A Sunday Summary

Sunday, November 30, 2014
So here I am, on a Saturday night/early Sunday morning and I find myself without the required photo to post my bi-monthly "What I've Been Loving..." post tomorrow. I know - I'm a terrible blogger - but this week has run away from me, and I find myself at home with my parents (and sans camera) and unable to stick to my editorial schedule. So, I thought I'd fill you in on my week and hope that this will still be an interesting enough post for you to read. By the way, I don't plan on starting a 'Sunday Summary' series as I feel like every blogger and their mother has been there, done that, but instead I am using this unfulfilled post as a way to let you guys know more about my life in general, and what's been going on. 

#1 There's two weeks left of this semester and I cannot wait until Christmas. My last two assessments are this week, and I don't actually feel like I can breathe until they are over and done with. This final year shit is messing with my head.

#2 Despite having a tonne of work to do this weekend, I've travelled back to Kent to see my parents and so I could go to a Scriptoeris Christmas Dinner in London, which was this evening (Saturday night). My first article should be up sometime this week, and I'll post it on the Scriptoeris FB page so be sure to like that here if you want to catch the article. 

#3 I decided it was about time to get some business cards made for my blog because I'm starting to look for jobs and about to enter the 'real' world, so I want to be able to give these out when I learn/get up the courage to start networking properly. I made these on moo.com with the help of Pipdig (who designed this blog) and they are amazing. They're mini business cards so they use up less paper and are genuinely just really cute and really good quality. 

#4 I popped into Boots whilst running some errands for my Mum (as you do) and picked up some goodies, including my favourite guilty please, a Terry's Chocolate Orange. More to come on the other two purchases...

#5 I'm considering replacing the "What I've Been Loving..." series but I'm unsure... What do you guys think of it? Do you like it? Would you prefer to see something else every other week? If you have any ideas or feedback please let me know.
Continue Reading...
comments: 12

A Second Chance - The NARSISSIST Palette

Friday, November 28, 2014
Way-back-when when this bad boy was initially released, the blogasphere was set alight with sheer joy and an incredibly strong sense of longing. As a fellow beauty and NARS enthusiast, I was also sucked in by the promise land that was the Narsissist Palette - a stunning array of beautiful NARS eyeshadows that would make anyone go weak at the knees. I decided that despite it was perhaps one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen, I already owned two of the shadows and I really didn't need any more eyeshadows full stop, so it wasn't to be mine. Somehow my self restraint actually managed to avoid the NARS website until the palette was completely sold out, and immediately the non-buyers remorse sank in. 

However, a month or so I was browsing the NARS website as one does, and found myself frozen in front of the screen when I saw that this beaut' had reappeared on the site - and even better - was in stock. So, a second chance had arisen, and dammit if I wasn't about to let it slip through my greedy little fingers again. Without hesitating it was added to my basket and the following emotions were instant: disgust at spending £60 on eyeshadow, excitement for it's imminent arrival, and fear of it not living up to the hype and me having wasted all that money on something I didn't really like/use.

So, now that I actually have it in my possession - was it worth it? Sadly, my fear was justified - it's not that I don't like it or even that I'm not using it, but I just done't get that 'wow' factor from it that I would expect from a £55 palette. The majority of the shades are gorgeous, and I think that If I had a much smaller collection then I would appreciate this more, but as it stands, it's a bit of a let down. However, if you are looking to try some NARS shadows out and don't really have many other neutral palettes lying around, I would recommend looking at this because it is really nice - I just didn't need it.

I have to mention that it is still on the NARS website, so if it's something that tickles your fancy but it a tad beyond your budget - add it to your Christmas list and perhaps Father Christmas will be stopping by the NARS factory on the way to you this year...

Did you give into the beauty that is the Narsissist Palette? If not, do you wish you had? Let me know!
Continue Reading...
comments: 20

A new step: Scriptoeris

Wednesday, November 26, 2014
I've been hinting at an upcoming project that I've become involved in for a week or so now, and now is the time to share my news with all of you lovely readers. A few years ago, one of my close friends Scarlett Clark launched Scriptoeris - an international lifestyle magazine aimed at empowering females. The brand has been developing gradually and has made a real splash online (retweeted by Kristin Davis aka Charlotte from Sex and the City!) so when Scarlett approached me and asked me to be the head editor of the new Beauty section of the site, I simply couldn't turn it down. So what does this mean for Isobel Rose? Nothing really! I will continue to post every other day on here, but twice a month I will also be posting on Scriptoeris about anything and everything beauty. My first post is set to be released on the 2nd December, but until then I seriously encourage you to go and visit Scriptoeris and see what it's all about. There's posts with advice about travelling, careers, university and fashion, and soon there will be a brand-spanking new Beauty section for you all to check out.

