Favourite Pieces of 2016

Quite possibly my favourite purchase of last year was my Mango chain bag in black. I think I found it at exactly the right time, it was in October and I believe it was half price and down to 22.99. The reason I love this bag and why I haven't left the house without since October is because it is just perfect! I have a habit of carrying way too much stuff in my handbag and end up regretting it after about an hour  or so of wondering around with it on my shoulder. The heaviness kicks in and it just becomes uncomfortable to carry. This bag however is just small enough that I have to carefully consider what I put in it, limiting the space so I don't just throw things in! The size also means that I won't just throw in my receipts and vow to sort them out when I get home (something that always ends up being neglected for far too long!) It's the perfect little black bag to dress up an outfit and I just wish I'd brought another!

Just before Christmas I was walking past Kurt Geiger and spotted they had a sale on, with some time to kill I decided to just pop in to see if they had any little black purses, although I didn't find a purse I did spot these Simona black mid heel ankle boots. I'll admit the stars where the thing that attracted me the most and even though I've never worn a shoe with such a point I over looked that and brought them anyway! 

Now I had a tester for this perfume for longer than I can remember but I only really rediscovered it half way through last year, Lancome La Vie est Belle Perfume is my perfect feminine fragrance! Its great quality - you literally need maybe two spritz and you'd ready to go. It's also long lasting on me and every time I've warn it I've receive compliments on the smell! There isn't anything I dislike about this perfume, the only thing I wish was that I had it in a roller ball, It would be more travel friendly and wouldn't take up too much room in my handbag!

I came across this Fringe 17 month planner in TK Maxx. I haven't used a planner like this since school, but oh my goodness I forgot how handy they are! I'm defiantly a more visual person, and seeing things drawn/written briefly in calendar section and then turning to the date and day part of the month helps to keep me organised and up to date on things I need to do. This planner will help me through the year, but you can bet I'll be looking for a replacement for next year! 

Before January 2016 I'd only ever worn a watch from perhaps a couple of days a year tops. They were always something I just couldn't be bothered to take the time to put on each day and as a result I never formed a routine of wearing one. However, everyday since the very first month of 2016 I haven't left the house without my Olivia Burton Watch. I'm at the stage where if I go out without it, I feel naked and lost! It surprising how much I rely on this watch at work especially!

All in all, these five objects have really been my favourite things through 2016. Things I have been using constantly and I'm sure I will still be using them at the end of 2017!

What have you been loving throughout the last 12 months? 
x

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Goodbye 2016

Wow, I can not believe how fast 2016 came and went. I feel like we've come full circle way to fast and the year just slipped through my fingers. I can't say that I'll miss 2016 very much, I achieved a few things I never even considered doing and learnt a lot about myself in the process. On the health front I finally learnt that in some cases, learning to care less and not stressing out about things outside of my control isn't a bad thing and it is actually best to separate yourself from the stress. 

LIFE AND HOBBIES

I’ve now officially spent a whole year up in Scotland, I’ve travelled to a few places and experienced a bit more, but there are still things that I wanted to do up here that I haven’t gotten round to yet. There are still plenty of sights left to see and this year I really want to get out with my camera more.  I enjoy photography, in particular landscapes, and the scenery is breath-taking if you take the time to stop and look.

Whilst it quietened down on here my work life got a bit crazier. I completed two training qualifications, both which ran over 7 months and as stressful as it was at the time to do them simultaneously, now that they are over and completed I feel all the more confident for it.

In 2017 I want to press forward with work, health, photography and this blog. My health and fitness kick at the beginning of last year fell to the wayside after injuring my back, so I ‘d like to get back into it and back up to the running level I was at before.

I also lost contact with my blog mid year and I just put it down whilst work commitments got bigger, this year I plan to organise my time better, making sure I put time aside to do the things I want to do.

BLOGGING

Whilst I was keeping up with my blog last year I did write a few posts that I am still quite proud of. I even think that my photography has come on a bit in the last few years. I would like to continue blogging and its processes as well as the feeling of accomplishment when you hit ‘publish’. This year would see Lotties Thoughts fourth birthday, and I am determined to keep at it! In the past, the best way for me to be constant is to organise my time and write up posts a few weeks in advance, on days off, utilizing my time with taking photos and writing.

