Tuesday 31 January 2017

A Photo a Day #31

Banal
1/80     F4.0      ISO 1250


Being bed-ridden is quite boring. This photo is quite symbolic of this bleak month!

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Sunday 29 January 2017

A Photo a Day #29

The Spooky Cats

Another phone photo today. The bright Winter sun coming through the window threw some interesting shadows.

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3 Super Serums for Dehydrated Skin: from budget to luxury

Do you use a serum? It seems that most people are aware of them nowadays, but not everyone really understands what they can do for their skin, or believe they really need to bother. 

Until I started really investing in my skin in my mid 20s, I wasn't using a serum; now I use a serum twice a day. My skin is definitely looking better in my 30s than it ever did in my 20s; make-up applies better and I have no dry patches despite having dry skin.

These are my top 3 serums at the moment and they come at very different price points.

Serums nourish and treat your skin after cleansing and before moisturising. They can work to add extra hydration and smoothing ingredients that benefit your skin during the day and at night. From my experience, just moisturising is fine, but if you really want to see results and make changes to the uniformity and texture of your skin longer term, serums are a must.

Read on to hear about 3 amazing serums for dry, dehydrated and sensitive skin:

Saturday 28 January 2017

A Photo a Day #28

Birthday Cards
A phone photo today for a few different reasons- one being feeling really quite ill! The poor quality kind of adds to the yester-year filtering and colour balance I have played with...or perhaps I'm just feeling delirious!

The recipient of the cards is very loved.

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Friday 27 January 2017

A Photo a Day #27

My Baby

I was off work sick yesterday and bed-ridden for most of the day. Maisie slept on her favourite fleece blanket at my feet and looked after me. She's good like that. 
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Thursday 26 January 2017

Wednesday 25 January 2017

A Photo a Day #25

Night-Bus
The quality isn't amazing, but bear in mind this was taken from a hotel room on a stay in London last year! I used my large aperture portrait lens to get as much light as possible.
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Tuesday 24 January 2017

A Photo a Day #24

The Gnome King's Spare Room
A fun one today! This is the inside of an amazing shop in Fareham which sells homewear and trinkets. It is such a nice place to look around as there are two floors and all of the rooms are filled with weird, wonderful and whimsical items. 

As for the photoshopping and title- if you have seen the 80s film Return to Oz, you'll understand...
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Monday 23 January 2017

A Photo a Day #23

37 Years
1/400     F8.0     ISO 800
I took this over the Christmas period and by the looks of it my dad is onto me. I really like the framing of the window here. I used a green filter in editing to give a retro feel to the photo which I felt suited the subject matter.
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Sunday 22 January 2017

A Photo a Day #22

Filaments
1/60     F14     ISO 100

The best out of a lot of photos attempted on these lights in a restaurant. Not quite as crisp as I would have liked.
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Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation (Shade 2 Fair) Review

Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation Shade 2
Having owned the Charlotte Tilbury magic Foundation for over a year, I feel qualified to write this review. For new readers, let me first say that I have fairly dry and occasionally sensitive skin. My skin is usually clear, but I am dotted with moles and have some redness around my nose (you win some, you lose some!) 

This cream foundation promises full coverage. It also has the word 'magic' in the name, so you do tend to go in thinking that you will be airbrushed like some Hollywood movie star. I'll give you the long and short of it: this isn't magic...

Friday 20 January 2017

A Photo a day #20

Face in the Wall
1/100     F5.0     ISO 200

I found this face moulded into a wall down Chichester High Street. If any knows of its history, I'd be interested to know.
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Thursday 19 January 2017

A Photo a Day #19

The Birds
1/160     F5.6     ISO 160

A mural in Chichester. The blue birds were amped up a bit to stand out from the greys.
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Wednesday 18 January 2017

A Photo a Day #18

Blue and Yellow
1/100     F4.5     ISO 200

If you've seen yesterday's Photo of the Day, you may recognise these lovely flowers. I believe these are Primulas. The flowers are fairly true to colour here, although in the lighting they did appear a bit more towards purple-blue. I tend to take stick with my portrait lens when shooting on the go, but the macro might have done an even better job.
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Tuesday 17 January 2017

A Photo a Day #17

Flowers and Bicycles
1/100     F6.3     ISO 200

Taken the at the weekend just passed on a trip to Chichester, seeing these colourful flowers really cheered me up despite the cold weather. I like the layers of focus that were achieved here, with the bicycles just out of focus and then the shoppers in the background.
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Sunday 15 January 2017

A Photo a Day #15

Rainbow Street
1/125      F4.5     ISO 160

A row of colourfully painted houses in Chichester. The sky was an addition with my novice photoshop skills as the white sky left some blank space that looked a bit plain.
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Mood Lifting Spring Candles to Beat the January Blues

If you're anything like me, you've been feeling the January blues. Since burning the Fleur Fantome mini candle by Byredo, my mood has definitely lifted. It smells just like a Spring garden, with notes of Rhubarb, violet and tulip. It is a fresh floral with lots of throw and reminds me a bit of Mimosa by Diptyque. 

Saturday 14 January 2017

A Photo a Day #14

Long Delivery
1/160     F1.8     ISO 250

This was a eye-catching door with a story to tell. The shop had closed down permanently and the signs in the window told of an indefinite delivery.

Of course, the blue is cranked up a gear which I felt worked with the quirkiness of the image; it was a vibrant door anyway, so it was really fun to play about with changing the colour, before leaving it at its original hue.
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Friday 13 January 2017

Thursday 12 January 2017

A Photo a Day #12

Brothers
1/250     F4.5     ISO 500

Taking pictures of ducks is quite difficult. I took lots of photos, but getting the detail along with the water rippling is harder than it looks, at least that's what I've found. I liked these two chaps the best when scrutinising my range of shots. I played around with colour to bring out some vibrancy on such a bleak day.
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Wednesday 11 January 2017

A Photo a Day #11


1/80     F3.2     ISO 100

The idea of taking some vibrant photos in 'Staples' was really fun! I even saw a woman in a purple jacket reaching for a purple folder of almost the same shade and nearly asked her if I could snap her...nearly! I couldn't have gone incognito as the Sony A5000 has a loud shutter noise that can't be muted! 

Instead, I settled for a ceiling shot. I barely touched the shot, but did make the monochrome more so and the red ever so slightly more obnoxious.
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Tuesday 10 January 2017

A Photo a Day #10

In Hope of Spring
1/320     F1.8     ISO 320

My portrait lens worked its wonders here. There's something I really like in the contrast between the dead foliage juxtaposed with the colours blurred in the background. This dismal January weather is really getting me down at the moment, so I played around with curves a tad when polishing this up. The bleak quality is still evident, but the red postbox in the background and colours on the leaves and buildings bring some much needed colour to the scene.
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Monday 9 January 2017

A Photo a Day #9

January Rain
1/640     F2.2     ISO 1000

A few raindrops on a bush beside a river with the focus on some last remaining remnants of growth in the centre. I lowered the background brightness to make the foreground stand out. Perhaps my macro lens would have done this image even more justice.
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Sunday 8 January 2017

A Fix for Dehydrated Skin: Votary Facial Oil

Votary Facial Oil works wonders for the parched
Looking beautiful on my dressing table currently is the Votary Rose Maroc and Sandalwood Facial Oil. In its green glass bottle, it is a handsome looking little wonder. I received this as part of my Liberty of London advent calendar, and it has to be said that the price tag of £65 is eye-watering. Saying that, using only a few drops every evening means that it will last a very long time. But how good is this niche product?