Sorry...

Sorry...

Sunday 20 December 2015

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Just a quick one tonight. I won't be posting for a while. There are reasons, which I won't be going into, but I just won't be able to post. I'm so sorry. I'll try to be back as soon as I can but it will most likely be at some point in the new year at the earliest. I will also be taking a break from social media as well. I'm having a bit of an internet detox. I really hope you understand.

I want to thank everyone for their support this year, I really can't tell you how much it means to me, and wish you all a Merry Christmas and fabulous New Year!

Love love love xxx

The Last Minute Christmas Gift Guide: For Him

The Last Minute Christmas Gift Guide: For Him

Tuesday 15 December 2015

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This year, for the first time ever, I find myself in the unique position of having almost finished my Christmas shopping, with time to spare no less... this has never happened to me before. So I thought with all the extra free time I have this year I would put together a Last Minute Gift Guide to inspire all you lovelies who, like myself,  prefer to do their Christmas Shopping in a panic induced rush.


BB8 App-Enabled Droid - £129 from thehut.com

Now I'm single BUT, and I can say this with a certain level of confidence, NO man will be able to resist the BB8 Droid from the new Star Wars movie. Even I think it's cool and I've never actually seen a Star Wars film. You control it from an app on your phone and, as far as I can tell, all it does is roll around, but it's such a cool little gadget. How could any man resist such pointless but fun gadgetry?

Beats by Dre Studio 2.0 Noise Cancelling Headphones - £129 from Currys

The sound quality of Beats by Dre headphones is incredible, I had a pair a couple of years back and they were amazing. They look good, they sound better and music lovers will love them.

Personalised Nutella - £4.99 in store at Selfridges

EVERYONE, and I really mean everyone, loves Nutella. But getting your own personalised jar of the stuff is a whole other level of awesomeness. If I found this under the tree with my name on it I would be super chuffed.

Game of Thrones - £39.99 from Amazon

Game of Thrones is seriously addictive viewing. I'm talking don't move off the sofa, don't shower, only eat pizza for six days addictive. And like nutella everyone loves it. If you haven't already it's definitely worth checking out.

Boss Bottled - £33.84 for 100ml from Amazon

I always find that aftershave is kind of a fail safe present, and Boss Bottled is my favourite man scent. With warm, woody base notes of cedarwood, sandalwood and vetiver, top notes of apple, lemon and plum and heart notes of geranium, cinnamon and cloves. The contrast of the warm spiciness against the sharp fruitiness is incredible, it's the ultimate sexy man smell. Side note: don't give this to your dad or brother, or any family members. That would be so awkward. 

Armani Exchange AR2480L Mens Leather Watch - £159 from House of Fraser

If all else fails you can never go wrong with a  really nice watch, and this one from Armani is great. Sleek, stylish and nearly out of stock, so hurry.

Let me know if you find this useful either on twitter, by commenting below or dropping me an email at lolarocknroses@gmail.com. Also check out my instagram, facebook, bloglovin', snapchat - search lolarocknroses - & pinterest for regular updates.

Love love love xxx

The Weekly Round Up #7: Balms Away, Olivia Palermo for Ciaté, Fighting Talk & (almost) finishing my Christmas Shopping

The Weekly Round Up #7: Balms Away, Olivia Palermo for Ciaté, Fighting Talk & (almost) finishing my Christmas Shopping

Sunday 13 December 2015

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Hi Guys! Another week, another weekly round up. I'm getting so excited for Christmas.  After a lot of drama the Christmas tree is up, Christmas songs are pretty much on repeat and my Christmas shopping is (almost) done. Christmas, let's be having ya. BUT before I get too excited and things escalate into a toddler style meltdown - it's happened once, it can happen again - let's round up this week shall we?

On one of my weekly trips into T.K. Maxx - seriously guys if you're a beauty lover and you're not checking out the beauty aisles in T.K. Maxx you need to change that because you're missing out! - I discovered two bargain beauty buys that I just couldn't wait to share with you lovely lot. Who  doesn't love a bargain?


Hutch by Olivia Palermo X Ciaté - £6.99 in store at T.K. Maxx

Olivia Palermo's first Ciaté collection was big news in the beauty blogging community this summer but at £17.99, a price even I deem too expensive for nail polish, it's not exactly the cheapest of beasts. But after spotting it in T.K. Maxx, a whopping £10 cheaper, than the retail price it seemed like it was meant to be and in o my basket it went. Hutch, described as Palermo's 'go to red', is absolutely gorgeous. A classic pillar box red that screams sophistication, with a fabulous formula. Everything about this polish, from the stunning white & gold packaging to the weighted gold handle of the brush exudes pure luxury. Obviously I now have my beady little eye on the other colours in the collection, if they're half as nice as Hutch I'm sure they'll be making their merry way into my possession soon.

The Balm Balms Away Eye Make Up Break Up - £4.00 in store at T.K Maxx

Usually retailing at £15.50 this was another absolute steal at just £4.00. A paraffin based eye make up
remover, it has a vaseline like texture that breaks down even the most waterproof of waterproof mascara and gets rid of all traces of eye make up. I don't know about you but I really don't like taking my eye make up off, I have really sensitive eyes - thank you hayfever! >:| - so I have to be really careful with what I use on them in case I have a bad reaction. This is really gentle but effective, it makes eye make up removal  really quick and easy. You just massage a pea sized amount onto closed eyes in circular motions for about thirty seconds and wipe away with cotton wool. Done. Not only is the product great but the packaging is adorable. A cute, vintage style tin that makes me smiley all over my face. I love when stuff comes in nice packaging, it makes me so happy.