I hope you are all as excited as I am for this new adventure, and I hope you enjoy taking a look at Scriptoeris because it's an incredible resource for ambitious women. 

Isobel x

Continue Reading...
comments: 6

My Blogging Process

Monday, November 24, 2014


Blogging is much harder that people may initially think - even as a super organised person (if I do say so myself!) I often have a bit of trouble keeping up with my thoughts. Ideas appear at the most random times, and if you're not prepared to write them down or do something about them at the moment that they strike, they they can disappear just as suddenly as they dropped into your lap in the first place. Basically, what I'm trying to say is that it really pays to be organised if you're serious about blogging. 


I talked about my editorial calendar in a previous post (which you can see here), but that is just one step of my blogging process. The first step for me is this rather snazzy notebook that you can see in the pictures above - this is where I brainstorm ideas, keep track of and plan series on the blog, and write lists about what posts still need to be written or still need a photo. However, if I'm already on the computer I will usually skip the notebook and add it straight into my calendar to save time and space. Then once the idea is out there I head straight for my beloved DSLR camera and get shooting. As a creative type, I've always loved the photography aspect of my blog, so I almost always get my image done and edited before I start writing as I find it helps to keep me inspired throughout the entire process. Basically, the general structure of my blogging process is as follows;



(Notebook) --> Google Calendar --> Photograph --> Write content --> Schedule + publish

Saying that, occasionally an idea will come to me and I will have written it up, come up for an idea for the picture (if I don't have my camera on me) and have it pretty much ready to go within 30 minutes. It honestly can be so random so I just like to go with the flow, but have the above structure to keep me organised when miraculous blog ideas aren't dropping out of the sky.


Do you have any specific blogging process or do you just roll with the punches? Do you think it's important to have an organised system or do you prefer to just make it up as you go along? Tell me your thoughts!
Continue Reading...
comments: 8

Charmed

Saturday, November 22, 2014

I've always been a fan of charm bracelets - I think they're a lovely way to piece together different memories, and it's amazing when the combined bracelet has been made up of charms from different people because it will always remind you of them. I only have one charm bracelet which is from Thomas Sabo, and I absolutely adore it, so today I thought I'd walk you through what makes up my charm bracelet and what all of the individual pieces mean to me.


The Bracelet (£29.95):
If I recall correctly, this gorgeous black bracelet was given to me for my 17th birthday by my best friend at the time. Thomas Sabo has a wide variety of bracelets to adorn your favourite charms with, but the classic black had always been my favourite by far. 


'Te Quiero' (discontinued, but similar linked):
The 'te quiero' ('I love you' in Spanish) charm was the first part of this ensemble that I actually received - at least two or three years before I had the bracelet itself. My eldest sister Lauren got it for me for Christmas one year, and said that she chose it because she knew how much I loved learning Spanish (and she was right!) I've actually never seen this one anywhere else before, so I'm so glad she got it for me as it really represents a large part of who I am.


The Dog (£50):
This gorgeous little dog was gifted to me by my younger sister, Evie, on my 18th birthday. It means an incredible amount to me because - although I think it's a Scottie dog - it looks incredibly like a miniature Schnauzer. She got this for me because sadly, a week before my birthday our little miniature Schnauzer had passed away, so this is so that I never forget his mischievous little self. 


The Chinese Knot (£19.95):
Last but not least we have the Chinese Knot, which was part of my 21st birthday present from both of my sisters. I have to say that I did have a part in choosing this because they asked me for gift ideas, but the reason I wanted this was to represent the ten years of my life living in Hong Kong, and that although I'm British by birth and blood, part of my heart will always lie in Asia. 


