25 Before 25: [Number 15] Get Another Piercing

So I thought it was time to throw in a bit more of a lifestyle type post as I promised I would be doing more of those on my blog this year. And I thought an interesting topic to get the ball rolling would be to share some of my 25 Before 25 bucket list goals/achievements on my blog. My 25 Before 25 list is something I think I've briefly mentioned before on my blog, basically at the start of last year I decided instead of boring old New Years Resolutions I would do a bucket list of 25 things to do before I'm 25. I'm twenty three this year just in case you didn't know, so I've got a couple of years to go to get the list under my belt!

As you can probably tell from the title, number 15 on the list was 'get another piercing.' Now when I wrote this list a year ago I was imagining with that it would be something along the lines of another ear piercing as I'm not really very adventurous when it comes to piercings/tattoos. However as last year progressed I began toying with the idea of a nose piercing. I love the way that nose piercings can look on some people as it adds a little edge without being too obnoxious, but I was a bit scared it wouldn't suit me.

I ummed and ahhed for a good few months, until then finally in December last year I decided that yes I was going to get my nose pierced. I waited until after Christmas and the New Year was over as I thought it would give me something to look forward to in January as not a lot of excitement usually occurs around then does it? So as usual I asked my Dad to come along with me - sometimes I get a bit faint when I get pierced so didn't want to be on my own. Surprisingly though I didn't feel faint at all, it was over in a flash and I was expecting it to hurt a bit more than it did. Not even an 'ouch' was uttered.

I was really pleased with the position of the piercing and relieved that it looked okay but in my mind I had my heart set on quite a small, discreet piece of jewellery and the original stud that I had it pierced with was not small nor discreet. So when the six week healing period was up I was more than eager to get it changed and now I've got a tiny little stud in I'm very pleased with how its turned out! I can now add nose to my small list of piercings (ears, tragus x 2 and belly) and tick that little goal off my bucket list. I'm not going to rule out another possible ear piercing one day in the future though...

QOTD: Have you ever made / completed a bucket list?

Jo Malone Rock The Ages Preview | Tudor Rose & Amber

Its no secret that I am a Jo Malone girl. So when I was shopping at my local boutique and chatting to one of the girls in there about how much I love the brand I was beyond chuffed to be invited to an exclusive event this morning to preview the latest collection Rock The Ages. The new collection is aimed at depicting different periods of British history, and a select group of us got to sample each of the new releases and learn a little bit about each fragrance today. It was really nice to hear about each new release, the inspiration behind it and all of the ingredients that have gone into them. We were also lucky enough to be given the opportunity to make purchases ahead of the official release which was very exciting too!

There are four new exclusive, limited edition releases and also a re-release of Pomegranate Noir in beautiful gold packaging. As you can see these new colognes have been released in special packaging instead of the classic Jo Malone bottles to reflect the individual fragrance. Once we had been talked through each new release (we were given the little cards to initially smell the fragrance first) we then had the opportunity to sample them on our skin and do some fragrance combing with the Jo Malone scents we already have.
  
The two fragrances the stood out most to me were the Tudor Rose & Amber and Geranium & Verbena. I had a play around with both of these two fragrances but decided that I liked the Tudor Rose & Amber best plus I felt that it will go well with the JM colognes I had at home.

As the name suggests this is based around the Tudor period meaning that this is quite a rich, lavish scent. I won't be able to remember all the ingredients but the ones that stuck out in my memory are Tudor rose, pink pepper and ginger so its both floral and spicy which is a combination I tend to love best in a fragrance. Tudor Rose & Amber really captures a velvety texture hence the velvet embellishment on the lid. I think this will go beautifully with Velvet Rose & Oud to add even more edge and sensuality.I also think it has a very similar vibe to Pomegranate Noir so I can imagine it will be popular with people who love that cologne, plus it would be a lovely combination of the two fragrances to play around with.

