An Autumnal, Frosty Walk

Hello!

I got the opportunity to take my camera out for a walk this afternoon on a frosty day, I love the light in the afternoon. It's also my favourite time of year for taking pictures!

I don't have much else to say about them other than that they were taken on a Nikon D3100 and that I don't really know what I'm doing but I enjoy doing it.

Hope you like them!

Rosie x

Braided Side Bun Up Do for Work/ School

Hello!

I thought I would share a hairstyle I find useful for work and times when I need a hairstyle that will stay put but that isn't quite as severe as a ponytail or top knot/ bun. I don't really know what I'm doing when it comes to hair, I'm not an expert, but I love to find different ways of doing my hair to change things up a bit!
I find it hard to find styles that look pretty, gentle and girly without it falling out as soon as I step outside my front door. However, I find that this style stays put because the french plait incorporates every strand of hair.
I first did this style in my first year at Uni in 2011 when I was going on a Disney night out with my housemates and wanted to try and become Tinkerbell! (Insert first year attempted Tinkerbell pictures with aggressive camera flash...)

In my third year I watched the Hunger Games and LOVED it, I noticed Katniss Everdeen wears her hair in a similar side braid, except in this style I just curl the side braid around itself and pin it into a bun once I'm happy with the shape. I also found that Zoella does a brilliant Katniss Everdeen hair tutorial using a Dutch braid, I don't use this type of braid in this particular hair style but I have before and love the effect this gives too! . 
I have inserted a link to the Zoella tutorial if you would like to see the process done properly, but here is a little description of how I do it;

1. Create a parting one side of your head (or even a middle parting if you like!)
2. From the side with the most hair (as you can see from the pictures, my parting is diagonal and fairly rubbish but it is mainly to the left so most of the hair is on the right of my head), take three sections and begin to french plait them, gradually adding hair as you go.
3. As Zoella describes, the most challenging part is the switch over of hands at the back of the centre of your head. I try to keep my right hand holding the plait as it is and move my left hand to switch over.
4. I french plait this round to my other ear until all the hair is incorporated, I then continue down the hair with a normal plait until I reach the end and fasten with a thin hairband. 
5. I like to try and gently loosen up the plait a bit when it's fastened, which makes the plait look a bit thicker.
6. I then curl the braid around into a circle and tuck the end with the hairband under the bun to hide it.
7. I then secure it in place with as many hair slides/ bobby pins as I can until it feels secure.
8. I recommend using two mirrors, holding one in front of you to reflect the other behind you when you have finished to try and see the hair from behind and check if there are any bits missing from the plait or that have come loose. Any loose bits can be poked into the plait and fastened with bobby pins.

As you can see from the Uni pictures, you can pull bits of hair out from the front if you want, or you can add accessories to the bun depending on what sort of look you want to achieve. I really hope this has been useful in some way!
Let me know if you know of a good alternative style that can stay put for a while as I love trying out new ones!

Rosie
x

REN Sensitive Gift Set- ASOS

Hello!

I have been very excited to create this post ever since I ordered and received this gift set from ASOS. A couple of years ago I purchased either 'In Style' or 'Red' magazine as I saw they had a free sample of REN's Cleansing Milk, Global Protection Day Cream and an Eye Gel. Having read about REN products on blogs and seen them featured in YouTube favourites and recommendations I had been given the impression they were a good skincare brand.

I have always had very dry, sensitive skin since I was little and have to be quite careful what I use on my skin. I had been using a Simple moisturiser for a while as it was the cheapest option and one I knew agreed with my skin and wasn't as greasy as other options.

My skin was still very dry when I purchased the samples and I decided to give them a go while I was at Uni. I absolutely LOVED them and rambled on and on to my boyfriend about how much better my skin was. I no longer had to use really greasy or moisture- lacking moisturisers in order to get the slightest bit of moisture into my skin. The global protection moisturiser soaks straight in and leaves my skin incredibly soft. My skin didn't react to the cleanser and although I didn't see any vast improvements with the eye gel I still enjoyed using it. The samples lasted me ages, a little goes a very long way with these products.

When these samples eventually began to run out, I knew I really loved the moisturiser in particular. However, after doing a little research I couldn't find anywhere to buy a new one that I could even slightly afford. The price tag for a Global Protection Face Cream 50ml as far as I could find was £27! The improvement it made in my skin was very noticeable and I was much more comfortable. My boyfriend was very lovely and purchased me a tube for Valentines day. I am still getting through that tube around 9 months after I started it, even after using the product every day and some nights. As I said it lasts ages and the pump inside the tube pushes every last drop of the product to the top.