Are you guys big fans of charms? Do you have any meaningful ones? Do share!
Continue Reading...
comments: 4

The Budget 'Kylie Jenner' Pout

Thursday, November 20, 2014
Kylie Jenner's 'miraculous lip development' (... shall we call it?) has really brought around a new hype in the beauty business - the return of the overdrawn lips. Bloggers and makeup artists alike have been searching left and right for the 'perfect' lip liner to do the job - from MAC 'Soar' to the oh-so-gorgeous 'Pillow Talk' by Charlotte Tilbury, but let's face it, 'ain't nobody got time to be spending £15+ to achieve that extra pouty pout - especially when I've stubbled across the perfect drugstore dupe. Enter Rimmel's Exaggerate Lip Liner in 'Eastend Snob', the answer to all of your oversized cravings, and for the incredibly bargain-ous price of £3.99 - less than a quarter of the price of its high-end competitors. You're welcome. 

Continue Reading...
comments: 19

The Blog Post That Changed Everything

Tuesday, November 18, 2014
I'll tell you a little secret. Before I read this marvellous post by Gwen over at This Fashion is Mine, my blog organisation started and ended in the 'drafts' and 'scheduled' folders of my Blogger dashboard. I mainly blogged day to day, having one or two post planned ahead of me if I was lucky, because I couldn't really find a way to organise my ideas in one place. That was until Gwen introduced Google Calendar to me - something I'd heard of, but had never really looked into or utilised. Gwen's idea was an extreme one - that with the right tools and approach to things, you could quite easily plan a years worth of blog posts. That's right - a year. It isn't really realistic for any blogger to plan a year in advance as new releases show up, and you have new ideas all the time, but the idea was that it's entirely possible if you know how. As soon as I have an idea, I slot it into my calendar where it sits waiting to be moved/adjusted/developed until it's ready to be published, and really it's as simple as that. Earlier this month I decided to take a screen shot of my calendar (which has now changed quite a bit) just so you can get an idea of how I use it...


Key: Ideas, Started, Completed + Scheduled, Series

What I like about Google Calendar is that I can colour code events, move them around as I please, and I can access it anywhere. In fact, you can even set it up to email you however many days before a post to remind you to have it ready which can be great if you're super busy or a tad scatter-brained. This is only one part of my 'blogging process' (more of which I'll talk about in a week or so...) but it's become an invaluable tool for a busy blogger like me.

Continue Reading...
comments: 14

What I've Been Loving #34

Sunday, November 16, 2014
Nars Duo Eyeshadow in 'Dolomites' (£25):
When I saw that they were releasing this beauty a few months back, I knew for a fact that it would be mine, even if it meant eating soup for a month. Like everything I have ever bought from NARS, this certainly has not disappointed and has earned it spot in the 'everyday' section of my stash next to my NARS concealer and my MAC F&B foundation.

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in 'Rule of Plum' (£6.99):
This colour is seriously gorgeous guys. It was my first dabble into Sally Hansen polishes, and boy do they live up to the hype. The colour is stunning, it lasted for the best part of the week, and the micro glitter in the polish was extremely easy to remove. I may be heading over to the Sally Hansen stand again quite soon...

Real Techniques Duo Fibre Powder Brush (Part of Nic's Picks Collection - £29.99):
As I'm writing this I realising that I have mentioned this brush far too many times on this blog - perhaps an ode to how good it really is. I actually have two of them - one I use for my everyday powder, and the other for highlighters, bronzers and blushes. The duo fibre nature of this brush makes it perfect for light application and great at blending out colour. A huge thumbs up from me!

Continue Reading...
comments: 16

The Post-Shower Lineup

Friday, November 14, 2014

I am not a morning shower kinda' gal. Never have been. I've mentioned how much I enjoy my sleep before, and aint' nothing gonna get in the way of my lie-in. Instead, I opt for a nice late night relaxing shower followed by a mini pamper session that gets me in the mood to snuggle right into bed. In accordance with my overly-organised personality, I like to line up the products I'm going to use in the order I'm going to use them in before I hop in the shower, so I'm all ready to go when I'm out. As with any skincare 'regime', this line-up changes pretty much every time according to my needs, but here's an example of what usually goes down post-shower...

Initial cleanse/clean: Even though I've just washed my face in the shower, I usually like to give it a once-over with a bit of Bioderma to remove and makeup left from the day or any products left on accidentally from the shower. This preps the skin nicely for cleansing and any treatments I plan to use.

