Body Shop Haul & Review

So although this isn't technically a haul i've rushed home straight from the mall to my laptop to talk about all the lovely things i've bought, it is still a haul of some sorts.

I've always loved the body shop from a young age when I used to obsess over which body butter I needed in my life, for me only to use twice a week at most. However recently I have started to have a soft spot for the stores extensive makeup and skincare lines. I've always been tempted to try the skin care especially but was never in the right financial state (when am I ever) to be spending crazy dollars on products that may take a turn for the worst on my skin.

Never-the-less, the day has come, (or came), where I decided to splurge on all the goodies I had eyed up! I have had all these products for atleast a few weeks now so have given each a good trial run and will give you a brief review on what I think of each.

Aloe Eye Defence 15ml

I never thought the day would come where I would be so excited about an eye cream... yes this is happening at the age of 19. The aloe very in this cream is so cooling and soothing and is designed to hydrate and protect the delicate skin under your eye area. Go into your body shop for a tester first but this product is a real bang for your buck since you only need the tiniest little dot under each eye and the product goes so far. 

Vitamin E Aqua Boost Sorbet 50ml

Sorry about the weird colouring in this photo, unsure how that happened. I can not express how cool this product is, and you get an indication of it immediately from the name. SORBET?! This consistency is light and refreshing just like sorbet, with the subtle smell of what I believe is vitamin E which to my senses is quite floral and in no way too potent. This moisturiser, I cannot express how hydrating this is! I am in LOVE. And like the eye cream a little product goes a long way. Obsessed with this. 

Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter 90ml

I feel as though people will get sick of me saying how "cool" products are but I think it's the fact that I have never tried anything like it. And this is another one of those products. The camomile cold cleanse is essentially a makeup removing BUTTER. No water need to pre rinse, you just apply a swipe of the butter by rubbing it into your cheeks with your fingers. ON TOP OF MAKEUP. As you begin to rub in the cleanse, the butter melts to an oily consistency and starts to break down the makeup. I use cotton pads and a toner to then remove the oily layer and prepare to apply moisturiser. 

An easy and gentle way to remove a whole face of makeup that leaves your skin feeling oh so fresh! 

Coconut Beautifying Oil 100ml

I've been eyeing up this for a while as I love the body shop's coconut scent! I've used this on my skin as a dry oil like it suggests and I will say it smells absolutely beautiful but thats about it. Although I do like rubbing it and brushing it through my hair to give it a healthy shine. This use proves to be most effective for me. 

All-In-One Instablur Primer 25ml

From the wonderful world of Youtube I had heard much talk about the Insta Blur primer. I love it. It doesn't dry my skin out and does help my foundation apply in a more "flawless" manor! Although I will not go as far to say that it is any better than primer's I have already tried like the Benefit Pore-fessional. I think both are equally as brilliant as each other. Never-the-less I am impressed with this product from the stores make-up line and can see this being a holy grail product as the Body Shop is more accessible in New Zealand than Benefit. 

Honey Bronze 03 Medium Matte

And last but not least is this baby. In it's gorgeous, sleek, tortoiseshell compact, I have been waiting to try the honey bronzer for quite some time now. This is the first bronzer i've owned and I chose it purely because in all the reviews i've heard, it has been said that it is very build-able and quite natural, not too orangey! So therefore less room to make mistakes! So far so good! 

Hope you enjoyed my little collection i'm starting to gather of Body Shop goodness! Make sure you leave your product suggestions in the comments below.

I also did a video which you can watch here

Love and Laughs

Charlotte Jane x 

For other great beauty and make-up reviews check out Makeup Obsessives

Liebster Award

So this morning I woke up and logged onto my blog to see a lovely post from Beauty With Maxine saying that she thought my blog was lovely and deserved more recognition, thus was nominating me for the Liebster Blogging Award. Until this morning I had no idea what this stood for but after a little research found out that it is basically a kind and encouraging gesture that bloggers give to smaller bloggers to help them gain recognition and convidence in the blogging society (blogging, blogging, blogging). 

