5 Awesome Things

Oh Hey!

Can't believe it's December already! As much as I said I wasn't going to bother decorating the house or getting a tree this year I actually went out on the 1st and bought a tree and some decs so I'm actually looking forward to putting it all up! 

Anyway today I want to share with you 5 things I am loving right now

Cheerz Box * - £12.95
Basically this is a cutie little box that you can fill with your own pics from your phone/computer that come out like polaroids and you can even colour the borders! A neat gift idea, I've been hanging mine up around my spare room.

Black Cat Tape Dispenser - H&M
This is so cutie! It fits in well on my new desk and even comes with polka dot tape too! There is a brand new H&M open in Cardiff and it's the largest in the UK (it even sells their homeware!)

Makeup Revolution I Heart Makeup Pink Fizz Palette * - £7.99
LUSH Sunkissed Lip Tint - £5.95
Ok so this is TWO things but pink looks so cutie together! The Pink Fizz palette is full of shimmery shades which I love to give a little sparkle to the dull days. I only really use the lightest of shades as I'm not that brave to branch out!
The LUSH lip tint gives full moisture (perfect for Winter) and also a pretty pink shimmering tint to my lips.

Blanx Advanced Whitening Toothpaste * - £7.49
Whitening toothepaste usually tastes GROSS but this is really minty and refreshing which is a delight. Blanx uses natural ingredients from Arctic Lichen which helps give you sparkle without damaging teeth!

Max & Co frames - Specsavers.
So I went to get my eyes tested recently and my eyesight has got a little bit worse in my right eye and with commuting to work everyday in the dark I feel like glasses really help with making everything clear as I was going to work with a headache. I spend a bloody fortune on these but they are soo pretty and soo me!

In not so awesome news Spirit has chewed my house plant to shreds and also pulled the soil out all over the carpet - twice! Prince has two bully cats who are stressing him right out :( Also no food in the house so I've got hash browns on crumpets for dinner tonight :') haha!!

What things are you loving right now?
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Feeling Thankful

This is a weird kind of year for me where it's not soon enough to think about Christmas and everyone around me seems to be super in the mood for it. I'm working Boxing Day this year so that means I'll be travelling back from Devon on Christmas Day and spending Christmas Night and Boxing Day on my own (apart from cleaning the cats) so maybe that's why I feel totally out of the loop.

The Americans have Thanksgiving (and the creepy Black Friday that us UK folk have seem to gone bonkers for in the past 2 years) which is this week, it seems to be like a little pre-holiday which I think would be amazing to get you in the festive mood. I was given an idea by Ocean about sharing some home-based things that I am thankful for, so here they are: 

My Home:

I haven't shared much of my house on here, I'm not sure why, I think it just doesn't photograph how I really feel about certain rooms. My living room and dining room are my fave, the feel is so cozy and I just don't think any pictures could capture how it really looks. Maybe I will do a few pics of close up things I love one day soon. The first picture in this post is in my dining room and shows my bookcase which is a highlight for me as books (or more specifically all of the books I own) are just something I love to pick up and browse through and  I'm forever collecting books on topics I am interested in. 

The second picture is where I am sat right now, I have a spare room which has a cute little day bed in and a desk which I can actually sit at and enjoy using. It is also currently housing Spirit although he is finding his feet around the house. 

I think the next stage for my house is going to be doing up my bedroom and giving my bathroom a teeny makeover to make it feel more cozy for bathtimes.

The Cats:

In my opinion my house would not be a home without the cats. At first it was just me and Prince but I felt like I couldn't give him attention all the time. In the flat it was easy, there were two of us and also it was so small and he went out alot but here he likes to go out for a bit and then come back home and play with all his toys. 

Now Spirit is back with us I'm really hoping they tolerate each other enough to possibly play with each other and knacker each other out while I'm working all day and snoozy when I'm back. Prince will always be my number 1 boy but now Spirit is here I do have to think about him too. Right now I alternate nights of who sleeps in my room and they are both super snuggly cats but currently both want the same spot on the bed!

Obviously things like family, health and working a job I love I am totally thankful for too but my little home is my place where I can do whatever I want and I love it! Bed at 8pm? Sure! Netflix and stuffing my face with Quavers? You betcha! Leaving the dishes overnight? I 100% am!

