January Favourites + Highlights 2021

We are already one month of 2021 down, hope you’re doing okay! January is a time I enjoy as I feel it’s a good chance to take stock of the previous year and reset and put things in place for the year to come. January is also my birthday month. I have treated myself to a few goodies for my birthday but would like to keep spending to a minimum for the rest of the year. I plan on doing a separate post dedicated to my birthday and will share what I treated myself to in that.

Onto this month’s favourites:

1. Pixi Rose Oil Blend – I received this facial oil in a package from a blogging friend who sourced two MAC lipsticks for me. The timing couldn’t have been better as I had been without a facial oil in my collection for a little while and I enjoy the benefits they have on my skin. Rose is a lovely ingredient for the skin and I do like how this makes my skin feel when I use it. During summer my skin still gets dry so when I need more nourishment I have reached for this. The one negative is you can’t see how much product is left in the bottle but it’s easy to get past that.

2. Maybelline Face Studio Pore Minimising Primer – This reminds me a little bit of the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer in that they both have a slightly slippery texture. My dry skin doesn’t mind that and foundation applies and blends out easily over the top as a result. If you are oily skinned I’m not sure you’d like this as much but it’s one to keep in mind if you’d like to try a cheaper alternative to the Hourglass primer. This doesn’t erase my pores but it does blur them so they don’t look as noticeable and makes makeup look smoother overall.

3. Silver heart pendant necklace – My boyfriend bought me this necklace for Christmas and it’s so cute! I love simple, elegant pieces of jewellery and this fits the bill. The heart sits on an angle which is also cute and the necklace is a lovely length, I find some necklaces don’t sit right and I’m less likely to wear them if that’s the case. Jewellery is a very personal gift but he did such a good job picking this out and I’ve been wearing it a lot.

4. Leuchtturm 1917 journal in Berry – My previous bullet journal lasted three years but towards the end of 2020 I knew there wouldn’t be enough pages left for another year. I enjoy the Leuchtturm 1917 dotted pages and knew I wanted another journal the same, it was just a case of choosing a colour. I almost picked a bright yellow to represent happiness and positivity but then I saw this gorgeous berry pink which reminds me of my favourite lipstick shade. I have loved getting my creative juices flowing again and setting up spreads throughout the month. When I journal I feel more calm and like there’s less clutter in my mind.

January Highlights

• Getting to set up my new bullet journal.
• Decided on the first 10 products for Project Pan and made a list of backups to rotate in as I finish products up.
• Enjoyed an evening treewalk with lights with my boyfriend on my birthday.

January’s Spotify Playlist:

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Share one of your highlights for the month and what you’ve been up to in the comments!

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Second Look Inside My Bullet Journal

Back in January I purchased a Bullet Journal and a couple of weeks later made my first YouTube video showing the pages I had created so far. Fast forward a couple of months and I thought it was about time I updated you on my progress and how I’m using the journal.

I have filmed another video for you (yay!) and it’s basically me talking you through each page since the end of my first update/video. The first video ended at page 12 and this video talks through pages 13-30.

Since there is the video I don’t want this post to be long and a re-hash of everything the video covers but I will share a few points:

• I have decided one page is best for my weekly spreads. There’s enough room to jot down ideas everyday and the spreads are neat and tidy.
• My bullet journal is where I am keeping track of the Products I Want To Finish In 2018. I have drawn up a grid and listed all the products and months in the year. Each time I use a product it gets a tally mark.
• I wrote down a hard copy of my 30 By 30 list because I really want to achieve as many things on the list as I can and I will date each one when it is completed.
• One of the 30 things I want to complete is to watch every episode of Poirot. I drew up a TV series tracker with all of the episodes and each episode gets a cross when it is watched. I was feeling arty so I had a go at drawing Poirot’s moustache and I think it turned out well. I am so proud of the page I had to share a picture of it!

The Poirot page in all its glory!

I hope you enjoyed this post and the video – as always, thank you for reading!

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Redhead Rambles #10

Hello everyone and welcome to ‘Redhead Rambles’. The series does what it says on the tin, it is a redhead (me) rambling about her week. I share what I’ve been up to each week, how I’ve been feeling and what I’ve been listening to or watching. Occasionally I will my share favourite blog posts and links I’ve found useful or interesting.

