My First MAC lipstick - Costa Chic Review.

Everyone can remember their firsts: first kiss (Scott R, also my first boyfriend at 14), first club (B-Lo, on Exchange Square, Glasgow. Now called Common, yuck.) and every beauty blogger remembers their firsts too. First time wearing make-up (I was 11 and my mum let me wear eye-shadow and mascara to my last primary school disco), first nail-polish (I was 7 and it was baby pink) and, for me, their first MAC lipstick.

MAC lipsticks have something of a holy grail status within the beauty blogging world. The reason I bought one was a complete (happy) accident. I had bought a lip-liner from ELF which I thought was bright pink, but it turned out to be coral-coloured. My solution to this was to find a lipstick to wear it with (total b-blogger logic here), and I took the opportunity whilst out shopping in Edinburgh in June to have a look round the beauty counters and see if I could find something. First stop was Harvey Nichols, and the first counter I saw was MAC. I produced the lip-liner and swatched it for the lovely doe-eyed assistant, and she near-instantly pulled out Costa Chic.

I had to put the flash on to allow you to appreciate how bright this really is! It is definitely not a shade for the faint of heart. Costa Chic is described by MAC as a "Frosty Light Coral" and this is a pretty accurate description. However I wouldn't say it's too cool-toned, I think it's pitched just right so that all skin tones could wear this. But that's just my humble opinion.

It doesn't show up quite so bright on my hand, but it still stands out. On the lips, it glides on relatively easily, and lasts around 2-3 hours before needing a touch-up, and that's 2-3 including eating and drinking (I road-tested this on a night out).

And this is what it looks like on my lips (apologies for the slightly glazed expression, I'd just finished an 18-hr shift). In person it stands out more, but in this picture it looks quite subtle. Personally I love it! It's so bright and fun, it helps inject a little colour into your life. It's quite a summery shade, but I reckon you could find ways to wear it all year round. If you really like this shade, it costs £14 from MAC stores, counters and their website.

What do you think of MAC lipsticks? Do you have any favourite shades?

Christina xo

How Much is Your Face Worth? Part 1.

I've seen this tag swimming around on blogs for a while now. It's intriguing, because I've seen people who use as much as £300+ worth of make-up... for an everyday look (I know, WTF??). For me that seems a bit OTT, but that's just my opinion. I also read Sophia, a.k.a Tattooed Tea-Lady's version, where she did two looks - one where she used the cheapest but best quality products, and then another where she didn't care about the cost, and the difference in price was amazing! (You can read part 1 of that series here and part 2 here). Sophia's posts inspired me to do a similar version, so today I'm going to do my "work" face. Part 2 will be a "going out" look, and we'll see if there's a big difference... That should be up tomorrow, if not, tweet me and give me a kick up the arse to get it done :P

So... moving on to my face (why does that sound wrong??)

Sorry about the ghost-face, the best light I can find at the moment is the natural light from my living room window! So let's break down what I've used and how much:

FACE: 

L'Oréal Paris Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer - £14.29
Stila One-Step Correct Serum - £24 * (Although I got this in the Selfridges box, still counting it, as the question is how much it is worth, NOT how much you paid.)
GOSH BB Cream - £9.99
Vichy Dermablend Concealer - Free Sample
Benefit Hervana Blusher - £23.50
ELF Studio Complexion Perfection - £3.75

EYES:

MUA Eye Primer - £2.50
MUA Dusk til Dawn Palette - £4.00
MUA Eye Pencil in Brown - £1.00
MUA EveryLash Mascara in Brown - £3.00
Eyeko Eyeliner in Pink - £9.50*
Benefit They're Real Mascara - £18.50
ELF Eyebrow Treat and Tame in Light - £3.75

LIPS:

Estelle and Thild Lip Balm - £14.00. * I normally would wear some sort of neutral lippie here too but my lips are still playing up a bit and I didn't want to inflict the horror on you lovely people!

