My Timeless Loves

Hello, lovely people! Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've just finished semester exams and studying took up most of my time! I hope you're all doing well and had a wonderful start to the new year!

Today I'm going to tell you about some things I've been loving. This isn't a monthly or seasonal favourites, as some of the stuff I've loved for over a year now. The reasoning behind the name 'My Timeless Loves' is that I've instantly fallen in love with everything in this post. In fact, I love them so much that I know I'll be using/watching/wearing them forever. They're timeless!

Unlike my usual favourites posts, these timeless loves don't just limit themselves to food and beauty products; they come in the form of people, apps, quotes and everything in between! I've arranged them in categories so it's easier to follow along. Anywho, I now present to you some of my favourite things!

Beauty/Skin Care

Previously featured in my Spring/Summer Favourites, these are some of the bajillions of products from Michael Todd True Organics. I swear by this brand! All of their products are made of natural, organic ingredients, and they have something for everybody. The products in this picture aren't necessarily my favourites (I couldn't possibly choose that), they're just the ones I have at the moment!

This is the Revlon Colorbust Matte Balm. As with many things in this post, the matte balms have been around for ages but I've only just got around to trying one!

I bought it in the shade Sultry.

It reminds me of a crayon!

I've been looking for a browny neutral lip colour for a long time now, and I've finally found it! It looks great in daylight and with flash. When you take a picture with flash it looks a bit fuchsia, but I love it either way!

To go along with my favourite skin care products, this is the Clarisonic Mia! You've probably heard of the Clarisonic before but if not, the Clarisonic is a cleansing brush for your face. It cleanses a bajillion times better than your fingers! The Mia, from what I understand, is a mini version of the Clarisonic. It seems quite normal size to me though!

You can either put your cleanser on your face or directly on the brush. After that, all you have to do is press a button to turn it on! The black bristles and inward are on a platform that rotates as you move it in a circular motion. All of the bristles vibrate for an even deeper cleanse. It automatically turns off after a minute to make sure you don't over exfoliate!

This is one of the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters. I actually wrote a blog post on this! I bought one back in the summer and loved it so much that I had to go back and buy another!

Learning from my mistakes last time, I stayed away from the vibrant colors and went for something more subtle. I chose the shade 050, Berry Smoothie.

It's hard to see in the picture, but the lip butter has a little bit of shimmer to it. I wasn't too excited when I saw that, but you don't even notice it when it's on!

It's a lot more sheer than I was anticipating, but that's totally fine. I think this would be perfect if you attend a school that doesn't allow much makeup. It looks completely natural and I'm sure you'd get away with it! This particular lip butter isn't my favourite of the collection, I just like the lip butters in general.

Stuff For Your Hands

Of course I had to include Tanya Burr's nail polish in my timeless loves! Not only do I love her, but I love this product. The color is great and the drying time is great. I wish I would've gotten more colours!

I've been looking for a matte nail polish for absolutely ages! I wasn't sure what colour I wanted to go for, so when I was in the shops and saw this matte top coat, I thought it was brilliant! Now I can make any nail polish matte, thanks to the Sally Hansen Big Matte Top Coat.

The only iffy thing I have to say about this top coat is that the matteness of it wears off a little as time goes on. I don't know if it's because I touch my nails a lot or whether it happens to everyone! It still stays smatte though.

Next of my timeless loves is this ring I got from Walmart. Weird, right?! It was nearly 11 dollars, but I think it's worth the money! I'm not really sure how you'd describe this, but it's a white, rectangular gem stone surrounded buy little green, silver and 'diamond' embellishments.

Papery Things

On a recent trip to Barnes and Noble, I was on a quest to find some kind of stationery, journally thing. I was running low on time and was torn between two journals that I liked, but didn't love. At the last minute, I spotted the most gorgeous journal I ever did see.

Unlike normal journals, the lines on the paper are much lighter and less noticeable. You can still see them, but they're just not 'in your face'. I love the thinner lines because it makes your writing look effortlessly aligned and elegant.

My original mission in Barnes and Noble was to find this! The Pointless Book, by Alfie Deyes! Alfie was the first YouTuber that I started regularly watching. Now 3 years later, he has his own book! This isn't just any book though, and you don't have to know who Alfie is to love it!

Alfie's book is composed of a series of challenges, activities...

And even a few recipes!

It's also an interactive journal, meaning there's a LOT of writing (and drawing) involved on the reader's part. I absolutely love it!

