TK Maxx & Boots Haul

Happy Sunday everyone! I know it's the end of May, but I've uploaded a haul today (my favourites will be up on Thursday). I've done it this way so that I'm not uploading 2 hauls in a row! Anyway, I hope you enjoy seeing what I've picked up recently from TK Maxx and Boots! I hope you've all had a good week - sadly it's back to work for me tomorrow! x

elf. Studio eyeshadow review.

elf Studio single eyeshadow in purple passion*

I was recently sent this little single eyeshadow to review from Beauty Product Testing UK. I've used a couple of elf products in the past, and have been really impressed with them. Elf is a really affordable drugstore brand, and is perfect if you're just getting into makeup or are experimenting with new looks. 

You probably all know by now that I never wear coloured eyeshadow. I'm a neutral girl, and this shade, although it's a gorgeous and very pigmented purple, isn't something I'd have bought myself. I tried out a couple of looks with this, but the one that was most 'me' was a subtle purple liner look. I added a small amount of the purple shadow along the upper and lower lash line, and then added a black winged liner, as this really makes the colour stand out. I really love this look, and it's an easy way to wear colour if you're more of a neutral girl. 

This shade also looks amazing as a purple smoky eye, which would be lovely for an evening look!

The formulation of the eyeshadow is really good, it's pigmented, blends well and is a very vibrant shade. The packaging is compact and really nice (especially for the money) and even has a mini mirror in the lid. 

These elf shadows are really good, and I'd love to try some more neutral shades in the future. The Elf UK site is currently being upgraded, and I've heard that when it re-launches, they'll be stocking the American products too, so I'm excited to see that! 

Have you tried any of the elf shadows? 

*The eyeshadow was sent to me to review, however all opinions are my own and this post is not sponsored. 

What I Eat in a Day

Today's video is a bit different, I've seen a few of these 'What I eat in a day' videos and posts recently, so I thought I'd film one! I really hope you enjoy it, and do let me know if you'd like to see any more food/cooking videos in the future!

I hope you've all had a good week! x

Raw, Vegan, Gluten-free brownies.

As part of my health kick, I've been cutting down on gluten, refined sugar and 'bad' foods, and although I haven't given anything up completely, I've been trying out some healthier options.

As part of my What I Eat in a Day video (going up tomorrow) I attempted to make Deliciously Ella's raw brownies. I love brownies, but they're very calorific and not very healthy, whereas these ones consist of good ingredients: raw cacao, maple syrup, dates and pecans. Also as they're raw, they don't require any cooking, just freezing for an hour.

The recipe is from the Deliciously Ella cookbook that I blogged about last week, so even though I've included them in a video, I thought I'd do a post as well, as I know some of you prefer my posts, and some of you prefer my videos! I'd really recommend Ella's blog and book as there's loads of amazing recipes there!

The brownies were easy to make (even for me, and I'm possibly the worst cook) and they turned out really well. They are quite sticky though and need to be kept in the fridge, so probably not ideal for lunch boxes or anything, but are such a tasty snack! I've eaten quite a few of mine now, and I love that I don't need to worry about unhealthy ingredients, and that I can eat these guilt-free.

I'm really enjoying my healthy eating, and although I'd never give up any foods (even though I'm already vegetarian) I'm really feeling the benefits of eating an 80% super-healthy diet. I'm no nutritionist, but it seems to be working well for me, and I feel like 80% healthy is enough for me for now, and anyway,  life's too short to give up treats like pizza, chips and cake!

Styling a Summer Kimono.

Bonprix Kimono * 

Primark grey tee

Jack Wills lace top (last year) 

Levis jeans 

Zara sandals (black) 

Primark shoes (white) 

Primark sunglasses 

I absolutely love Kimonos for the summer, as they're just great to throw on with outfits, and especially as I hate my arms, they're my favourite summer staple. This floral one from bon prix's summer collection is beautiful, I love the floral print, and the tassels on the bottom give it a lovely bohemian feel. As it's quite long and oversized, it would be perfect to wear over swimwear on holiday (I don't actually own any swimwear or denim shorts, so I could't show you those options, but it would be lovely with either) or as I've worn it, over jeans and a top.