HEALTH AND FITNESS

At the beginning of 2016 I wanted to work on my fitness, in the hope of strengthening my back. It’s always been an area of concern for me and I have never experienced worse pain than when I’ve injured my back. Last March I spent a whole week in bed not able to move because I’d injured my back, then I spent the next few months literally being so careful in my movements so not to strain it, that all the exercise I had been committed to in the first few months of 2016 went completely out of the window because I was too scared to hurt myself like that again.

This year I am starting it back up, continuing from the end of last year, to keep a closer eye on what I eat and slowly working on some exercises to improve my fitness. I’ve had a lot of problems with my back in the last 10 years and I don’t want have the risk of injuring it as easily as I can right now.

2016 is officially over and we are starting a whole new year with all the best hopes for it! What have you reflected on and do you have any plans for this year? 

Best Wishes and lots of luck for 2017 

x

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Pure Clay from L'Oreal | First Impressions

I love to sit down, relax and just have a little pamper every once and a while. Face masks, freshly painted nails and a movie to relax too are part of the perfect pamper session. I have used a lot of different masks in the past, most packet masks or from tubs, which are quite thick in texture, but none  like the L'Oreal Pure Clay mask which seems to be a creamy consistency, which dried quickly on the skin.

There are three different targeting treatments to choose from...

1. Pure Clay Purity Mask  which helps to Purify and Mattify, suitable for oily skin

2. Pure Clay Detox Mask which helps to Detoxify and clarify skin

3. Pure Clay Glow Mask, a Brightening and Exfoliating Mask suitable to dry skin

( All of which, in my opinion, smell amazing and fresh! )

I had originally planned to get the Detox Mask, however once I visited Boots I saw a small information leaflet about each of the Masks. On it, it describes the use of each mask and how to figure out which one is right for you and your skin. There are three small test patches for you to try out, to use, press one of the small test patches against either your T-Zone, Chin or Cheek, to find out what that section of skin is trying to tell you. You can compare your skin test results against the information leaflet to identify which mask would be right for you in that area! After doing the tests, it showed me that I could use the Detox mask and the Purity mask. 

I have so far tried out the Detox Mask as I feel this is the best place for me to start. I plan to use it a few more time before moving onto the purity mask or even Multimasking as they have so cleverly put it on the packet! 

To apply these masks I chose to use a foundation brush which I don't like to use for foundation, it actually worked quite nicely as I didn't put too much of the product on and it was actually less messy! 

I placed in on my T-Zone, my nose and onto my cheeks and a small section on my chin. These are the areas that I have a lot of clogged pores and tends to get the most oily. I left it on for around 8 minutes, until it was dry and then washed it off with water and a wet flannel. After cleaning of the mask my face looked a lot better, less shiny, smaller pores and a lot cleaner than it did pre mask. It defiantly soaked up the excess oil in my skin and as a result my cheeks, chin and forehead felt very dry, but after a quick cleans and a little bit of moisturiser my skin is feeling soft and subtle. 

Overall, after my first application I am fairly impressed by the Detox mask and I would look into apply this once a week for my skin. Anymore than once a week would perhaps be to much for my skin and could cause it to produce more oil, which is something I defiantly don't want, but for once a week, perhaps at the beginning of the week I think my skin could defiantly benefit from the mask. After the first application it did remove a lot of impurities but it also dried out my chin and cased a few big break outs for the next two days, however y skin looked a lot better afterwards.
Every since moving to Scotland my skin seems to react differently to the water in the shower and feels tight and dry after washing so I think I will try the purity mask and the glow mask at the same time in a couple of weeks, after I've given my skin a new lease of life by detoxing all the dirt out!

I think these little pots of masks are a good buy at £7.99 normally, but I just couldn't resist buying them whilst they were just £5 each at Boots! And who knows maybe they will be a weekly thing? Maybe I'll finally find a weekly routine for my skin care? Does anybody else use masks as part of a daily or weekly beauty routine? If so, what do you use?

Love Charlotte xo 

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25 Facts About Me

It's been a while since I last did a personal sharing kind of post, and I have seen few of these '25 Facts About Me' posts recently and I thought it would be nice to do an updated one! I personally love reading these kinds of posts, it feels like you are getting to know the author behind the blog a bit more, so without further ado here are 25 Facts About Me ...