Fight Song by Rachel Platten  - listen to it here

Lately things haven't been great, they're getting better but still not great. As embarrassing as this is to share on the internet I'd prefer to be honest with you than act like everything's hunky dory when it isn't. One thing that really makes me feel better is music and Rachel Platten's Fight Song has been my go to song for months now. It makes me feel like I can take on the world and it's a genuinely amazing song. What more could you want?

Don't Cry by Guns N Roses - listen to it here

Another song I've been listening to when I'm sad is Guns N Roses Don't Cry. In my misspent, angsty teenage years I loved Guns N Roses, and this song has always been one of my favourites. I love it.

So like I said I've almost finished my Christmas shopping and honestly I'm a little bit in shock, this never happens to me. Normally I'm elbow deep in the crowds, searching for presents on Christmas Eve but not this year! How exciting! On that note I was wondering if any of you would be interested in some last minute gift guides this week? Let me know, all contact details are below.

I hope you guys have had a nice week and are getting excited for Christmas. Let me know on twitter, by commenting below or dropping me an email at lolarocknroses@gmail.com. Also check out my instagram, facebook, bloglovin', snapchat - search lolarocknroses - & pinterest for regular updates.


Love love love xxx

The Christmas Tag

The Christmas Tag

Thursday 10 December 2015

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Sorry guys, it's another late one tonight.  I'm really sorry I know I've been a bit rubbish lately. I have to tell you I've had one hell of a day; involving an argument with a 6ft Christmas tree, a hunt for a Christmas tree stand and having to buy all new Christmas decorations, although that bit was quite fun. Anyway it's's beginning to look and feel a lot like Christmas, to honour that I thought I would do the Christmas Tag. This tag has been floating around online since last year, at least, BUT I didn't get round to it. So here it is just for you lovely people.

1. What is your favourite Christmas Movie/s?

ALL THE CHRISTMAS MOVIES! If I have to choose one definitive favourite then it's The Grinch. I love it. It's magical, awesome, hilarious, super quotable (MAX! Help me... I'm feeling!)and heartwarming, what more could you want from a Christmas Movie? But seriously I love Christmas Movies. Other favourites of mine are Home Alone, Home Alone 2, Elf, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Muppet's Christmas Carol, The Santa Clause, Love Actually... the list goes on and on (read more about my favourite Christmas movies here and here)

2. Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning?

We open them on Christmas Morning. When I was really little me and my brother and sister used to always beg my mum to let us open our presents on Christmas Eve, and we would be allowed to open one before bed. There have been a couple of years where I've had to wait until after Christmas Dinner to open my presents, and needless to say, it was pure torture

3. Do you have a favourite Christmas memory?

When I was about 3 we had this big family Christmas at my Nan and Grandad's house. Me and my cousins all got little electric cars, mine was a little red ferrari, that we could drive around in. Our Dads took us outside so we could test drive them and my Uncle was recording everything on this giant video camera, I thought he was taking pictures and me, being the teeny tiny poser I was,  stopped to smile and drove straight into a bush. Even now it makes me chuckle. My Uncle caught it all on video, so somewhere in the world exists a video a teeny, tiny me, obliviously, driving a teeny, tiny car into a bush.

4. Favourite Festive Food?

Again my answer is ALL OF IT. I love festive food. I love Christmas Dinner, I love Gingerbread Men, I love Terry's Chocolate Orange. I just love party food. I'm also partial to a cheese board. I said it and I meant it ALL THE FOOD.

5. Favourite Christmas Gift?

This is quite a tough one because I can't really remember. Christmas always seemed so much more magical when I was little. OOH I just remembered, when I was 7 or 8 me and my sister really wanted Furbys. They were the sell out toy that year and we didn't think we would get them but my mum queued up outside Toys R Us  from 11 o'clock at night until 7 o'clock in the morning to get Furbys for us and she did, she got them. Honestly it was the best present ever, even though looking back Furbys are pretty much the scariest toys in the world. Even so I loved mine. BRB going to give my mum a hug. This could also be a favourite Christmas memory.

6.  Favourite Christmas Scent?

TINSEL! I know that it's essentially plastic but nothing makes me feel more Christmassy than the smell of tinsel. I love it. It just reminds me of being  really little and  being so excited for Father Christmas to come. I also LOVE the Christmas Treats Yankee Candle, it smells amazing, like the best cake is baking in the oven. Oh I love it.

7. Do you have any Christmas Eve traditons?

I don't have any family traditions anymore, we used to always leave a mince pie and a glass of milk for Father Christmas and a carrot for Rudolph when I was little, but apparently I'm 'too old' to do that now. Whatever. Now I always make a giant mug of hot chocolate (read about a great hot chocolate recipe here) and fall asleep watching The Grinch in bed.

8. What tops your tree?

If I was is in charge of decorations then it would be a shining, gold star BUT I live at home with my mum, who is very... particular  about Christmas Decorations so there is no star. Instead there is a giant, red bow. I don't hate the bow, it's just not a star.

9. As a kid what was the one (crazy, wild, extravagant) gift you always asked for but never received?

There were two things: 1. Horse, obviously, I''m pretty sure every little girl wanted a horse.  2. I wanted to be Queen of Disney World, not realising that it wasn't in my mother's power to make that happen. I also wanted every Barbie ever but I never got those either.

10. What's the best part about Christmas for you?

Christmas is my favourite time of year, it's magical. I love everything about it. I even love the stress filled lead up to Christmas. I love spending time with my cray family. Obviously I love getting presents but I love giving them as well. I love ridiculously cheesy Christmas music. I love all the food. I love the decorations. I love the films. I fricking LOVE Christmas. So all of it is the best part.


If you guys wanted to do this tag I have left the questions for you to copy & past below.

