Project 10 Pan - 8 Down :)

As predicted on twitter earlier this week I have indeed now finished item number 8 on Project 10 Pan. It was a toss up between two products over which would be the first one to be finished and the winner was the lipstick.

More precisely it was the Boots 17 Mirror Shine Lipstick in Nudist Peach - I have a few of these lipstick but this one is by far my favourite, a gorgeous glossy nudey, peach colour. I've used this several times a week since I got it and it really goes with everything, including neutrals and with a more dramatic eye. As you can see I attacked it with a lip brush to get the very last bits out :) I already own a back up of this one and I have to say I love it for under £5 it's a great budget lipstick. So that's 8 down, two to go, fingers crossed by next week I'll be 9 down I have a mascara that is so close to giving up the ghost it's untrue. I really am on the final strait now and do you know what I can't wait to be finished now :) Any questions please ask xx

Freedom :)

I'm Free Bar An Evil Scar That Is :)

Hi Guys
Well today was my hospital appointment to see my orthopaedic surgeon - I have to say I had been dreading it especially when I became convinced that I could actually feel one of the screws in my ankle!!!! The weather today was ridiculously warm and predictably orthopedic out-patients was unbelievably hot and crowded. Surprisingly enough I wasn't sent for an x-ray I just went straight to see my surgeons registrar. The big news is I can go splint free and walk and weight bear in my feet :) He says I can wear the splint for days when I will be on my feet a lot but I need to wean myself off it . The bones have healed fine, I just need to keep up the little exercises I was given to build my tendons and muscles back up. I mentioned that I could feel the screws in my ankle and I was right indeed I can, it made me feel a bit queasy to be honest, but it's perfectly normal to be able to feel the metal work!!!! There isn't a lot of flesh on your ankles so the bones/metal are quite close to the surface, and if it moves a bit you can feel it- I swear I can feel a bolt! He said I should expect to feel some discomfort, aching, swelling and so on for at least another 18 months while it beds in and everything heals inside, so I need to take it easy and not wear any silly heels for a little bit. I've had a little walk around the house in my bare feet tonight and it doesn't feel too bad but it's just going to be about building my confidence up and taking it slowly. It's certainly been an interesting 4 and a bit months for me but I've been discharged from the hospital now so my journey appears to be nearing it's end whoopppeee!! I've learnt a few lessons but the biggest one is don't go out in the snow and ice!!! I just want to think you all for the whinging and moaning my little (or not so little) foot has caused - I've really appreciated all you nice message and your support x After the hospital we popped to Sainsburys where my mum bought me a few bits - pics tomorrow x I felt a bit down this morning but this really lifted my spirits - I have a Dentist appointment tomorrow and after that we're going to the cemetery to put some flowers on my dads grave x I still miss him more than anything - Happy Birthday Daddy and Rest In Peace xx

A Tiny Bit Of Haulage - Here Come The Summer Sun??

Hi guys sorry this post is up so late tonight but I was listening to the football and trying to fix my Blackberry - a  0-0 draw at home to Man U has left my feeling pretty chuffed, Newcastle's Premiership future is secured for another season :)
Yesterdays little outing lead to a further dent in this months spending diet - this month has been a total and utter disaster I'm not proud but I'll keep documenting my failures in the side bar for you ;) I have a couple of online purchases to add and a potential trip to the Metro Centre this week too eek! As you know yesterday my mum went to pick up her new car, and whilst we were in Durham we went to a local retail park, we stocked up on some Easter food stuff (chocolate) in Aldi and Tesco, and we popped into TK Maxx. I have to say I had never been in this particular TK Maxx before and I was pleasantly surprised. Often TK Maxx stores are a little bit of shall we say a mess, don't get me wrong I love a good rummage, but sometimes you just can't be bothered. This store was a revelation everything was well displayed, and tidy. The cosmetic goodies were particularly good - the display area was clean and everything was sealed - they had a good selection of brands including Leighton Denny, Nails Inc, Margaret Dabbs, Tigi, St Tropez, and Rodial. There were a few things that tempted me but I remained strong, and headed to the shoes - lots of lovely shoes in sizes 3, 4, and 5 :( The size 8's were awful in comparison which is such a same damn you big feet, next up the clothes.
I have to say this particular stores clothing range wasn't the biggest but the quality was excellent, lots of variety and nothing looked as though it has been dragged around the floor. First up the bargainista in me checked out the sale rails, they had a few nice things including a whole load of Max C dresses for less than £15 but this top called to me. Yes unsurprisingly for me lately, it's a nude blush colour and it has ruffles :)  It's by a brand called Spense and it's in a lovely silky fabric which is a polyester/elastane mix, and better still it was only £10 :)

