My 5Oth Post featuring March Favourites.

Happy Blog Day! I'm in a very excited mood because I've just realised this is my 50th blog post! I started Life Beyond The Till as something tedious I could do as a hobby in the little free time I have and I've grown to love it. This blog is my baby and already I've met online so many lovely people thanks to it and thank you to everyone who has taken the time to support and read my ramblings. Here's to the next 5000!

I thought today would be a great opportunity to do to my first ever Monthly Favourites which is a huge staple post for all bloggers, but yet I've avoided doing one until now because I've not had enough things to rave about. But without further ado, here goes!

Redecorating:

featuring my mum lol

There's something so therapeutic about changing up your home every once in a while to keep it fresh and comfortable to live in. This month, after talking about it for like 50 years, my mum, dad, sister and I have eventually decorated and revamped our living room, going from a drab unfinished duck egg and cream scheme to a warm, cosy purple and silver layout and I love it! Also, I've finally put the finishing touches in my bedroom to make it my own after all this time. I've shared beds, been forced into the box room to sleep but now this space is all mine, decorated exactly how I've wanted. I did a Bedroom Tour post the beginning of the year but since then I now own a floor length mirror (eep!) a proper chest of drawers (double eep!) and some cube shelves! It's the simple things in life guys.

Kristin Cavallari: Balancing In Heels

It was only natural to mention this as it is featured on my bedroom shelf but I am currently about a quarter of the way through this book and it's everything I expected and more. If you don't know Kristin Cavallari she was a reality TV star in Laguna Beach and The Hills, two of the "original" American structured reality shows, waaaay before the likes of TOWIE came along. She was percieved as this fun-loving, care-free, straight-talking bitch and I adored everything about her, but of course as she explains in her book, alot of it was heavily edited and manipulated. Now 29, she is a mum of 3, a wife, a fashion enthusiast and a business woman and this is an insight to her world and how she manages to balance it all. What I love about this is that this isn't a typical autobiography of "ooh look at me, I live the perfect life, be jealous of me" it's more of a "this is my life, and it's pretty damn difficult juggling all this but I'm proud of how I do it and maybe you can take some tips from me" She's honest, she's funny and she's herself. She shares beautiful photos, both old and new and even reveals some of her secrets to surviving a somewhat normal, yet extremely busy life. This is way more than just a celebrity tell-all.

Swisse Women's Ultimate Multi-Vitamins

So originally I was going to pick up the Swisse Hair Skin and Nails product for obvious beauty reasons but then I spotted this and came to realisation that I think my insides need a bit of a boost and some love aswell. This one tablet, massive one at that, contains multiple vitamins of goodness that work all different parts of your body without being harmful and it also makes your wee luminous yellow woo! (it's actually some vitamin it contains causing it but it's a sign that something must be working!) I've noticed my hair to be shinier for definite but I haven't examined the rest of me in depth, but I guess I have less breakouts but I have Shellac nails so can't benefit from that side of it really. So affordable too, considering it's a named well known brand.

Jake Sims: Long Time Coming EP

Well first things first, the title is accurate! Me and alotttt of others have been waiting far too long for Jake to finally release his own music that 100% shows his true talent and Long Time Coming is a reflection of his hard work. I mean of course I'm biased, I've supported him for a while now but it's so refreshing to listen to good music for a change, and something different than todays chart music. He's a rapper aswell as a singer and there aren't many "good" ones out there anymore. I'm beyond proud of him, and you can listen to it for yourself here and make your own opinion but I highly recommend it, and he's such a humble, nice lad. There are good things coming for him for sure!

Breville Blend Active

This is another impulse buy in attempt to give myself a health kick. I've always wanted a blender but never invested in one so I thought it was time. It was actually reading Kristin Cavallari's book and seeing her recipes that gave me the inspiration to use it. It's the easiest way for me to digest fruit and veg without thinking about it, see i'm such a fussy weird eater, I get bored easily so if something is chopped up or even blended i enjoy it alot more. It's also "Katie-proof" so simple to use. So let's see how this works out.

Nails

I have the least girliest, glamourous job ever so by doing my hair make-up and nails is the only thing that keeps me sane. For ages now I've avoided getting my nails done because I was worried they'd chip easily, ping off or break {only one has but only because my finger got jammed!} but the girly girl in me finally caved and since my best friend is a nail technician what other excuses do i have? I've fallen inlove and cannot wait to keep getting them redone, they make my hands look sexy.