1. What is your favourite Christmas Movie/s?

2. Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning?

3. Do you have a favourite Chrismas memory?

4. Favourite festive food?

5. Favourite Christmas gift?

6. Favourite Christmas scent?

7. Do you have ay Christmas Eve traditions?

8. What tops your tree?

9. As a kid what was the one (crazy, wild, extravagant) gift you always asked for but never received?

10. What's the best part about Christmas for you?

Let me know if you do the Christmas tag either on twitter, by commenting below or dropping me an email at lolarocknroses@gmail.com. Also check out my instagram, facebook, bloglovin', snapchat - search lolarocknroses - & pinterest for updates. 

Love love love xxx

*Disclaimer* I do not own the image used in this post. Image used for entertainment purposes only. Image Via

Almond Milk Hot Chocolate Recipe

Almond Milk Hot Chocolate Recipe

Tuesday 8 December 2015

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Tis the season to drink hot chocolate, lots and lots of hot chocolate. Now I have become something of a hot chocolate connoisseur over the years and have finally perfected my recipe, so I thought I'd share it with you lovely people because it's seriously yummy and I'm a sharer.  If any of you have tried the Caramel Hot Chocolate from Costa, which is my fave just fyi, this is kinda like that but made with almond milk instead of regular milk.

So to get started you will need:

Drinking Chocolate - about 21/2 tablespoons
Almond Milk - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 teaspoon
2 x Caramel Nibbles or 2 pieces of Caramel Chocolate
Marshamallows - I like the giant ones but mini ones are fine.


1. Measure out your almond milk by filling a mug about two thirds of the way up, allow room for frothing & more importantly marshmallows.

2. Pour the milk into a saucepan and heat on a medium heat for 2 - 4 minutes, or until hot & frothy.

3. Stir in your drinking chocolate and sugar until dissolved. Side note: Hot chocolate tends to clump so keep stirring until most of it's gone and then use a tea strainer to get rid of any lumps.

4. Pour into your mug of choice.

5. This is the best bit! Add you caramel nibbles to your hot chocolate, they'll melt in the heat and make it all caramel-y and amazing. Add your marshmallows.

6. Enjoy. Because it's delicious and awesome.

This is my favourite hot chocolate recipe. Let me know if you try it and what you think by commenting below, on twitter, or dropping me an email at lolarocknroses@gmail.com. Also check out my instagram, facebook, bloglovin', snapchat - search lolarocknroses - & pinterest for updates.

Love love love xxx

P.S. Sorry my posts have been a bit later in the day these past couple of weeks guys. I've been a bit disorganised lately but things are slowly getting back to normal. Thanks for sticking with me :)

The Weekly Round Up #6: Advent Calendars, Christmas Jumpers, Lost Voices & Catching Up on I'm A Celeb

The Weekly Round Up #6: Advent Calendars, Christmas Jumpers, Lost Voices & Catching Up on I'm A Celeb

Monday 7 December 2015

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Happy Monday my lovelies! Sorry that this post's a day late. As you could probably tell from the title I've lost my voice, I don't know how Ariel coped through almost an entire movie, I've not had my voice for nearly 3 days and it's driving me cray!, I've got a pretty nasty sore throat and a temperature going on. So apologies for missing yesterday's post.

Anyway! The first week of December is over and I don't know about you, but, sickness aside, I am well into the Christmas spirit! After a successful but very long day of Christmas shopping at Lakeside on Saturday with my cousins, I feel more organised and like I can face this Christmas head on. So turn up that cheesy Christmas music because Santa, I'm ready for you!

But first things first, with 17 days left until the big event, let's round up this week.

Cadbury's Advent Calendar - no longer available

I started off this month having completely forgotten to buy myself an advent calendar. November went by so quickly that by the time I realised I needed an Advent calendar, Cadbury's obviously, they'd all gone. But after I called my mum and whined down the phone to her, she got on the case and I became the proud owner of one of the last Cadbury's Advent Calendars in the land (I might be exaggerating just a tad here). 

Christmas Jumpers - £14.00  each from Primark, available here & here

One just cannot get into the Christmas Spirit without a tacky Christmas jumper, and I've got two so I am doubly festive. I love Primark at Christmas time. It's my first port of call when all I want is festive jumpers, pyjamas and socks, which is always. After popping into the giant Primark at Lakeside on Saturday and spotting these two festive numbers I couldn't resist. The cardigan is amazingly tacky,  just looking at it puts a big cheesy grin on my face, and the gingerbread motif on the jumper is Christmassy and really cute. I'm so pleased with my purchases and will be getting so much wear out of them both this festive season. 

I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here - episodes available on itv.com

Over the last couple of weeks I have worked a ton of overtime and ended up missing a load of I'm a Celebrity because I was so tired. (Side note: I am so happy Vicky won #TeamVicky) So I've spent the last couple of days catching up on all the stuff I missed. I can't decide what I've loved more: Vicky, the so bad it's oh so good banter between Ant & Dec or the general drama at camp. This series has been excellent I have to say.

Like I said earlier I have got a really nasty sore throat and have completely lost my voice. It sucks, massively. Though I'm sure some people are definitely relieved. I've been drinking a shed load of hot lemon and honey and going through cherry flavoured soothers like there's no tomorrow, in the hope that it will come back, but no luck so far.

On that note I'm going to make a steaming hot mug of lemon and ginger tea and watch The Grinch in bed.

