May Update...

Hey lovelies, 

So this is my first post since January as I've been a busy little bee since then. I've worked lots, exercised lots and spent a lot of time with my friends and family and this has let to me neglecting my blog. How is it May already?! It's almost half way through 2015! So I'm back and I'm determined to write at least one post a week and rediscover my love for blogging.

Back in January my last post was about my new year goals and so as we are almost halfway through the year I figure it's a great time to see how much I've achieved so far. 2015 has been a very happy year for me so far and I wanted to share my progress with you all.

This is me in Paris doing a ''Marilyn'' after a gust of wind blew up my skirt, ha!

1) Run a Half Marathon this year: So, I haven't ran a half marathon yet but I've signed up to the Nottingham Half Marathon in September, I will be running to raise money for the Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research charity and if you would like to donate please click this link.... https://www.justgiving.com/Adele-Clifford My training is going pretty well so far, I've been running 3 times a week since January and I'm starting to feel much better for it!

2) Eat a Gluten Free Diet: Hmm well if we're being completely honest, this resolution hasn't gone so well. Giving up gluten is far more difficult than it sounds and much easier said than done. All my favourite foods just happen to have gluten in (pizza, bread, cake) and this is making it pretty difficult to stick to. I definitely eat less in the week but on weekends I end up falling off the wagon without fail. I've also become a vegetarian around 6 weeks ago so my focus has been more on that than going gluten free, but I'm determined to try and cut down on my gluten intake so if any of you guys have any good gluten free recipes or ideas for me to try please leave a comment below.

3) Sort out my spare room and garden: My friend of 9 years has recently moved into my spare room so I feel like this resolution has been achieved in one sense, it's been lovely having company in the house again and it's definitely helped my bank balance allow me to go on all sorts of adventures. The garden remains untouched but as the weather gets warmer this is going to be a focus in the summer. In the meantime, I'm spending a lot of time browsing Pinterest for ideas on how to make the most of a small outdoor space preferably with an Alice in Wonderland theme!

4) Be as happy as I possibly can: I feel like I'm absolutely smashing this resolution so far this year. I've been far happier in myself this year than the past several years and I owe a lot to my friends and family for that. I've been trying to give 100% in every thing I do this year and trying to make the most of every opportunity and I can safely say it's definitely paying off.

5) Travel More: So far in 2015, I've spent a weekend in Liverpool seeing friends and exploring a new city, weekends away in Leicester and Portsmouth visiting school friends and last weekend I went on a long weekend city break to Paris which was just incredible. I'm going to be posting a Paris themed post this week so watch out for that! I also have a holiday planned for the end of the month to Croatia for a week so 2015 has been filled with adventure so far and I feel like the more I travel the more adventure I'm going to crave.

So that's a round up of my resolutions and how I'm getting on so far (some clearly better than others,) but hey giving up pizza is probably one of the hardest things a person could give up in life! 2015 really is shaping up to be an incredible year so far and I have a feeling it's only going to get even better, especially by the fact that I'm going to see Taylor Swift in June (eeeeeeeek!) 

How is 2015 shaping up for you guys so far? Any summer plans?

Adele x

Belated New Year Goals....

Hey guys and a happy 2015 from Hellofreckleface! :)

I haven't blogged so far this year (it feels weird saying that!) I've been pretty busy with work recently and have been feeling a bit sluggish and unproductive. So I thought I would share my belated new year goals and how I've worked towards them so far to help kickstart my motivation.

1) Run a half marathon this year:

    After running the Great South Run last year which is a 10 mile run, my next challenge is to complete a half marathon. This is something which I never thought possible but I'm more determined than ever. So far this year I've been aiming to run at least twice a week, I now need to increase this to at least 3 times a week to improve my fitness and improve my chances at surviving a half marathon.

2) Eat a gluten-free diet:

    After trialling a gluten-free diet last year and noticing the improvement the diet had on my eczema and my health, I am determined to make more of an effort to try to stick to a gluten-free diet this year. I'll miss my bread and cakes however I'm looking for some satisfying gluten free alternatives. I've started this resolution this week by buying a healthy, gluten free food shop. If you guys have any good gluten free recipes then please feel free to share :)

3) Sort out my spare room and my garden:

    Since moving into my new house, I've been trying to make the place as homely as possible, I've not managed to get around to sorting out my spare room. This Spring, I would like to make my spare room cosy and comfortable for any friends/family staying over and to also make my garden covered in flowers and pretty. Thankfully I absolutely love homeware shopping, nowadays I even prefer it to clothes shopping (I'm growing old gracefully), so this will be a fun new years resolution.

4) Be as happy as I possibly can:

    After a pretty turbulent 2014, I am determined to make the most of everything I have this year and to try to see the positives in every situation. I'm incredibly grateful for what I have and I've decided to make the most of every opportunity presented to me.