I'm wearing my jeans in both outfits, as I wear jeans all the time, but I've worn a basic tee in outfit 1, which is a very simple outfit without the kimono. Adding a patterned kimono just makes the whole outfit more interesting and you could easily add heels to take this look from day to night.

In the second outfit I'm wearing a lace top from Jack Wills. This top is super summery and I love how the lemon colour compliments the floral design of the kimono. Normally I'd be a bit conscious of wearing a sleeveless short top (as I really hate my arms) which is why a Kimono is perfect.

This kimono is super lightweight, meaning it'll be really cool in the summer, and if you're going on holiday, won't take up much room in your suitcase!

My jewellery is the same as I usually wear: Rings from The Great Frog and Michael Kors watch. (My other rings were gifts). Also, I added my Primark sunglasses, which I still can't believe were only £2! I think they make the look much more summery!

I'm also really pleased with how these photos turned out! What are your summer style staples? x

*The kimono was sent to me to feature on my blog. I chose this item from a selection. All opinions are my own and this post is not sponsored.

Spring shoes Lookbook

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you're all having a great weekend! I filmed this last weekend when I was ill with toothache (that's why there's been 2 non-chatty videos in a row as my mouth was all swollen!). These are some of my new or favourite Spring shoes, and they're all from the high street! I hope you enjoy the video, and please don't forget to follow my blog and subscribe to my youtube channel! x

Friday's WOMF and Chinese food.

Sorry that today's post is a little late! It's been a hectic week! 

Last night I went out for a Chinese with friends, and although the food wasn't amazing, it was nice and was a good night catching up with my friends, so I thought I'd share it with you! 

I also haven't done a What's on my face post in years, so I thought I'd also do that as part of today's post. The pictures are just from my phone as I didn't take my big camera and I don't have a smaller one apart from my go pro, so the quality isn't amazing but you get the gist! 

My makeup: Origins vitazing, L'Oreal infallible matte foundation, Rimmel wake me up concealer, Maybelline eye eraser concealer, Bourjois healthy balance powder, Anastasia contour kit, NARS smudge proof eyeshadow primer, Too Faced Natural eyes palette, Maybelline gel eyeliner, Charlotte Tilbury Rock n Khol black liner, Benefit they're real mascara, Clinique bottom lash mascara, Maybelline brow drama. I also added Burberry lipstick in pink heather after, but in the photos I'm just wearing lip balm. 

As for the food I had vegetable soup, satay tofu and egg fried rice and chocolate flake ice cream for dessert. It was nice but I'm now back on my healthy eating! If you'd like to see what I eat in a day, Thursday's video will show you! 

I hope you all have a brilliant bank holiday weekend, and don't forget I have new videos every Sunday and Thursday, and new blog posts every Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday! x 

Easy Yummy Green Smoothie

Here is today's new video! As part of my health kick, I thought I'd do some more recipe videos and posts, so I hope you like them! This is a very easy smoothie that tastes a lot nicer than it looks as you can't taste the spinach at all!!



Here's the recipe:

(based on nutribullet but any blender will work!)



1/2 cup spinach

1 banana

pineapple (few chunks)

1 teaspoon chia seeds

1 teaspoon linseed

5 almonds

4 dates (mine are small ones not Medjool)

Coconut milk



Let me know if you make it! (tweet me or tag me on instagram @nellyandnoopy)



Hope you're all having a lovely week! x

The Balm Mary Lou Manizer.

There's been a lot of hype about this little highlighter in the beauty world recently, so I thought I better try it. I go through phases with highlighter - sometimes I use it every day, other times I'll go months without touching it, but I'm always drawn to buying highlighters and bronzers for some reason.

I've only ever tried the Balm products in Birchbox before, and I have the Frat boy blush from an old Glossybox. It's not a brand that I've tried much from, or been really interested in before, but this Mary Lou Manizer caught my attention.

I'll start with the packaging. I'm not the biggest fan of it to be honest, it's difficult to open, and I don't really like the design on the front, but it does have a handy mirror inside. The product though, is a different story.