Love love love xxx


P.S. for regular updates check out my twitter, instagram, facebook, bloglovin', snapchat - search lolarocknroses - & pinterest x

Drugstore Cover Ups

Drugstore Cover Ups

Thursday 3 December 2015

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If you've been reading me for  a while now you will know that over the past 18 months or so I've been having real issues with my skin. Up until about 2 years ago I'd always been really lucky with my skin. Yeah it was a little bit sensitive, and very occasionally prone to a blackhead or two but mostly normal and - most importantly - clear. Now, however, it's an entirely different kettle of fish. Breakouts, on my cheeks and chin mostly, are a daily occurrence. After nearly 2 years of trying everything and nothing working, I decided enough was enough and I headed to my GP, where I was diagnosed with adult acne (yay!) caused by a hormone imbalance (double yay!). Unfortunately the medication I'm on is known for taking a while to get to work and also for making things worse before making it better. So I'm at a bit of a stalemate at the moment, my skin is still looking awful, really awful, but all I can do is wait for my medication to kick in and balance my hormones - apparently they're rubbish at balancing as I am! -  Luckily I am a dab hand with the concealer, so I thought I would share some of my top tips and tricks and favourite products, mostly drugstore, for covering up those pesky pimples for anyone else who has problem skin.

Seventeen Phwoarr Paint Under Eye Concealer in Fair -  on offer £5.49 from boots.com

A heavy duty under-eye concealer designed to cover serious under eye baggage. It's thick, creamy consistency makes it ideal for concealing redness or particularly angry looking spots. I like to apply this before my foundation to conceal any of my nastier blemishes, using my finger tips to warm up the product, before dotting on and then patting it in  I think this technique is called 'the Kardashian method' either way it works wonders.

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in 10 - £5.99 from boots.com

Another fabulous concealer from the drugstore. This offering from Maybelline was one of my favourites last month (read it here) and that's because it's awesome. The formulation is lighter and more liquid than the Seventeen concealer but still gives really good coverage, that is also lightweight and comfortable on the skin. It doesn't cake at all, it doesn't crease, it blends flawlessly  It's a cracking concealer. I use this after my foundation, and on top of the Seventeen concealer, to add extra coverage. I just dot it on with the applicator and blend it in with my Real Techniques Setting Brush. Done.

So for foundations I have two absolute loves that you guys need to know about, (the first will come as no surprise to anyone.)

L'Oréal True Match Foundation in C2 Rose Vanilla - £9.99 from boots.com

I'm still using the original formula, I know it's recently been re-formulated I haven't had a chance to try out the new formula yet but I've heard good things. Anyway last year I crowned this foundation as my all time favourite and pretty much a year later it still is. I love it. It gives decent coverage but is still quite glowy. The finish it gives is seriously beautiful. I find that sometimes with high coverage foundations can be quite matte and give you what I call creepy mask face, which is exactly what it sounds like. True Match doesn't do that it covers what you want to cover but in a your skin but better kinda way. It still looks natural but radiant at the same time. This is more of my going out foundation but, as you can probably tell, I just love it so much.

L'Oréal Infallible 24HR-Matte in 12 Natural Rose -£7.99 from boots.com

 This I was quite skeptical of when I first tried it, but it's actually really good.  It's high coverage but the formula in very lightweight and whilst it's a matte finish it's not too matte. The formulation is actually similar to the True Match, it's very natural looking but covering at the same time and again it's really not cakey. This has been my sort of everyday foundation, even though Natural Rose is more of my summer shade but I'm making it work... luckily my tanned is everyone else's pale. Anyway it's a very good foundation and I am really impressed because I wasn't expecting it to be good and it really is.

When I get ready, after I've showered and washed my face and everything. The first thing I do is moisturise. Then, using my fingertips, I apply Seventeens Phwoarr Paint. After that it's time for foundation, L'Oreal's Infallible 24 HR Matte for daytime or L'Oreal True Match if I'm going out, before dotting on Maybelline's Fit Me Concealer on the places where I need a bit more coverage. I find this mostly hides everything I want to hide. Now I'm not a make up artist, but any make up artist will tell you that pigmentation is an easier issue to solve than texture. This method does cover up redness really well. BUT you can still see, due to the texture of my skin, that underneath isn't great. It gives the appearance that it is but it isn't and the texture of it is a dead giveaway. This is what I do everyday to make me feel better about the state of my skin. I know that slapping a ton of make up on probably isn't helping, but it makes me feel better to do it and it makes me feel a bit more confident. Nothing, I think, knocks your confidence more than when your skin is being sh*t. If you don't want to do this that's fine, and  honestly I'm really jealous, but I just thought I'd tell  you lovely people what I do, in case and of you are struggling with your skin too.

Let me know if you try it and how you get on; by commenting below, on twitter, or dropping me an email at lolarocknroses@gmail.com. Also check out my instagram, facebook, bloglovin', snapchat - search lolarocknroses - & pinterest for updates.

Love love love xxx

October & November Non-Beauty Favourites 2015

October & November Non-Beauty Favourites 2015

Tuesday 1 December 2015

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I've had way more non-beauty favourites than beauty favourites over the last two months, so it seemed only fair that they got their own post.

The About A Girl Series by Lindsay Kelk  - £3.79 for Kindle Edition or £3.85 for Paperback from Amazon 

I've been meaning to read these for ages and have finally found the time to, now that my Masters is well and truly over. Eeek! Don't think about it! I love Lindsay Kelk, she is the Queen of Really Good Chick Lit. The About A Girl Series follows good girl Tess Brookes, who, after being fired from the job she's dedicated her life too and sleeping with the unrequited love of her life/best friend Charlie, jets off to Hawaii using her (evil) photographer roommate's name, and camera, to

shoot for a high profile fashion magazine. Hilarity ensues as Tess tries to keep up the charade and answer to the right name, especially around a particularly handsome and infuriating journalist.  If anyone is jetting off for some winter sunshine (jealous) then these are perfect holiday reads. I'm on the  third book A Girl's Best Friend and I'm really enjoying it so far. If you enjoyed any of Kelk's other books or her I Heart series you'll love this. 

