Instax Mini 8 Camera

I can't even tell you how long I wanted to pick up a Polaroid camera. They do seem to be everywhere you look now, and in every flat lay you see on Instagram. But that's not why I wanted one. I love cameras, I don't really know anything about them, but I love them. I like taking photos and making a permanent snapshot of a memory, that means something to me. But, what I miss is getting them printed and the excitement of seeing how they all came out. With digital you can upload, edit, touch it up and it'll stay online forever. With a Polaroid, you take it as it is. It's incredibly old school, with an old style filter already added in, and cute little memories to stick around the house.

I ended up picking up the Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 Camera, in blue of course. I got mine from Amazon, and it came with 10 films. I thought perfect, that gives me 10 films to start with to decide whether or not I love it enough to buy more. Now, I've never done a "tech review" before, but I wanted to talk you through my thoughts on this particular camera.

COSMETICS

First of all, it's bloody gorgeous. It looks really cute, really jazzy and it have a very fun design to it. The colour is beaut, and you have a range to choose from in blue isn't your favourite, and it's very bright and vibrant. I would say it feels a little chunky, but I guess it's part of the fun and the retro feel. My husband said it looks cheap and tacky, I'm not going to completely disagree - it is cheap for what it is and it a plastic camera, but I actually really like it. It looks super cute, it's very retro and its fun.

BATTERY AND FILM

So it's not a rechargable battery - and at the moment I'm not sure how you tell when you've run out of power. You use AA batteries, so I assume once they've run out you just can't turn it on. It doesn't really bother me, it just means if I take it anywhere I'm also going to have to pack a load of batteries which isn't always ideal. The film itself is super easy to install and to store. It comes in a cartridge, each one holding 10, and you simply open the back, put it in and shut. Easy as pie. The films are a super cute size as well. They are mini so if you want standard Polaroid size you'll need to look elsewhere, but I love the size. They're adorable and perfect for how I want to use it and catalogue my memories. 

EASE OF USE

Basically, super duper easy. One of the easiest things I've ever had the pleasure of using. Putting the batteries in - done. I was always a bit eek about putting film in, but it's so simple as I've said above. The camera itself is really very simple. Turn it on, point and shoot. You do have settings at the front for different lighting areas which is really really hand, but honestly - point and shoot. Done.

QUALITY OF PHOTO
Now, this was something I was worried about as a friend of mine has one and the focus doesn't always work. But, actually these are great. The quality and lighting is perfect, and they look like proper polaroids - it's also like it has a constant instagram filter, which is awesome. I really like how they come out, they're not too white and they're not to fuzzy. They're just a really little momento of a moment.

Overall, I think this was exactly what I hoped it would be. I love having it, and I love the photos we get out of it.I would highly recommend this one, it's super cute and I'm ordering some new film as we speak...

Much love, Lisa May

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Scents to Spring into

Oh yeah, I did a clever cheesy pun title. Go me! Spring is apparently on its way, so I wanted to share with you my favourites scents that I'm taking into the (slightly) warmer months with me. It's only been the past year or so that I've really got into perfumes and fragrances. It's safe to say that rewind 12 months and I just picked up whatever Daisy variation I felt like on the day. 

However, I'm a grown up now. Which to me means I actually put perfume on every day, and I actually think carefully about what one I feel like before I do. Oh yeah, get me a arm chair, I'm older. And they're just comfy. Anyway, let's run through my top 3 spring scents.

Now, this is where you discover how bad I am at describing scents... 

MARC JACOBS DAISY DREAM

I did have to include a Daisy variation in here somewhere, and for me I'm a total lover of Daisy Dream. Not the forever one, or the new pink one (although I do need to test it), the original one. This one is very light, it's very floral - probably the most floral of my picks - but also a little fruity. It's a great every day one, I do find it doesn't last as long as my other two picks, but it is also the cheapest of the two. It's nice for a quick pick me up and it's one that puts you in a good mood. I'd say this is definitely a scent that's going to make you feel girly.