Total worth: £131.78

Good Lord! I had no idea my face was worth so much. Out of fairness I've starred the products that came in beauty boxes and have mentioned where samples were used, but that still seems like so much! Kinda dreading doing a going-out face now, it'll seem crazily expensive compared to this now!! This is my usual work make-up look, very un-fussy, and very much about make-up being able to stay put on my face, as well as not clogging up the pores too much.

What are your thoughts? Do you think your daily make-up would add up to more, less or about the same? Let me know what you think!

Christina xo

Meanwhile, in the real world...

Hello there blog fans! I thought I might take some time out from talking about make-up to talk about what I do for a living, and something special I'm doing as a result of that.

When I'm not sitting glued to my laptop at home, I am a support worker for a charity named Scottish Autism, who support individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs), and help them develop their independence and teach them any skills they need to maintain that, as well as promoting awareness of and education about ASDs in the wider community. My role specifically is as a support worker within our Housing Support division, supporting adults with Autism in their own tenancies and helping them may their way through the world.

I only started working for the charity 9 months ago, but I absolutely love my job. I can honestly say I work hard at what I do, and even though sometimes I am totally shattered when I come home, I still feel good about it. It can be difficult at times though. All people who are on the Autism spectrum are completely different, which means their talents and skills, alongside their needs and anxieties, are all unique to them. This can make it hard to predict how a person might react to certain circumstances and surroundings, and as a result, I have borne the brunt of my service users' anxieties. And that's tough. But I still love my job. Because the people I support, like everyone else, have off-days: days where they feel tired and don't want to do much, or don't want to go out because it's raining, and I know I always do my best to help. So chin goes up, and then time to move on.

My job is the main reason why I don't post on my blog as often as I'd like. I work shifts so I'm often in work at unsociable hours, leaving me mentally and physically tired, so sometimes the last thing I want to do is talk about lippies. Although when I do want to blog, HOLD ME BACK! :P Today, the thing I really want to post about is something rather awesome I am doing at the weekend.

On Sunday (After a birthday meal on Friday and a Wedding on Saturday, all at opposite ends of Scotland I may add), I am going to abseil down the side of the 165ft tall Forth Rail Bridge. Here is a picture to give you an idea...

So yeah...pretty fucking big bridge. And I'll be doing it in aid of Scottish Autism. So far, I've raised £641 and I am so amazed and thankful that I've been able to raise that much, thanks to the generosity and support of my wonderful friends and family.

A lot of people have asked me why am I doing such a crazy stunt, i.e. why not do something simpler and less death-defying? Simple answer is that I just decided to do it on a whim. Not to fundraise, but to abseil. I received an email in work looking for volunteers to abseil, and a few hours of hand-wringing later, I was in! The long answer is this: after I decided to leave my previous job (I was a probation-year English teacher for all of 3 months), I was desperately applying for any job I could find, and all that came in return were no-thank-yous or no replies at all. I even had someone telling me in a completely un-ironic tone that I was too qualified. HOW THE FUCK!

It was a real low point in my life and career, but Scottish Autism came along and put their faith in me and my abilities when I needed it most. My job has given me a career, confidence and happiness, things that I didn't even think were possible when I first applied. My main reason for doing the abseil, then, is a thank you to Scottish Autism for giving me a chance to excel and a chance to prove myself and gain some confidence once again.

With that in mind, I have a serious question to ask of you all. Would you consider sponsoring me? Even £1 would make me super happy, because every penny goes towards helping people with ASDs have a chance to excel, to learn and to become independent in society. If you want to see the kind of work Scottish Autism does, go to www.scottishautism.org and look at all the amazing projects and centres they run to support people with autism, their families and carers. If you have a look and like what you see, then go to http://www.justgiving.com/Christina-May and sponsor me.

And here's a picture of me in my funky fundraising tee!


Thank you for reading folks. It means a lot!

Christina xo

What's a Liebster Award?