Scream Queens - Mondays at 10 on E4

I didn't think I could forgive Ryan Murphy after the TRAVESTY that was the last episode of Glee - Rachel marries Jesse... REALLY?! Samchel were so obviously endgame! ERGH! It still makes me mad! - but it turns out that the Lea Michele fangirl in me couldn't resist watching the first episode and then I was hooked. Scary stuff is not my usual cup of green tea, being a massive wimp I normally avoid it like the plague, but Scream Queens is amazing. Like actually amazing. It's basically a parody of every so bad it's good, super camp horror/teen movie from the 80's and it is hysterically funny. For those of you who don't watch it (you're gonna want to change that, now!) Scream Queens is about a sorority, ruled over by the deliciously bitchy Emma Roberts, that is being targeted by a serial killer, the terrifying Red Devil, who is hell bent on exacting revenge against the sisters of Kappa Kappa Tau. I love it! It's funny and scary and gripping with loads of twists and turns. It's also really well cast with Kate Hudson's handsome brother as overprotective Dad Wes and Jamie Lee Curtis, who is sheer
perfection!

IAMX - I mentioned IAMX in my latest Lola Rocks post but obviously he had to be a favourite because the obsession is SO real! His music is incredible! I find music, like scent, really hard to describe, so I'll just say that he is awesome, the songs Dead in this House, The Great Shipwreck of Life & I am Terrified are seriously good, and leave it at that. 

The First Time - Is one of my absolute favourite films but I'd kinda forgotten about it until I re-watched it recently and remembered how awesome it it. The First Time is about Dave and Aubrey, who meet at a party and hit it off straight away. Over the course of one weekend they fall in love and navigate the choppy waters of their first time. It's such an underrated film. It's sweet, it's very funny with an excellent soundtrack - seriously the soundtrack is amazing! - and  is really well cast. Dave and Aubrey have seriously amazing chemistry, which to be fair they should being a real life couple and all! (They met on the set and have been together ever since... I love that!) 

Carrie Hope Fletcher -  I actually saw Carrie as Eponine in Les Mis back in September and have been fangirling over her youtube channel, It's Way Past My Bedtime, ever since. She's got such an amazing voice and seems like such a nice person too. I love her videos, especially all the behind the scenes theatre-y stuff.

Melanie Ham - Melanie is a brand new youtube fave, I've been really loving crafty youtube videos lately and Melanie's are up there with the best. Her sewing and crochet tutorials are fantastic! She makes really cool stuff, her instructions are really easy to follow and she seems so nice. Any crafty girls will want to check her out, she makes me want to dust off my sewing machine and crochet hooks (yes, I own both those things) and start hand making all the things. Speaking of, this brings me next to my favourite. 

Crochet -  Crochet Hooks £6.54 from Amazon 

Melanie Ham has sparked in me a passion for crochet I didn't know I had. Bless my Grandma for forcefully teaching me how to crochet when I was little. It's really therapeutic, which is why I like it. It's very calming and it just feels really nice and cosy, crocheting and watching a Christmas film, inside in the warm, while it's cold and miserable outside. So far I've made a really, really long scarf and a hat for my cousin's baby.

Amy Tangerine - Sticking to the crafty theme Amy Tangerine is yet another Youtube favourite because she makes seriously amazing scrapbooking videos. They're really fun to watch and they make me want to decorate everything with watercolour paints and stickers and glitter and literally all the washi tape I can get my hands on. Plus she makes stamping look so fun. Love it.

What were your favourites this month? Let me know on twitter, by commenting below or dropping me an email at lolarocknroses@gmail.com. Also check out my instagram, facebook, bloglovin', snapchat - search lolarocknroses - & pinterest for regular updates.

P.S. Happy 1st of December :D only 24 more days to go!

*Disclaimer* I own only two of the images used in this post - that of 'A Girl's Best Friend' & the crochet. I own none of the other images used. All images used for entertainment purposes only.onle. Images Via, Via, Via, Via, Via, Via

October & November Beauty Favourites 2015

October & November Beauty Favourites 2015

Sunday 29 November 2015

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October and November were not the easiest of months. I won't go into too much detail because it's taken over too much of my life without taking over my blog as well. Instead we're gonna talk beauty favourites, October's and November's. I'm not gonna panic about the fact that 5 seconds ago it was July and now it's the end of November. Nope I'm not gonna even think about it. So instead let's talk favourites.

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Hot Pepper - £8.99 from boots.com

My love for the Rouge Edition Velvet formulas is well documented, but in the past I've alway been more of a Olé Flamingo/Pink Pong fan girl. In the past two months though Hot Pepper has been my go to bold lip for nights out. It is long lasting, comfortable to wear and the most beautiful, bright, pillar box red. I use it regularly anyway but can see myself getting way more use out of it during the Festive season.

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in 10 - £5.99 fron boots.com

I've recently been diagnosed with adult acne, which is way more common than you'd think but still pretty horrible, and embarrassing. Anyway it's due to a hormone imbalance and whilst my medication to rebalance everything and prevent the little buggers is kicking in I have been loving Maybelline's Fit Me Concealer. I think I may even love it more than Collection's Lasting Perfection Concealer (I know, may the god's strike me down!) . The coverage it gives is fantastic, and that's what I've needed. It blends seamlessly into the skin, doesn't crease and lasts hours. Application is fairly standard, with a doe foot applicator, and the colour match is really good. The shade range, is sadly, limited, with only 3 shades in the entire range and absolutely nothing for those with darker skin tones; which I think is such a shame, but otherwise it's such a good concealer for such a good price.

Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hr Skin Perfecting Full Coverage Foundation in 100 Ivory - £7.99 from boots.com

I reviewed this foundation a while back, and well it wasn't a favourable review (read it here). So how come it's one of my favourites this month I hear you ask? Well, while there are some definite formulation issues that still stand, the coverage it gives is second to none. Be it under eye baggage, redness, scarring or big, juicy blemishes, this bad boy will cover it. I like to use quite a rich moisturise before applying because it is drying, quite badly drying actually and it does sit on the skin for a while after application. But like I said the coverage it provides is fabulous and the wear time is decent too.

Burt's Bees Refreshing Lipbalm with Pink Grapefruit - £3.69 from boots.com

AKA my new favourite lip balm. Burt's Bees is amazing for lip balm, using all natural ingredients; including coconut oil, beeswax (obvs) and pink grapefruit seed oil, it's super moisturising, leaves my lips in amazing condition and smells incredible. LOVE IT!

Nails Inc in St Pancras  -  Currently Unavailable

Okay, it's official, I am in love with this colour, and it's pretty serious. It's my new favourite polish, I'm taking it off to put it straight back on again. That's how awesome it is! The obsession is so real.  St Pancras is the perfect Autumn/Winter colour; a deep wine red that makes even my short, stubby nails/manfingers look elegant and sophisticated. ALL THE HEART EYED EMOJIS!!!! Sadly telling you guys about it makes me a major tease because it's not available anywhere. And I've looked. Sorry Guys :(

Fleur De Force Lipgloss in Starry Starry Night - £6.99 from feelunique.com

There are a lot of lip products in this post... Anyway if you read my recent review of Fleur's make up line (read it here) you will know 2 things: 1. I am a BIG fan of the whole collection & 2. Starry Starry Night was my favourite item in the entire line. I'm not normally a lipgloss fan BUT the formulation of this is more like a high shine liquid lipstick rather than a traditional gloss.  It's an absolutely beautiful colour, with a really nice finish. It also smells incredible, has decent wear time and fades to a nice even stain. Love it!


What are your favourites? Let me know on twitter, by commenting below or dropping me an email at lolarocknroses.blogspot.co.uk. Also check out my instagram, facebook, bloglovin', snapchat - search lolarocknroses - &  pinterest for regular updates.

Love love love xxx

Fleur De Force's Make Up Line: Review & Swatches

Fleur De Force's Make Up Line: Review & Swatches

Thursday 26 November 2015

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If you've been reading me for a while now you'll know that I'm a bit of a Fleur De Force fangirl. I just love her. Mostly because there is nothing she can't do. Like actually nothing. She is Wonder Woman... with a sausage dog.  - I should really stop fangirling now, before I make myself look like a super creepy stalker! - So when she announced her new make up line with feelunique I was all over that business. It was inevitable that a rather hefty feelunique order would be made. And made it was.  Obviously.

FDF's make up line consists of 6 lip glosses, 2 eyeshadow quads, a make-up bag and a mirror. I 

picked up 2 of the lip glosses, both quads and the make up bag because why not?

Fleur De Force Make Up Bag - £8.99 from feelunique.com

Let's start with the least interesting thing, the make up bag (which is still pretty awesome by the way... just saying.) A white leather-effect box pouch with Fleur's trademark watercolour print and beautiful rose gold detailing & hardware. The make up bag is ideal for travelling, as it's quite compact, but also holds a redonkulous amount of stuff. It's really practical as well because the material, and I think the lining  too, is wipeable. It's also extendable which is both really clever and so handy. For a make up bag it is pretty epic. 

Fleur De Force Lipgloss in Lucky Star & Starry Starry Night  - £6.99 each from feelunique.com

Now let's talk about the more fun stuff, starting with the lip glosses. I picked up Lucky Star, a deep but very bright, blue toned red, and Starry Starry Night, a rich, berry pink, which I am completely obsessed with, just fyi. The lip glosses are formulated to be somewhere in between a liquid lipstick and a traditional lipgloss. A kind of best of both world's (HANNAH MONTANA REFERENCE! Sorry... I got excited) hybrid. They have fabulous opacity and an amazing colour pay off, but unlike a lot of liquid lipsticks they're not chalky or drying in any way. They're really moisturising and are so comfortable to wear, however it is a bit of a double edged sword because they just don't have the longevity of a liquid lipstick. For a lipgloss the wear time is amazing, but for a liquid lipstick it does leave a little to be desired. However they do stick around a lot longer than most other lip glosses, even if they do need reapplying every few hours, or after eating and drinking. The packaging and application is fairly standard with the glosses being housed in a tube and applied with a doe foot applicator, however, and I'm aware that this sounds weird BUT I think the pewter lids on the lip glosses are absolutely gorgeous. Strange but true. Anyway. Overall they are fabulous and I'll definitely be picking up more, I've already got my eye on Starlight.  