Recently I was looking online to see if there was somewhere I could get a new tube as mine was beginning to run low. I hoped I would find it on offer somewhere but instead I found that the price tag for the cream was the same and I was gutted.

However, on further inspection I found that ASOS sell a REN gift set of their sensitive products on their site for £32.00 with free delivery (currently £27 on Marks and Spencer's website- this does not include the £3.50 delivery though)!! This gift set came in a lovely decorative tin and included a 50ml Global Protection Day Cream, 50ml Cleansing Milk, 15ml Night Cream and a 10ml Omega 3 skin serum oil (pictured above). I was so chuffed when it arrived!

I know that £32 is still a lot of money, but I got four products (two of which I already loved) in this set for just £5 more than I was going to have to pay for a single tube of day cream. Although I am not one to spend a lot of money on make up or beauty products, I have found that spending a little extra on skincare has benefited my skin enormously. I have gone through tonnes of cheaper moisturisers, a good one I found was Superdrug's Pure Light Moisturiser for sensitive skin. However, I found that this moisturiser was incredibly greasy which is fine if you have the time to let it soak in but sometimes you don't, and don't want to risk leaving the house looking like a well- oiled seal.
Here are some brief descriptions of the products I have used from the set so far;

• The Global Protection Day Cream 50ml is my favourite product from this set, it is my every day moisturiser and it leaves my skin moisturised and glowing. It soaks in quickly which means I don't have to worry about it being greasy and it is quick and easy to apply. It has a very subtle clean scent and is a lovely product. It is also a pure product, free of silicones and parabens and all of those bad things. On it's own from ASOS, a single 50ml tube of this product is £27.
• The Cleansing Milk 50ml is a lovely cleanser suitable for sensitive skin. It's easy to use, just gently massage onto your face and wash off with warm water. I tend to use the day cream after using this product to ensure my skin is moisturised and I think they work really well together. None of these products have a particularly strong scent. This cleanser is also free of all the bad stuff and on it's own, a 150ml tube is £16 on ASOS.
• The Night Cream 15ml I was really excited to try as it was completely new to me, it's much the same texture as the day cream except it has a slightly more yellow colour. It was very moisturising and had a similar subtle scent like the other two products. On it's own from ASOS for a 50ml tube, this product is £32.
• Finally, the Omega 3 Optimum Skin Oil 10ml was a completely new concept for me. I have never used a skin oil before and so was a little scared to try this product. It has a little spray nozzle on the top and the oil comes out as a very thin liquid. I applied this to my face before I went to bed and woke up with lovely, moisturised, radiant skin. I think I still prefer using a cream to an oil if I'm honest, but I did still enjoy using this product. A 30ml tube of this oil on it's own on ASOS is £23.

All in all I am very happy with this set, £32 for four very lovely products that I will use over and over again. I think this set would make an amazing Christmas present too if this is within your Christmas budget (although I know it's fairly pricey). As I found out, this set is just as lovely as a gift to yourself if you were looking for some new skincare products to try out or were just not willing to pay nearly £30 for just one product.

I also think it's DEFINITELY worth keeping an eye out for samples in magazines, I also tried the REN Hot Cloth Cleanser sample from a magazine and loved this product. I can't believe how long the REN products last, that cleanser kept me going for ages. It was also fine with my sensitive skin. Magazine samples are a great, cheaper way to try out new products rather than taking the risk and forking out for a full size product. I found an amazing blog a while ago that posted about all the free samples in all magazines that season and listed the best, I can't find it at the moment but I hope to re-discover it soon as it was such a good idea. 

I hope this post was useful, let me know if you have found a cheaper alternative to REN or if you have found a really good sample from a magazine!

Rosie x

Introducing Gemma...

Hello!

I thought I would create a quick, short, little picture blog post to introduce my Labrador, Gemma, as I imagine she will crop up a fair bit in this blog.

She is a white Labrador, around 11 years old and is a little cutey, I was still in primary school when we got her. She has to be one of the most well- documented pets in the world so I thought I would share a few of my favourites.

Rosie x

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Autumn Days

Hello!

Time seems to be flying by and I can't believe I'm nearly going into my fifth week of my new job. Today I had a day off and went into town to be shocked by all the Christmas decorations and songs everywhere! I feel like it all starts earlier and earlier each year, I wasn't prepared for the countdown to Christmas to begin just yet, but I still love it!

I wanted to create a little blog post celebrating Autumn, I think Autumn is my favourite season. I love the colours of all the leaves and the sky,I love Halloween and the build up to Christmas. I also love reading blogs with autumnal themed posts so I thought I'd give one a go!