The highlighter is very golden (looks more so in real life than on-camera) and is very shimmery. It's beautiful on the cheeks and a little goes a long way. I'm very pale and I really like this on myself, but I think it would work well on darker skintones too. The shimmer is very fine but is definitely there, it's not one of those 'glitter' highlighters, but definitely sits more towards that than dewy glow. I personally quite like a bit of shimmer, especially in the summer or in the evening. I don't reach for this everyday as it can be a little bit too shimmery, but I'm looking forward to trying it with a tan in the summer.

If you don't like shimmery highlighters, this one probably isn't for you, but if you do, I think you'll probably like it. Because it's so shimmery, it's lovely as an eyeshadow, especially if you're in a rush - I've used it all over the lid with a bit of bronzer in the crease.

As for lasting power, I haven't had any problems with this, but one thing to note, if your foundation wears off a bit, the highlight is left looking very strong. My advice - use a very small amount.

I'm a bit mixed on this one really - I like it, but I'm not sure it's the best highlighter I've ever used.

Have you tried it? What do you think?

p.s about the tooth, I should be getting it sorted tomorrow, I'm still in pain, and still on a liquid diet :(

Deliciously Ella review.

I'd heard a few bloggers talking about Deliciously Ella, so as part of my health kick, I had a look at her website. Now, cooking is definitely not my thing, so why am I suddenly obsessed with a food blog? Ella's blog and book are all about healthy eating and a plant-based, gluten-free diet. The recipes looked really delicious, and so I bought the book. I think the difference with Ella is that her food is actually delicious, and isn't salad after salad or something with meat and fish, that I'd have to start finding replacements for. It's the only cookbook I've ever had that I can eat every ingredient in every recipe as everything is vegan and gluten-free.

The recipes are really easy to follow too - no fiddly complicated steps that I don't understand, and the raw recipes (and ones using pans) means people like me who can't work an oven very well are covered. I've tried a few of the smoothies already and they're absolutely delicious! I've also ordered a lot of other ingredients so that I can make some more of Ella's recipes - particularly the brownies and quinoa bowls! And I'm also determined to improve my cooking skills - and I think this might be the way I can do that!

I'm actually really enjoying healthy eating, and am feeling so much better for it! It's a little weird really, Ella started eating this way to cure an illness, which is why I started changing my diet and restricting calories almost 3 years ago. This may be a little too TMI, but I suffered from an unknown illness that doctors can't work out, where basically my metabolism doesn't work and I have severe IBS that can only be controlled by diet, as the tablets didn't work. In the last 3 weeks I've been eating like Ella, I've been almost pain free and lost more weight than usual, so as you can probably imagine, I'm thrilled!

Now, I haven't cut out all dairy, gluten and goodies, but I've cut them down to about 15-20% of my diet, which is working well for me. I might, in the future, cut them out completely, but I didn't want to do anything too drastic, as sometimes, that can set my illness off.

If you're thinking of trying healthy eating, or just fancy some tasty food without any guilt, I'd highly recommend Ella's book and blog. Even if you're not vegan (I'm vegetarian) I'm sure you'll enjoy these recipes!

I'll keep you posted on my healthy eating and cooking - and if any of my creations are photo-worthy, I'll share them with you! x

Haul - Whistles, Jack Wills, Zara, VS, Topshop & more!

Hello everyone! Hope you've all had a lovely weekend! I hope you enjoy this haul of some things I bought last weekend! Thankfully I pre-filmed a few videos as I've spent all day at the emergency dentist with a huge abscess! I've been suffering from toothache all weekend but it just got worse and worse! I've managed to schedule most of this week's content (videos are done) so hopefully my blog won't suffer too much!

I'm off for another smoothie now (I can't eat anything) and to try and make up some of the sleep I've missed! I have to go back to the dentist too before Tuesday - so I'm hoping I'll be back to normal in a few days! x

Healthy Eating Update.

Apologies that today's post is a little late! The last week has been pretty hectic and I'm currently suffering from a bad toothache. I thought I'd update you on my little health kick today. I've been trying to eat healthier and doing yoga for 25 days now, and I feel so much better for it. I haven't cut out any foods completely, I've just been trying to eat mainly healthy foods (about 80-90% healthy) with just a few treats here and there. 