CHANEL CHANCE EAU FRAICHE

I feel like this is a proper grown up perfume. Chanel is a grown up brand. Wake me when I'm wearing No5 and I'll know I'm an adult. Anyway, I wear this fragrance a lot for work (weird I know) because it feels more sophisticated than my other two. As the name suggests, it's a very fresh fragrance with a touch of spice or something like that to it. The freshness and zestiness has a definite Spring vibe to it, so I feel like I'll be rocking this non stop over the next few months. This is unless it runs out, which considering I've had it since December and I'm half way through, shows it probably will. This is probably my most worn fragrance ever, I love it and it just gives you a spring in your step. No pun intended.

JO MALONE PEONY AND BLUSH SUEDE

Oh yeah, my wedding scent. I love this because it's a very soft floral fragrance. When you smell Daisy Dream you know it's got a whole bunch of floral goodness inside, but with this one it's very soft and delicate. It also has a crispness to it, which you get from the top note of red apple so makes it perfect for Spring. It's such a delicate fragrance, with a little bit of sophistication and a little bit of something something. It's just such a soft scent, not like something I've had before, and it lasts so long as well, it really stays with you. Pricier, yes absolutely, but it's definitely worth the price tag. Especially if you get the body cream with it.

I'd love to hear your favourite spring fragrances, let me know if you have any recommendations!

Much love, Lisa May

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A Mixed March Haul

It's been so long since I've shown a haul on here, and even longer since I've done it in video form! I've done a couple of shopping trips recently in March, so I thought I'd share my finds with you. Ranging from Boots, to SpaceNK, to Lush, and then over to Topshop.

Let me know what you think and if you'd like to see more! All purchases are linked below and in the description bar of the video. Don't forget to subscribe to the channel!

Boots

Collection Bronze Glow Mosaic Powder in 02 Radiant £2.99 [click here]

NYX Felt Tip Liner in Extreme Black £8.00 [click here]

Revlon Ultra HD Gel Lipcolor in Dawn £7.99 [click here]

Lush

Lip Scrub in Bubblegum £5.75 [click here]

Dragons Egg Bath Bomb £3.95 [click here]

The Comforter Bubble Bar £4.95 [click here]

SpaceNK

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation in Vallauris £32 [click here]

Nars Foundation Pump £3 [click here]

Kiehls Micro-blur Skin Perfector £24.50 [click here]

Topshop

Tall Spot Flute Sleeve Top £29.00 [click here]

Stripe Side Split T-shirt £22.00 [click here]

Red tie floral top £27.00 - doesn't exist on their website!

Much love, Lisa May

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My Blog Reads: February 2017

It's a little bit later than I would have liked, but I really wanted to share some bloggers that I loved reading throughout February. I have a whole library of loves on Bloglovin, but these three in particular just caught my attention last month and kept me engaged. So let's take a look at each one...

A SNIPPET OF LIFE

I found Lea's blog through Blogstart, a fab little Facebook group for bloggers, and I'm so glad I did. I've been addicted ever since. First of all her photos are swoonworthy, everything you'd want from a blogger. They're bright, gorgeous and they don't just focus on flat lays which I like. She covers everything from beauty, to style, to blog tips, and I just feel so comfortable and welcomed reading her blog. It sounds weird, but it just feels like you're reading something written by a friend - not a stranger. I would highly recommend going to to take a look, she's definitely one to follow and fall in love with. 

TEMPORARY SECRETARY

I've read Sarah's blog for so many years now, probably even from when I first even started blogging. She's always been an inspiration to me. Her pictures just breathe life, and I love her outfit posts. I find her style very attainable and down to earth, and right up my street. I've ended up buying more than a few pieces thanks to her posts. She's also a girl after my own heart with a love for Lush, candles and all creatures. She's also an absolute love, whenever I've spoken to her on SM she's been so lovely and friendly. I feel like if we were to ever meet we'd definitely end up being friends. I just feel like what she does is attainable, and what she gives her readers is all very achievable.

POPPY DEYES

Sister to Alfie Deyes, bestie of Zoella, you would expect her to have a pretty awesome YouTube channel. However, she hasn't jumped on the back of peoples success. She's carved out her own blog which is absolutely stunning. The design and structure is so clean and pretty, very simple and easy to use. Her photos are just breathtaking - especially any of her food posts. I just love picking my way through all of her latest features, her outfit posts and recipes, her beauty finds and adventures, and again, I feel I'm listening to a friend. Her style of writing is so incredibly human. I find I'm definitely reach more for her blog, than Zoe's, at the moment.