Deodorant: This step can be inserted anywhere in the process, but I thought I'd just add it in here. For the last year or so I've been a huge fan of these Dove Maximum Protection ones - my favourites being 'Pomegranate and Lemon Verbena' and 'Original Clean'. They smell amazing and do the job just splendidly!

Exfoliator: If I haven't already use Origins Modern Friction in the shower, then I turn to my favourite chemical exfoliator - the Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner. Having dry skin means that this is a huge part of my skincare regime, and used once or twice a week means that it keeps any flakiness at bay.

Toner: If there is one area of skincare that I tend to slack on, it's toner. I'm not a huge believer in the effects of many of them (apart from the aforementioned Clarins Exfoliating Toner) but when I found the Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic Spritzer, I thought I'd give it a go.

Oil/Treatment: According to my skincare needs and any particular problems I might be having, this tends to switch and change quite a lot. However, when my skin is more or less behaving, I'm a huge fan of The Body Shop Vitamin E Serum-in-Oil which not only boots my skin's moisture levels, but also helps to brighten it and keep any nasties at bay.

Night cream: For about a year now, I've been pretty loyal to the wonder that is the Origins High Potency Night-a-Mins Cream. I've talked about it more in depth in this post, but it's a phenomenal night cream (which I previously didn't really believe existed!) that deserves more recognition than it gets.

Do you guys have any post-shower rituals? Let me know!
Continue Reading...
comments: 6

Little Changes

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Getting yourself a Fitbit (or any other type of pedometer/fitness tracker) really opens your eyes to how many (or how little) steps you take in a day, and what that equates to in terms of calories and distance. It's honestly one of the best purchases I have ever made (and this is coming from a beauty obsessive) as it's really helped to change the way I approach fitness and my lifestyle in general. 

1. Instead of skulking down to your nearest Sainsbury's local - which is practically next door in my case - go to the bigger supermarket that extra 10 minutes away for part of your weekly shop. There are literally so many perks of this extra trip that often get outweighed by pure laziness; further away shops means more steps, carrying those heavier bags that extra ten minutes really help to tone your arms and increase your stamina, plus - bigger stores have way more selection of amazing goodies to shop for!

2. Slot in extra exercises when you'd usually be lying in bed/on the sofa. At night I've gotten into the habit of doing 100 squats when I inevitably cave and watch my daily dose of YouTube. 100 sounds like a lot, but do it in sets of 20 with a minute or two in between to rest, and you're done before you know it! Once you've accomplished that without too many complaints, up your number and try adding in some other basic moves like lunges or using small weights with your squats.

3. Get off the bus one stop before you usually would (or get on one after). Every little counts.

4. Go (window) shopping and really have a good look around. You wouldn't think it, but a good ol' nose in some of your favourite shops is the best way to get your daily number of steps up. You don't even have to buy something (which will challenge your willpower!), and if you do - more shopping to tone those upper arms!

5. Fancy a treat? Fine - you can have it, but you've got to work for it! If you're craving your favourite caramel macchiato from Starbucks or a pain au chocolate from a local bakery - walk as far as you can (within reason) to go and get it, head to the Starbucks 15 minutes away rather than the one on the corner. Also, try and ignore the logical part of your mind that wants to take the most efficient route and turn it on its head - try and take the most round-about way of getting there and back (again, within reason and time permitting). You never know what you might stumble across or who you might bump into!

Do you guys have any little fitness tips? Do share!
Continue Reading...
comments: 8

#Use or Lose: Lips

Monday, November 10, 2014
The next #Use or Lose is here - and it's time to clean out my lip draw, one lipstick bullet at a time... 

The Suspects:

Benefit 'Dandelion' Lip Gloss
Dandelion is a pretty sheer pink gloss that is the mirror image of the famous boxed blush from Benefit. I haven't actually opened this one up yet, because I'm honestly not a lipgloss kind of girl, and it's never really ticked my fancy. 

Yves Rocher Lipstick in 'Rouge Grenadine'
A stunning, vibrant colour that really personifies the classic red lip. 

Rimmel Matte Kate Lipstick in '110'
Another bright red, but this time created by Kate Moss for Rimmel. Both the colour and texture of this lipstick is topnotch. I just wish my name was Kate so that it would look personalised! 

Clinique Chubby Stick in 'Whoppin' Watermelon'
The original tinted lip crayons from Clinique have been a beauty blogger's favourite for many a moon, and the shade 'Whoppin' Watermelon'  is a great everyday pink that adds the perfect pop of colour to any look without going too overboard.