I've replaced a lot of my 'unhealthy' snacks with smoothies, fruit and healthy snacks made with nutritious ingredients. The nutribullet has been amazing as it's so quick and easy to use. I usually have 2 smoothies a day - 1 mid morning and 1 after yoga in the evening. I vary the ingredients all the time, sometimes I follow a recipe and sometimes I make up my own. I always try to include 50% greens - spinach is my favourite as you can't taste it at all, but kale also works well too. I then fill the rest of the smoothie cup with a combination of fruits, seeds, nuts, cacao powder, linseed, matcha powder, almond butter, and either water, almond milk or coconut milk. One everything is in the cup I just screw on the blade, and blend! 

I take my morning smoothie to work with me, and to make it quicker in the morning, I make it up the night before, pop it in the fridge and just blend it in the morning! Frozen berries are great to add to smoothies as they make a very cold refreshing drink! 

Healthy eating has also meant my weight loss has sped up a bit, as I'm eating much more 'good foods' than I was! 

I've filmed a smoothie recipe video which will be up on my channel on Thursday, and also on Tuesday I'll be reviewing the Deliciously Ella cookbook! 

Hope you all have a lovely weekend! x 

GRWM | Everyday Neutral Makeup

Hello all! Hope you've had a great week! Here is my latest video - a GRWM of my everyday makeup. It's a no-foundation look so a little different than usual. In fact, I haven't worn foundation for about 2 weeks now as I just haven't needed it. My skin has been loads better recently which I think is down to my healthy eating and yoga, regardless - I'm really pleased it's behaving!

Hope you all have a lovely weekend! x

May Birchbox

You know I love Birchbox, but this month's box is probably the best one I've had! It's a special box, which you can colour in (with the free pencil crayons) to de-stress - something I need to do! It was also a 'choose your sample' month - for which I chose a Wah London nail polish and got this gorgeous pale blue colour called Private Plane. I've tried this already and its a gorgeous shade. It was fully opaque in two coats, dried quickly and is lasting really well so far!

I also received the Jelly pong pong Caribbean Sun bronzer duo. It's a lovely little bronzer and blush but is quite fiddly as it's so small. It would be perfect for travelling though! I love getting makeup samples in my box so was pleased to see a matte lip stain in here! This one is from mirenesse which is a brand I've never heard of. This shade is called Syndney and although I haven't tried it yet, it looks a lovely colour, smells nice and the packaging is lovely! (I'll report back on my thoughts)

I also got a couple of hair product samples - the No.4 Reconstructing masque and the Parlor moisturising sea salt spray. I love trying new hair products, especially when they're things I actually use a lot. I love hair masks as I have dry hair, and other products I've tried from No. 4 have been really good. I've not heard of the Parlor by Jeff Chastain brand before but I love trying out salt sprays so am excited to give this one a go!

Last but not least is a whish body butter in almond - again travel size, but also a subtle reminder that I need to start prepping for the fake tan season!!

As I said, I'm so impressed with this month's box, especially as it arrived after I'd had a pretty terrible day last week. It really cheered me up!

Yoga

Some of you might already know I'm on a bit of a health kick at the moment. I don't really know why I decided to do it, just on a random Wednesday night a few weeks ago I decided it was time to up the healthy eating and try yoga. So I found a Yoga with Adriene beginners video, and haven't stopped since. 

I'm currently doing Adriene's 30 days of yoga (currently on day 20), which I am enjoying (shock horror - fitness that I enjoy). I've never been sporty, I do like the gym but I find it so hard to fit into my life and also expensive. I've been doing yoga in the evenings before I start getting ready for bed as I find its a good time to stop working, and start relaxing. It's also half an hour a day where I don't do any work. 

I didn't think it would have much effect, but I'm feeling loads better for doing it, and have noticed that things are starting to get a little more toned. I've been losing weight now for about 3 years, and have come a long way since I started, and I feel like this is the next chapter for me. 

So, I'm keeping up with yoga, and am actually enjoying eating healthily - something that's really surprised me! I don't know how long it will last - but I'm hoping I can keep going and will hopefully feel better and better. 

If you're wondering where my yoga clothes and mat are from, then make sure to watch next Sunday's video which is going to be a haul! 

Have you tried any yoga? 

Makeup Menu 2 Warm neutrals

Hello! Hope you've all had a great weekend! Today's video is a Makeup tutorial/GRWM using some of my new products from Sephora! I really hope you enjoy it, and as always please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to my channel if you did! x

Bank holiday OOTD.