So the rules are that you thank and link the person who nominated you (Thank you Maxine!) and you answer the questions they have left for you on their blog post. 

Maxine's Questions for me are:

1. Which language would you like to be able to speak?

-Fluent Italian! That's probably not original and I know that italian, french and spanish are all very similar but I would love to travel to Italy and eat pizza and gelato and speak to the locals in their language! 

2. What is one beauty product you can’t leave your house without. 

-Boring but probably lip balm? I'm shocking when it comes to touching up my makeup while i'm out but I always have a lip balm in my bag! Well a chapstick I should say because I don't like to use a finger applicating one when I don't know what germs i'm collecting while i'm out (eeew) 

3. Do you have a pet?

-At my parents house we have a cat call Chou Chou which originates from "Mon Petite Chou Chou" (???) I think! Which i'm sure translates to "My little Cabbage" 

4. What is your favourite taste of chips?

-Sour Cream and Chives potato chips but I don't like Sour Cream and Chives Grainwaves! 

5. What are the things you don’t like to eat?

-Yoghurt, Pancakes, Avocado, many more! 

6. What are the things that annoy you?

-Listening to people eat, bad breath

7. Why did you start your blog?

-Just as a creative outlet, a place for my thoughts. I live with my boyfriend so a lot of beauty related stuff I would like to talk about he won't care or understand haha. 

8. What are some dreams you have for the future?

-Travel much! And live my life inspired by experiences, let them shape my path and career

9. Do you have a big family? Are you close with them?

-I have a small family, i'm an only child and have 9 cousins across both sides of my family, although i'm only really close with one set of cousins. Ryan has a huge whanau though and is really close with all of them which is nice to be a part of

10. What are the things that make you happy?

-Reading, Youtube, Design, Ryan, my best friend, traveling, shopping 

11. What is a weird fact about you?

-I hate pancakes, and apparently that is really weird because everyone's supposed to love pancakes 

I then nominate between 5 and 11 small blogs with less than 800 followers and let them know they are nominated by commenting on one of their recent blog posts. 

I nominate:
http://www.alittlegrey.co.uk/
http://www.ellensinwonderland.com/
http://www.jessicabird.co.uk/
http://charolivia.blogspot.co.uk/
http://totebagsandribbon.blogspot.co.nz/

Then they are to answer these questions I have come up with for them: 

1. Current favourite music artist?

2. Do you have any siblings? 

3. 3rd favourite colour? 

4. Least favourite food?

5. Favourite guilty pleasure movie?

6. Place you'd most like to travel to?

7. Top 5 favourite lipsticks? 

8. Are you a M.A.C addict or not so much? 

9. Jeans or Dresses? 

10. Favourite mascara (trying to find a new one)? 


Hope you enjoy! 

Love and Laughs 
Charlotte x

Smooth Moves, (not so smooth title)

Today i'll be Nigella. Or Annabelle Langbein. Betty Crocker?

Or just another young lady, who makes the healthy eating resolution stick for 1 week, all guns blazing, and then scraps those motives for a whole block of Cadbury Dairy Milk.

What i'm trying to say is that I am definitely no fitspo blog to motivate your healthy eating 2015 intentions, but I do make a great smoothie...recently.

I hate breakfast, and unfortunately the only breakfast i'll eat is if someone offers to make me a decent eggs bene! Although, that is not always the case most mornings, so I usually go without. However, Ryan and I have recently got really into smoothie making. This is nothing new for a lot of people but I never gave it a decent shot since I don't like milk or yoghurt which is usually used to liquify the mix.

So before I babble myself off the page, here is my quick, go-to, tropical smoothie recipe!

1. Frozen berries. I prefer these over fresh as they don't go bad, and they cool the smoothie right down as they are essentially a fruity ice cube. The brand we use is 40 below I believe and it comes with grapes, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries.

2. Banana. We all no the benefits of banana so I wont babble on, but I will say it adds a certain thickness to the smoothie if you freeze them first.

