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

To Bob or not to Bob....

Hey guys,

So today's post is about one of the most versatile hairstyles there is....the Bob! They can come in different shapes and sizes, the long bob, an asymmetrical cut, sleek or textured, yet they always manage to look stylish.

I've been growing my hair out of a pixie cut for about 3 years now and I've finally achieved shoulder length locks but I feel like my hair is now well.....just a bit meh. It's at that stage where it's neither long or short and it flicks out at every angle when I get a little bit hot in this summer weather. I always get to this stage and then face the dilemma of whether to cut it back off or persevere.

I'm still trying to decide at the moment, so if you are facing the same dilemma as me here is a little bit of Bob hair inspiration for you.

Image: Marco Manna

Image: Bethany W

Image: David Shankbone

Thanks for reading, I'll let you guys know whether I decide to go for the chop or not! What are your favourite celebrity hair inspirations?

Adele x

Photo credits: Marco Manna at Flickr

Bethany W at Flickr

David Shankbone at Flickr

This Week I.....#1

Hey guys,

I've decided to start a little series of lifestyle posts about what I've been up to over the past 7 days as I know that these are the posts that I love reading the most on other lifestyle and beauty blogs. So here's a little round-up of what I've been up to this week.

This week I have been.....

Watching: Orange is the New Black

I'm a little bit behind everyone else but this weekend my friend Sophie and I had a Netflix binge and started watching Series 1 of OITNB. I have to say I'm hooked already. I love the fact that every episode focuses on a different character's back story and why they have ended up in prison and the witty dialogue and quirky characters have got me hooked! Give it a watch if you haven't already.

Eating: Bills

I'd heard of Bills in London and have been regularly perving at other bloggers' food porn on Instagram, so when a new Bills restaurant opened recently in Nottingham, I knew I had to try it out. I had a chicken and chorizo burger with avacado and skinny fries and it was so delicious I forgot to Instagram it before I tucked in, oops. I had just enough room to squeeze in a warm chocolate brownie with milk icecream and it was so good. I loved the sound of everything on the menu so I'll definitely be heading back there soon.

Listening: Banks

If you haven't already heard of Banks, Jillian Banks is a 26 year old singer-songwriter from LA. 

She came third in the BBC's Sound of 2014 list and she is on her way to major stardom. I absolutely love her RnB/electro sound combined with her very personal lyrics about relationships. Personal faves of mine include her acoustic cover of Aaliyah's ''Are You That Somebody?'' and recent single ''Brain''. Check her out and let me know what you think. 

Running: Race for Life 10k 

On Sunday, I ran my first ever 10k race and after a few months of training I was very happy with my time of 1hr 3 mins. It was for a great cause and my family and friends came down to cheer me on which definitely helped when I started to get a bit red faced, sweaty and tired. It was a brilliant experience and it was so lovely to see so many girls and women turning out to run for their loved ones that have been lost to cancer, it was an inspiration to me and I'm definitely going to be running again next year.

What have you guys been up to this past week?

Thanks for reading

Adele x

Reasons to be happy this week!

Hey guys,

It's been a few weeks since I last posted, work and life have been keeping me busy but I've really missed blogging so I'm gonna get back in to it again. Life has been a bit up and down lately but I'm trying to focus on all the positives this week so I thought I would write some reasons to be happy this week in list form ( I LOVE LISTS!) 

(Back home so I get to cuddle this cutie!)

1) The weather: How gorgeous has the weather been in the UK this past couple of weeks?!? I'm a pastey ginger nut so I don't cope all that well in the sun, so I'm having to slap on the factor 50 but it's been so lovely to get outside, get some Vitamin D and chill in a beer garden with friends.

2) Girly nights: On Friday it's my friend Abi's birthday and we are going for a champagne breakfast with pancakes and lots of yumminess to celebrate, then we are gonna have a girly film day and we are off out again in the evening for cocktails, blissss. I just need to find something to wear now....any suggestions welcome...?

3) Pay day: Pay day will finally be here on Thursday and it couldn't come soon enough, I'm going to write a pay day wish list post soon for you guys to have a nosy at what I'm thinking of treating myself to on Thursday.

4) Home: I'm back at my parent's house at the moment for a few days and it's been lovely to catch up with friends and family back home. It's felt like a little break away from reality which is always good.

5) Lana Del Rey's new album: I've been listening to Lana's new album Ultraviolence a lot the past couple of days and I'm loving it so far, if you're already a massive fan of Lana like myself then you will absolutely love it, it's perfect listening for lazy summer days.

So what are you guys all happy about this week? Hope you all have a beautiful week and happy Monday!

Adele x

Bath Time Bliss......

Evening all.... I've just got back from a lovely, long weekend away in London and I decided to have a pamper night tonight in preparation for going back to work in the morning. After a weekend of festival fun at Field Day (Pixies blew my mind), I was ready to have a bath, read a book and drink a ridiculous amount of tea. So here's what I used during my pamper session.