I then went to look at their dresses and I immediately fell in love with this maxi dress. Maxis look set to be one of the key trends for summer again this year, so I think I need to add a few more to my collection. This dress is by a brand called Uttam London, and it was £19.99, and had an RRP of £49.99

It's in  black with a rose print in 100% cotton with a smocked top and adjustable tie straps, which you can use or tuck in to wear it strapless and it has a large rose, floral pattern :) This one really appealed to me because of it's similarity to one I bought last year from Bon Prix which I loved - it's exactly the same style and has a very similar print

slightly chubby LouLou modelling it on my hols last year ;)

So they were my purchases eek, I guess we'll see what the rest of the month brings spends wise, I ain't holding my breathe for much success lets put it that way ;) Any questions let me know x I'm not sure if I'll manage to get a post up tomorrow what with my hospital appointment and so but I'll see xx

NOTD - A French Affair

My first nails of the day for a while, and due to yesterdays snappage probably my last for this week, never mind I went for a nice neutral mannequin hands with OPI Tickle My Francey

Pretty huh, nice and neutral a really easy colour to wear - not only that bit it matches one of the flowers on my ring - not bad for BHS :)

That ring really reminds me of the bottle of the new Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh perfume :) I love daisies :) 
I am hoping I'll manage to get a few NOTD's up next week so I am going to lavish my poor finger with lots of love to try and help it grow. Wish me luck x

Goodies and Baddies

I really need to start thinking of some more imaginative titles for these posts but it's Monday and that means Goods and Bads time :)

Bads

•  A bit of a self inflicted bad to start with- I have the most awful tummy pains tonight - I had a little bit of my mum's yummy choc chip brioche - delicious but sooo not a good move all that wheat and gluten is doing nasty things to my tum :(
• It would have been my dad's birthday this Wednesday - I have my appointment with the Orthopaedic surgeon on Wednesday afternoon so I don't know if I'll make it to the cemetery - it could be a double whammy horrid day - You always miss people more on birthdays and anniversaries for some reason :(
• My nails were just getting back to normal after the cucumber chopping incident and what did I do caught my finger on my purse and ripped the tip of one of my nails clean off - it's even ripped down to the the skin yuck yuck! Thankfully I managed to do some NOTD photos before but it will be about a week before the next one - I am going to lavish it with cuticle oil for bit to help it heal and grow again :(

Goods

• My mum thankfully is feeling a bit better now so we went to Durham to pick up her new car -  It's just an ickle Peugeot 207 but it's in a gorgeous metallic red and it's lovely and shiny :) - look only 5.7 miles on the clock :) and an 11 number plate :) She is super chuffed with it she really wanted a smaller car :)
• We had a lovely day out once we'd collected the car we went to Tesco's, Aldi and a retail park just on the outskirts of Durham City - I have to admit I did buy a few things sorry ;) and I got a parcel through today whoops !
• Again my amazing blog followers - my follower count has gone up again this week so thank you and thank you to everyone that bought something from my blog sale everything has been posted now and  I really appreciate it (click the blog sale tab above to see what I have left from this weeks update and don't forget more to come this Sunday again x)
• Make Up - well more specifically project 10 pan and rediscovering old products :) Item no.8 on project 10 is so close to being finished it's untrue - It's a lipstick and I really am scraping the barrel so to speak :) Not only that but because of the whole P10P experience I am actually having a deeper delve into my make up stash and I am discovering a load of things I haven't shown enough love to - I am in the process of formulating a blog post and a video to show you my rediscoveries which I'm really enjoying doing
• Feeling Better - It's early days on my new meds but I am feeling brighter despite a tough week x
• Weight Loss - I lost another two pounds this week which really surprised me - this week and next will be harder - Easter and what does that mean Chocolate!!!