3. Spinach, famously known for the "Popeye Strength" it is also a great way to bulk up your smoothies. It restores energy, increases vitality and improves blood flow. It is also a good source of vitamins K, A and C. For similar purposes you can also you Kale or Silverbeet.

4. Juice. To make this more of a tropical smoothie I add a cup of Orange juice and a cup of Pineapple juice. I try to buy the ones with the least sugar content.

5. Coconut milk! Like I said early on in the piece I don't really like milk or yoghurt, so to make this a wee bit milkier? I use lite coconut milk. Its a lactose free alternative, source of protein and lower in fat. It also adds that fresh tropical taste to the smoothie and you only need about half a cup.

6. Ice. Self explanatory. Just to cool it down.

Blend. Pour. Stick in a straw. And voilà!

NOTE: I usually guess the quantities! This one made more than enough for both myself and Ryan.

Make sure to leave your smoothie combo suggestions in the comments and let me know if you recreate mine!

Love and Laughs

Charlotte Jane x

Sweet Treats

I am definitely one for a sweet tooth. Although the cravings may prove to be a little too much sometimes. One of my favourite sweet treats definitely has to be ice-cream, and when I find a decent ice cream it becomes a wee bit of a regular occurrence (oops).

Although it is so flippin expensive (coming from the girl who will pay $12 for a tub of Ben and Jerry's Choc Chip Cookie Dough, mmm) we have recently come to love a place called Movenpick. 

Movenpick is a swiss ice cream shop however i'm unsure whether it is a franchise outside of New Zealand. The ice cream is perfectly creamy without being too soft and the flavours are quite... sophisticated? My favourite is Mint Chocolate, peppermint ice cream with dark chocolate shavings. 

We've also found a Movenpick shop set in the middle of the main street in Parnell, Auckland. A cute little suburb that demonstrates old villas remodeled into shops and cafes. 

This was just a little post about a new discovery we have come to love. A little random but who said there was anything bad about a post specifically for ice cream? 

Love and Laughs

Charlotte Jane x

Carnival Carousel's

I love jewelry.
Not to a point where I necessarily own much more than I wear, but I will fork out a lot of money for branded jewelry, and there is no end to it. There's always something to add to the collection.
And because of this love for jewelry, that is way beyond my budget, of course I have been eyeing up statement pendants for quite some time.

Stolen Girlfriends Club, Pandora, Meadowlark, Tiffany and Co. Whatever you name it, they are all my spirit animal(s). But the one I had been eyeing up most was definitely none other than, Karen Walker.

The iconic Karen Walker necklace, well iconic in New Zealand at least, that every girl has, or wants. In this case wanted. For quite some time. And yes for starters I did want to follow the crowd, and go for the pendant everyone seems to have. Either the Bow or the Runaway girl. Don't get me wrong, I love both designs, yet I also think that if i'm gonna dish out that much moolah, I want something i'm not going to regret. Something a little different.

Runaway Girl Pendant

Bow Pendant

I am beyond thrilled with my purchase. I chose the Carousel Horse for a few reasons.
Because I don't know anyone personally with it.
Because it was reasonably hard to find, I don't think many stockist's hold mass stock in this pendant.
And because I thought it symbolises staying young at heart, having fun, and not taking life too seriously.

I'm sure Karen doesn't expect her customers to read into the deeper evaluation of each of her pendants she releases but hey, I had to justify the price of it somehow.

Maybe you weren't particularly interested in reading a post all about one necklace that i've recently purchased, and I know this is not exactly a haul as such. However, this has been an item I have been dreaming of for quite some time and I by all means believe it deserves a spotlight space on this blog.

Love and Laughs
Charlotte Jane x

The Eve and the Day that were New Years 2015

So as you may find out along the course of this blog, both myself and Ryan (my boyfriend) are not the biggest party animals you may say. Therefore this meant we didn't have any master plans for New Years 2015. May I add this was also due to the fact that I was working until 3pm the day of.

As our friends were down in our home town, or joining the riots at Rhythm and Vines (NZ's biggest new years music festival) we were stuck for ideas of how to celebrate the end of a very up and down year.