5) Travel more:

    Last year, I didn't go abroad at all and I'm definitely starting to get itchy feet. So this year, I'm definitely going to travel more. I have a mini break with the girls in Paris planned for May and I'm also hoping to go island hopping in Croatia with another friend this year. I'd also like to explore more of the UK and my local area this year, especially by having picnics in the countryside when the weather is warmer. (A perfect excuse to buy a super cute picnic basket!)

What are your new years resolutions and have you been sticking to them so far?

Adele x

P.S: Here are some pics of what I've been up to lately......

Dancing with my pals on my birthday... :)

Cooking and eating my first attempt at homemade gluten-free pizza!

Using all my Christmas and Birthday Lush products!

Cuddling my beautiful bunnies!

L'Oreal Paris Color Riche Exclusive Reds

Happy December guys,

I'm feeling rather festive at the moment and now we are into December I feel it's finally acceptable! I put my tree up today and have been dancing around to the She & Him Christmas album and of course a bit of Micheal Buble. 

I love this time of year as it's a great opportunity to try new beauty looks for the Christmas party season. I wanted to find a new red lipstick that would see me through the festive season, so yesterday I went on a mission to Boots. 

I chose a lipstick from the L'Oreal Paris Color Riche Exclusive Reds collection. It's a new collection of shades with 'a rouge for every woman.' I chose the shade Blake modelled by Blake Lively. Being honest, a part of me chose this shade because I absolutely love Blake and think she is a beauty, however it is also more of a blue-toned red which suits my pale complexion. It is a beautifully classic Crimson shade and would look fab with a slick of black liquid eyeliner for a vintage look. I always find a classic red lip can make an outfit look more dressy and always makes me feel more confident.

Each lipstick is currently £6.99 in Boots and there is one for each skin tone. I haven't tried the others yet but I'm considering trying Julianne's as a fellow red head. 

The lipstick itself has a pointed end which allows for more precise and neater application. It's very long lasting and requires little reapplication.  It has a matte finish and is infused with jojoba oils to help keep the lips well moisturised. 

I would recommend trying the collection and finding the ideal shade for you as I feel there is one for everyone and at the price of £6.99 you can't really fault it. I'll be wearing mine throughout the festive season and I'm hoping Santa may put the rest of the collection under my tree this year.

Have any of you guys tried any of the lipsticks from this collection and if so, what are your thoughts? 

Adele x

Avon Beauty Haul

Hey lovelies.....

Happy November to you all! Hope you've been enjoying Bonfire night festivities, I missed out on Bonfire night as I had to work but I've been embracing the colder weather. I've been out on lovely Autumn dog walks crunching in the red and orange leaves, I've had my first festive drink of the year (Starbuck's honey and almond hot chocolate is the bomb!) and I've been loving wrapping up warm with a glass of wine in hand ready for evenings of catching up on Netflix boxsets. 

I've also been embracing Autumn/Winter beauty and have treated myself to a mini haul from Avon. I've tried Avon products in the past as a teenager but I hadn't bought anything from Avon in years. However, recently one of my best friends has started selling Avon products, hosting Avon & Wine parties and has been encouraging me to part with my hard earned pennies on beautiful makeup! 

My Avon Beauty Haul this month....

 First of all I purchased the Avon Luck perfume which I purchased as part of a gift set, however you can now purchase it for just £9.00. It has a lovely citrus and fruity scent blended with sandalwood. It is very feminine but not too sweet smelling and I absolutely love the packaging, it looks beautiful on my dressing table.

Avon Ultra Colour Bold Lipstick in Power Plum


I purchased this little beauty last night at my friend's Avon & Wine party, I fell in love with the beautiful plum shade and it is the perfect shade for Autumn/Winter. The lipstick is long lasting and as Avon describes it "Super pigmented". It has a very moisturising formula and doesn't dry out your lips in this chilly weather.

This is me testing out the Ultra Colour Bold in Power Plum...

Ultra Colour Bold Lipstick in Bold Bordeaux

I also purchased another lipstick from the Ultra Colour Bold Lipstick range in Bold Bordeaux. It again has a beautiful moisturising formula and has staying power but the shade is much darker, it is a deep cherry shade and looks gorgeous. This is the perfect shade for the festive season and I'm sure I'll definitely be getting my moneys worth.

I also bought an Avon Glimmersticks Brow Definer in Blonde. First of all, it's great because it doesn't need to be sharpened which is definitely a benefit for me as I constantly lose pencil sharpeners. The shade is perfect, it's really easy to apply to fill in the brows and I blend it afterwards with a brush for a natural look. I'd definitely recommend this product, it's a bargain.

So there you have it, that's my mini beauty haul for November, I've already ordered some more products from Avon which I should hopefully receive next month, so expect another haul post.

Have you guys ever bought any great products from Avon that you can recommend to me?

Adele x