H&M Coachella Kimono (sold out) 

Wildfox tshirt (old) 

Warehouse jeans 

Louis Vuitton speedy 30 bag

Adidas trainers 

So the weather wasn't great at the Bank holiday weekend, and I didn't do anything special but I did manage to take some outfit pictures. Apologies for the slight squinting - I'm terrible for it! This is just a super casual outfit, and I can't stop wearing my orange trainers as I love them and they add interest to any outfit. I've not worn this H&M Coachella kimono before but I do like kimonos, especially seeing as I don't like my arms! 

I hope you've all had a great week! 

Would You Rather Beauty Tag

Today's video is a tag! I don't normally do these, but I was tagged to do it, so here it is! I hope you enjoy it, and if you like my makeup or wondering whats on my face - Sundays video is a tutorial/grwm on this look! Hope you've all had a great day!

Also, if you're eligible to vote in the UK don't forget to use your vote today! :)

Bold metals.

Real Techniques Bold metals powder brush

Real Techniques Bold metals contour brush

Real Techniques Bold metals blush brush

Aren't these the most beautiful brushes?! There was so much hype around these when they first launched, but I wanted to see some reviews before I bought them, as they aren't cheap. After doing my research, these three brushes were the ones that most people loved and recommended. I did also want the eyeshadow brush but it was out of stock when I bought these. 

Firstly I'm a big fan of the original Real Techniques brushes, they're amazing and make up the largest part of my brush collection. These ones are on the same price and quality level as MAC brushes, but are all synthetic hair so are cruelty free/vegan friendly. I own mainly synthetic brushes but have a couple that aren't. 

The powder brush is great for its intended use, but I like using mine for bronzer, it seems to apply just the right amount, and blends seamlessly, which is really important to me. If you want to see these brushes in action by the way, they're in my makeup menu video which will be up on Sunday. 

The contour brush is similar to an Illamasqua one that I have, but is more fluffy and slightly less dense. It's perfect to contour with, and I've been using it with my new Anastasia palette that I bought from Sephora. As a newbie- contourer I've found this really easy to use and it seems to apply just enough. I was afraid that it might not blend very well, but it works fine and I'm really impressed with it. 

The blush brush is quite small for blush, and is similar to the mac 168 which is what I usually use. I find this one applies a bit less product and works equally as well for highlighter. I've been using it with my beloved Hourglass blushes and it gives a really natural finish, which I like. If it's too small for blush for you, you might like it for highlighter, and Kathleen lights (on youtube) I know likes it for concealer. 

The beauty of synthetic brushes is that they can be used with cream or powder products. I haven't tried them with cream products yet, but will report back if/when I do. 

The handles on these are beautiful, and the metallic colours are perfect. Definitely the most attractive brushes that I own! 

If you're fancying some luxury brushes I'd definitely recommend these, but if you're on more of a budget, I'd go for the original Real Techniques range! Have you tried the Bold Metals? 

Marc Jacobs - The Dreamer palette.

Marc Jacobs The Dreamer palette 

You may have already spotted this beauty in my Sephora haul video, but I couldn't resist taking some photos of it before I used it to share with you all! I'm a big palette fan, something about them just makes you want to buy them and I do have quite the neutral palette collection. One thing I didn't have though, was a lot of warm toned neutrals, so this palette has very nicely filled that gap. 

The shades are absolutely beautiful, especially the shimmer shades. The matte creams and dark brown are very 'normal', but ones that are so useful to have in a palette. The peach and gold shades are beautiful, and definitely my favourites. I've been using them a lot (tutorial video coming on Sunday) and I am really loving them, especially for spring and summer! 

The formulation of these shadows is a bit odd. I find that some of them can apply a little unevenly and some are a little difficult to blend. They aren't bad at all, but do take a little more work than Urban Decay shadows for example. The shadows do last very well and are really beautiful but it's not a palette I'd reach for if I was in a rush. 

I love the warm tones of this palette, and I can see myself getting a lot of use out of it in the warmer months (where are you weather?). It was expensive, and you can only get them at Sephora, which means for us in England, you can't swatch them. I'm happy I bought this, and I do think it's worth the money. The packaging is stunning, and very compact so it would be perfect for travelling too. 