A spontaneous Wagamama's was the path we ended up taking, and although this may sound mediocre to many, both of us were beyond thrilled to indulge in our favourite Chicken Katsu Curry, some Peach Iced Tea, and of course, a slice of New York baked Cheesecake for desert.

We then chilled out at home and waited until about 11:30 to go up to the cities Auckland Museum to watch the fireworks off the Skytower. Proved a little disappointing and it was a cloudy night yet still better than sitting at home watching the top 100 songs of the year. I would have taken photos also but as stated, the display wasn't as good as we would have hoped and none of the photos turned out very well.

New Years day was of much more excitement in my eyes. Beginning with a picnic in Cornwall Park, a huge and lovely park surrounding the iconic One Tree Hill in Auckland. Just down the road from our house which is a score.

And after a day of much needed relaxation we headed back up to the Museum that night to take some long shutter photos of the city lights. Still testing out the new camera and fiddling with the settings so I am well aware I am far from professional photographer, but nevertheless here are a few shots of our first night of 2015

I hope this year proves to be a great one for all and that you achieve things that you've always dreamed of.

Also if you would like to know what some of my resolutions are for this year make sure to check out my latest youtube video, and my channel while you're over there :)

Love and Laughs
Charlotte Jane x

Let Me Introduce Myself

New Year, New Me, New..... Blog?! 

I'm unsure how to kick things off really. Whether to go with the dear diary blog approach, or what else? I think the best thing for me will be to babble. I feel as though i'd be good at that. 

My name is Charlotte Jane Rudd. Few call me Charlie, but i'm mostly just Charlotte. 19 years old going on 30. I say this because well, my boyfriend and I, whom I share my petite - Auckland Townhouse with - we aren't exactly what you would call the typical 19 year old couple as such. Many may assume that at our age we like to spend our spare time indulging in excessive partying and drinking and causing havoc, and i'd love to tell you that my life is full of such excitement, but really we are quite content with quiet weekends in, meeting for supermarket visits after work, and spending $500 on a Christmas tree and decorations instead of vodka and taxi cabs to clubs. Basically, by letting you know now how legitimately excited we were over a decent garlic crusher this Christmas just been, that sums us up in a nutshell more or less.

Anyway enough of the TMI this has become ( I did let you know that I am great at babbling ). 

Charlotte. 19. 

I am 6ft tall and have always resented my height, although I will help you reach that thing you need off the top shelf in the supermarket, because i'm just that kind of person.

I love cookie dough ice cream, Ben and Jerry's to be exact. So much that I can justify spending $12 for a less than 1lt tub of it when I go to Aussie...

I much enjoy the smell of fireplaces burning on winters nights, but now this is starting to sound like the profile for a dating website. Talking about smells though, need I mention that I am a wee bit obsessed with candles. 

I've worked at places such as Burger King, Lush Cosmetics, Office Jobs and Retail. And to be quite honest I'm not sure what I want to focus on as a main career in life, but my thoughts on working and study after high school, well that's a whole other post in itself.

I love makeup and am obsessed with hoarding it, yet I am still in the stages of learning how best to apply such wonderful products, so I will not lead you blind into believing that I am some budding make up artist or beauty guru, because I'm far from that. 

I am an only child and think of that what you will. Spoilt, bratty, selfish, I know the stereotype. Really all I think I can say in regards to this though, is that I genuinely enjoy alone time. I'm not afraid to be by myself once in a while and it's actually something that I have come to need in life to keep me sane. 

I'm unsure if this blog will have a particular genre or angle such as beauty, health, lifestyle etc. But I won't apologise if it doesn't. My aim is that this blog will be a slice of me, a creative outlet for my thoughts, and reassurance that I may not completely lose ability to write semi okay now that i've left school. 

Take from this what you will. A small taste of who I am. I hope you stick around long enough to get to know me a lot better from the posts sure to come. And here's to a great year, 2015.

Love and Laughs,

Charlotte Jane xx