Tuesday, 8 April 2014

Mothers Day ♡

A few Sundays ago, it was Mother's Day; a celebration I always look forward to because I love treating my Mum and Gran. They both do so much for me so I love spoiling them on their special day as a thankyou to let them know how much they mean to me. On Sunday morning, me and my brother made my Mum the custom Mother's Day breakfast in bed (croissants; shop-bought but we cooked them and she appreciated it nonetheless!). While eating her breakfast, my Mum opened her pile of presents and was over the moon with them. We'd bought her a Pandora charm, a blouse she'd wanted, some wine, flowers and chocolates. 



After breakfast we got ready to go out and went to visit my Gran and Grandad. My Mum gave my Gran her Mother's Day gifts while my brother and I gave her some daffodils since they're her favourite flowers.


For lunch we ordered Pizza Hut (a tradition for every Mother's Day so my Mum and Gran don't have to cook). It was delicious and it took about 3 hours before we weren't too full to eat some Chocolate Pear cake that we'd baked the day before!* 


All in all, it was a lovely relaxing day. I hope you all enjoyed Mother's Day and treated someone that is special to you!

*If you want to see a recipe for the cake then let me know and I'll do a blogpost on it - it's really simple and really tasty!

Remember to follow me on Instagram @xdaisiechain and follow me on bloglovin'. Thankyou for reading, a new blogpost will be up soon!
Rachel x

Tuesday, 1 April 2014

London Haul

As you may or may not know, in a few days, I'm going to London! I've never been before so I'm really excited because I've always wanted to go and I think it will be a brilliant experience. It's a school trip so it's a structured 4 days (we already know where we're going and when) but I'll do a blogpost when I get back about the things we did while we were there. 

Today though, I'm going to be sharing the things I have bought for the trip; I'm only going to mention a few things as I still have a lot to buy!

The first thing I've bought to wear in London is this lovely pale pink spotty blouse. 


From Primark, it's only £7.00 and I thought it would be ideal for when we're out and about in the city. It's lightweight but comfy and quite dressy too so it'll look lovely teamed with black jeans, boots and a leather jacket. It has gorgeous neck detailing and a cute button at the back which fastens at the neck. 


Another thing I bought is this collared blouse which is something I'm really excited to wear! It's so pretty and again will look great with jeans and a leather jacket. This is from New Look and is £14.99; slightly more expensive than the Primark top but I think I'll wear this a lot - I love the floral pattern and lately I've been obsessed with collars so I can't wait to wear this again and again!


First of all, I need to apologise for the terrible quality pictures in this post (due to rainy weather and therefore dreadful lighting) because this picture does not do this shirt justice. In reality it is a lovely fabric but on the image above it looks slightly plasticky (I can assure you it's not). Plus, I adore the royal blue colour and cute collar. It's translucent so I'll need to wear a vest top underneath but aside from that, I thought it was perfect and I've wanted a top like this for such a long time. Despite the hanger saying M&S, the top is from Select for only £10; I never normally venture into Select so I was surprised when I managed to find this! Also it would be great underneath a jumper, with the collar showing so I'm sure I'll be able to get lots of wear out of this when I get back from London too!


Next up is jeans/jeggings! This particular pair are from Primark and an absolute bargain for only £7.00. They are extremely comfortable and they'll be perfect for long journeys on the bus. 


Although these 'jeggings' seem identical to the previous pair, they are a slightly lighter colour and these ones are from New Look. They are a bit more expensive at £14.99 but they seem great quality and again really comfy and ideal for the long bus journeys in London.


Once again this photo doesn't do these jeans justice (sorry!) but they are a gorgous pale blue with a faded effect and they are super stretchy and comfy; I also love the gold button fastening at the waist. They were £19.99 from New Look so they're still really cheap for a pair of jeans that will hopefully last a while.

For the journey I picked up some magazines to read while travelling - one of which was the Zoella edition of Company that I've been wanting all month! The others include: Heat, OK! and Now but I'm looking forward to reading Company the most because of Zoe's interview!


I also got a neck pillow from Asda; I think it was only around £4 and I'll be able to use this on the bus to London as well as the aeroplane when I go abroad in the summer.


So that's the end of this haul and there'll be some posts coming up soon about my time in London. I hope you enjoyed this post, if you want to see more hauls then let me know in the comments. Remember to follow me on Instagram @xdaisiechain and follow me on bloglovin'. Thankyou for reading, a new blogpost will be up soon!
Rachel x

Sunday, 30 March 2014

This or That Tag

Lately I've seen many bloggers doing the 'This or That' Tag and although I wasn't tagged by anyone, I thought I would join in and do it myself! Basically there are 5 categories consisting of some quick fire questions that I'm going to answer.