If these shades aren't doing it for you, there are lots of other options! 

Have you tried any Marc Jacobs beauty? 

teapigs. Matcha kit review & tutorial.

teapigs. Modern Matcha kit *

I was recently invited to try Matcha May with teapigs. As you all know I'm a big fan of teapigs so I was excited to try matcha! I've heard lots of good things about it, and it's super healthy and good for you, so I decided to incorporate it into a little health kick I've been doing for the past week or so!

I've started doing Yoga (Yoga with Adriene's 30 days of yoga on YouTube) and have been making a conscious effort to eat and drink healthier. The matcha is great as it gives you loads of energy, 15 times the amount of green tea goodness (1 serving = 15 cups of green tea) and is packed with antioxidants and can also boost your metabolism (which for me would be amazing, as mine is almost stopped).

I've been experimenting with my matcha, and I've tried it the traditional way (whisked into hot water) and I've also been adding it to smoothies. Instead of me writing about them, I decided to film a video of them, so that you could easily follow the steps if you wanted to make them yourself! Plus, it's bank holiday, so I thought I'd do a one-off special extra blog post and video!



I'm really impressed with the matcha so far, and I am feeling a lot better for it. I've noticed that I've got a lot more energy, and feel a lot less bloated. I've also seen an improvement in my skin and my mood, which I think has been helped by the yoga too, and drinking lots of water. I'm also not a fan of traditional green tea, so being able to get 15 times the goodness in a few mouthfuls is amazing for me - means I can drink my sweet ginger tea or my everyday brew instead!

I'm really looking forward to seeing how I'll feel after doing the 30 days of matcha, but so far, I'm very impressed and on the way to being a lot healthier and happier!

*The kit was sent to me for review. This post and video is not sponsored.

Sephora Haul!!

Celebrating the bank holiday with a Sephora haul! I've also included some bits from Space NK, Feelunique and Boots! I really hope you enjoy the video, and come back tomorrow for a special one-off bank holiday post and video! x

Supercolor by Pharrell Williams Review.

Supercolor Ray Purple 

Supercolor Orange 

Pharell William's new adidas supercolor trainers have been selling out everywhere, and seeing as I have two pairs, I thought I'd do a little review on them. 

I bought both pairs from Schuh, which have excellent service, and I'd totally recommend them for any shoes! 

Firstly, I'll talk about the sizing. I've found that these come up very big. I'm usually a 7.5/ 8 (UK size) or a 41 (EU size). I tried on the 8 in these (as I usually get an 8 in shoes) and they were huge, so I had to get the 7 which are plenty big enough for me. I've read a few other reviews online too, and most people have sized down in these. 

The leather on these is very soft, and the insole is very cushioned and comfortable. I've been wearing mine with socks, and haven't had any blisters or sore feet, so for comfort, they're very good. 

My orange ones are amazing. They're super comfortable, stylish and add a pop of colour to every outfit. I've had loads of comments on them, and they attract a lot of attention every time I wear them. They're also Noopy's favourite colour, so they're a big hit with him too. I absolutely love these trainers, and even though I rarely wear colour, I've found so many things to wear with them in my wardrobe. 

The Ray purple I've had a bit of a problem with. My first pair came apart at the toe, and I had to return them and get a replacement (no problems with this at Schuh). My new ones are a lot better, but they do seem to have come away a little at the front. I'm still wearing them, but am keeping a close eye on them, as if it does come away like my others, I'll have to return them. It's a real shame, and I think it's just an issue with the purple ones, as my orange ones are absolutely fine. I just hope my new purple ones don't come apart because they're sold out now, and I do really love them! 

There's 50 colours in the range, although most have sold out now, but adidas do this superstar style in the classic white colour too, if that's more your thing. I'm really loving my supercolors, and I think they're a great statement piece but they probably aren't for everyone!

Have you got any of the supercolors? 

April Favourites

Another month over, so of course it's favourites time! Sorry I didn't get around to posting this yesterday, this week has been hectic and I'm so glad it's a 3 day weekend, we should have one every week if you ask me!

Hope you've all had a good first day of May!