I was pootling about on my emails yesterday, and saw one telling me I'd received a comment from the lovely Chloe Leonard (http://chloeleonardmakeupartist.blogspot.co.uk/) telling me she'd nominated me for a Liebster Award. I have to admit my first reaction was WTF is a Liebster award? So I went and had a look at Chloe's (rather lovely) blog, and found out that the Liebster Award is a nomination for bloggers who are new to blogging and have less than 200 followers. The word "Liebster" means 'beloved' or 'dearest in German and it's a term of endearment. Thank you very much Chloe, glad you like my blog! Hopefully you all do, but it's nice for someone to say so!

In order to be able to accept the award and to be able to display the badge on your blog, you have to do the following:

1)  Each person tagged must post 11 things about themselves.

2)  They must answer the 11 questions the tagger has set for them.
3)  They must create 11 more questions to ask bloggers they tagged.
4)  They must then choose 11 bloggers to tag with less than 200 followers.
5)  These lucky bloggers must be told.
6)   There are no tag backs.

So here goes nothing...

11 Things about me :)

1) I'm a support worker for adults with autism spectrum disorders. Challenging job, but one I love! (I love it so much I'm abseiling down the Forth Rail Bridge to raise funds for the charity. Sponsor me here: http://www.justgiving.com/Christina-May)

2) I have 2 degrees from the University of Glasgow: A Master of Arts in English Languages and Literature and a Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching. I was only a teacher for 3 months before deciding I didn't like it!

3) My favourite writers are: Edwin Morgan, Alasdair Gray, Tennessee Williams and Oscar Wilde.

4) I used to be an Irish Dancer. Never wore the wigs though, or the fake-tan, which is why I never fitted in with the other dancers :P

5) I love Brewdog beers. I always pay a visit to the Glasgow branch when I'm home. Check them out http://www.brewdog.com/   Also if you're in the UK, watch Food Unwrapped on C4 and you'll see the Brewdog co-founders James and Martin, being themselves and generally taking the piss :P

6) My boyfriend and I have been together for 2 and a half years. And he's still as awesome and lovely as the first day we met (baaaaarf)

7) I'm a bit of a closet geek. I quite like Doctor Who, Torchwood, CSI, Ultimate Spiderman, Batman, Firefly/Serenity, Red Dwarf, House, and anything Batman.

8) I have a birth-mark on my back which looks a bit like a UFO.

9) I hate Ed Sheeran. He is awful. Compared to some of the extremely talented unsigned singer-songwriters I have seen over the years (and I've seen a lot), he is a little toad. 

10) My favourite singers at the moment are Joshua Radin and Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. (aka Sam Duckworth). Both fabulous lads and brilliant musicians. Go check them out :) 

11) I love playing Xbox sometimes :)


11 Questions from Chloe Leonard:

1) What do you love most about the summer..?

Being able to sit outside with a cool drink (preferably a nice G&T). And that's about it, I'm not that big on the summer-time...

2) What's your favourite t.v show/movie..?

My favourite TV show has to be Gossip Girl, and my favourite movie would be Some Like it Hot. At least for now, I'm fickle and will probably change my mind in half an hour...

3) Who's your favourite you tube guru/ blogger and why..?

My favourite You-tube guru probably has to be Kandee Johnson, just because she's so full of energy and is always so happy. It's contagious :P my favourite blogger would have to be my friend Claire (http://eyeliningobsessions.blogspot.com) because she inspired me to start writing my own blog, she's honest, and she's just all-round lovely.

4) Who is your Celebrity crush..?

It used to be Johnny Depp (until my ex was mistaken for him in a pub by 2 well-known local actors, and caused a world-wide shit-storm with people thinking Johnny Depp was secretly partying in Scotland... Yes really. Apparently being too lazy to shave or get a hair-cut makes you look like Johnny Depp, who knew?) I think now my ultimate celebrity crush would have to be Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Mainly because he seems more intelligent than the majority of the Hollywood crowd...

5) What is you favourite meal..?

Steak. I love me a big slab of red meat still slightly bleeding in the middle, served in a mushroom and red-wine sauce, with chunky chips and loads of veg. Mwah!