MAKE UP
Blush or Bronzer?
Blush
Lipgloss or Lipstick?
Lipgloss
Eyeliner or Mascara?
Mascara
Foundation or Concealer?
Concealer
Neutral or Coloured eye shadow?
Neutral 
Pressed or Loose eye shadow?
Pressed
Brushes or Sponges?
Brushes

NAILS
Barry M or OPI?
Barry M
Long or Short?
Short
Acrylic or natural?
Natural
Brights or Dark?
Brights
Flower or no flower?
No flower 

BODY
Perfume or Body Spray?
Perfume
Lotion or Body Butter?
Body Butter
Bath Wash or Soap?
Bath wash? What's bath wash? 
Soap
Lush or BOMBCosmetics?
LUSH

FASHION
Jeans or Leggings?
Jeans
Dresses or Skirts?
Skirts... Dresses... I like both!
Dresses
Long sleeves or Short sleeves?
Long
Stripes or Plaid?
Plaid
Flip flops or Sandals?
Sandals
Hats or Scarves?
Scarves
Studs or dangly earrings?
Studs
Heels or Flats?
Flats
Necklaces or Bracelets?
Bracelets
Jackets or Hoodies?
Jackets
Abercrombie or Hollister?
I don't own anything from Abercrombie and I only own my Hollister spray... 
Hollister

HAIR
Curly or Straight?
Curly
Bun or Ponytail?
Ponytail
Bobby Pins or Butterfly Clips?
Bobby pins
Hairspray or Hair gel?
Hairspray
Long or Short?
Long
Light or Dark?
Dark
Up or Down?
Down

RANDOM 
Rain or Shine?
Shine
Summer or Winner?
Summer
Autumn or Spring?
Spring
Chocolate or Vanilla?
Chocolate 

That's the tag done - I tag all of you reading this to do it too! Remember to follow me on Instagram @xdaisiechain and follow me on bloglovin'. Thankyou for reading, a new blogpost will be up soon!
Rachel x

Wednesday, 26 March 2014

Washing my makeup brushes

Back in January of this year, I finally purchased some Real Techniques make up brushes. I started using them around mid-February (so not too long ago) but it occurred to me last week or so that they were getting pretty dirty and were in desperate need of a wash.

I was aware you could buy various 'brush cleaners' but I wasn't sure what they actually were and therefore unsure about what I would be paying for. So after a bit of research (aka looking through blogposts) I came across various posts that mentioned washing makeup brushes using Johnson's Baby Shampoo. I decided to try it out and wash my own makeup brushes and in this post I'm going to explain how I did it; for any novices out there - just like I was!

All pictures used in this post are my own.

I squeezed a little bit of the shampoo onto my palm, took one of my brushes and began to move the brush in a circular motion on my palm (or instead use the motion you would if you were using the brush on your face).




Then rinse the bristles under the tap, (being careful not to wet the handle) and swipe the brush backwards and forwards on your palm, rinsing your palm under the tap every 30 seconds or so to get rid of the makeup that has been washed off the brush.
The brush should be starting to return to its normal colour; repeat the steps until it has.





Next, dab the brush onto a cloth or paper towel until it leaves no colour behind on the cloth.



Now simply leave the brushes to dry and they should look as good as new!


I was pleasantly surprised when washing my Real Techniques; they still feel super soft and no bristles came out.

I hope you enjoyed this post, if you want to see more 'tutorial' type things then let me know! Remember to follow me on Instagram @xdaisiechain and follow me on bloglovin'. Thankyou for reading, a new blogpost will be up soon!
Rachel x

Sunday, 23 March 2014

Summary Sunday #1

Hi everyone, today's post is a little different than my usual ones! I've seen several bloggers doing this now and I thought it looked like a fun thing to do!
Basically this post will just be me sharing 6 photos with you from throughout my week. I'm not sure yet if this will be a weekly post yet, as I want to vary my blog content a little more so it may pop up every two weeks instead.


1. My cousins birthday cake from last Monday - it was a chocolate cake topped with Rolo's, Munchies and Smarties...yum!

2. My outfit for 'dress down day' (own clothes day) to help raise money for Sport Relief.

3. A gorgous daffodil from my grandma's garden - spring has finally sprung!

4. PIZZA from my trip to Pizza Hut yesterday.

5. I've had lots of cuddles from Simba this week as I've been feeling a bit poorly and had a really sore throat :(

6. A picture of my dirty Real Techniques makeup brushes that I washed for the first time this week (blog post on that coming soon!).

I hope you enjoyed that little insight to my life this week, let me know if you'd like to see more of these in the future!
Remember to follow me on Instagram @xdaisiechain and follow me on bloglovin'. Thankyou for reading, a new blogpost will be up soon!
Rachel x

Friday, 21 March 2014

'I ♡ Spring' Tag

Since it is the first day of spring today, I'm going to be doing the I Heart Spring Tag. Now that the weather seems to be warming up a little, spring definitely seems to be on it's way! 


(Please note: all images used in this post are my own.)

I've seen a couple of other bloggers doing this and I thought it was a fun and unusual tag to do so I thought I'd give it a go! 


1. Favourite spring nail polish?
Personally I like trying out new brands of nail polishes so I don't have a particular favourite, but during spring I love wearing bright and pastel colours.