• I am really proud of a new page in my Bullet Journal. I want to watch every episode of Poirot so I created an episode tracker. I wrote each series up and will cross off episodes as I watch them. Even though I have seen a lot I am planning to re-watch them. I also drew a moustache on the page to represent Poirot.
• I am thinking of doing a part two YouTube video about my bullet journal showing the pages I have created since my first video. Let me know if you’d be interested.
• During the weekend I pre-ordered The F Word by Lily Pebbles. Lily is my favourite YouTuber and I can’t wait to read her book. It is about friendship which I can struggle with. I’m expecting tears but I’m also hoping to laugh and learn something new.
• My boyfriend’s mum did some baking when I visited at the weekend. She made meat pies, raspberry muffins, scones and bread.
• I mowed the lawns and didn’t hit my head on a tree branch this time.
• If you’re looking for some of the best inexpensive makeup products or something new to try, check out THIS VIDEO from But First, Coffee. The L’Oreal mascara has finally launched in NZ and I will pick up a tube in the near future.
• On Tuesday afternoon I was very grumpy and hot and tired, not in a good mood.
• By Wednesday I was feeling better and I washed a handful of makeup brushes; three eye brushes and my foundation brush.
• I made myself a couple of berry smoothies for breakfast again this week.
• I painted my nails using Bahama Mama by Essie. Berry for autumn, groundbreaking! (My take on a quote from ‘The Devil Wears Prada’).
• I watched Murder On the Orient Express starring Kenneth Branagh and Johnny Depp among others. I know the story and I enjoyed the film.

What I’ve been listening to:

I haven’t listened to much music this week. I’ve put my phone on shuffle a few times but haven’t listened to certain artists or albums.

How was your week?

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January Favourites 2018

It feels like forever since I’ve written a favourites post but it’s only been a month! A fair bit has happened in that time which is probably the reason why it seems so long. These favourites are all things I have been using in January and incorporating into different parts of my day.

Onto this month’s favourites:

1. Leuchtturm 1917 Dotted Journal (Navy) – Hands up who guessed this would feature! I purchased a Bullet Journal to keep organised lists essentially. I don’t treat mine like a diary (maybe if I didn’t already have a planner). I’m loving writing in this and coming up with new page ideas. I have written a post about my Bullet Journal which you can view HERE. The post also includes a video giving you a look inside my journal.

2. Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick #45 – I chose this lipstick as part of a Rimmel gift with purchase in 2017 and rediscovered it this month. This shade is a gorgeous dusky rose nude. Shade #45 sits in the middle of the range colourwise, it’s not the lightest shade nor is it the darkest. This lipstick is creamy but still has good pigmentation. It’s not the longest lasting but it’s nice for during the day. I like to apply Revlon’s Super Lustrous Lipgloss in Super Natural over the top to make lips look extra plump.

3. Real Techniques Bold Metals 203 Tapered Shadow Brush – Towards the end of 2017 I purchased some Real Techniques makeup brushes off of iHerb. This brush is lovely for applying and blending shadow in the crease and the outer corner of the eye. The brush looks like it will be too big but this isn’t the case at all. I love to use this brush alongside the Morphe 25A Copper Spice palette I received for Christmas. This brush is perfect for defining the crease and for blending out matte shades from the palette.

4. Nescafé Toffee Nut Latte – Every year Starbucks bring out their Christmas drinks and one of the flavours is usually Toffee Nut. I tried a Toffee Nut Frappucino and really enjoyed it so when I saw these sachets in the supermarket in the trolley they went. This is actually my second box, I purchased the first one in December and repurchased two weeks ago. For someone who doesn’t drink coffee I find these have a nice, light flavour. Lattes contain more milk than other types of coffee so they’re not as strong.

5. Instagram – A lot of people have been complaining about Instagram and the ‘algorithm’ lately and I’m going to admit I have no clue what the algorithm is supposed to do. I use Instagram because I like it and because I enjoy sharing photos and engaging with friends and bloggers and seeing what they post. I don’t have a theme I stick to or a routine where I only post at certain times or on certain days. I remember a couple of years ago Instagram made it so you could turn on notifications when people post so you will see your favourite accounts first and more often. I did that for no one simply because I like chronological order and although photos aren’t posted in chronological order anymore I still see every photo. In the morning I scroll until I get up to where I stopped the night before and I don’t seem to miss photos. I’m enjoying Instagram because of the engagement I’ve been getting recently.

January’s Spotify Playlist:

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What were your favourite things in January?

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First Peek Inside My Bullet Journal

On January 2nd I bought myself a Bullet Journal. On New Year’s Day I was looking at different layouts, watching YouTube videos and reading blog posts on how people use theirs. I do have a weekly planner but I use that more for appointments. My aim for this journal is to use it to house organised lists (called ‘collections’ in the Bullet Journal world) and write in it every day – how I’ve been feeling and what my day has been like etc.