What are you feeling most thankful for?
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Purrstaid Kit - Feline LUTD Awareness!

Hello!

Another cat post today and this time I want to talk about Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease! EXCITING STUFF! Haha no really working with cats I see it every day, cats who come in with LUTD and their previous owners never knew and bought them in for peeing around the house or they get it when they come into the center due to high stress. 

A cat isn't like you or I (obvs) and can't tell us when something is bothering them. Signs like urinating around the house is an obvious one to watch out for, another is going in and out of the litter box alot but not leaving much in there or anything at all. 

I've had issues with Prince and LUTD and sometimes the only thing needed to stop it is medication from a vet but also a change in diet! Feeding your cat with a special diet. I know it's not as cheap as buying supermarket brand but your cats health is SO important! To find out more about urinary diet and how to keep your cats kidneys and bladder healthy then have a look at Hills Science Plan and check out preventative ways to stop your cat getting urinary problems.

Lucky little Prince was sent a Purrstaid Kit which contained some Urinary food, a toy mouse, a water bowl (fresh water is so important!), a little pet hot water bottle and a box of catnip (which was immediately destroyed by Prince).

Did you know that 60% of cat owners have had trouble with their cat urinating in their home and 45% didn't know that urinary problems were a common thing. Although 63% of cat owners thought that some cat foods could cause urinary problems, only 3% changed their cat’s food in an attempt to solve the issue.

There is a list of local places that stock urinary food and also £5 off Hills when you register with them - awesome! :)

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Fostering with Cats Protection.

Hello! 

It's no secret I work for the Cats Protection as a Cat Carer, a job I truly get pleasure from helping and rehoming unwanted cats and kittens. A great way we have people helping us due to our high waiting list for our 150+ kennels is to foster! We have a mum and her kittens go out to one of our foster carer volunteers who look after them and follow our weaning and socialization program until the babies and mum are ready to come back and find their forever homes.

A few experienced fosters and staff often foster cats and kittens who are having a hard time in their kennels or kittens who were born outside (feral) and are still able to be socialized. This is what I did!

Meet Spirit:

Spirit on his first day in my house. Terrified!

Spirit came into our care at 10 weeks old, he was found trapped in a garden fence and found by a dog. The people who managed to untangle him and get him inside said he was hissing and terrified. Just as they were about to bring him into us he managed to escape his box and run full pelt into a glass door splitting his lip right upto his nose and cutting all the inside of his mouth. We took him to the vets and treated him accordingly for two weeks before he was well enough to be put up for homing. 

In his homing kennel Spirit would hide out of view and hiss whenever you put him in his kennel. I had just signed up to foster cats exactly like this so they could live in my spare bedroom and I could socialise them and keep them in a quiet space before they were ready to return to the center. With kittens it usually takes 2 weeks to get them to come around to human affection. 

My manager asked me to foster Spirit and get him ready to be rehomed and I was so excited! 

I took him home after my shift and left him settle in a small pen for the night, he was so scared but alot better than he had been in his kennel. The first night I managed to get a few stroked in and by the second night he was playing with his toys freely.

After one week looking after Spirit and helping him grow in confidence, he loved snuggled and would sleep on me for hours and hours. It's safe to say he adopted me! 

Unfortunately I became a failed fosterer and put the motions in to adopt Spirit as my own!

In even worse news the day before I signed my paperwork I noticed some patches of skin that looked off with Spirits face and working with sick cats I knew this was bad news. Reluctantly I knew I had to tell my managers and they were going to hold off the adoption and bring him back into our Isolation unit for tests and treatment. I was a wreck! I cried all the time at work and at home and after 2 weeks of him being back at the center I got the bad news he had tested positive for a highly contagious skin disease - Ringworm. 

I had to bleach the room he stayed in and get rid of any soft furnishings he touched. Luckily I didn't catch anything and Prince never met him so he was safe too.

It's been 6 weeks now and I've just got his first negative last week, so he needs one more which hopefully means in 3 more weeks he will be back home with me! He's 5 months old now and SO much bigger (even his fur colour has changed!) but I get to see him every day and even work with him in Isolation. I'm still going ahead with the adoption and taking a HUGE break from fostering as it's too tempting to keep them! :p

Spirit in Isolation. 