2. What is your must-have lip colour this spring?
The on trend colour this season seems to be orange, but it tends not to suit my skin tone so I like to stick to pale pinks.

3. Show us your favourite spring dress!
No matter how many pictures I take of this dress, they never do it justice. I bought it in springtime last year and continued to wear it throughout summer as well. 


I adore the detail on it - it's so pretty! The dress also has gorgeous back detail and it is 'skater dress' style.

4. What's your favourite flower?
During springtime I love seeing daffodils popping up all over the place and to me they mean that spring is finally here and I also like seeing daisies in my garden over spring time. 

5. Favourite spring accessory?
I love wearing dainty bracelets and scarves; they're my favourite accessories any time of the year - not just spring!

6. What sprind trend(s) are you most excited about this year? (Make up, fashion or both!)
This spring I'm looking forward to wearing tops and dresses with collars on; I think they're so cute and perfect for spring time. Makeup wise I'm looking forward to hopefully purchasing the 'wake me up' Rimmel foundation because lots of other bloggers have said it will be ideal for spring and summer. I'm also excited to hopefully purchase the Maybelline Colour Tattoos in the shades 'Pink Gold' and 'On and On Bronze' because I think they will be the prettiest eye colours for spring.

7. Favourite spring candle?
I'm not really a candle lover but if I was I would probably love fresh floral scents during springtime.

8. Favourite body spray/perfume for spring?
I don't have a particular fragrance that I wear at this time of year but at the moment I'm loving the Cresent Bay Hollister Spray and Gold perfume from Next, both of which I will probably continue to wear throughout this season.

9. What is spring like where you live?
Currently it's very early spring so it's quite cloudy most of the time but over the past few days it's been quite warm and sunny. 

10. What's your favourite thing about spring?
My favourite things about springtime are: seeing a vast improvement to the weather, seeing lovely flowers appearing everywhere, longer days, being able to wear pretty lightweight clothes instead of having to cover my outfit with a heavy coat as well as loving the idea of lots of baby animals being born this time of year.

11. Are you a spring cleaner?
I'd like to think I am, but I'm really not. I'm not any type of cleaner - I'd love to be able to keep my room tidy and organised but I never seem to be able to. This spring I might encourage myself a bit more to do a spring clean because I'm in desperate need of a clear out!

12. Any plans for spring break or an upcoming holiday?
In around 2 weeks time I'm visiting London for the first time which I'm SO excited about! 

I hope you enjoyed this post; why not let me know what you love about spring? Remember to follow me on bloglovin' and thankyou for reading, a new blogpost will be up soon!
Rachel x

Tuesday, 18 March 2014

Mini Lush Haul

A few weeks ago I took a trip to Lush; in fact it was my second ever time of going there! Despite having a list as long as my arm of things I wanted to purchase, I only bought three things, which I'm going to share with you in this "mini haul".

(Please note: the reason behind this post is to give my opinions on these particular products and perhaps give ideas of possible future Lush purchases to all of you.) 

All pictures used in this post are my own.

The first thing I couldn't wait to get my hands on was the Sex Bomb Bath Ballistic. I think this is by far one of the prettiest products sold at Lush, which was what drew me to it in the first place. However, I wasn't too keen on the smell of Sex Bomb; to me it is the characteristic Lush scent (the smell of the shop when you walk in) but slightly more overpowering. The bomb turned my bath a lovely pale pink colour, but since it's a bath bomb, I only managed to get one bath out of it - this was a shame. Although I wasn't overly taken with it's scent, I would love to use this again and at only £3.25 I don't see why not!


The second bath bomb I bought was Ickle Baby Bot. Initially I didn't plan to buy this product, but it's overall cuteness must have persuaded me! This lavender scented bomb is only £1.95: it's one of the cheapest products from Lush. I haven't actually used this yet, so I can only imagine the explosion of gorgeous colours and smells it releases when it fizzes in my bath.


Creamy Candy Bubble Bar was my third and final purchase and is actually the only Lush product I have re-purchased. What drew me to this in the first place was how cute it looked. It is a  pretty pale pink coloured bar, with a little coloured flower on top for decoration. It smells like the name would suggest: candy/bubblegum. Personally, I think it is one of the most delicious smelling products at Lush. It is only £2.50 and because it has a creamy texture, it easily breaks and therefore you can get several uses out of it. When I crumbled half a bar under running water, mounds of bubbles quickly appeared and I was in bubble bath heaven! The smell lingered on me, long after my bath which I thought was great since the smell was delicious! I will continue to buy this bubble bar long into the future as it's my favourite Lush product at the moment.


I hope this mini haul was helpful, if you want to know any more about these products then please don't hesitate to ask in the comments or on my Instagram page (@xdaisiechain). If you'd like to see a more in depth review of any of these or if you want to see more hauls then simply let me know. 

I hope you enjoyed this post; I'd love to know what your favourite Lush product is. Remember to follow me on bloglovin' and thankyou for reading, a new blogpost will be up soon!
Rachel x