6) What do you do to stay fit and healthy..?

Not an awful lot. I walk everywhere, but that's about it. Should get back into swimming when I have the time, but because I work crazy shifts I don't often get the chance.

7) Whats your favourite item of clothing..?

My Aldo court shoes. I have 2 pairs, in pink and blue, and I love them! They are my party shoes. High heels, platforms, comfy and classic. Love them!

8) What's your favourite perfume..?

A the moment, it has to be Valentina. I bought it on holiday and it's just gorgeous! Also loving Paco Rabanne's Lady Million and Black XS, and anything from Marc Jacobs :)

9) What's your favourite makeup brand and why..?

My favourite designer brand is Chanel. It's worth paying the money for the beautiful products and outstanding quality. Plus I always feel utterly classy when I'm wearing Chanel! For their value and the quality of their make-up, my budget favourite has to be Make-Up Academy (MUA).

10) What's your go to makeup look, if your in a hurry and cant be bothered..?

Hehe if I can't be bothered then I don't wear make-up! (I know, gasp!) But if I have to put some on, I go for neutral smokey eyes with a little pencil liner, and just some lip-balm on my lips.

11)And last but not least: have you any regrets since starting your blog..?

Not really, though I feel I should try to post more often...

And that's it. No offence to anyone, but I can't really be bothered with the whole tagging another 11 folk thing. If you want to do the quiz, please feel free, you can let me know and I'll generate 11 questions for you to answer. I enjoy doing these things but it doesn't necessarily mean everyone else does. Plus I follow so many blogs that it would be impossible and unfair to choose just 11 to nominate. So have a go if you like :)


And with that, I bid you adieu!


Christina xo

Kleenex Shine Absorbing Sheets (Powder Free) - A Holy Grail?

Hi, my name is Christina, and I have an oily face. Not exactly an overwhelming confession, but it's true. My skin is so oily, if it's hot you could probably cook eggs off it. As a result, I'm always looking for the most effective ways to curb the crazy sebum-stream my face produces. Most of my skincare is tailored for oily skin, and I prefer matte foundations and primers. However the single biggest weapon in my arsenal is blotting sheets. I've tried 3 types so far: Boots Skin Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets (£3.56 - they were OK, tended to leave powdery residue), An Elf 3pack of different sheets that I can't find on their website (I wouldn't bother anyway, they didn't work), and Elf's Professional Shine Eraser Sheets (£1.50). I used to swear by the Professional Shine Eraser Sheets, but their only fault was that it's a bit of a pain having to order them in because you can't buy them on the high street, me being the intanst gratification type of shopper that I am. Now enter Kleenex.

Kleenex have recently brought out a range of facial products, including Kleenex Shine Absorbing Sheets. At £2.99 (usually on offer somewhere though) they are more pricey than Elf's offering, but they're readily available from most supermarkets and from Boots and Superdrug stores nationwide.

Also, don't these sheets look beautiful? It makes wiping oil slicks from your face look stylish! On the patterned side it has a tissue-type material, but the blotting side feels like a thin plastic-type sheet that sticks to the skin slightly to help pick up more oil. Not only do they look nice but... THEY WORK! They remove way more oil from my face than the Elf Shine Eraser's ever did. I didn't have any Elf sheets left for a comparison, but I've taken pictures of the Kleenex sheets in action to illustrate just how much they pick up:

Before:

After:

Yes, all those dark bits are the oil from my face (Gross but cool yes?). The best part about these is that previously with the Elf Shine Eraser I used to need 3-4 to get rid of all the oil from my face, whereas I usually only need 1 (sometimes 2) of the Kleenex sheets, so already they're better value for money. The Kleenex Shine Absorbing Sheets also won't affect your make-up, which was sometimes an issue with the Elf sheets, and they don't leave any residue.

Now, are these my holy grail blotting tissues? Given that they work, are good value for money, pretty and compact AND easy to obtain when I'm in town? I think they might be. If you have oily skin yourself I would highly recommend having these in your handbag, helping you to fight the oily war on you face :P

Do you have oily skin? Do you find using blotting tissues helps?