Revlon ColorStay 24 Hour Foundation

Last but not least, Revlon ColorStay 24 Hour Foundation. I know I've done a review on it and I know it's all I've spoken about but this product, along with the rest of my make-up it has helped me finally master a routine that suits me and actually makes me look half decent covering my flaws. I still think I could have done with a shade lighter but the coverage is amazing, the long lasting element is perfect just what more could i ask for from a foundation? My new Holy Grail yassss.

And that's it. A bit of a mixed bag but a nice little insight to what I've been loving in the month of March. How is it April tomorrow?? Christmas was like yesterday! Crazy. 

I also got new glasses last week so here's a lush selfie of yours truly to end the post.

What have you been loving this month?

Lots of love

Katie x

Spring Up Your Jeans.

Happy Easter! 

I hope you all have lots of chocolate to munch on whilst reading this, and if not, what's wrong with you?! And I hope you all regret it afterwards like I do because now I need to diet to get back into these jeans!!

Jeans are a staple in everyones wardrobe no matter the weather (especially if you live in England even in the Summer it is acceptable to wear black jeans) and I have all different types and shapes and styles so as it is now Spring, here is a little insight on how I will be styling them up this season.

Look 1: 

Making ripped jeans look girly without grungy is a task but I paired these Missguided jeans with a tank top from Primark and I love colours in it so much, they brighten up any outfit! Adding my quilted bomber jacket and floral dolly pumps also from Primark this has been my go-to Winter to Spring transition outfit for when the sun is out but it's not quite warm yet.

Look 2:

Grunging it up a bit is acceptable any time of year. With the same Missguided ripped jeans, I paired this gorgeous top from Bershka. It has this chain detail going down the side and the back is alot shorter than the front, perfect for Summer when you aren't feeling super girly. I finished up this look with my lace-up white patent boots from Missguided.

Look 3:

Next up is my attempt to spring up some black jeans of mine by adding a super girly floral halter crop and gold brogues. Jeans are from New Look, Top is from Boohoo and my brogues are from New Look. As this is super exposed I throw on this check shirt that I actually stole from my brother to complete the look. Super casual.

Look 4: 

I love how summery this outfit feels so much. My white jeans are from Boohoo, and this peachy/orange crop is from Primark. I'm obsessed with the cut-out detailing of this (i attempted to capture it) and I paired this also with my gold cut-out brogues from New Look. This look is so girly without the need of any floral patterns.

Look 5:

Last but not least are these floral pattern jeans from Boohoo. They caught my eye last summer because they were unique but as always, patterns are hard to pair with but I just went for this black bardot top from Primark and my denim jacket from Lipsy. You can totally get away with double denim here! Finishing up with some flip flops or sandals, keeping it understated so the jeans are the main attraction.

I hope you enjoyed this and liked how I styled up my jeans to keep them fresh for this season. If you have any other suggestions or feedback I'd love to hear it!

Until next time, love y'alll.

Katie x

A Flick Through My YouTube History

Since I've been doing alot of beauty themed posts lately, I thought I'd do something a tad different and give you an insight to the weird and wonderfulness that is my music taste.

I'm extremely random and tend to go through phases where I listen to a variety of songs non stop from different genres, old and new, so I thought I'd do a post about the songs I have mindlessly searched on YouTube or clicked on when getting too carried away lately, because it happens way too often and judging by my history, it was obviously one of those weeks ... I also have the videos attached aswell so you can enjoy them as much as I do. You're welcome.

Little Mix - Secret Love Song Pt II
Not a bad start, its current and the girls sound incredible, their vocals are flawless. This version is minus Jason Derulo and his inappropriate dancing. I have always been a huge fan of Little Mix and it's one of those songs where you can blare it out and imagine yourself in your own music video. Tried and tested.

Ariana Grande - One Last Time
Okay so, if I remember rightly I searched this up after watching Gabriella's {velvetgh0st} morning routine because she was singing along to this passionately and it reminded me of my love for Ariana and this song.
.

Sia - Alive
This was her Ellen Show performance and she is actually amazing. I actually played this because I was watching Dance Moms and they mentioned Maddie being on Ellen and whether or not it was this performance I don't know but I must have watched this at least 10 times on repeat. What a talented, eccentric pairing.

Whitney Houston - How Will I Know
My all time favourite song, it's so timeless and it makes me happy everytime I listen to it. I also listen to Lauren Platts XFactor audition where she switched it up which is also incredible! No one can live life without the queen of Power Ballads.

