash-inspiration journal. I use it to record moments from my health care journey, the moments and things that have made me smile in spite of the pain, and anything I find inspiring, like lyrics and quotes. I've spent quite a few hours creating pretty pages lately, using pretty paper, Smash Book pads, and Project Life cards. I'm not working on Project Life but the Project Life cards are one of my latest obsessions. They're double-sided cards which feature things like patterns, pictures, quotes, and space to write on, and they're so much fun to journal or scrapbook with. I have a few sets of them, but I think my current faves are the journal, travel, and summer cards. They're brilliant!

And... I think I'll leave the favourites here. I have more I could mention, but I think the post is long enough already.

What were your favourite things in April?