Sunday Catch-Up #18

Old typewriter for decoration in our new home // Byebye, old flat... // ...hello, new house!

No TV stand? Just use an old suitcase! // Couldn't resist the book offer // Much needed morning muffin and latte

As I mentioned in last week's catch-up post, this week has been mental. We moved from a fully-furnished flat into an unfurnished three bedroom house and had one day to get pretty much everything - a washing machine, a fridge, cupboards etc. - while also packing up all the stuff we do have, which barely all fit in the van.

Living in London was a lot of fun and I still think it's one of the most amazing cities in the world - but also one of the most expensive. There was absolutely no way we could move into another flat share and what good is it having so many amazing things to see and do around you if you never have the money to see and do them? We actually pay the same money now for the entire house as we did for a small bedroom in a shared flat with two others - isn't that crazy?

Most of the week has been spent unpacking, buying more things (lots and lots more things) for our new home and decorating. Then for the weekend I had to pop back down to London to work for another three days and trust me when I say that I am absolutely shattered!

We don't get internet in our new home till the 14th, but I promise that from then onwards there'll be plenty of regular posts and updates again.

How's your week been?

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The Photography Show - Pro Tips for taking better pictures

Whether you're a blogger, hobby photographer, or just enjoy taking snaps during a fun night out, learning how to take better photos is something we could all benefit from - no matter if it's with a professional DSLR or with your iPhone. I've actually done two semesters of photography as part of my university degree, but I'd still consider myself more or less a camera newbie.

For any of you interested in photography, I have a discount code for the Photography Show at the NEC in Birmingham, where you can pick up some tips to improve your photography, listen to guest speakers such as Rankin (yes, Rankin), or even just look at some pretty impressive pictures.

The show takes place from March 1st - 4th and I myself am going to make sure to head down on one of those days. Type in the code

FUTHND142014

to get tickets for £10 each instead of the usual £13.

You can find some more information on the Photography Show website. Hope to see you there!

Review: MUA Cover & Conceal wand

MUA is quite an interesting brand for me. I once bought an amazing eye liner from them and a pretty decent nail polish and even though all the products I've purchased since have been more or less duds, I just keep finding myself drawn to the brand again and again. Maybe it's the ridiculously low prices, maybe it's their way of constantly coming out with new and innovative products, but something just draws me to their display more than most of the other brands'.

So, when I was in the market for a new concealer, how could I resist this concealer wand that retails at £1.50? Bargain! I'll admit that I was secretly hoping it would be on par with my beloved Collection concealer, which is already extremely cheap, but still about three times the price of this one.

Well, turns out it's nothing like the Collection concealer. It's a lot lighter both in application as well as in coverage, which meant that unless you don't mind applying 45 layers, you're best off avoiding it for blemishes. As for under my eyes I felt that I could get away with using it on good days, but after a heavy night it didn't do that much to hide my dark circles.

MUA Cover & Conceal wand in Natural swatched (left) and blended in (right)

On the plus side it blends really well and I didn't find any creasing at all throughout the day. I think this would be a great product for anyone who doesn't need an awful lot of coverage from a concealer, because it does feel really light and lovely on the skin. But if you need a bit more hardcore concealing action like me, you're best off saving this for your off days, or maybe avoiding it altogether.

So, even though I was once again not particularly blown away by this concealer, I'm pretty sure I'll somehow find myself drawn to a MUA stand once more unable to resist a cheeky little purchase for a pound or two.

You can find the Cover & Conceal wand on the MUA website here. It's available in three shades, Fair, Natural and Almond. Unfortunately there aren't any shades to match darker skin tones, but I found that with my rather pale skin, Natural worked really well.

Sunday Catch-Up #17

Making sausage burgers // Off for a run in the rain // Listening to new Capture the Crown

Surprise salmon dinner - yum! // Ninja being cute as usual // Quick & Sneaky purchase

Desperados Red and Superbowl

This week has finally given me the chance to recharge my batteries a little bit, right before life's about to become crazy again from tomorrow onwards. Joe was away for most of the week, so it was just me and the dog from Monday up until Friday. I caught up on lots of work and managed to relax for a bit before work kicked off properly again for the weekend.

I also finally managed to get back into some sort of exercise regime, which even saw me running in the rain (it wasn't a lot of fun). My muscles certainly needed a bit of a wake-up call!

I need to give you a warning and apologise in advance that next week is probably going to be very quiet on the blogging front. We're packing our bags and moving house again (this is the sixth time in two years - getting a bit sick and tired of this), so it's time to live out of a suitcase again for a bit and spend ages setting our new home up.

But before that, we may as well enjoy watching the Superbowl with a few cold beers and a big bag of crisps.

How's your week been?

If you want to follow me on Instagram, you can do so here.

February Wish List

Striped Sweatshirt, Pull & Bear, £17.99 // 3D Globe Pendant Necklace, Urban Outfitters, £12 // Heart-shaped Print Pink Skirt, Romwe, £18.12 // Coins Bracelet, Asos, £6 // Reve de Miel Ultra Nourishing Lip Balm, Nuxe, £9.50 // MOTO Faux Leather Fronted Leigh Jeans, Topshop, £42 // MOTO Folk Embroidered Hotpants, Topshop, £34 // Origami Animal Earrings, Love Hearts and Crosses, £10 // Pink Tribal Print Friendship Bracelets Pack, New Look, £6.99 // Geo Darling Boxy Tee, Forever21, £11.50

Slowly but surely the spring collections are seeping into shops (the first month of the year is over now, after all) and I'm all over them! I always struggle to find clothes I like in the winter months, as everything tends to be black and grey and really, really dull. 

And just because it's still winter doesn't mean I can't start looking for a new pair of shorts. That's what tights were invented for, after all!

I also couldn't help but sneak in a Valentine's themed item, either. The heart print Romwe skirt looks like it's the perfect cut to do an awful lot of swirling and swooshing in.

The Nuxe Reve de Miel lip balm was featured on pretty much every beauty bloggers 2013 favourites and as I'm in dire need of an intense over-night lip balm ever since I finished my last tube of 8 hour cream, it's about time I give this one a go.

Two other items on this list are also completely down to other bloggers. First of all, we have those faux leather Topshop jeans. I've always wanted some leather trousers, but was a bit weary about pulling the look off. Then I saw these over on Lily's blog (click here for the post) and fell in love with the half denim, half leather design. Unfortunately, they seem to have sold out online, but you might be able to still find them in stores. Over on Sailboat (click here for the post) Jenny introduced me to Love Hearts and Crosses and I want pretty much everything from the site, but I settled with the Origami hummingbird earrings for now. The site seems to be slightly temperamental with direct links, but they're definitely still there, so you might just need to search for them manually.

The globe pendant necklace holds special meaning to me, as one of my goals for this year is to save some money to finally go travelling. It would be a constant reminder that I need to get out and see the world!

I've also seen a similar bracelet to the coin one above a few months ago, but then I couldn't find it anywhere and regret not having made a purchase when I had the chance. I'm not doing the same mistake twice!