Christina xo

Dainty Doll Make-up

Hey everyone :)

Recently I entered a draw with Debenhams Beauty Club to win the chance to review some Dainty Doll make-up, and guess what? I WON! I never win things, so I was well chuffed. I was even more pleased to discover that it wasn't just samples they gave me, but full size products. Considering that Dainty Doll make-up is pretty pricey, I thought this was really generous.

From L-R we have: Dainty Doll Lipstick in Baby Love, Dainty Doll Loose Mineral Powder Foundation in Shade 003 - Now That I've Found You and Dainty Doll Wonderbalm (I keep calling it Wunderbar :P)

Gorgeous packaging yes? The designs are so cute and very fitting with the retro feel of this brand. A little brand background: Dainty Doll is a make-up range designed by Nicola Roberts from Girls Aloud. I can't remember which make-up brand she designed this in conjunction with, but the Dainty Doll mission statement is quoted below:

" Dainty Doll is developed especially to enhance the beauty of fairer skin tines. Created using the finest quality, skin-loving formulas to help cover, perfect and care for your skin, The Dainty Doll range makes it much easier for those with paler skin tones to achieve the ideal shade every time."

So if you're not a pale English rose, then the bases from the brand will be pretty redundant. However, don't rule out Dainty Doll completely, they have eyeshadows, lip products and skincare too!

Back to what I received then: I'll review each product in turn, starting with the not-so-great and progressing to the best product, to leave you lovely readers on a high (I'm an eternal optimist me :P)

Dainty Doll Lipstick in Baby Love

I really didn't get on with this lipstick, and you'll see in a minute why I haven't swatched it on my hand. On the plus side, the packaging looks and feels pricey (It is, £12.50 for 27g, weight includes packaging*) and the actual texture of the lipstick is really lovely. It's creamy, and leaves a cream-matte finish. However this just wasn't the shade for me. Here are my normal lips (apologies, they are quite chapped at the moment):

And here are my lips with Baby Love:

In real life, I look ill when I wear this! It's just way too pale for me. The description on Dainty Doll's website describes this shade as a pinky nude, but on me it pulls a very ghostly colour! My other bug-bear with this lippie is the longevity, or lack thereof. I tried this one morning before I went to work. I applied this over my usual lip-balm (Estelle and Thild Raspberry balm at the minute) and underneath a coat of Lipcote to seal it... and within 1 hour it had already cracked and was fading/peeling off my lips! What the hell! Although they have some warmer and brighter colours in the range I won't be trying these. A no from me sadly...


Dainty Doll Loose Mineral Powder Foundation in Shade 003 - Now That I've Found You

Again, this is a well packaged product, and very good for travelling with (which I do a lot with work and travelling home to Glasgow often). There is absolutely no fallout with this, once the lid comes off, there's a clear plastic tube you slide down to allow the brush to fully fan out, and then the product comes out through the brush...

...At least that's the theory. The main issue I've found with this is that very little product comes out at a time, I have to shake it vigorously (heehee) to get any powder to come out. When it does come out, the powder does match my pale skin very well. This is the darkest shade in the range, but it's a good match for my skin, which was recently matched at MAC with NW15 if that helps. However, the coverage isn't heavy enough for me, it doesn't do a lot for refining large pores (I have these in abundance) and it really doesn't hold well on oily skin types; it lasted around 2 hours on my face before I had to blot and reapply. Which if I'd paid the full £19.50 (for 32g, weight includes packaging *)  price tag I would be a bit miffed about. Also it smells weird. Like plastic. No idea why.

Overall, I'm going to tough it out, because although it's a bit cack as a foundation, it's pretty good as a powder over my usual liquid foundations. It also contains SPF 18, great for protecting your pale skin. So it's not all bad Dainty Doll, plus you've redeemed yourself with the last product I reviewed...


