Little Lottie: October 2014

Thursday 30 October 2014

Wondrous oils!


On my discovery of natural skincare oils seemed to pop up everywhere, after years of brands selling OIL FREE everything they are now including nut and other oils in as many products as they can. I like to go straight to the source and have experimented with a lot of different types but found a use for all of them.

If you want a bargain multi tasker oils are the best thing for it and here are a few of my favourites...

Coconut oil - Holland and Barrett

The most recent beauty oil craze has of course been Coconut oil, you can truly use this for anything from a healthier frying option to a teeth whitener. I personally find coconut oil to heavy for my hair so often do an overnight treatment and wash out with plenty of shampoo for an intense conditioning treatment. My favourite use for the oil is as a body moisturiser, it feels amazing and nourishes skin for days. A big jar has lasted me a year and it's definitely a purse friendly product. Ensure your coconut oil is cold pressed as heat destroys the beneficial properties. 

Castor Oil - Holland and Barrett 

Next in popularity has to be castor oil, famous for being a great massage oil and a key member in the oil cleansing method castor oil has made a pretty big impact on acne sufferers. The oil actually dries the skin so mixing it with other cleansing oils is the best option to help heal any blemishes. I use castor oil in face masks with an ultra moisturising oil like coconut to nourish the skin.


Jojaba Oil - eBay

Jojaba oil has been reported to help problematic skin as it has the same sebum type oil that out skin naturally produces however it can sometimes have the opposite affect and cause brekouts which is what I suffered with after prolonged use so jojaba oil is now my everyday hair conditioner. Every night I run some of this luxurious oil through my tips for an overnight hair fix.


Organic Pumpkin seed oil - eBay 

This is an odd one and is only really popular for cooking with however this rich green oil is my favourite cleanser to date! It contains so many vitamins that my skin is drinking up and I use it morning and night for a one step cleanse! Easy peasy. I use a Muslim cloth or hot flannel to remove any residue.

I hope I've inspired you to consider oil and a friend not a foe with my extensive collection.

Leave a comment of your favourite oil or natural beauty product! 
Little Lottie xo


Wednesday 22 October 2014

Product Spotlight: Topshop Matt Nails




Today I want to put a spotlight on a product I'm obsessing over at the moment, everyone loves the Topshop nail varnishes and they have so much choice but the matt range is more gorgeous than I could have imagined. 
I'm not a fan of painting my nails for the pure reason that they chip the next day and after all that effort I loose the will to maintain them, however this matt shade in Mystic Pink lasted for 3 days chip free! 
There are so many shades to choose from but I went for Mystic Pink because of the deep plum tones in it that are completely Autumnal.   
I feel really confident with this shade on and use every excuse to show off my nails.

Shop the post here.

Thursday 16 October 2014

Interior Wish List

Hello you! First things first, you may have noticed things look different around here, Little Lottie has had a bit of a makeover and looks totally fabulous. I'm really pleased with the design I bought on Etsy and recommend you to have a browse if you want to spruce things up too.

To honour my new blog theme today I'm going to share some housey objects that I would love to decorate with when I have a little place of my own one day. You may notice a pattern here... (grey and pink) 
Living Room




LUDDE Sheepskin IKEA Wool is soil-repellent and hard-wearing.



I would want to keep the living room super cosy and modern, with pops of pink and coral around to keep it bright. The living room is the hub of a house and when friends visit or you curl up to watch a scary movie the comfy sofa is key. These quote cushions make a lovely statement against the plain grey furniture and I couldn't help but add them all to the wishlist!

Shop the room:

Kitchen


The current trend is very obviously pastel colours and I personally love it, especially in the home. Carrying the pink through the house these beautiful appliances add subtle colour to an often boring room - and I hate cooking. These pastels really compliment each other but you can go for matching instead if desired. 




Chalkboard - Urban Outfitters
Lemons Towel - Tesco Direct


Bedroom

I currently have a rather girly bedroom but this will have to be toned down a tad when Nick and I move in together. White opens up a room and changes the look of furniture completely just by adding a lick of paint, shades of grey and other "uni-sex colours" is my compromise to a bit more pink. Although I couldn't resist a few Christmas additions.  















Shop the room:



Monday 6 October 2014

Less or More

I did an experiment recently after being inspired by a girl who went to school with 3 different looks; natural, made up and fake. The look with the most heavy make up attracted attention from boys and the natural look achieved compliments from girls. It's a controversial subject at the minute with more and more people going makeup free for selfies and inspirational YouTubers like Zoella spreading the bare face message. I personally love the fact that woman and girls are able to feel more comfortable in their own skin even if they do have acne or other insecurities.

To test this further I posted the following picture on my Facebook page to get reactions. Have a look at the results and post your opinion using the Facebook icon at the top of my blog! 


I asked Facebook to comment the picture they preferred, left being me only wearing mascara and being bare skinned - all insecurities on show. Right being me in a lot more makeup than I would usually wear, I felt completely out of my comfort zone with all of this on my face!








  • Maybeline - The Great Lash mascara in very black
  • No7 - eyelash curlers
  • Bare Minerals - multi tasking mineral concealer in Bisque
  • Bare Minerals - Original foundation in Light
  • No7 - Translucent loose powder
  • Rimmel - Sun Shimmer Bronzer in Light Matte 
  • Maybeline - Eye Studio in Sparkling Gold
  • Revelon - ColorStay pallet in Coffee Bean
  • Collection - Extreme felt liner
  • NYC - Eye brow/liner pencil
  • Maybeline - Color Sensational Lipstick in Hollywood Red 540

I must admit I could have carried on with highlighter, blusher, lip liner and brow gel. The list is endless and I am impressed with girls that put all of this on in the mornings because it was very time consuming, not to mention the brushes and tools involved. Here are the results of the long list of products.




The look wasn't too over the top and the eye makeup was popular on Facebook, I think the gold kept it neutral.

The left photo shows me in just mascara as I had gone for a lovely vegetarian breakfast that morning at the Lounge, I hadn't wanted to make much effort early in the morning. 

It was a big step for me to go out on a sunny day to the middle of town with all flaws showing, deep down I know I shouldn't care and it felt good not to! 


So Facebook choose left, but not necessarily because I looked more natural, it was because I was smiling. I picked the selfies I did because I thought they showed the most dramatic change in looks comparatively, Facebook even requested me to tag 2 different people rather than use its face recognition! 

I know I'm most comfortable when I'm at home, no makeup, hair pulled back and wearing something fluffy so to go out bare faced was really nice for me and it did make me happy which reflected a lot in my picture. The best part was there was nothing to remove when I got home, unlike the aftermath of the other photo...


If you feel the same, try going out with friends or just to run errands for the day, after you do it once it will empower you to do it more. Wear just a smile on your face and see how you feel afterwards. 

Good luck and join me by sharing your smile selfie.

Little Lottie xo