Spirit is such a loving cat and I really cannot wait to have him home - so expect more cat picture spam!

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Anxiety's Door

Oh Hey!

Just thought I'd stick a 'life lately' type post up today as I've not been feeling massively myself the past week or so. Really not sure what has changed as I had been blissfully happy. It might be that I had a little head cold thing on my week off this week or maybe just the change in season that's messing with my head.

When I feel like this my fave things to do are getting snuggled up, sticking on something entertaining on TV, having a LUSH bath, playing some records and make myself a cuppa to chill me out. 

I went back home on my week off which was a nice change of scenery. As much as I do love living on my own, feeling a little lonely is obviously going to happen from time to time. I also feel that since my fairly recent break-up and moving that I've lost quite alot of my social life. I really really do not care about not getting wrecked and being hungover every weekend but I do miss the social circle that came with it all. I do make an effort but I know it's hard when everyone works full-time and often do things spare of the moment or in their couples.

Getting out of the house helps alot and I really need to push myself to be a little more independent and actually go and do things on my own that aren't chores. I always want to go out for a walk but bottle going off on my own to the park or wherever which I really need to quit doing. I know it would make my head feel so much better.

On Saturday I got to go check out the new Vice 4 palette from Urban Decay. I love going to get my make-up done by pro's as I'm such a chicken at straying away from new colours. I'm heading back next week to try out something else new too.

As always my main source of joy come in the furry form of Prince. I've had him 3 years now and even though his personality has changed alot since the baby days he is still a mummas boy who loves to snuggle with me. I actually have a post coming up very soon about another little furry being who came into my life too.

What do you do to relax and calm your wandering mind?

I hope you had a brilliant, safe and fun Halloween!
X

Simple Halloween/Bonfire Night Make-up with MAC Cosmetics.

October and November are just the best seasons for me. I love to get dressed up all cozy, the sun shines but it's freezing cold and all the leaves change their colours which always looks super picturesque and beautiful. Oh and then there are also the two best nights of the year - Halloween and Bonfire Night! 

I was sent some super sparkly, limited edition pretties by MAC Cosmetics. a few from their Le Disko range (anyone who knows me will know i'm a HUGE Disco fan) and a few from the MAC Is Beauty range. I figured that they would be perfect for some super simple looks for this season for those who don't want to go all out or those who just want to create a cute daytime look. 

Dazzleshadow in 'Let's Boogie'
Cremesheen Glass in 'Japanese Spring'

'Let's Boogie' is a super beautiful dazzleshadow that has minimum fallout like I know alot of black shadows and especially glitter shadows can have. It goes on fairly light so you can layer up accordingly to how dark you actually want it, I decided to start dark and fade out without going too high up the lid and just added a little mascara and liner to give it a bit more gradient. 

'Japanese Spring' is described as a dirty-pink which I LOVE and totally get. I reminded me alot of the old Lady Gaga Viva Glam lipglass, that kinda bluey-pink. I'm not a huge lipgloss fan but this was lovely and subtle and I just adored the colour and pairing it with the black.

Dazzleshadow in 'I Like 2 Watch'
Fluidline Eye-Liner Gel in 'Brassy'
Amplified Lipstick in 'DIVA-ISH'

I instantly fell in love with 'I Like 2 Watch' even in it's pot! It's a beautiful golden brown with yellow and green hints to it. The picture will never do it justice it is just gorgeous. Again there isn't much fallout - it was on my eyelashes but I loved it so never bothered to cover it with more mascara. I added 'Brassy' to my waterline and just a touch underneath too. Very Bonfire night! 

'DIVA-ISH' is an intense fuchsia with a nice creme finish to it. I love a good pink and this definitely stands out from the crowd.

I had so much fun playing with these gorgeous products so now it's time to put them to good use!

I hope whatever you do for Halloween and Bonfire night you have a (safe) and awesome time :)

X

Halloween Decorations with Tiger

Hello!

Well we have hit October which is the BEST month, the leaves all turn, the weather gets colder and it's Halloween!

You may remember previous years where I decorated my whole flat, well now i have a house and less enthusiasm about taking it all down! I hope to go do the Pick Your Own Pumpkin thing again this year and re-do the corn maze there too!