Revlon Lipstick in ''Pink in the Afternoon'
This is a lovely, subtle, everyday pink that would be perfect for most skin tones and compliments almost every look. Very pretty and has a lovely formula that moisturises and lasts well.

The Outcome:

Used:
Rimmel Matte Kate Lipstick in '110'
Although it doesn't get used as often as I'd like, there's no denying that Kate Moss's lines for Rimmel are outstanding, so I'm going to try to use this more - otherwise it'll end up in the next #useorlose.

Lost:
Benefit 'Dandelion' Lip Gloss
Like I said, I'm just not a lip gloss girl, so this had to go to someone who will actually show it the love and attention it deserves!

Yves Rocher Lipstick in 'Rouge Grenadine'
There is no doubt that this is stunning - but it's not my favourite red lip, and one of my best friends that lives in red will enjoy wearing this more than I do.

Clinique Chubby Stick in 'Whoppin' Watermelon'
I actually prefer the Revlon 'chubby stick' dupes as I think they are more flattering and smell so much better! Off to a new home this goes!

Revlon Lipstick in 'Pink in the Afternoon'
Lovely but not given the time of day in my increasingly overwhelming lip collection.

Have you got some cleaning out to do? Try this #useorlose method and tell me how you get on!
Continue Reading...
comments: 4

A week to think...

Monday, November 3, 2014
I'm burnt out - final year of university is more intense that I could ever've imagined and any free time is spent either trying to hit the gym or catching up on sleep. I'm not complaining, I know that everything good in life - like my degree or this blog - is hard work, but there comes a point when you just need a second to think - or in this case, a week. As of Monday I have a 'reading week' for uni - basically like half term but I actually have to get stuff done - so I'm planning to use the time I have to catch up on everything - be it work, fitness, sleep or blogging. So, consider Isobel Rose closed for the week - that means no posts will be up until this time next Monday, and I'll probably be slightly more scarce on the social media front as well (although I won't be ignoring anyone so still feel free to tweet/comment away!) By taking this week off from actual posting, I can get a week or so ahead on my blogging schedule, so when classes start again it won't be nearly as stressful trying to be a full-time student and blogger, as I should already be a week ahead of myself. So, enjoy your week and try not to miss me too much! Hasta la vista..

Continue Reading...
comments: 6

What I've Been Loving #33

Sunday, November 2, 2014
There is no doubt in my mind that this is my favourite of the Naked Palettes - the quality, colour range and sheer number of combinations that can be made with it has firmly placed it in the lead for the 'Naked' series. As you can see, I'm quite the fan of the shade 'Virgin' as it's a gorgeous inner-corner highlighter for a pale girl like me (trust me, they're not easy to find!) I also LOVE 'Sidecar' as an all-over-the-lid colour, and no one can argue against 'Half Baked' being possibly the most gorgeous gold out there. If there was one thing I could change about this, it would be to rerelease it in packaging like Naked 2 and 3 - this felt/cardboard combo is a bit cheap for UD and not very secure for day-to-day wear and tear - never mind travelling. Minus that little niggle - this palette is, and probably always will be the closest thing to neutral eyeshadow palette perfection for me. 

MAC Dalliance Eyeshadow (LE):
I used this non-stop when it was released way-back-when. It's a platinum/golden metallic masterpiece that never should've got lost at the back of my draw for all these years. It's not necessarily an everyday colour, but it's a gorgeous accent colour that really makes your eyes pop! 


Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic Spritzer (sample size - £5.50):
I found this when I was sorting out my skincare stash here at uni, and I've been really enjoying using it again. I've never really been a huge fan of Liz Earle - it's nice enough but never really excited me - but this spritz is one of my favourites from the range, and it's soothing lavender scent is lovely on the skin before snuggling up under the sheets. 


L'Oreal GlamShine Stain Splash in 'Lolita' (£7.99):
I'm a huge fan of these lip stains from L'Oreal, and Lolita is the perfect everyday colour for me. They're small - so perfect for popping in your handbag - and always look gorgeous. I own 3 or 4 other shades that I use regularly, so I'm obviously a big fan - I can't recommend these enough!

Continue Reading...
comments: 22
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)
Follow

Instagram