Lush: You've Been Mangoed Bath Melt

This bath melt smells absolutely divine, it has a very fresh citrus scent and moisturised my skin beautifully. The scent lasted for my entire bath and it made my skin lovely and soft, I recommend Lush Bath Melts if your skin is dry and in need of moisture. 

Lush: Cupcake Fresh Face Mask

This face mask from Lush is great if you have oily/combination skin or spot prone skin. I have combination skin and find that this mask is a life saver when I'm having a skin crisis. It is quite thick to apply but you can add a little water to make it easier and I tend to leave it on for about 15 minutes whilst reading a book in the bath. As a self confessed chocoholic, I find the scent of this mask heavenly and it leaves my skin feeling brighter and much less oily. 

Soap and Glory: Butter Yourself Body Cream

After my mango bath melt, I decided to treat my dry skin even more and apply this body cream from Soap & Glory. I absolutely love this product because it absorbs really well, it isn't greasy at all and it leaves my skin feeling really soft. 

A perfect bath for me isn't just about the products you use but you also need a good book to help you forget life's daily stresses and a good soundtrack in the background. For me today the book I chose was Game of Thrones, which I'm finally getting round to reading after watching the TV series and my soundtrack was First Aid Kit's new album Stay Gold. I'm now feeling completely refreshed and ready to take on my first day back at work tomorrow (after some much needed caffeine in the morning!) 

Thanks for reading! What products do you guys recommend when you are pampering and treating yourself? Any recommendations? 

Adele x

Beauty favourites: May

Evening everyone...This post is slightly late as I wanted to post it at the end of May but time got away from me this week so here are my beauty favourites from May (better late than never!)

I've featured four products in my favourites this month, 1 of which is a trusty old favourite of mine the Benefit Dandelion blusher. The other 3 are 3 new products that I've tried out and loved in May! I've also featured a lovely little handmade box I purchased from Ivy Cottage Homeware to store some of my beauty products in an attempt to be more organised. 

The first new product I've loved this month is the Body Shop Japanese Cherry Blossom Fragrance Mist. First of all the packaging as you can see is just beautiful, it's just a shame it's made of glass as it can make it a bit of a pain to carry about. It has a beautiful floral scent and if you are a fan of sweet scents like me you will love it.

I posted about the next product Bourjous Rouge Edition Velvet in 02 Frambourjoise in my payday haul post and I have used it several times since then and I love it. It is a beautiful shade perfect for the day or for a more dressed up evening look and has a lovely matte finish. It lasts really well with few touch ups needed. 

This month I tried a hot cloth cleanser for the first time and I had heard great things about the Liz Earle one but decided to try No7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser which I had read lots of positive reviews for. I have used this several times now and I'm really impressed with the results. It cleanses the skin very well and removes makeup easily, leaving my skin refreshed and clear. It doesn't dry my skin out, feels very luxurious and smells lovely.

Finally, my trusty favourite has been a regular in my makeup bag this month. I just love Benefit's Dandelion Blush, it leaves skin looking beautiful and bright and is perfect for a glowing complexion that still looks natural.

So those were my favourites for May, I'm sure it won't be long until I'm posting June's favourites as time is flying by, I can't believe we are half way through the year already. My mini goals for June are to blog more, read more and finally manage to run a 10k in preparation for race for life in July so wish me luck!

What are your goals for June and which products do you think I should test out this month?

Thanks for reading :)

Adele x

Life lately...

One of my favourite places....

Hey guys! I haven't written a post for just under a week as I've been pretty busy. Life has been a bit up and down recently for lots of reasons and I guess this post is just a way for me to focus on the positive parts of my life at the moment. So I thought I'd write a little list of 10 things that are making me happy right now.

1) Annual Leave: I absolutely love my job but at times it can become quite stressful and tiring, so it's always lovely having some time to catch up with friends, family, my boyfriend and just having some ''me time.'' 

2) SUNSHINE! If you're from the U.K like me, you will have noticed that we've had a mini heatwave for the past few days. Apparently it's set to change this week, but it was lovely having a few days in the sunshine at the park eating icecream, drinking ice-cold drinks in the sun and topping up my freckle tan ;)

3) First Aid Kit's new song: My Silver Lining. It's beautiful and summery, has a little bit of a country feel to it but stays true to the duo's folk sound. I have listened to it on repeat for the past few days and their new album Stay Gold is out in June, can't wait! :)

4) Running: Now this may seem like a weird one, especially for any exercise-phobics out there! I started running regularly back in February in an effort to improve both my physical and mental health and I have to say I'm becoming addicted. I'm a red, sweaty mess during each run but the benefits I've gained from it have made me feel more confident, stronger and healthier. I'm also running my first 10k in July and I find it easier to keep going with a goal in mind. I'd advise anyone to give it a go.

5) Game of Thrones: One of the best things about annual leave is actually having the time to catch up on my favourite shows. I spent a good three hours yesterday catching up on GoT and I'm absolutely loving it. I have the first book which I want to start reading soon, but I'm a bit worried I'll end up confused reading the 1st book and watching the 4th season at the same time, ha!