I picked up a couple bits from Tiger this year and have some left overs from previous years to do a little decorating in the front windows and here they are:

Black Cat Lantern - £2
Black Cat Flashing LED Head - £1
The cutie cross-stitch tray is also from Tiger, I think it was £2 too!

I adore Halloween, I get to get my Ghost jumper out and have a huge array of Halloween theme socks! I also love dressing Prince up as I have every year although this year he may not be as forthcoming as he's 3 now and a little bit more independent (still a soppy mummys boy though!) 

I posted last year about how the great the ASOS Halloween range of Halloween treats and they have not disappointed again this year either! 

I'm not sure of my plans quite yet, probably junk food and cheesy horror movies. At work we are having a Black Cat Day to appreciate all our beautiful black kitties who get overlooked for other colours so if you are in the area PLEASE come along!

What are your Halloween plans?

X 

Lingerie Pretties

A friend of mine once said "there is no point in buying fancy underwear unless somebody is going to see it". She also said in the same breath "it doesn't matter if you do wear fancy underwear anyway 'cus nobody ever pays attention to it if they are seeing it." - *insert cry-laughing emoji here*

I personally feel that buying a nice underwear set makes me feel good! I look good and feel super confident in it - regardless of if it's only me seeing it or if Evan Peters was in the room with me (plz let that happen?).

I've been having a browse at some pretty lingerie online and here are my faves:

Kyoto Ivory Set - Wacoal.
This is such a delicate and pretty pattern and in my usual underwear styles.

Mae High Waisted Brief - Fantasie
NO underwear makes me feel more confident than some high-waisted bottoms. They shape my bootay perfectly and tuck in my hips. Love ittt!

Satin Balconette Bralet and High Waisters - Topshop
I would actually love to treat myself to this. I LOVE the bralettes cage style - sadly I don't think it will fit my massive knockers in there! Topshop needs to cater for bigger boobs!! They do have it in the shorter style which I could probably def persuade myself to go for...

Crochet Lace Set - Forever 21
I never normally do white (heh) but this is so pretty! 

Louisa Bra - John Lewis.
This is so pretty and dainty. I love the dusky blue.

Minnie Set - Panache Cloe (via Bravissimo)
Love the cutie yellow and blue colours on this. Also love Panache for catering to them bigger boobies.

Well in the space of me writing this I actually did order the Topshop set (in the shorter bra) and also a t-shirt with a cat on it. I'm my banks worst nightmare.

Hope you all had a super weekend, I spent mine walking, drinking and sleeping - FUN!

X

Urban Decay hits John Lewis

Hey!

Today I want to show off the latest beauty joy to hit little ol' Cardiff - Urban Decay has come to John Lewis! 

I'm a huge UD fan, their Naked palettes are obviously such a staple product and love their brand ethics too.

I had a late afternoon appointment with the counter manager Zandra (who is just the loveliest and coolest person ever!) on a Saturday which I know having worked in retail is no fun for anyone but she made me feel SO welcome and took every inch of care and pride into creating a look for me. 

First up we used a miracle product - the B6 Vitamin Infused Complextion Prep Spray. I actually left buying one of these and use it every day (I'll do a seperate review for it). It is brilliant at instantly reducing redness and literally infuses your skin with vitamins, plus you an use it any time of day - make-up or no make-up!

For my face we used the Naked Skin Liquid Makeup in #3 which I thought would be too dark but on the skin it was a perfect match. Urban Decay are great at providing options for every skin shade. 

For my blush we used Naked Flushed in 'Native' - this is a 3-in-1 kinda blush that gives you subtle colour for a cute contour. 

On my eyes I got to try out the new Smokey palette which I now need to own! Smokey gives you the option to be as subtle and shimmery as you want or as bold as you feel. There are so many lights in there to create such a gentle look which I really loved.

The eyeliner used was the 24/7 Glide On pencil in the colour 'Perversion' (HUGE fan of the Urban Decay names aswell!) and for my lips I got to test out the new matte Revolution lipstick in After Dark.

Here is my final look:

I loved it! I cannot do a smokey eye for the life of me so to be shown how to do it so subtly and to be able to wear a cute lipstick too without over-doing it was a breath of fresh air!