Jonas Brothers - Things Will Never Be The Same. 
I obviously was reliving my early, well, mid teens here. This is from Jonas LA which I was heavily judged for loving at 15. Guilty Pleasure I must say. And quite a deep song considering its Disney. Pure cheese, as expected.

Cher Lloyd - Oath 
I absolutely love Cher Lloyd's music. Although I wasn't a fan of her personally, I found myself obsessing over her albums and this makes me wanna celebrate my friendships. What a sap!

                                        

Zayn - Pillowtalk 
This was definitely a grower. When it first came out obviously it was like OMG ZAYN FROM 1D but the video is so trippy I was put off it. It was actually Conor Maynard's cover which made me appreciate the song and also I'm obsessed with Zayn and Gigi so their PDA is worth the mind boggling 3 minutes.

DJ Otzi - Hey Baby
HEEEEEEEEY HEEEEY BABY OOOH AHHHH ... Honestly .. Do not ask. No words. I think it was just one of those days, you all know what I'm talking about and you're secretly loving it, stop judging ...

Justin Bieber - Sorry 
Swiftly moving on, this is legit my jam that without fail gets in my head when I'm doing date-checking routines on my weekend shift. It definitely makes the dull task more entertaining when I find myself singing out loud without realising. The video also actually wants me to go back to dancing, just because I know they'd be doing this on REPEAT. 

Zedd ft Foxes - Clarity
I loveeeee this song! To be honest, I never appreciated it when it was relevant and in the charts but I rediscovered it a year later and it's been on my playlist ever since, I'm obsessed. Probably because I listened to the acoustic and appreciated the lyrics more but it became a high favourite.

So there we go. this was completely unedited I literally just flicked through my history to find these gems in between my favourite YouTubers. You can stop judging me now. To be honest that could have been ALOT worse, phew!

I challenge you to do the same!

What have you been listening to lately?

Katie x

How Natural Is Your Natural Look?

I was sat at home the other morning contemplating what make-up look to wear, it was a day I was working so I didn't want heavy coverage and a full face so decided to go with Natural/wearable/easy to do. Perfect. 

However, when it came to doing my makeup it actually dawned on me when I was pulling out different products I was going to use that there is actually more effort to my natural look than I originally thought. So how natural really is my natural look? 

Here's the evidence of products I use on a daily basis: 

                         

So much for the I just woke up and glided out of bed effect. There are so many products nowadays encouraging this toned down look that we don't realise the amount of makeup we are applying just to get that impression of "we've haven't even tried" because the majority of us are too scared to go out bare-faced the real way. 

It's definitely a confidence issue, there was a period of time I did really look after my skin that I felt brave enough to ditch the makeup and go out without the slightest hint of foundation but with my redness, dark under eyes and blemishes there was no way in hell I would now.

The make-up remover test was also a revelation when I had to almost use two wipes just to get this understated look off my mug. 

Is it really worth it? 
Wouldn't it be more worthwhile to do a full face instead?

Oops. 

Well to be honest I love dolling up and toning down so for me it's not that much of an issue but I wanted to share with everyone what an eye opener this was for me. 

Yeah, I'd probably save a hell of a lot of make-up if I just braved it but what's the point if you're insecure and uncomfortable? The power of makeup is certainly too hard to resist nowadays. 

So, how natural is your natural look then girls?

Katie x

The £1 Shoes.

Yes m'loves, your eyes aren't fooling you and I did not make a typing error, last week I bought a pair of shoes that cost the price of 2 freddos! 

Bargain. And you all know how much I love my bargains, but not as much as my sister. I remember when I was younger I used to laugh at her being tight for money and how ecstatic she was when Primark arrived in Plymouth but I have grown up to have the exact same eye for a bargain and I love it! 

As you can imagine, my sister and I together can be lethal when out loose shopping and when we went wandering in Deichmann, we spotted these. Now, we are literally like magpies to shiny objects so were instantly drawn to them. 

These dolly shoes were so cute and I've never seen ones like this before and I love fashion staples that are slightly different to the trends. With a point, a more covered foot than normal dolly shoes, glitter detailing and a velvet bow, I couldn't say no. {even if I was questioning the comfort} And of course we got matching shoes, as true sisters do!