Here are a few of the pictures I have taken and collected of Autumn this year;

• The first and third pictures of autumnal trees, leaves and horse chestnuts were taken on a countryside walk a few weeks ago on Instagram.
• The second is of my Mum's Holly plant on my DSLR.
• The fourth is the Halloween pumpkin I carved and affectionately named 'Patrick' on my DSLR.
• The fifth is a picture of my cosy panda slippers on Instagram (Peacocks sale). 
• The sixth and seventh were taken of autumn leaves on trees on a more recent countryside walk on my DSLR.
• The eighth and ninth were Instagram pictures I took during a sunrise and a sunset.

Hope you enjoy the autumnal photos!

Rosie x

Rimmel London Salon Pro- '402 Urban Purple'

Hello!

I am excited to be making my first proper blog post! This one will be focused on one particular beauty product, my new favourite nail colour '402 Urban Purple' by Rimmel London. 

Having recently seen a blog post by Lily Pebbles on NARS 'Fearless' nail polish, I was determined to find a cheaper alternative as I loved the colour but couldn't afford the £14.50 price tag. I stumbled across this colour a while ago in Boots and loved it. I knew I liked the Rimmel Salon Pro range too having tried the colour 'Soul Session' in the past, but decided to have a little look online first to see if I could find pictures Urban Purple being worn before I purchased it. 

I still loved the colour after a little research and found it again in Superdrug for £4.49 and it was also on on 3 for 2, which is an offer Superdrug quite often have on their products. I had a couple of other bits I wanted to try; Rimmel Kate Matte Lipstick 107 (£5.49) and Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer in Ivory (£5.49), so I ended up going for it as I don't very often buy make up and I had heard good things about all three. The Rimmel nail polish turned out to be the cheapest product at £4.49 so I ended up getting it 'free'!

Although I'm not great at doing my nails (as you can probably tell), I loved the colour on as it's a deep pinky purple shade which is one of my favourite colours. I thought the consistency was great and it dried nicely! I think I do still prefer the consistency and finish of the Barry M nail varnishes, a particular favourite being 'Raspberry'.
I have just started a new part- time job that involves a lot of lifting stock and using my hands, but the nail varnish lasted around a week without really chipping so I was really impressed. I did also use a base and top coat which is also Rimmel (I can see a theme in this post) and it's the Nail Nurse base and top coat. I really like this product too as it makes my nails less dry after painting them and makes my nail polish last ages.

I think the deep colour of the Rimmel Urban Purple nail polish is great for Autumn/ Winter and I will carry on using it and loving it! I hope this post has been useful for you if you are looking for a new nail colour for Autumn or if you just fancied trying this polish out!

Rosie x

A little introduction...

Hello!

My name is Rosie, I am a graduate from the UK and this is my blog!

As my 'About Me' section describes, this blog will be a photo diary covering anything that interests me through my Rosie- tinted lens! There isn't a specific focus like beauty or fashion in particular, just a little of everything.

Anyone that knows me would know I always take excessive quantities of photos of EVERYTHING. I really enjoy taking pictures and sharing them and I have done for a long time. Ever since I was little I would take tonnes of pictures and get them developed. I still have drawers filled with all of my old pictures and still make a point of printing my pictures now and ordering them into albums.

I remember a few years ago I read a postcard that had a quote along the lines of-

'Take a picture of your life, remember it well, because you never know when it could change'

Me taking a picture in Las Vegas- 2007

The quote held a great deal of significance for me at the time and I think it has increased the value I place on every picture I have taken and will take. Things can change so much in such a short amount of time so I think it's important to capture every moment you can. I also just really enjoy taking pictures! I don't know a great deal about photography (or blogging) but I wanted a way to focus on what I enjoy and create a sort of archive of these moments and interests.

I've been reading lifestyle, beauty and fashion blogs and watching related videos for around 3-4 years now and my interest in these areas has grown. Not only the content, but the way people present and display the things they enjoy in a creative way is really interesting to me. It's such a personal thing which I think has put me off from starting one of my own for such a long time, even though I have wanted to, because I wasn't sure if anyone would be interested in what I have to say! I had a little go at blogging for a short while, focusing on lighthearted pictures of my white Labrador, Gemma as she is a cutey and I wasn't really comfortable with the idea of talking about myself.

However, over time I have read more and more blogs, including those of my friends who appear to really enjoy updating their blogs with their own personal touches and interests which I think has inspired and encouraged me to give it a go. I decided a blog would be a great way to collect together things that I am enthusiastic about as my life is currently in the process of changing, having just graduated from University. 

I hope you enjoy my little photo diary and that it might encourage you to give it a go, or to take more pictures of things that are important or interesting to you to look back on in time!

Rosie x