Well that's me summed up for now - It's going to be a busy week on LouLouLand this week I have quite a few posts planned. I have my NOTD post  from today thankfully before my snappage / rippage issues, and today's TK Maxx haulage to show you ;) I also have a product rave planned, the second of my Royal Wedding themed posts focusing on merchandise, maybe some more haulage if I make it to the Metro Centre this weeks, and at the weekend maybe a little giveaway post for you :) Thanks again for following and a big hello to all my new followers - don't be a stranger leave a comment or say Hi on twitter (link in the sidebar) x Hope you all have a good week xx

Hair To The Throne With Batiste and Superdrug

Unless you have been living under a rock you'll be fully aware that on 29th April this year we have a Royal Wedding to look forward too. Will I personally be tuning I hate to say it but no - I'm personally not too bothered, in fact I would go so far as to say to say I am only interested in the dress, which will no doubt appear in the Internet in seconds of the big reveal, can you believe 3 dresses have been created in case the press get hold of any images before the big day - insane. Despite not being a Royalist I am however as patriotic as the next person and am a firm believer in regaining the national flag. If you want to show your patriotism in a useful and practical way you could certainly do worse than pick up a can of Batiste Dry Shampoo

Dry Shampoo I hear your cry what's that got to do with being British well Batiste have introduced the fabulous Batiste Brit Dry Shampoo

Exclusive to Superdrug, Brit is packaged in a funky Union Jack designed spray can, and has a fabulous fresh, clean scent, ideal for keeping you hair fresh and clean on the upcoming Bank Holiday weekends. Batiste Brit retails at £2.13 for 150mls and is exclusive to Superdrug.

Not only that but Batiste have teamed up with Superdrug to offer you the chance to win your own Crown Jewels - £1000 of Love To Shop vouchers - so you can purchase your own diamonds, clothes or as much make up as you want - check out the Superdrug website before 16th May to see how to enter x
Any questions please ask x Over the next few weeks I have a couple more Royal Wedding posts planned showing you some of the fabulous and some of the bizarre merchandise so keeping checking back x

(Batiste Brit 150ml Was Provided By PR For Review / Promotional Purposes)

Boots No7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser - A Feasible Alternative To Liz Earle?

As you'll all probably know one of my most repurchased and much loved products has to be Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish - I love the stuff  - Before I started using it my skin wasn't that great I was prone to blackheads and lots of congestion over the years my beloved C + P has really helped make my skin feel super clean (click here to see a rave and demo vid  - a full product rave post to come). Since I've found my Holy Grail cleanser and make up remover I've always been loathed to try anything else but Project 10 Pan meant I couldn't by make up so I had to find a use in my tiny local Boots for my £5 No7 and Ruby and Millie voucher. I'd tried a few No7 skin products before but I decided to try something new - The No7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser. I've been using this for a few months now so I thought I'd let you know how I've been getting on with it.

Designed to increase radiance and leave your skin super clean - this cleanser works on the same principle as Cleanse and Polish, cleansing your skin whilst gently exfoliating with the muslin cloth. The cleanser comes boxed with a muslin cloth and is packaged in a 200ml pump action dispenser

I have to say I love pump action dispensers like this one not only do they keep the product airtight and are therefore more hygienic but they also dispense the perfect amount of product so there is less wastage. I particularly love this pump because you can see exactly how much product you have left

The texture of the product is perhaps a bit looser than Cleanse and Polish and it has a much creamier texture. It has a subtle fresh smell that's is pleasant but not as invigorating as the Eucalyptus scent of Cleanse and Polish

To use the product I spread it gently all over my dry face, I then wet the muslin cloth in warm water and removed the cleanser in circular motions. To use it on my eye area put a tiny little bit of cleanser or my eyelid and gently massaged it in and then I gently removed it with the dampened. I found the Boots No7 Hot Cloth Cleanser to be a super effective cleanser and make up remover - believe me it took everything off including eye make up without the skin feeling uncomfortable and taut. After rinsing my skin was left super smooth and soft, and very clean. I did find I needed to use a pump or so more of this to get everything off but for the price for the Boots product is certainly comparable at £9 for 200ml compared to £11.75 for 100ml of Cleanse and Polish.

I have to say for me this product is a feasible alternative to Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish - it does exactly what it claims too and my skin certainly likes it - I haven't had a proper spot since I started using this! (until this morning that is typical) It hasn't quite shifted Cleanse and Polish as my Holy Grail cleanser - I will do a product rave post for you at some point to show you why I love it so much but it's certainly up there and  I now know what I will be spending all of those No7 £5 vouchers on :). Guess what I spent the last one I had on, yes a back up of this;)Any questions please ask x. The Boots No7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser retails at £9.00 for 200ml of product and 1 muslin cloth.