Dainty Doll Wonderbalm

The picture doesn't show how big this is, it's huge! This costs £20.50 for 70g (inc. packaging*) and you get 19g of Wonderbalm, plus a very handy compact mirror in the flip-up lid!

(Photo borrowed from Debenhams.com) It's pretty funky for it's big size. Dainty Doll describes this as a balm that can be used on lips, knees, elbows, hands and feet, or any area that is suffering from dry skin. I'm not sure about hands and feet because I think it'd be a bit heavy for me, but on elbows, knees and particularly lips... THIS IS FAB! Feels lovely and silky on, and leaves skin feeling nourished. The Wonderbalm contains beeswax and vitamin E, both known for their moisturising qualities and this has been particularly soothing on my poor, chapped lips at the moment.

The Wonderbalm is my favourite product from Dainty Doll's range because of its versatility and the effect it is having on my skin and lips, making it pretty good value for money in my eyes. Overall, I'm undecided as to whether I would try any more products from their range, I think I wuld need to hear some more reviews from blogs and websites before I decide.

Have you tried any Dainty Doll make-up? Would love to hear your thoughts :)

(These were products sent to me from Debenhams, I didn't pay for these. All views and opinions are my own.)

*For some reason I couldn't find the weights of the actual products, only the weights of the product including the packaging, sorry!

Christina xo

NOTD: Model's Own Neon Nail Polish in Pink Punch

WARNING: Readers may need to put on their sunglasses to look directly at this nail polish

 As many of you may (or may not) know, Models Own recently hit the 100,000 Facebook fans mark. To celebrate this achievement, they had a half-price sale on EVERYTHING they sold. Me being the naturally thrifty person I am, I wired right in. Moderately though, as I'm on a budget. But below are my purchases:

Woah... yeah it doesn't look too blinding in this picture. This is Model's Own Neon Nail Polish in Pink Punch (though it looks kinda orange in this picture), and I bought this along with the shades Dream Stream (blue), Purple Mystique (Duh), Black Nail Art Pen and these very pretty flower nail wraps. However, I had to try Pink Punch first!

Now, it looks more pink, but in real life, it's a violent pink-coral colour. I can almost see in the dark with these nails!

Whilst it's not the longest lasting colour ever (2 days before chipping) I love it!

Did anyone else avail themselves of the Models Own offer? What did people buy?




Christina xo

The Beauty Bloggers Tag

True to my word about doing more blogging tags, I saw this tag on Beautifully Superfluous written by the lovely Helen, and enjoyed reading it so I thought I'd give it a go!

1. Is your hair naturally curly or straight?

It's what I would call kinky (ooh-er). My hair's fine, reasonably straight but it tends to flick out a lot. Especially now it's shorter.

2. What is your natural hair color?

It's probably strawberry-blonde. It's reddish, but goes blonde when the sun comes out, and gets darker in the winter. Chameleon hair!

This is me, hello!  

3. Do you dye it yourself or go to a salon?

I was once told by my Mum and Dad that if I ever dyed my hair they would disown me! I've never dyed it because I don't really want to test that theory :P also I love my hair, I'm the only one in my family with red hair, so it'd be a shame to hide it.

4. How often do you wash your hair?

Every 2nd day usually, or more if I have a lot of events going on.


5. Do you wear the same style every day or change it?

When I'm at work it's usually up in a pony, or natural. I prefer curling my hair and making it look bedheady to straight when I'm not working.

6. Do you do your own mani/pedi or go to a salon?

I generally do my own nails, but if I'm going somewhere fancy I'll have a manicure. Last time I had a manicure was in Feb/March before I went to my friend's film premiere (glam!).

7. How often to you change your nail polish?

Not often, because I don't generally wear it to work. I'd say maybe twice a week?

8. Do you polish your toes in the winter, too or just in the summer?

Usually just during the summer, I'm too lazy sometimes!

9. How long does it take to put on your makeup?

Bog-standard work day? Around 20 mins. If I'm going out it usually takes longer, anything up to an hour.

10. What do you do first? Face or eyes?

Eyes, I'm so messy, so I do my eyes first so I don't get make-up stuck to my base.