Topping it off with the DREAM product the 'All Nighter' setting spray, my makeup managed to last me through partying with friends until the early hours!

Huge thankyou to Zandra who was fabulous, welcoming and so much fun to spend an hour with!

X

Giveaway Time! Cinema and Cider!

**** Competition Now Closed ***

Oh Hello!!

Long time no post.

Anyway normal schedule will resume soon, I'm still settling into my new house and work is kicking my butt - I'm SO tired!

Today I have a little competition for you all! In partner with Luna Cinema and their pals over at Chaplin & Cork's Cider.

Basically to celebrate the Luna Cinema coming to Cardiff this weekend I'm giving y'all a chance to win a pair of tickets to your local outdoor screening of some classic movies. Check out your local listing HERE.


But that's not all! You will also win a hamper from Chaplin & Cork's to go along with - a picnic blanket and a crate of cider! JOY! Chaplin & Cork have two ciders - Somerset Gold and Somerset Reserve.

All you have to do is be over 18 and answer this question:

Which of the following is a variant of Chaplin and Cork’s cider?

a) Somerset Bronze

b) Somerset Silver

c) Somerset Gold

EASY!

To enter just leave a comment below (comments will be hidden so no cheating), email me (cowbiscuitsblog@gmail.com) or tweet me your answer to @cowbiscuits via Twitter. 

I'm dead jealous 'cus I freaking love cider, so if anyone wants to share with me ;)

Enjoy! 

x

**** Competition Now Closed ***

GHD Platinum - Launch and Styling Event.

Hello!

Last week I went to the launch of the new GHD Platinum hair styler to test out the goods and get a tutorial n how to use it and why it beats out the competition.

Curling my hair with straighteners has never ever been my strong point but the lovely ghd team showed us just how to perfect any kind of curl and also hit us up with the most important tip for getting those beach babe waves - brush it out! 

The new ghd Platinum straightener is also brilliant for straightening too, it pushes down each 'folical' (read: split end) to create a totally smooth and flawless look. 

We were let loose on the new Platinums to get styling our own hair to see just how easy they were to use. The best thing about them is that they have Trizone technology, which is 6 separate heat plates which gives a total consistency of heat over the hair. This helps reduce hair breakage by 50% and also increases shine by 20% compared to other tools that heat to 230 degrees. 

The Platinum also has a heat resistant plate (using NASA technology) which means you can touch them from the outside without feeling a thing!

As you can see the results are awesome, the trick to curling hair is to NOT look at yourself in the mirror and just go for it! I actually got my pal above Charli to do mine and I was feeling a little ill and couldn't function.

I loved the beach waves I left with and they didn't even take any length off my hair at all!

Thanks to GHD for putting on a wonderful event,

The Platinum retails at £165 and is definitely a sound investment!

What straighteners do you use?
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Urban Outfitters Homeware Dreams

Hello!

This past weekend I went camping for my two friends wedding up in a forest. It was the BEST weekend ever, basically with all my best pals having fun and celebrating. Sadly I came back with a 24hour-ish bug that has wiped me out and kept me off work for a couple of days which suck as most of you know how much I love my job. I've only just started eating again, becoming non-delirious and getting more energy.

In this time I've binge watched Orange is the New Black. Never even thought about watching it before but it's actually pretty good!

With my mind off sleeping and sickness, I've also been wasting time browsing homeware (for a change) in prep for the big move. Here are my fave picks from Urban Outfitters who also happen to have a massively tempting sale on right now:

Cat Stamp Rug - £8 (was £15)
This has JUST gone down in the sale. I love it so much when I sort my finances I am def grabbing it!

Large Round Mirror - £35
Love this mirror!

Species by the Thousand Room Spray - £9 (was £18)
I've been after a Species by the Thousand apothecary piece for so long and now it's half price! This 'Protection' spray wards away negativity.

Coral Shelf - £10 (was £20)
This colour is so so cute! Such an unusual shelf :)

Palmistry Print - £10 (was £25)
Another sale item, this would look awesome in my dining room area!

'S' Letter Lamp - £50
This is pretty cheap seeing as most of these letter style lamps go for tons on other sites. I love anything with my initial on - def a bedroom or office piece!

What do you think of my faves?

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