A Cautionary Tale

I really hate to be so negative about a company but to be honest my goat has got.Against my better judgement on 3rd March I asked well begged Mummy LouLou to order me a few things from H&M online. No it's not against my better judgement to ask my mum to buy me things, don't be daft :) It was against my better judgement to place an order with H&M online. Since the site launched I have to say I am yet to find anyone who has had a positive experience with them , but I wasn't to be deterred I was still in a cast so I couldn't get to a store
I waited a few weeks and still no parcel despite the email invoice saying at least one of the items would be dispatched the same week - so I emailed them - I have to say I received a response pretty much straight away where I was told that my items wouldn't now be dispatched tll the end of April !!!! as they were currently both out of stock. OK can someone tell me why and how they can feasibly accept your order when the items aren't in stock - what's more galling is that when I managed to get to H&M they actually had one of the items in stock so I ended up buying it in another colour - nude (see the post / video here) surely they could just go into a store and pick it up?
Well on Saturday (9th April) my H&M parcel turned up over 5 weeks after I initially placed the order thankfully I'm pleased with what I ordered but I am certainly not happy and I certainly won't be ordering from them again if they take that long to deliver - Mummy Lou Lou paid via Debit Card which was taken on the day of the order so where was her money for 5 weeks? :( and before you ask I've asked around and my experience isn't a one off some people have waited up to 8 weeks for delivery - it really isn't good enough for a major high street store.
Anyways rant over on to what I got first up the top that I purchased in store in nude, I ordered it in a bright electric blue shade

I love this t-shirt and the little bows around the neckline are so cute :)

I also got this, now this was ordered as a dress but it's pretty obvious that it would be a pretty short one on me, so I am going to use it over leggings or jeggings as a long line vest

Again I love the cute flower detail around the neckline and shoulders :)

So there you go I am happy with my purchases but I won't be purchasing from H&M online again - I want my parcels asap and 5 weeks was just too long to wait. Any questions please ask x

Fabs and Fail

A new title for this weeks goods and bads but the same meaning :) sorry it's a day late I wasn't in a good place yesterday :(

Bads

• One large bad today -an upturn in my families health seems to have affected everyone but me and my mum- everyone is stable and comfortable but to be honest I've felt as though I've been falling apart. A pretty miserable couple of weeks culminated in a trip to the doctors today where they have upped some of my meds to hopefully help me return to somewhere a bit less painful and a bit more cheerful - I have to go back in a month to see how I''m doing. Inbetween that though I have a trip to the hospital to see up the knackered ankle I had to mention it to the doctor today too because the skin is sooooo tender and sore at the minute and now Mummy Lou has some nasty flu / sickness bug thing and is staying in bed :(

Goods

• I lost another pound last week - I was so surprised because I hadn't really been trying - I am back on track today tho so hopefully I can have another loss this week :)
• You ladies for purchasing from my blog sale I really appreciate it - I have some more stuff to add at the weekend too x

• I recently won the lovely Jo's giveaway, a whole load of lovely Simply Wax products - with that and the Acorelle sugar/ wax I have I am going to be sorted for summer x
• You guys again I am now at 412 followers -  huge, huge thanks x

Flippy Skirt Delight

OK the spending diet is broken for the month - If you read my last haul post you could probably guess that this was going to happen and what was the straw the broke the camels back, a flippy skirt of course :)
I received an email about the George sale and I couldn't resist having a little peak :) I have to say I love Barbara Hulanicki, not only her original Biba designs but also her more recent collaboration with Top Shop -her first Asda collection didn't wow me as much as I thought it would but low and behold in the sale there was the Barbara Hulanicki Flippy Skirt

Down from £14 to £9 this is just a plain jersey flippy, flarey skirt - it has a roll down elasticated waist which means you can wear it as a dress as well. I really love skirts like this and I still have a Primark one from a few years ago which comes out every summer. I sized down with this because of the elastication and I'm glad I did there is a lot of give in it, but my flippy skirt and flip flop fantasy can be fulfilled, just need the weather to hold out ;)

I also got this top which was only £5 - I love these ruffle / frill style tops - this one is in black and has sort of bronze splatters on it - really nice for evening wear.
So my spending diet for the month is blown already whoops I am going to try and be super good for the rest of the month, honest :)
Never mind I can try and recoup some of it back with a blog sale update :) Check out my blog sale page from Sunday afternoon for the first in a number of updates - this one will included some limited edition MAC items, some Bare Minerals, some Revlon and much more x I'll stick a post in my main section and tweet when it's live. Any questions give me a yell x

(Pictures taken from Asda )