MY bullet journal equipment:

1. Leuchtturm 1917 Hardcover Medium Dotted Journal (Navy) – The journal is close to A5 size. I originally wanted a black journal but shops were sold out. The last shop I went to had navy, red, light blue or green. I went for navy as it is closest to black.

2. kikki.K Slim Ballpoint Pens 5pk – kikki.K stationery is lovely and they always have packs of these pens in cute designs. Lots of people like to use fineliners or calligraphy pens but quite often they bleed through the pages. Ballpoints don’t do that and I already had this set of pens so I figured I would use them up.

3. kikki.K Notebook Elastic – The bullet journal doesn’t have a pen loop but this elastic has space for two pens and fits perfectly around the Leuchtturm. These elastics are made to fit A5 and A6 notebooks.

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I filmed a video showing the pages I’ve created and how the key and index works. I figured it would be easier to include a video rather than write a post with lots of pictures. I was very nervous about the video and I hope it’s okay. Enjoy!

I thought it would also be helpful to include some tips in case you wanted to start your own bullet journal:

• Decide whether you want dotted pages, lined pages or blank. I knew I wanted dotted. I can’t write straight on blank paper and dots help keep things tidy when you’re doodling and ruling lines.
• A key and index are essential.
• Keep it simple!
• Don’t plan all your pages at once. Allow for spontaneity.
• Be sure to number your pages or get a journal with numbered pages (like the Leuchtturm!)
• Watch YouTube videos and use Pinterest to search for layout ideas and collections* to include in your journal.

*Collection = Every topic in your journal on it’s own page, e.g. gift ideas, goals, reminders, recipes, blog post ideas, places you’ve visited. The more you journal the more you’ll learn what you want and come up with your style. The page numbers of each collection are added to the index so you can flip through and easily find them.

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Feel free to leave any questions and let me know if there’s something you’d like explained further. Thanks for reading/watching!

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Redhead Rambles #1

Hello everyone and welcome to the first post of my new series ‘Redhead Rambles’. The series will do what it says on the tin, it will be a redhead (me) who rambles about her week. Ramble means I will be sharing what I’ve been up to that week, how I’ve been feeling and what I’ve been listening to or watching. Occasionally I will share favourite blog posts from fellow bloggers and articles I’ve found useful or interesting.

• Last week I had a few headaches and felt a little nauseous and I wonder if it was a result of the extra sugar and chocolate I’d been eating over Christmas. I have felt better this week.
• I watched a film with my boyfriend on New Year’s Eve called Our Kind of Traitor and it was excellent! A couple find themselves lured into a Russian oligarch’s plans to defect. They are positioned between the Russian Mafia and the British Secret Service, neither of whom they can trust. It’s not the usual type of film I go for but it was really interesting and one I’d watch again.
• I welcomed 2018 in by watching fireworks. Did you do anything to celebrate?
• The Royal Variety Performance for 2017 left me disappointed. I don’t find Miranda Hart funny and the lineup wasn’t as good as other years.
• On New Year’s Day I stumbled across a post on The Anna Edit about her Bullet Journal and planning tips. I’d watched Lily Pebbles’ video about her Bullet Journal a few weeks earlier and thought the concept seemed fun. I have a planner where I write appointments and things I’ve got to do but it’s not a place where I can keep organised lists and have structure without being confined to a weekly layout.
• On Tuesday I went out and purchased my own Bullet Journal! I spent most of the afternoon researching layouts, watching YouTube videos and journalling. I’m thinking of doing a blog post about my Bullet Journal in the coming weeks so you can see what I’m using it for and the journal and stationery I’ll be using. Most of this week has been spent obsessing over my Bullet Journal to be honest.
• Wednesday was my first day back at work for 2018 and it was SUPER BUSY! It was the library’s equivalent of Boxing Day sales.
• The Christmas tree came down.
• I got my fringe cut. I can’t wait to get a proper haircut but I have to wait for the shortest layer to grow. I want to go back to my hair being all the same length, I’m over layers.
• The weather has been rainy and dull this week which I really enjoy. Everything feels cosier.

What I’ve been listening to:

Steps – Tears On the Dancefloor – My favourite album of 2017 and my favourite band. It seemed only right to play it on New Year’s Day.

The Wanted – Word of Mouth – I don’t listen to as many boybands as girlbands but I felt like playing this album this week. It has some great pop tracks and uptempo songs.

ABBA – Gold – I was introduced to ABBA as a child by my mum and I have loved them ever since. This album is a classic and every so often I’m in the mood to listen to it.

How was your week?

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