11. Do you "collect" makeup or just buy what you need when you need it?

A bit of both, I have a few things I've collected, and I like collecting my MUA palettes. Mainly though I just go with what I need.

12. How often do you wear false eyelashes?

Never. Though this might change at Halloween! I just don't find them comfy at all, so I avoid wearing them. If I want longer lashes I use fibres.

13. Do you do a full face of makeup every day?

No, I'm quite lazy a lot of the time! At work there's not much point in me wearing make-up and on a day off I just want to sleep all the time!

14. Do you wear makeup when you are home alone (or with family)?

Sometimes I do if I'm experimenting, or trialling something. But generally not.

15. Will you leave the house without makeup?

Yes. I don't know if you've noticed yet, but I'm a right lazy bitch if I'm not working. Sometimes I just can't be bothered with make-up (gasp!)

16. How many high end products do you have?

A lot. Not as much as some beauty bloggers I imagine, but still a lot.

This is the extent of my collection so far. I think my favourite high-end brand is Chanel. Chanel always makes you feel classy, without fail :) (N.B. the Dainty Doll make-up was sent to me by Debenhams, I didn't pay for it, but I figured it counts as high-end still.)

17. How often do you wash your makeup brushes?

Less often than I probably should. I don't have time in the mornings! Or if I'm in a hurry, I know my boyfriend would kick my ass if I held us up just to wash brushes :P

18. Do you plan your OOTD every night or decide when you are getting dressed?

If I'm getting up for a day-shift (starting at 7.30am), then I'll leave clothes out the night before so I don't have to faff. Otherwise I tend to go with the flow!

19. How often do you change your handbag?

Probably every 2 days, it depends on what shift I'm working, or if I'm off, on where I'm going and for how long etc.

20. What time do you get up & go to sleep?

Usually about half 10/11 on a work night, and I always wake up about 7am, no matter how late I go to bed.

21. How often & when do you workout?

...No comment! Again, lazy bitch. :P

22. Left-handed or Right-handed?

Right-handed.

23. How tall are you?

I am not tall at all, I'm around 5ft and half an inch.

24. Do you speak a foreign language?

I can speak a little of: Spanish, French and Scottish Gaelic.

25. How many pets do you have?

Does Kris count? :P I don't have any pets, I would love a pug though. Only because I could call him Frank and get him to wear little MIB suits, heehee!

26. How often are you on Blogger?

Around once a week at the moment, mainly due to lack of time at home, and lack of energy when I am at home.

27. Do you read the comments posted on blogs?

Yes, I don't get many, but I enjoy getting feedback and having a chat with folk generally.

28. Do you keep a list of products to try as you see other posts?

If I see something I like, I can usually remember to try it at some point, but I also sometimes post things to my Amazon wish-list, to remind me.

29. How did you come up with your blog name?

I live in Fife, also known as the Kingdom of Fife, and this blog is partly about my life and also about beauty, so that's how I came up with "Tales From the Kingdom".

30. What kind of camera do you use for photographs?

My Samsung Galaxy Nexus cameraphone. I should try using my digital camera more I think.

31. How often do you clean your house? (Daily, weekly, other)

Let's just say that I don't tidy it as often as I should. I try to, but I just tend to leave everything lying around. Ooops! Lazy bitch syndrome strikes again...

32. What is your favorite color?

Purple, I love all things purple!

33. What is your favorite beauty/fashion magazine?

I don't really have a favourite per se. I really like Elle and Glamour, but I will read most fashion and beauty magazines.

34. Do you swear?

Constantly. Which is a barrel of laughs when you work with people who have echolalia, let me tell you!

35. What are you doing with the rest of your day?Having spaghetti with my boyfriend Kris, then we're heading to our local for the pub quiz, ROCK ON!

And here is a picture of Kris and me, just because :)

I hope you have enjoyed this brief snapshot of my mind, and hope I haven't freaked you out with my rampant laziness :P

Christina xo