Storage/Organization

Something a little more random that I've fallen in love with is makeup storage/organization. Not any particular storage set, just makeup storage in general! Before I got this for Christmas, I had everything tucked away in the little white drawers you can see on the far right. I love this because all of my makeup and brushes are organized and where I can see 'em! Plus, I think it looks kinda cool.

Kind of along the lines of storage, I have this gorgeous tote bag from Jack Wills! It's just a regular tote bag, but it's the design that makes it so much cooler. You can fit a crap load of stuff in there as well! I usually use this bag when I'm spending the night at a friend's house. I can sufficiently fit an outfit, some slippers, my laptop and a few extra bits and bobs. What more do you need?!

I cannot express to you how much I love this pattern. It's navy blue with tiny red flowers and mustardy brown accents. It's just freakin' lovely!

People

These are the Fletchers; Carrie, Tom, and Giovanna. Carrie (left) is the sister of Tom (middle) who is married to Giovanna (right). They are all YouTubers (amongst other things) that I started watching late last year and instantly fell in love with!

Carrie Hope Fletcher
Carrie is the most wonderful, intelligent, inspirational person I've ever come across. I've seen her face floating around in my 'What to Watch' page for nearly a year now but never bothered to give her a click. What a fool I was! Carrie makes the kind of videos that leave you feeling smarter and happier. I want to have a little cry every time I watch one of her videos, purely because of her sheer intelligence. She makes you think about things in a way you've never thought of before, and I always leave her videos craving a cup of tea. Plus, she has one of the best voices I've ever heard. She's YouTuber, blogger, book writer, musician and actress who's starred in productions such as Marry Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, War of the Worlds, and currently, Les Miserables! She's an extremely talented girl, and I wish I could be her best friend/sister/wife.

Tom Fletcher
If you live in the UK, you might recognize Tom from the brilliant, award winning band, McFly. I was completely shocked when I found out he was Carrie's brother, let alone that he had a YouTube channel of his own! I found Tom around Christmas time when all of the YouTubers were doing this thing called Vlogmas, where you vlog every day in December up until Christmas. At that point in time, Tom was touring and doing television appearances with his new superband, McBusted. A lot of his vlogs acted as a 'behind the scenes' look into the lives of the UK's most exciting rock/pop/alternative band. Along with some vlogs here and there, Tom likes to make sit-down videos and chat about stuff that matters to him. In fact, Tom, Carrie and his wife, Giovanna, all make YouTube videos dedicated to each other once a week, called 'Dear Tom, Dear Carrie, Dear Gi'! Tom is as rock and roll as a nerdy dad can be. And you'd be surprised!

Giovanna Fletcher
Giovanna, or 'Gi', is the magnificent wife of Tom. She started her YouTube channel a little while after Tom started his YouTube channel, who started his channel after seeing how much fun Carrie was having! Gi is the author of 3 (almost 4!) books and has a gorgeous, lovable personality. She is a mother to her and Tom's 10 month old baby, Buzz, and likes to make videos on book writing, being a mom and just how much she loves Nutella! I absolutely love Giovanna, she's such an overall, great woman.

App(s)

I've been on Instagram for nearly 4 years now, and it never gets old! It's by far my favourite app of all time, and I cant imagine anything topping it.

Music

Believe it or not, these goofs make some of the best music I've ever heard! This is the brilliant supergroup, McBusted. They're called a supergroup because they were originally two different bands formed in the early 2000s. James (top row, middle) and Matt (bottom row, middle) were originally in the rock pop band Busted, which ended back in 2005. In 2013, 2 of the 3 guys from Busted joined with Dougie, Tom, Danny and Harry (a.k.a. McFly) to join what is now the biggest band in the UK. And thus, the supergroup was formed!

On my phone, McBusted is under the category of pop. I'm not sure if I agree with that! I'd say they're more alternative rock with a bit of modern 'pop' sounds. I absolutely love it. As soon as I heard this album, I started looking for more of their music and came across all of McFly's old albums. They're equally as fantastic! Click here to listen to McBusted's full album on YouTube, then buy it for yourself!

Quotes

Those are all of my timeless loves for now! Maybe I'll make another post sometime in the future in case I come across a few more forever favourites.

Until then, have a wonderful new year!
Jordan x

Lessons Everyone Should Learn

Hello, everyone! I know I made it out to seem like my last post was the final post of 2014, but I lied to you.

Recently, I was reminiscing on the past year and how much I've grown as a person. Not only have I shot up 2 inches, but I've also learned a lot of things; unconventional things. I'm not talking about the standard 'drugs are bad', 'sleep is good for you' deal, I'm talking about some serious life lessons! The kind of stuff they don't teach you in school, and the kind of stuff you have to figure out through personal experience.