Let me know what blogs I should be checking out this month, or if you have your own - leave the link below as I'd love to read more!

Much love, Lisa May

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Five New Things: March

 

So yes, I know it's already half way through March, BUT I do have five new products I've been testing. Again, I've gone for more make up type products this month - but I might have a skin care theme for April. We may see... 

But let's get back to the here and now and introduce some of my new additions...

I picked up a new base product at the very beginning of the month, which I've been dying to try. Nars Sheer Glow Foundation is one of THE most hyped products I think I've ever come across. I've been putting off trying it for two reasons. One, the price - it's £32 and you don't even get a pump, I mean really. And two, it has a glowwy finish - which for a gal whose is used to her matte finishes is a bit terrifying. But anyway, I went into my nearest SpaceNK, got a colour match and walked away with a bottle and pump. Now, I have shade Vallauris, which I think is a touch too dark but it's good at warming my skin and does blend naturally so I'm okay right now. So far, I like, but we'll see whether it's worth the hype by the end of the month. Another base type product I picked up was a new bronzer, in particular the Collection Bronze Glow Mosaic Powder in Radiant. I don't know why, but it just called out to me in the shop. I was naughty, I didn't even swatch. I just saw it, fell in love with pretty shades and mosaic pattern, and bought it. Hopefully this spontaneous shade will pay off as at the moment I'm a high end bronzer loving gal, and I could do with saving the pennies.

My beloved and holy grail liquid liner has started to run out, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to try a new one. I even went one further and got one by a brand I've never tried before - NYX (yes, I know, I'm a shit blogger, I should be totally in love with this brand like everyone else by now). I picked up their Felt Tip Liner in Extreme Black - now I swatched this and it looked a lot more like a green liner than a black liner, but it'll try it. It might look different on the eyes? Plus, it's a good intro into the brand. If I like their liner, I'm going to like anything else. It's just a given. That works right?

I also picked up two new lip products - surprise surprise. The first is the Tanya Burr Matte Lip in Martha Moo. I've been trying to find this shade FOREVER and finally managed to pick it up. I do like the shade, I feel it's a bit too yellow toned for me but I'm gonna roll with it and see how I find it. It's super easy to apply but I'm intrigued to test out the lasting power and formula more. And then last, but not least, I picked up one of the new Revlon Ultra HD Gel Lipcolor's in the shade Dawn, which is a beautiful natural berry pink colour - totally right up my street. I'm just super intrigued by these formulas - what's a gel lipstick supposed to be like? I don't know, but I usually love Revlon's lip releases so I'm super excited to try this one out. I think it's going to be a bit of a staple everyday shade for me. Although it's a very long lipstick isn't it... 

Anyway! I'll catch up with you all at the end of March to give you the run down. Let me know if you'd like me to do the verdict in video as well - I think that might work quite well with these posts! And let me know of any skincare products I should try for April!

Much love, Lisa May

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A Personalised Mother's Day with Snapfish

It's March, which means Mother's Day is just around the corner. I love shopping for my mum, she likes all the same things I do so it's basically like shopping for myself, I just don't get to keep any of it. However, sometimes it's nice to do something a little bit more personal, which is where Snapfish comes in.

Now you may have seen a few weeks ago I had a little rave about their photo books and creating one for my wedding. Well, off the back of that they very kindly got in touch and asked if I'd like to take a look at some things for Mother's Day for them. Well, I jumped at the chance and decided to take you guys through my top five personalised products, that you can get for Mother's Day.

Photo Books

I love photos, and I feel I don't print enough out for put them in albums enough. But if you've had a special event recently, or you just want to do a collection of photos, a Photo Book is the perfect way to do this. I do talk about it more in this post, but there is so many options, and they're so easy to put together. The quality is amazing, and you can really personalise for that occasion. I kinda want to get one for every event ever... Or just one all around my cat, you know. In this case, it's all the photos from my Wedding, super cute and a lovely momento.

