Smudged It

Hello again! Life always seems to to slip through our finger's as life and the daily to-do's take over. It's been an exciting last few months though. Work on renovating our 1920's terrace is continuing, since moving in we've had new water mains, electrics and heating plus there's been plenty of plastering, sanding, painting. Recently we finished one bedroom, sanding the floor to reveal the wooden floorboards beneath what can only be described as tar-like paint and cleaning and painting the walls and cupboards. At the moment we're in the process of turning what was the airing closet into a wardrobe and are mid-shelf construction.

Anyway I'm writing to say I've started a lifestyle blog Smudged It! New Year, new challenge and all that jazz. On Smudged It there'll be a variety of topics covering everything from illustrations and calligraphy to baking, book reviews and DIY, head on over and have a look.

Lotty x

Actually, I Can #QOTD

Slogan Tops Edit

What can't be expressed with words we can all say with a slogan. I love them for adding humour to an outfit and brightening a day. It's an easy way to bring a smile to yours and others days.

My pic of what's available at the moment, apparently I favour grey and French.

1 / Réveil au Paradis / Topshop

2 / Comme ci Comme ça / Whistles

3 / FryDay / Adolescent Clothing

4 / Je T'aime / New Look

5 / Nap Queen / Boohoo

Forget Shit and Move On #QOTD

Spring Outfit Edit

Spring is fast approaching and I cannot wait for the longer days and warmer weather! So in anticipation I've been spending more time than I'll admit browsing outfits that I can't wear yet but at least I'll be prepared from when the temperatures do rise.

Here's an outfit I've got my eye on which incorporates wardrobe staples with some cool sunglasses, a pretty printed dress and pop of colour from the nail polish. Roll on Spring.

1/ Tortoiseshell Sunglasses / Mango

2/ Essie Nail Polish in 'Cute as a Button / Boots

3/ Lip Liner / Kiko

4/ Gold Layered Necklace / Stella & Dot

5/ Suede Shopper / Mango

6/ Denim Jacket / New Look

7/ Gold Infinity Ring / Asos

8/ Ankle Boots / Toms

9/ Print Dress / Asos

So What? #QOTD

DIY Outfit Edit

Seeing as I spend my weekends renovating our house, I thought I'd make an outfit edit of 'fancy' DIY style. You know the ones people wear in films when they're doing manual labour when in reality you just wear old jeans and an oversized t-shirt.

1/ Red Paisley Bandana / New Look / Worn with a messy ponytail.
2/ Hair Ties / H&M / A necessity.
3/ Hair Grips / Superdrug / See above.
4/ Grey Toms / Toms / Comfortable and flexible the perfect shoe - although they won't protect your feet if you're doing anything industrial.
5/ Dungarees / New Look / If there's ever a time for dungarees it's when your DIYing.
6/ Sports Bra / H&M / No wires digging in, and I mean DIY is a work out.
7/ Wishbone Earrings / Dogeared / A little extra luck never hurt.
8/ Stripe Cotton Shirt / Oasis@Asos / Adding a bit of warmth and pattern.
9/ Grey Ribbed Body / H&M / A body so you're not pulling down your top all day.
10/ Overalls / Screwfix / And if you're feeling practical over stylish Overalls!

There you have it, and disclaimer I normally wear 10!

L x

Just Do It #QOTD

The Best Products for Acne Prone and Dehydrated Skin

Having acne prone, oily and dehydrated skin means that I never fit into any 'ranges' brands provide. If I use something too stripping or harsh my skin gets more dehydrated and produces more oil. In contrast if I use products that are too rich my skin breaks out. Oh the joy!

These are the products I have found, after many trials and errors, that don't break me out but give my skin enough moisture. As you can see I favour simple but effective, nothing overly scented or with outlandish claims. In essence they all do what they say on the tin.

1/ La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo + /  After reading so many rave reviews when this first launched I decided to give it a try and it works brilliantly at keeping spots at bay and helping reduce acne scars.
2 / La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5 / I mix this with the Effaclar Duo to add moisture as it isn't hydrating enough for my dehydrated skin.
3/ Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Mask / A fab mask for soothing and hydrating without causing breakouts.
4/ La Roche-Posay Serozinc / I have no idea if this does anything but I do feel like I have had less spots since incorporating this into my routine.
5/ Ren Clearcalm Clarifying Cleanser / My favourite cleanser, keeps my pores feeling clean but doesn't dry out my skin.
6/ Antipodes Kiwi Seed Oil Eye Cream / While searching for an eye cream a few years ago I stumbled on this Antipodes one, realising it was both natural and has double the quantity (30ml) of other creams the same price I got it and have only used this since.
7/ Pixi Glow Tonic / When Caroline Hirons sang its praises it shot straight to the top of every beauty lovers wish list, a few months later I got my hands on it and have been using it ever since.
8/ First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads / These are a great alternative to the Pixi and fab for travel.
9/ Ren Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask / Acne scars be gone! If you're trying to fade makes left by spots you need this, it's amazing.
10/ Ren Pore Minimising Detox Mask / Great for when my skin feels like it needs a deep clean.

So there you have it, my 10 favourite products that I always have on hand for all my skin woes.

She Believed She Could So She Did #QOTD