Tuesday 24 November 2015

My #Winter2015 Essentials.

Hi my lovelies

I hope you all are doing well in this oh so miserable weather.
 
I am a tad bit late for this blog post to go up but as they say, better late than never.

Since it is well and truly the start of Winter here in the UK with the temp dropping  I wanted to do a quick short round up of my winter essentials. Albeit the terrible winds, cold, dark days and lack of sunshine, Winter does not mean you have to hide away indoors or outdoors for that matter camouflaging yourself with layers over layers of clothing. I am definitely a summer girl, yet it is in fact the winter wardrobe I look forward to. The knitwear is always stylish and on point and lets face it you can still look incredibly chic in the winter too.

With cosy nights in, Winter Wonderland, rocking the dark nails and lips as well as the seasonal hot beverages (Nom!) and I could go on. Read on below where you will find my five favourite winter essentials that help make my winter days a tad more bearable.


 Drinks

For those that know me well will know that I am a HUGE coffee lover and participate in Starbucks seasonal drinks all year around. For this time of the year, I definitely like to indulge in their Egg Nog Latte. It is my absolute fav! But lets face it, Starbucks on a weekly basis can burn out your entire bank balance so when at home, I like to indulge in Nescafe's Limited Edition drinks. The one I am trying at the moment is the Orange Spiced Mocha which is lovely after dinner in front of the TV.





Candles


There is nothing quite like a scented candle flickering away in your home during the darker colder days, not only are they soothing and relaxing, but the fragrance of some of them can be rather uplifting. My first choice would definitely be the Jo Malone ones, (Pomegranate Noir) but at almost £40 a pop I don't think I could quite justify spending that amount on a candle. So Yankee Candle it is, there are quite a few that I like from their range and it is hard to choose just the one but at the moment I am loving Egyptian Musk. The scent is gorgeous! Have you checked out their new additions Bundle Up, Cosy by the Fire, Berry Trifle and Winter Glow that launched this October?



www.yankee.co.uk/Save-50%


Coats/Boots

Winter is not winter without a stylish coat on hand and for me, a good one can last at least a year or three! I don't believe they ever go out of style and a last season coat can always be styled with the latest scarf, snood and hat.
For me, this black women's coat with a fur lined hat from Moncler is perfect. It is stylish yet warm at the same time and can be used for  number of looks whether you are dashing to the gym in your gym wear or to the office in business dress. The choice is endless.








A pair of stylish boots are also a must in winter. Not only do they look effortlessly chic but are great in keeping your feet and legs warm. (Uggs who?!) They can be paired with both dresses and jeans and can survive harsh weather conditions such as heavy rain and snow and hardly go out of style. Due to the fact that I am extremely short, I tend to find that ankle boots suit my frame and shape better and this winter I opted for these leather look, quilted panel, rounded toe boots from New Look in dark chocolate brown.



New look - £24.99

Oils

Not the sort to put in your cooking, I am referring to the skincare ones. Harsh weather, central heating and cold can  only mean one thing, dried out hair, dry skin and cracked lips. The Body Shop's Wild Argan Oil Radiant Oil 125 ml immediately comes to the rescue. The oil itself consists of organic Argan Oil and is a luxurious and rich oil that doesn't feel extremely greasy providing that you use a tiny amount and a little goes a long way. It can be used on both the skin and hair and is perfect during these months for providing that extra bit of nourishment and moisture. At £14.00 for 125ml it is a little on the pricey side, yet a bottle does last you a while and it does consist of organic Argan Oil and you are not being fobbed off with the cheapy stuff. 


The Body Shop's Wild Argan Oil Radiant Oil 125 ml (£14.00)

 Makeup/ Hair

Of course make up and hair just had to get a mention as lets face it, it is an essential right?
Each year the makeup and hair trend changes and you would have seen it on a catwalk first. For winter 2015,I am definitely seeing a trend that has certainly moved from bare faced beauty and loose hair waves to the more sophisticated expensive look. Sleek up dos and lipglosses have made a return as quoted by Vogue Beauty.

In terms of the sleeked back hair and polished look, I am loving The Body Shops Wild Argan Oil Miracle Solid Oil. It is 70% solid oil and again is multi purpose which is what I love about this range. It comes in a little round tin and is perfect for on the go and popping into your handbag. I use it to treat flyaway and baby hairs to keep my hair sleek as well as on dry patches of my skin for that instant moisture glow.




#TheBodyShopUK Wild Argan Oil Miracle Solid Oil 50g £8.00


So there you have it lovelies, what are some of your winter essentials? I would love to know, comment down below.

Love and Lipstick

xxx


*Disclaimer- All images are sourced from Google Images and are not my own unless stated otherwise.










Monday 16 November 2015

Beauty Blogger Collab with Glitterglosglo!

Hi my lovelies,

Hope you are all doing well. With the nights being much colder here in the UK that can only mean one thing, lots of cosy nights in! Now I know I have been so MIA lately and I am really sad that I cannot post a blog post as often as I would like due to so many other commitments, (and not enough hours in the day!) but rest assured, for the new year, my aim is to post at least once a week even if it means in short bursts. So watch this space! 