Kitchen Calendar*
I love a good photo calendar, although it does take me forever to choose and place all the photos for the right move. I got one earlier this year for myself on wedding pictures, but for my Mum I've put loads of family photos from recent holidays or occasions with her dogs. Also, as she's getting it in March you can start it from there, and it'll then go all the way through to February next year, which I love. You can have as many photos as you want to a month, can put wording on there and symbols. It's super easy to do, and the quality is (again) amazing.

iPhone 6/6s Photo Case*
My Mum loves her phone, and you won't find it without a case attached. However, I don't think she's ever had one with a pattern of a photo on it. And what better photo to put on then her two favourite pooches, posing on a walk. I love this - it's so so cute and I'm so tempted to get one with my cat on it as well. It's a really sturdy case as well, and I wasn't 100% sure if it was going to be or not, but it is. It fits really nicely and looks really nice as well. Not too chunky, not too flimsy, and the perfect present for the ultimate phone lover. They also so loads of different makes of phones so definitely check it out.

Photo Prints*
I also got a load of prints sent through for my Mum as well. As everything is digital now she's very much like me, nothing get's printed or framed. Plus, she's not on Facebook so it makes it harder to share photos with her from recent trips of holidays. I picked a few of my favourite ones from family holidays, her and my Dad and wedding pictures. And then I can look at getting them framed individual, in a collage frame, or she can choose what frame to put them in herself. It's a very nice and easy way to get pictures done for the Mum of the house.

Mother's Day Card*
I LOVE a custom card - they're so personal and you realise that someone has really through about it as well. Snapfish have so many cute designs, not just for Mother's Day but all year around, so I couldn't resist putting one together for her to send through on the Day. I put one of the whole family, and the colours and patterns just shout spring - perfect for the end of March. Again, it was super easy to put together. The card quality is perfect, and you can write whatever you want inside. So cute, and so personal.

Much love, Lisa May

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My Winter Essentials

With winter (apparently) coming to an end soon, I really wanted to share some of my favourite things from the past few freezing months. Generally, I love autumn and winter as I’m a big fan of layering clothes and dark berry lips. As such, I’ve found a few pieces from style and beauty that I fell in love with this year.

So what have I been loving? Well I wanted to get back into doing videos so I've done today's video all around this topic and showing you all my favourite pieces. Make sure you subscribe to my channel if you like it!

Much love, Lisa May

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Mozzarella meatball mash up

I’d never been much of a meatball fan, but then I tried this recipe and I was officially converted. I’m not a huge fan of meatballs, I don’t really like tomatoes, and I’m a bit iffy on pure mozzarella. Put them together though and oh, my, god. This recipe was originally taken from one on The Londoner’s, but I’ve modified it a little bit to make it more us, and a bit of an easier after work meal. This is actually my husband’s favourite meal, so when I decided I needed to eat a little bit healthier he was a bit worried this would disappear. However, while he gets his meatballs with tagliatelli, I throw mine over a bed of spinach. I mean yeah, there’s a lot of cheese, but surely it’s balanced out with the spinach. Right?

Anywho, enough rambling, let’s get onto the yumminess.

Fridge Fillers

• Ready-made fresh meatballs (I used 12 10% fat ones from Sainsbury’s)

• 1 pot of arriabatta sauce

• Cubed chorizo

• Sprinkle of mild chilli powder

• Sprinkle of garlic flakes

• Oregano

• Fresh mozzarella

• Grated mozzarella

• Tagliatelli/spinach

Throw it all together

Well, kinda. If you’re putting it with pasta, start to boil a pot of water on the hob, keep an eye as one it’s boiled throw your pasta in. Also, preheat your grill.

While the water is boiling, take a frying pan (without a metal handle – you’ll trust me later), put a dash of oil and then start frying off your meatballs until they’re all coloured and cooked through. 

Once this is done, take them out of the frying pan and set aside.

Sprinkle your chilli powder and garlic in the pan, still on a medium heat, and also put in your cubed chorizo and cook together. Once this is all done, pour in your sauce. You can add a dash of red wine if you wish as well at this point.

Once it’s all warmed through, put your meatballs back in and coat in the sauce, try and separate them our evenly. Then take your mozzarella ball and start tearing it into pieces and put in into your frying pan in between the meatballs. Turn the heat off, and sprinkle the whole mix with grated mozzarella. I then dust with oregano, and then put under the grill for around 10 minutes.