Fleur De Force Eyeshadow Quads in Cosmic Bronze & Lunar Rose - £7.99 from feelunique.com

So onto the best bit... the eyeshadow quads. There are two in the collection, Cosmic Bronze and Lunar Rose, I got both because I couldn't decide between them. Cosmic Bronze is more of an 

everyday quad, made up of 4 neutral brown shades; 2 matte shadows - a light, almost sandy shade and a dark chocolate brown, a pale, gold-y taupe highlighting shade and the most beautiful bronze shimmer. The shadows are amazing, either used by themselves or together to create a day time appropriate smokey eye. The second quad, Lunar Rose, is Cosmic Bronze's smokier, sexier, more evening appropriate rose-gold toned older sister. Again it's made up of  4 shades; a pale, matte ballet slipper pink, a stunning rose gold shimmer, a lilac-y pink shimmer and a deep, dark purple with a fine gold glitter running through it. The shadows are amazing, they complement each other beautifully to create a super sexy evening look. Both quads are equally fabulous, with the shadows being highly pigmented, with an amazing colour pay off as well as having a beautifully soft, buttery smooth consistency that blends flawlessly. They don't crease, they stick around for ages AND the colour range, in both, are lovely. The packaging is simple and fairly standard, playing host to the quad itself and a little brush. Now as a rule brushes that come in eyeshadow pallets are generally quite naff, and while this is definitely not the best eyeshadow brush ever, it is so much better than the standard sponge applicators, which are pretty much the worst things ever. Anyway...

The collection is fabulous, everything is of seriously excellent quality and it is obviously well thought out by someone who clearly knows what she's talking about. Fleur I salute you! 

Have you tried any of the FDF's make up line? What did you think? Let me know on twitter, by commenting below or dropping me an email at lolarocknroses@gmail.com. Also check out my instagram, facebook, bloglovin', snapchat - search lolarocknroses - &  pinterest for updates.

Love love love xxx

Lola Rocks #8: 5 Songs I'm OBSESSED with!

Lola Rocks #8: 5 Songs I'm OBSESSED with!

Tuesday 24 November 2015

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It's no secret that music is kinda my thing.  Little known fact about me I originally wanted to blog about music, but it turns out it's really quite difficult to describe a song in terms other than 'omigodIloveitsomuch!' But since I've been gone (Kelly Clarkson reference! kind of...) there have been 5 songs that I have been listening to constantly that I thought you guys should know about.

Dead in this House by IAMX - Just a quick heads up IAMX makes up over half this playlist. Don't let the creepy and somewhat unsettling title of the song put you off, because it is incredible. IAMX is the stage name for English musician Chris Corner. His voice is haunting and so beautiful to listen to. Dead in this House is the first song that introduced me to his work so it has a special place in my heart but his other songs are just as awesome

I am Terrified by IAMX -  OmigodIloveitsomuch, It's so good. There's a line in this song that feels like IAMX is speaking directly to me 'I am terrified, I think too much, I'm emotional, when I drink too much.' That's pretty much me in a nutshell... Not that I ever drink too much ;)

The Great Shipwreck of Life by IAMX - Another fantastic song from IAMX. I can't even describe my obsession, just trust me it's fabulous. I heard this in a recent episode of How to Get Away with Murder (it was a great episode, just fyi) and I was immediately obsessed.

Secrets by State Champs - American Pop Punk is not my usual cup of Gingerbread Green Tea but I've made an exception in this case because this song is just so gosh darn good.

Working Together by Tina & Ike Turner - I straight up LOVE Tina Turner, Simply the Best is one of my absolute favourite songs of all time, and Working Together is one more in a long line of hits. In my eyes Tina can do no wrong. I first heard it in the background of an episode of Orange is the New Black and have been listening to it ever since. It's brilliant.

Now I'm not a huge fan of spotify, mostly because I don't know how to use it BUT if you guys would be interested in listening to the music I love then I would be willing to learn and make playlists and stuff for you. Also how would people feel about a monthly playlist post? If you're interested in either of those things then let me know.

What songs are you loving right now? Let me know on twitter, by commenting below or dropping me an email at lolarocknroses@gmail.com. Also check out my instagram, facebook, bloglovin', snapchat - search lolarocknroses - & pinterest for updates.

Love love love xxx

*Disclaimer* I own none of the images used, images used for entertainment purposes only. Images Via, Via, Via

Business as usual...

Business as usual...

Sunday 22 November 2015

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Hi Guys! First of all I wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone for the really sweet response I got to my last post (read it here). You guys are a lovely, understanding and kind bunch! It's been 3 weeks since my last post, which for me is a really, really long time, but things are getting back to normal - Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays - from now on.

It's been so nice to just take the pressure off and chill out, and, honestly, it's been quite difficult to get myself back into the swing of blogging. Over the last 3 weeks I've had a complete break from blogging and all blog related things. I haven't been thinking about blog posts, I haven't written anything, I haven't checked my stats, I haven't been planning, I haven't taken any photos, I haven't even been reading other blogs; which is unheard of for me. I have missed it but it's been nice to relax and it has meant that I've been able to deal with all the messiness that's been going on in my head and personal life and I'm feeling much better for it.

Blogging is my favourite thing to do. Sometimes it can feel like I've taken on too much but I still love it. Writing is one of my biggest passions and I  am so happy that I get to share that, and my love of all things make up, with you guys. You really have no idea how much this small corner of the internet means to me. So I just thought as my first post back I would just let you know how I've been and how I'm feeling now and that things are going back to normal as of today.

I'll be back on Tuesday. Until then check out my instagram, twitter, facebook, bloglovin', snapchat - search lolarocknroses - & pinterest for updates.

Love love love xxx

*Disclaimer* I do not own the above image, Image used for entertainment purposes only. Image Via

Taking a break...

Taking a break...

Sunday 1 November 2015

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Hi Guys! Some of you might have noticed that I haven't really been my normal self lately. I'm having a bit of a tough time. Without going into too much detail, there's a lot of not so great stuff going on in my personal life at the moment that I just need to deal with. Honestly I am struggling a bit, so I'm gonna take a break for a while. As much as I love blogging, and I really do, it's one of my favourite things, it can be a lot... I can totally see how it's a full-time job!, and trying to juggle everything is getting a bit on top of me lately. I'm also really struggling to focus at the moment, my concentration is shot and, because of this, I feel like the posts I'm putting up aren't as good as I want them to be and know that they can be.