I'm still quite young, and I know I have many chapters to go in The Guide to Life, but everyone's gotta start somewhere. So without further ado, here are some of the lessons I've learned this year through my little experience.

For Goodness' Sake, Just Do It!

Everyone is different, but I'm sure this applies to you in one way or another. Step out of your freaking comfort zone every once in a while.

Always Be Straightforward

There's no point in wasting anyone's time, and if hurting someone's feelings is what you're worried about, you're never going to get anywhere in life.

Listen to Music with Meaning

No more of that big booty, blurred lines crap. Listen to the type of music you hear in films that makes you want to jump or cry, or confess your love to someone. That's the kind of music that heals and inspires you.

Not Everyone Will Like You

Unless you're Oprah Winfrey or Betty White, there will always be someone with something bad to say about you. Instead of changing who you are in the hopes of becoming a perfectly polished version of yourself, just do you. Frankly, they'd hate the new version more, and you're not going to get the right friends if you act like anything but yourself.

Windows are Great

Instead of staring at a computer screen or being on your phone 24/7, look out your window! At night, during the day, in the car, even when you're driving down a road you can follow with your eyes closed. You'll be amazed at what you see when you really look. It also helps with car sickness.

We Are All Going to Die

Let yourself grasp that concept for a second. When you're done having an existential crisis like I did, think about the kind of impact you want to have on this earth. Any at all? Do you want to leave something wonderful behind for the future generations? If so, think about what you're doing right now. Are your actions in the present day aiding in making the world a better place? If so, you're a wonderful person. If not, you're not living. You're merely existing, and you might want to do something about that.

Don't Take Animals For Granted

You shouldn't take anything for granted, but especially your pets. They're not going to be around forever, and you're going to miss their shnuggly faces when they're gone. Kiss them, hug them, cuddle them, play with them and give them as much love and attention as you can. They'll appreciate it and love you right back!

If It Doesn't Feel Right, It's Not.

To me, this came in the form of a bad friendship. For other people, it may come in the form of a testing situation, or even something as literal as an injury. I'm someone that commits very fullheartedly to relationships - probably more than one should - and I've lost many people in the past for being too 'committed' to the friendship. It happened again this year, only this time, it was a case of me thinking it was a 'best-friendship' and them thinking it was something far less. I should've known all along, as there were many signs. It didn't feel right, but I didn't bother to piece together the evidence and do something about it. In the end, it wasn't a good match. My advice to you is that if you sense something isn't right, whether that'd be in a friendship or in a situation where you don't feel comfortable, don't wait until the last second to do something about it. Get out as fast as you can! It will make your life a whole lot easier.

You Are Awesome

Well I don't really know if you're awesome, but I know I'm awesome. I know that because I decided it, and so can you! It's okay to like yourself a little.

Everyone Needs a Hug

And if you're someone that doesn't like hugs, you're doing it wrong. It's scientifically proven that a hug can improve not only your mood, but also your health. Can you believe that?! Go hug someone!

Change Is Good

It's okay to not be the same person you were a year ago! It's perfectly natural to like new things and hate the things you once loved. It could be a food, a genre of music, a TV show, a color, anything. Humans are constantly changing, and for some reason, people are under the impression that change is a horrible thing. Change is the only way we can survive! It's the only way we can grow and mature and find out who we are. Try something new, expand your horizons! Find out a little bit more about yourself.

Live Minimalistic

Don't overcrowd your life. If you haven't used something in the past year, throw it out. If you haven't talked to someone in 6 months, delete their number. If you don't need it, get rid of it. It's as simple as that, and you wouldn't believe the effects that a clear house, head, and conscience can have on a person! If you take one thing away from this post, make it to live simple.

Find Lessons in Everything

Sure you can listen to me talk all day, but that doesn't mean you'll learn anything! The best and most important lessons are the ones you come up with yourself. That means your brain is taking notes from previous situations and making it an 'enlightening experience'.

Those are all the life lessons I have for this year! Maybe I'll come back in December of 2015 and share some more life lessons with you! Until then, keep these in the back of your mind and use 'em on a rainy day.

Have a wonderful 2015!

Jordan x

My Favourite Christmas Present

Hello, everyone! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and got everything you wished for! I was going to do a whole "What I Got For Christmas" schpeel, but that'd take forever and I'm sure no one wants to see that! Instead, I'm going to show you a cute little present that I got from my brother.