I am very excited for todays blog post however, It is my first ever collab with another Beauty and Lifestyle blogger! I came across Sabina recently through Facebook and her blog and since then we have just clicked! We both thought it would be fun to team up and do a Q&A asking each other a total of five questions each. In the meantime, do check out Sabina's blog over here. Its fab! 





Sabina

1) What do you do as your full time job?


Asides from being a wife and mummy which is lets face it a full time job in itself, I work for the RBS Group at their contact centre full time. 


2) Lipstick gal or Lipgloss babe?


I think I last wore lipgloss when I was 14! It was the Mac clear Lip glass. Honestly? I am not much of a lipgloss person, I hate the stickiness and how my hair sticks to it, so matte lipsticks all the way! Lipstick gal it is! 


3) How do you mange your time for blogging and 'normal' life?


That is a really good question, haha, lets just say some days I do not manage very well at all *Hides face*. 

Blogging takes up a lot of effort and time taking pictures and getting the creative juices flowing and with darker days upon us, makes it difficult to take photographs in natural lighting so it all needs to be well organised and planned out. In between, cooking, cleaning, kids, the husband and full time work as well as freelancing for the odd hair and makeup leaves me with little time for anything. Blogging is usually planned well in advance, working on several draft posts and completing on days off work when kids are at school or very late at night when the kids are in bed. Most of the time, it is a company or brand awaiting a review for one of their products they have sent to me so sometimes the pressure is really on, yet where theres a will, theres a way. 

4) What is your desert Island product?


If I had to pick just the one and depending on where the desert is, I would take a large tub of pure coconut oil, it is so versatile and has many uses. I could put it in my hair to keep it from drying out in the humid climate, apply it all over my body, lips, eyelashes, hands, feet and attempt to use it as an insect repellent and of course the scent of it is gorgeous too! 


5)Your fav quote of the day for inspo?


If I was to choose just the one it would prove too difficult. As I get older, I am steering more towards the positive vibes only outlook. For today, the two below would be my absolute fav and require no explaining. 






 
Hinnah 





6) Tell us a bit about your blog and the story behind it. 

I started my blog many years ago as I always loved writing and always thought I had a natural flair for it. Beauty and makeup has always been my passion so I believed the two combined together would be a perfect idea. It has since then grown a little with a few followers and thousands of page views a month. I have and continue to work with a few brands on a PR basis to review beauty and cosmetics products trialling them and writing an honest review. It is my little escape when I want to drift away from the stresses and strains of every day life and it always gives me great pleasure when girls message me asking for product advice or saying that my blog inspires them. There is still lots of work to be done to it and I am currently undergoing a blog revamp and looking at investing in new equipment for pictures. There is ALWAYS room for improvement! 

7) How did it all begin?

In a house full of four girls we always shared beauty magazines, tips, subscribed to Youtube channels and watched any beauty related programme, When I came across a few other blogs and realised how easy it was to set it all up, one afternoon I went ahead and designed my very own little blog and decided to call it Hinnahs Beauty Bites and since then, the name has stayed! It took a lot of time and effort as time went on to maintain it and work with brands to keep the content of it updated and keep readers engaged. Its hard work but well worth it.

8) Where do you see yourself in five years time?

When I was younger I often made short term and long term goals however, with age comes wisdom and of course you realise that what is written in your destiny will be no matter how much you plan otherwise. I try not to think that far ahead, I am pretty content with my life alhamdulilah (Praise God). Just as long as my loved ones stay happy and healthy that is all that matters really. 


9) What tips do you have for those that want to start a blog?

I am in all honesty no expert when it comes to blogging, I do not consider myself to be a top well known blogger who gets it right each and every time. Staying humble is key! However, what I would say is that blogging takes up a great deal of time and effort, Be passionate about it, the main aspect of it is writing so do make sure this is something you want to/ can do. It is far from getting freebies off companies simply for the sake of filling up your vanity table and believe me  I have come across such people which is a real shame. The beauty of it is putting pen to paper and coming up with something that readers will enjoy reading. It is not about how many followers or likes you can get, it is about how well you write and how good you are at keeping readers engaged. Try to use as many social media platforms as possible to target a large audience. Do not simply copy others, let them inspire you of course, but create your own ideas. Try to post blog posts as often as possible if time permits and networking with the right people is key and will create plenty of opportunities for you. Above all, stay humble, being snobby gets you nowhere!  

10) What do you do in your spare time?

I really thrive on having spare time and really like to make the most of it. Relaxing and taking time out is vital to recharge batteries. Typically, I like spending quality time with the husband and kids be it the the library or indoor soft play or places out to eat. For any ME time and I do like my own company, I like visiting the salon for a facial or massage, stopping in to the local city centre having lunch and a catch up with friends or simply stepping into Starbucks and wandering through the make-up isles in Department Stores if I really want to treat myself!

And there we go lovelies, that comes to the end of our collab! Hope you enjoyed reading just as much as we enjoyed putting it all together for you. Until next time.

Love and Lipstick


xxx