I hope you understand that I just need to take a break and get my head sorted out. I'm sure I won't be gone long, like I said blogging is my favourite thing,  but I just need a little bit of time. 

In the mean time I'm sure I will be instagramming, facebooking, tweeting, pinning, snapchatting - search lolarocknroses -  and just existing on bloglovin' so check those out and I'll be back as soon as I can.

Love love love xxx

*Disclaimer* I do not own the above image. Image used for entertainment purposes only. Image via

Lipstick Queen Liquid Assets Vesuvian Collection: Review & Swatches

Lipstick Queen Liquid Assets Vesuvian Collection: Review & Swatches

Thursday 29 October 2015

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Lipstick Queen's Liquid Assets Vesuvian Collection - available individually from £13.20 from feelunique.com or £12.99 for the set in store at T.K. Maxx, subject to availability. 

On one of, now weekly, excursions to the beauty aisles in T.K. Maxx I discovered Lipstick Queens Liquid Assests Vesuvius Collection. Having never tried Lipstick Queen before, and being a self proclaimed Lipstick Queen,  I was curious so into my basket it went. Containing three liquid lipsticks in three versatile shades: Vesuvian Blush - a peachy nude, Vesuvian Fuchsia - a sassy hot pink and Vesuvian Red - a rich and beautiful scarlet, the Vesuvius Collection is a complete lipstick wardrobe, catering for all occasions. Now when it comes to bold lips I like my finishes matte and my colours cool toned. So the red and fuchsia are right in my blue-toned lipstick loving wheelhouse - the nude wasn't really my thing so I ended up giving it to my mum - the high shine finish,  although not normally my cup of tea, did make a nice change. 

Whilst not the most long lasting  the formula is quite lovely; moisturising and comfortable to wear, with unbelievable pigmentation and a high shine but non-sticky finish PLUS it smells like peppermint, which is amazing. It claims that the formula 'protects and pampers the lips in a single moisturising, and stickiness free slick' and I have to agree . However the finish means that it does have a lot of slip and movement to it, occasionally bleeding into the lipline, and it doesn't stick around for long if food or drink is involved.I really liked the packaging as well, as it is sleek and slimline, with the product being twisted up and dispensed through a nylon brush, for an even and tidy application and a neater finish. 

Overall I really liked the lipsticks. No I probably won't be reaching for them on a daily basis, matte formulas being way more my thing, but I will definitely be using them on special occasions or a night out. 

Have you tried Lipstick Queen's Liquid Assets? Let me know on twitter, by commenting below or dropping me an email at lolarocknroses@gmail.com. Also check out my instagram, facebook, bloglovin', snapchat - search lolarocknroses - & pinterest for updates. 

Love love love xxx

The Weekly Round Up #5: Fleur De Force's Make Up Range, Grace and Frankie &The Girl on theTrain

The Weekly Round Up #5: Fleur De Force's Make Up Range, Grace and Frankie &The Girl on theTrain

Sunday 25 October 2015

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Fleur De Force Make Up Line - available exclusively at feelunique.com

Last week I made a feel unique order specifically so I could try out some of Fleur De Force's new make up line, and I have to say I am a fan. The collection consists of two eyeshadow quads - Lunar Rose & Cosmic Bronze - and 6 lip glosses, I picked up the shades Lucky Star and Starry Starry Night. I'm not usually a lipgloss fan, but the glosses are more like a high shine liquid lipstick than a traditional gloss and the eyeshadows are finely milled and butter-y soft in texture. I really like the collection and will be doing a proper review soon so keep an eye out for that.

The Girl on the Train - £6.00 for hardcover or £5.70 for kindle from Amazon

Tipped as this years Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train tells the story of Rachel, who looks out on a couple, who she has named Jess and Jason, everyday on her way into London. Without ever meeting them she has created a fantasy life for them, but one day Rachel witnesses something that changes everything, and gives her a way into their lives. A gripping thriller, with some shocking twists and turns that you just won't see coming. I was hooked and finished it in a couple of days. It's perfect for curling up with on a cold winter night.

Steve Madden Leather Satchel - £22 from T.K. Maxx (not online, you can find similar here)

I've been looking for a smaller handbag for ages, to stop me from carrying everything and the kitchen sink around with me. When I spotted this leather fringed satchel in T.K. Maxx (my happy place, read more about that here) it was love at first sight and I had to have it.  It's made of textured leather so won't mark easily, is a decent size so I can fit all my bits and bobs in and the fringing and gold hardware is gorgeous and so on trend for Autumn/Winter. But the very best part is it cost a bargainous £22. I love it. 

Grace and Frankie - on Netflix

After finishing Orange is the New Black I was left at a bit of a loss as to what to watch next, even though my to watch list (I like love lists! I have one for everything!) is a mile long, when my best friend Jade recommended Grace and Frankie. So I watched the first episode and I was hooked, and then watched 8 episodes in one day. Created by Marta Kaufman - one of the creators of Friends! - Grace and Frankie is about two 70 year old women, Grace and Frankie, whose husbands of 40 years leave them for each other. With no other choice Grace and Frankie, who've never really liked each other, are forced to move in together and try to help each other rebuild their lives. It's really funny and quite moving at times. I really loved it and can't wait for the next season to come on Netflix.

What have you been loving this week? Let me know on twitter, by commenting below or dropping me an email at lolarocknroses@gmail.com. Also check out my instagram, facebook, bloglovin', snapchat - search lolarocknroses - & pinterest  for regular updates.

Love love love xxx


*Disclaimer* All images except that of Grace and Frankie are owned by myself. I do not own the image of Grace and Frankie. Image used for entertainment purposes only. Images Via