This beautiful package is the Letterbox Tea Trio from Collectivo. Collectivo is a small chain of coffee shops with a 'down to earth, hippy kinda vibe', as my brother states. For the past few months, he's been raving about this cafe. Finally for Christmas, he got me a souvenir! Right off the bat, they get an A+ for presentation.

All of Collectivo's teas have really cool, unique names. For this particular Tea Trio, I got a peppermint tea called Pure, a black tea called Anthology and a green tea called Mystic.

They even have a little stamp!

How adorable is this? I love cute little touches!

This is what you see when you open the box.

Even the lids are cute!

Every tin has a little message on the back, talking about the tea and the perfect way to brew it. This is the back of the Anthology (black) tea.

These are the teas out of their boxes.

Green tea...

Black tea...

And peppermint!

I think this is a wonderful gift, especially for someone who loves tea! The teas are delicious, and the black tea doesn't have the bitter aftertaste you get with other black teas. It's much more enjoyable! If you're able to get this exact set, I'd definitely recommend it. If not, all you need is three (or more) teas and some cute tins!

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and a great time with your families! I'm very fortunate that I have the luxury of getting presents, but most importantly, I'm grateful that I have a family to spend the holidays with. Anyway, I'm going to get off the computer now and play with my new toys!

Have a great rest of 2014. Here's to a new year! (And many cups of tea.)
Jordan x

Maybelline Brow Drama Review

Hello, my loves! Today is another makeup product review. It's been a while since I've done one of these, but a few days ago I bought something from Maybelline and I want to tell you all about it!

This is the Maybelline Eyestudio Brow Drama. It's a tinted eyebrow gel to keep the caterpillars in place while giving them a hint of color! There are three shades in the range but I got the darkest, Deep Brown.

I absolutely love this brush. Look at how cool it is! If gives you the perfect amount of product; not too much, not too little.

The picture to the left is my natural brow with no product in. The picture on the right is my eyebrow with the Brow Drama gel, nothing else! I have fairly light eyebrows so when I have nothing on but the gel, it gives my brows a nice, natural looking tint!

In this set of pictures, the one to the left is my eyebrow filled in as I normally would. The picture to the right is my everyday brow routine + the gel. I fill in my brows with powder, so they can tend to look a bit matte and fake. The Brow Drama gel brings back some of the 'liveliness' and sheen of the brows, while also combing them back into place! It doesn't like much of a difference in these pictures, but it's easier to see in person!

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Overall, I'd give the Maybelline Eyestudio Brow Drama a 4.5 out of 5. It's a great product, but it can leave your eyebrows feeling a little hard and crunchy. There's not anything you can do about it as it's literally mascara for your eyebrows! You get used to it anyway. Go try it out for yourself!

Thanks for reading, and Happy Holidays!
Jordan x

Edgy OOTD

Hello, my friends! As most of you know, I'm a fan of social media. I love to look at other people's blogs and Instagrams see what kind of stuff they get up to. As long as I can remember, I've seen these #OOTDs all over the place. For the few people who've never heard of it before, OOTD stands for Outfit of the Day. It's basically just people taking pictures of their outfits and talking you through what they're wearing. I thought if they can do it, so can I!

This is a new type of blog post for me. I've never done anything fashion related before! There's no real significance behind this outfit, but I thought it was cute and simple and a little bit edgy, so naturally I wanted to share it with you guys. Anyway, let's get on with it.

This is my complete outfit:

Shirt- Jacky Oversized Tunic Top from Boohoo $14.00

Leggings- No Boundaries Zipper Ponte Pant from Walmart $13.88

Shoes- Critely Bootie from Blowfish $49.00

(Note: Sadly the outfit does not come with a chihuahua!)

The leggings go up to a little over my hip and are super stretchy and cool. I don't wear jeans often because they're rough and uncomfortable, so if I'm gonna wear leggings all the time, the least I can do is make them fancy leggings! These make me feel super classy and punk at the same time; they're great!

The pockets do unzipper, but you can't fit much in there. I usually slip in a hair grip or two for when I want to fix my hair on the go.

And these are my shoes. My lovely, lovely shoes.

I've never gotten shoes from Blowfish before, but I absolutely love them! They're very comfortable and sturdy. I don't think they'll fall apart any time soon! *knocks on wood*

That's it for my outfit of the day! I hope this has given you inspiration in some way, shape or form. I apologize in advance if any of the clothing items are discontinued by the time you read this. Also I apologize for the lack of close ups on the pants; it's kind of hard to photograph yourself when you're a one man band! I hope you forgive me.

Happy December!
Jordan x