1. I am 5ft6".

2. I will be turning 24 at the end of the year! I've NO idea where the years have gone?

3. I share my birthday with my eldest cousin.

4.  I am an animal lover, even if they terrify me, I can't hurt them even spiders *shivers!*

5. I LOVE films! All the aspects that teams go through! The creating, producing and editing, I'd love to experience it all first hand! Marvel films have pretty much captured my heart.

6. Action movies are my favourite, James Bond,  Bourne or any Marvel Movie.

7. Autumn if my favourite season, because of the beautiful colours of nature and the warmish weather.

8. I am a 'What if' thinker, which isn't always a good thing it often leads to negative thoughts and feelings. However it also make me ask questions about anything and everything sometimes you have to let your imagination run wild.

9. I hate working in silence, I just can't concentrate on what I am supposed to be doing, I'll usually put a film on or F.R.I.E.N.D.S just so its playing in the back ground.

10. I enjoy drawing if I have the time.

11. White or Deep Red roses are my favourite flowers. (As well as those little flowers, I think they are called 'Baby's Breath'?)

12. I could eat Strawberries all day everyday (I've also decided to try an grow my own! This strawberry in the picture was my first home grown strawb! Tasted pretty good too!)

13. For some reason, I can't go to a beach and not pick up a shell or pebble.

14.  I've always enjoyed makeup and beauty, and I am glad to say I've come a long way since my green eyeshadow phase back in secondary school.

15. Pink lipstick has never been my thing, I don't think pink suits me at all.

16. A black cat eye liner is quite possibly my favourite thing to do for my day to day makeup.

17. I love to learn new things, I'd call myself a 'sponge'.

18. I am trying to learn French.

19. I am a visual learner and I am inspired by images more than words.

20. I also hate reading instruction... but I'll surrender to them If I can't work it out by myself.

21. Pinterest is addictive and I am 100% addicted to it.

22. Witty comments and quotes from films are commonly used in my house and possibly the best way to communicate.

23. I am terrified of open water, not knowing whats below you or what to do! I can feel my pulse rising just thinking about it!

24. I am a quite a private person and struggle to make and keep friends. But even if we don't talk everyday, they are still in my thoughts.

25. Seeing other people happy makes me happy.

That's it for this weeks post, hopefully it gives you a bit of a better idea as to who it is behind Lotties Thoughts! I love reading these kinds of posts and always find it so interesting to find out a bit more about the person behind the blog.

Love Charlotte xo 

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Lotties Thoughts 3rd Birthday

If you'd asked me three years ago what blogging is and how people use it, I couldn't have told you much apart from 'well, we use it at uni to create a working diary for our projects...'

Image.

Three years on and I've found an amazing community of people who enjoy talking and sharing information about all things beauty, a plethora of stunning, informative blogs and some really inspiring weekly reads.

I started my blog with the intention of creating a hobby for myself which gives me a bit more of a purpose and self identity as well as constantly learning how to improve my writing skills.I've never really been one to enjoy writing, I always hated going to English class at school because I was just really bad at it, and so I'd get frustrated and just give up on the work. However, after starting my own blog for university work, I googled 'blogger' and found out what else other people were doing with their blogs, I came across a whole world of information about different things, from makeup to cooking, interia design and sketch booking, there were so many different directions that people has gone in with their blogs that I just loved the idea of having the freedom to express your thoughts about anything and everything you wanted too.

Three years later and I feel like I've created a space online where I can write and share my ideas about (mostly) makeup and beauty products, and sometime some lifestyle bits and bobs, which I enjoy to do. I feel like I am still at the beginning of this blogging journey, and I'm still trying to figure out what it is I want to focus on, but for now I am enjoying it and all the learning curves that come with it.

I hope for the next year I learn a lot more and that I can begin to get a bit more feedback and interaction from fellow bloggers and blog readers. I'm also thinking that I need to be more adventurous with my blog and venture into areas that I feel to shy to do. I hope that I can grow my blog and learn things all the way through. And Finally I would like to say Thank you to the 152 people who have subscribed to my blog over the years, I hope I can create more posts that interest you and provoke communication and thoughts!

Thank you to the people that have followed and commented on my little piece of the interest over here, it means a lot to know people are interacting with things I have written, and I am thankful to each and everyone of you!

Love Charlie xo 

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*Image is not my own. https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/341499584225157930/