6) Being able to paint my nails pretty colours because I'm off work, yippeeee!

7) Saturday night's curry night: I went for a curry on Saturday to celebrate a friend's birthday with some friends and the boy and it was lovely, I had Lamb Bhuna and garlic naan and it was AMAZING!

8) Having some exciting things planned for the next few months definitely helps me when I'm feeling a bit down in the dumps. I'm going to Field Day in June to see Pixies, Metronomy and Sky Ferreira to name a few and I'm ridiculously excited. Then I have a lovely spa day coming up in July and hopefully going on holiday with the boy in September, eeeep.

9)  Having cuddles with cute animals always cheers me up; I met my friend's cat called Lucy the other day, she's a cute, fluffy little Persian and I got to have a little cuddle which made me pretty happy.

10) My bed: It may sound weird, but I'm loving being able to just catch up on sleep while I'm off work, I love naps and lie-ins and I rarely get to have them when I'm at work so I'm being extra lazy and treating 

myself!

I feel pretty positive after writing this post and I hope you've all enjoyed reading it too :)

And I'd love to know what's making you happy at the moment?  

Adele x

Liebster Award

I've been nominated for the Liebster Award by the lovely Emily from Pumpkin Emily Smiles. Thankyou :)

The Rules Are:

1. Post the award on your blog.

2. Thank the blogger who presented this award and link back to their blog. 

3. Write 11 random facts about yourself.

4. Answer 11 questions posted by the presenter and ask 11 for your nominees to answer.

5. Nominate 11 bloggers who you feel deserve this award and who have less than 1000 followers.

6. Let the nominees know you nominated them.

11 Random Facts About Me:

1) My favourite band is Paramore, I've loved them since I was about 16 and not just because Hayley is a fellow ginge (although that helps!)

2) I used to be in the air cadets and did some flying lessons and a gliding scholarship, so I guess you could call me a pilot (ha).

3) I'm a children's nurse and absolutely love my job, it's challenging at times but very rewarding.

4) My obsession with owls and owl-related things is getting a bit out of control, 75% of my Christmas presents last year were owl-related, I'm a crazy owl lady.

5)I'm going to see Pixies next month at Field Day in London and ridiculously excited.

6) The best day of my life so far was probably when I went to the Harry Potter Studios last year, taking a trip down Diagon Alley and drinking butterbeer was amazing and made me a bit emotional (ha!)

7) I'm a natural ginger and my red headed idols include Ginger Spice, Christina Hendricks and Florence Welch!

8) I used to play a little bit of the violin (badly), my dad used to describe it as sounding like a cat being strangled, lovely.

9) I was once on a Living TV ghost-hunting programme when I was younger and visited a ghost-hunting event at a castle, I looked very drenched from the rain and looked very freaked out! My TV debut...... (ha)

10) I'm a big kid and my favourite films are normally Disney, I'm absolutely obsessed with Frozen, especially Olaf the snowman!

11) I'm very new to the blogging world and started this blog just a month ago!

    Questions from Emily   

                         

1. What's your favorite anime or cartoon?

My favourite cartoon is probably Pokemon, it's now on Netflix and I'm loving reliving my youth.

2. What's your favorite type of music?

I honestly love a bit of everything from pop to folk, currently loving Haim.

3. If you could listen to a band or singer for the rest of your life, who would it be?

Hmmm for the rest of my life, it would probably have to be Paramore!

4. What's your favorite animal?

Dog, I miss my childhood doggy and can't wait to get another eventually.

5. What country would you like to visit?

Japan, hoping to visit Kyoto in the next couple of years.

6. If you could live in any country or city, where would you live?

Barcelona, I went there on holiday last year and it was just the most chilled out, beautiful place.

7. What's your favorite band or singer?

Paramore!

8. What's your favorite thing to do?

I'm probably at my happiest watching a film all cosy, normally with some good snacks or pudding!

9. What's your favorite day of the week?

Hmmm probably Sunday (if I'm off), I like having a lazy Sunday.

10. What's your favorite childhood TV show?

My favourite TV show as a kid was Sabrina The Teenage Witch, I absolutely loved it, especially Salem! I'd have loved a talking cat.

11. If you could take a picture of anything in the world, what or who would it be?

I'd love to visit Egypt and take a photograph of the pyramids, it would be incredible to see them.

Questions for my nominees

1) What is your favourite band/singer?

2) If you could only take 1 thing to a desert island, what would it be?

3) If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

4) Do you have any pets?

5) What was the best day of your life so far?

6) Do you have any hobbies?

7) What is your favourite beauty brand?

8) Who is your idol?

9) What is your favourite movie?

10)  What is your party trick?

11) What inspired you to start a blog?


My Nominations

The Beauty Butterfly
Louise Robertson
TESSA JOY Beauty
Helen's Beauty Corner
Katie Thompson
Gemstone
Love, Lauren Marie
Pink Polka Dot and Popcorn

Emily Lavenders
The Sassy Blog
Sugar Makeup Doll


Adele x