As a general statement I would say that this collection is very unique and interesting, I love the concept behind it and think it will be pretty popular when it is released in stores and online. It was a lovely morning at my local boutique (see some more pictures of the morning on my instagram @graceyblossom) that I was very glad I got the chance to attend the preview. I'm so pleased with my latest Jo Malone addition, and the first limited edition fragrance to add to my collection! :)

Jo Malone Rock The Ages - Available to purchase in store from March.

Tom Ford Lip Colour | Wild Ginger

 

On a slightly lighter subject than my last post, today I'm back to talk lipstick. Since my love affair began with lipstick I've been slowly tip-toeing over to the more indulgent beauty brands. It was not only a jump in price going from my trusty MAC lipsticks to their higher end equivalents but it was also a jump in terms of luxury. Okay I'll agree some of the time you're just paying for a swanky tube that looks flash when you apply your lipstick out in public, but the quality of the product itself is certainly there too.

I watched in silent awe other beauty bloggers proudly showing off their Tom Ford lipsticks and for a long while I told myself that it was an excessive amount of money to pay for a lipstick. But on a lonely January morning I found myself searching swatches and blog posts online of Tom Ford lipsticks, and one stood out in particular to me. If you know me, of course it was going to be some sort of red shade. Welcome to my life Tom Ford Wild Ginger.

Wild Ginger is not your classic red lipstick, it is a vibrant almost orangey red on my skin tone and it has the ability to completely brighten up my entire face. This effortlessly takes a look from average to wow in a flash. The application is effortless, with a single swipe over the lips achieving an opaque coverage, of course me being me I still like to go around to make the final touches with a brush - precision is everything! Formula wise I find this very creamy with an almost glossy shine however it doesn't slide around and rub off the second your lips come into contact with something. I'm pleasantly surprised by the wear time given how creamy and comfortable feeling this lipstick is - I get a good 4 hours and sometimes more if I do a bit of blotting.

From the second Wild Ginger came into possession I knew it had already wormed its way up to my favourites. The stunning square black and gold casing with the effortless "TF" give away on the lid - yes this does very quickly rub off of the lipstick bullet itself sadly - all screams luxury. The formula is spot on. The shade is stunning. I love red lipstick and I love orange so this is a heavenly mix of both worlds for me. I'm very pleased to say that Wild Ginger may very well be the best £37 I've spent on a makeup item for a long time. (Until the next one Tom Ford.) Girl better get her butt out to work!

Wearing Tom Ford Wild Ginger Lip Colour

QOTD: What do you think of Wild Ginger? Do you own any Tom Ford lipsticks?

Dementia.

Dementia is an impossibly hard illness to come to terms with. For the individual Dementia degrades every scrap of their very existence, it completely unplugs them from the life they once knew. For the family and people who are left behind Dementia creates a multitude of burdens. There is the burden of slowly and then very suddenly losing that person you knew, comprehending that a lifetime of their memories are gone and nothing is going to bring any of those back. Then there is the burden of having to care for this totally dependent person for the rest of their days.

As weeks go, this was not what I would put down as one of my finest. Its been a battle in the back of my mind that I knew was an unavoidable situation, but until it actually arrived I shut myself away from it. Usually I'm not that kind of girl but this was slightly different. Because next week things will never be the same again for our little family.So much has gone on for the last five years with my Dad's family that my parents have battled arduously with and while these things have indirectly effected me over the years they haven't actually had any major impact on my life, until now. Even writing it down makes me feel so utterly selfish, but its true. And I suppose to my parents things haven't been the same for them in a long while, but so far it hasn't had a direct effect on my life. That is until now.

I'm not afraid of change, but this one has had me scared. Over the last few weeks there has been a dark cloud looming over me, making me emotional, miserable and an unpleasant person for my family to be around I can imagine. Two huge events happen Thursday. We move out of our home. We finally take my Nan in to our family to care for her. And yes it probably won't be as bad as I've worked myself up to expect, but to me it feels like the dynamics of our life as the three of us are going to change forever. That change is as irreversible as the Dementia.

Perhaps it is the uncertainty of the future that is unsettling me? Or the disruption of our lives being put away in boxes once again? My mind is so overcome with negativity and fear at the moment that I can't seem to see a silver lining anywhere. But it will come. It has to.