Once it’s all cooked, dish out your pasta, or spinach into pasta bowls. Then take your frying pan out of the oven – this is where you thank me it’s not a metal handle, but please still wear oven gloves. 

Then dish out into the bowls!

You then have your incredibly yummy, quick and easy, supremely stringy meatball dish. It’s a total winner, the perfect balance of spice with pasta and the mildness of mozzarella. I dare you to try it out, go on. And don’t forget to send me a pic!

Much love, Lisa May

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My Sentimental Pandora Charms

I always think the best gift is something that has a meaning behind it, a small feeling between two people that they'll both appreciate it. It could be a film, a print, photo, or even a piece of clothing. But for me, something that I've always loved getting is charms that mean something. That resonate with some point in my life and bring back a memory. Enter, Pandora. I think this post also comes in handy right about now with Mother's Day approaching in the UK. But today I wanted to share with you some of my favourite charms, and the meaning behind them.

Now, I actually have two bracelets. One is the bangle which I was kindly given this Christmas, and the other is one of their brown leather double bracelets which was very, very kindly given to me one birthday by my oldest friend Beth (aka, prettiest girl in the world). So from the go, my first bracelet (the leather one) meant so much to me. Even without a charm on it, it held a special place in my heart.

But let's break down into the charms themselves... And I apologise now if they're not still available.

MOTHER & DAUGHTER PENDANT CHARM

Quite topical, but one of my all time favourites is this one. My Mum and I picked it up when we were in New York for her 50th birthday, so it brings back so many special memories. But it's also so nice to just have a nice little reminder of her on my wrist at all times. It's a 2-in-1 charm, so you get half and your Mum get half to wear on your own bracelets. It's really very sweet, and it always makes me smile.

PINE CONE CHARM

Apologies, as this one is discontinued, but it's probably my favourite ever Christmas charm that they've released. It's super cute, and was given to me as a birthday present from my older brother one year. I'm not sure why it meant so much to me at the time, but I remember going to visit him in Cardiff the weekend after my birthday and being given this, and it just melted my heart a little. He also gave one to my Mum, so it was another tie to her, and just gave me that Christmas family feeling.

OWL CHARM

Another discontinued one, but they do have alternatives if you're interested. This was given to my by my parents in law, before they came official in laws. My mother-in-law is a massive fan of owls, and for me it's always been a symbol of their family. And I don't know if it was meant to be, but them giving me this owl charm made me feel like I was officially part of the family, before rings and vows and such. It's incredibly cute, and just signifies a big moment for me.

BEST FRIEND BUTTERFLY PENDANT CHARM

I actually bought this as a birthday present for my best friend Amber a few years ago, which is why I love it. It just reminds me of those best friend necklaces you used to get when you were younger and shared it with your BFF. But this is so cute, first of all it has a butterfly so it was always going to win me over, and it's also quite subtle. Again, you get half and your friend gets the other, and it's just a constant reminder of the other. You can still get this one as well - yay!

OPENWORK HEART CHARM

Now, this is the only charm to ever have been purchased for me by my husband. It was a Valentines presenter about 3/4 years ago, and it's just ever so pretty. There are so many different heart charms available for a V-Day, anniversary or birthday, but I just thought this one was simple, wallet friendly and just plain awesome. It's not my favourite charm, but it means something to me as it is the only one I have from him.

MY SWEET PET CHARMS

I got this Christmas before last from my Mum, and essentially it's in memory of our cat George, who was Fred's twin brother but unfortunately got run over 7 months after we picked them up. It was also meant to be an ode to Fred as well, so it's a lovely little memory of George, but also a cute little pick me up about Fred. It's very cute, and very simple. I love the little paw prints on one side and the text on the other. It's a very subtle link to a pet without coming across as too crazy cat lady...

I have so many of my charms that I love, but when I went through them all these were the ones that stood out to me as having pure memories, and pure sentiments. If you are looking for your Mum, they have some beautiful Mother's Day charms available so I'd definitely check it out (no - this post is not sponsored). But I'd also love to know what your favourite charms are...

Much love, Lisa May

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