Like any sale item, I always think well there must be a catch for them to be sold at that price but I was pleasantly surprised. I wore them when we went out for a few drinks on Mothers Day and I found no faults and they were extremely comfy for me. However the same can't be said for my sister, they rubbed her a lot and didn't leave much room for her so I guess it depends on the type of feet you have? Sounds silly but mine are quite long yet skinny whereas hers are wider and shorter.

But you can't go wrong for £1 ey? Stick on some plasters and you're good to go! No pain no gain!

Have you purchased any bargains lately?

Katie x

First Impression: Revlon ColourStay 24 Hours Foundation

This review has been a very long time coming. Y'know when you have really wanted something but you never have the courage to buy it incase you're disappointed, well this is what happened here. For as long as I can remember I have watched Liz's YouTube videos at iheartmakeup92 and along with MAC Prolong Concealer, Revlon ColourStay is the one product she has raved about for years and it always looked amazing on her acne-prone skin, so I thought I wonder how it would take to my own dry skin? 

So after sadly pumping the last remainder of squirts from my current foundation Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid, I finally decided it was time to try something new. And luck was on my side because it was half price in Boots!

I was looking for a long time for the shade that would suit me and the paler tones were a bit too pale for me and knew would wash me out so I went for 180 Sand Beige, which is actually the same shade Liz uses. So here goes nothing.

Already one negative that I was already aware of is that fact there is no pump or anything to limit the amount you apply so carefully I poured a tiny amount onto the back of my hand. {Although I have just been informed the new version has a pump, damn!} The consistency is much creamier and liquidy than what I'm used to, normally the formula is thicker and doesn't run down my hand. 

I took my egg sponge blender and started to apply. Recently, I've been trying to change my routine up for Spring and not to have as heavy coverage on my skin but this was a dream to apply. Immediately I saw a difference and it didn't feel cakey at all, the more I put on. I did at some point think, is this actually working? because it feels so natural. A major pro for me is how it covers my dark circles under my eyes, normally I need a heavy mix of foundation, concealer and a filter to feel confident but I found myself using less concealer and I took selfies afterwards without a filter! 

I may have only applied a little today, but the coverage still was high and I know I could have applied more with ease without the worry of an orange cakey mess (we've all been there) 

So apart from the lack of pump/applicator {on mine anyway}, I have no complaints and I wasn't disappointed, thankfully. I will probably post a heavier coverage soon to show how effortless it really is. I'm really impressed and would recommend this!

Katie x

Rant: Encourage The Future Generation

I have spent about an hour trying to think of a way to begin this post, maybe something witty, cute but to be honest I don't have one. This is just something I need to vent and get off my chest. I was going to put it on Facebook or Twitter but I thought, I can guarantee most, if not everyone can relate to this.

When you're younger all you think about is what it's like to be an adult, there's so many remarkable adults surrounding you that you couldn't wait to grow up and see what living life in adulthood feels like, it must be this amazing adventure, all this freedom. Then you reach that point and it's definitely not all it seems. You stress more about little things, you sit in bed worrying about your job or your family and friends and you're constantly tired. Am I right? But that's not what I'm talking about, that I can deal with to an extent. 

What I really can't get my head around is that these "adults" you once admired are like high school teenagers. They moan, they bitch, they're sly and their two faces even put Professor Quirrell to shame. But the funniest thing about it is it's not people my age, not even people my sisters age, but people in their 40's are the ones that are the worst for it. They constantly nit pick everything, they talk to you degradingly and they bitch bitch bitch because it makes them look superior. 

I don't understand it? Surely at 40 you have lived your life, you have been in my shoes and you know exactly how hard and daunting it is to find your own purpose in this world but you still go ahead and try and make things more difficult for me. Instead of judging everything how about actually support me, give me the encouragement to succeed in life. Praise me on the things I'm doing right rather than tell everyone what I do wrong. 

Of course, it's not everyone at 40 who are like this but that vast majority who make daily life that bit more stressful need to step back and realise, we are the present, we are the future and if you continue to put us down, how does that prepare us for other obstacles we will face just around the corner? There's enough pressure on us from society, we don't need it from you aswell.

I think some adults are just so cautious of being replaced but that's the circle of life, we all get replaced at some point, we don't live forever so why don't we just all make our lives count. 

Be kind, be happy, be supportive, because if you're unable to do it, what hope do the rest of us have going forward?

{I apologise I got a tad carried away and this is entirely unfiltered, I just felt I needed to raise this issue that I have been a victim of lately}

Lots of love,

Katie x