My MAC Lipstick Collection

After wanting to do this blog post for so long I counted my MAC lipsticks to discover I had 13, which I believe is enough to warrant a MAC lipstick collection post!

I won't ramble on as there's quite a few images!!

Summer Shower - Glaze 

(Basically bought it because it looks like fairy dust!)

MLLE - Glaze 

(Really good for going on top of a lipstick to lighten it)

Hue - Glaze 

(My favourite)

Overtime - Pro Longwear

Gotta Dash! - Sheen Supreme

Velvet Teddy - Matte 

(The famous Velvet Teddy of course has to be in my collection, this and Hue are a match made in heaven!)

Imagine This - Amplified

Whirl - Matte

Stone - Matte

Rebel - Satin 

(An Autumnal favourite)

Prolong - Pro Longwear

Russian Red - Matte

Diva - Matte

(Got to love yourself a red lip or a deep red lip, hence the past three lipsticks)

Those are all of my MAC lipsticks!

What are your favourite MAC lipsticks?

Love El

xxx

9 Tricks to combat a flat mood

You can either wake up in a flat mood or they can come on gradually, either way they SUCK!

Recently I've realised that I tend to wake up in a flat mood rather than getting one gradually, and I've also worked out that my flat moods happen because I'm tired.

There could be many reasons why a flat mood can happen to you but these are some tricks I've found that can help to combat a flat mood.

(I've also just come back after a 2 week holiday by the sea and let's say I'm less than pleased to be back home where there's no ocean in sight, so I'll be using these tips!)

1. The first thing I would say is maybe try and figure out why you're in a flat mood! I have figured out that when I get the occasional "meh" mood it is always because I'm tired!

2. Try and do something you love in every day. Now obviously you won't be feeling flat all the time but my dad recently told me that you should try doing something you absolutely love everyday, whether it's something small or big.

3. If you have a free day then maybe arrange to see a best friend, or partner, or a day out with a family member, sometimes you just need to get up and moving!

4. Sticking with the get up and move theme, maybe just go for a walk around your area or even drive to a place you love and take a wander!

5. Totally contradicting the get up and go, maybe what your body needs is a total relax. I feel that as humans we can sometimes push ourselves very hard and do things that wear us out without realising and so you should take some time (a day, an evening, an hour) and relax.

6. I have a massive love for photography, makeup, baking and creating/changing clothes on my sewing machine, and so if I'm feeling flat then I'll just do one of these. Definitely find an activity you love and embrace it!

7. MUSIC! Music is such a massive help to take your mind off anything, although if your flat mood can make you feel down then I wouldn't recommend sad songs, unless you want to cry it all out! But definitely put on your favourite upbeat music and maybe even have a dance around or belt out the lyrics.

8. Drink plenty of water, and get some fruit and veg in you! Your body will seriously appreciate the nutrients and so will your mind. Of course you should be doing this anyway but definitely on a day where your mind is not quite itself it's important to be eating and drinking the right things.

9. Just embrace the flat day! I find flat days can be caused by a number of reasons but for me specifically it's because I'm tired so just embrace it, feel a bit sorry for yourself and remember it's a bad day NOT a bad life.

Love El

xxx

Very Easy Vegan Raison Flapjack

Yesterday I ended up doing a little bit of spontaneous baking and whipped up these vegan raison flapjacks. There is a whole mix of random ingredients I threw into our family's staple flapjack recipe (yes we have a staple flapjack recipe) and I thought I would share it with you!

The ingredients:

4.5 oz of Brown Caster Sugar

7.5 oz of Butter (I used a vegan butter - Vitalite)

1.5 tbsp of Golden Syrup

12 oz of Oats

As many Raisons as you see fit (I just dolloped a load in, and kept adding after stirring)

1.5 tsp of Flaxseed

1.5 tsp of Cacao Powder

A splash of Soya Vanilla Drink

The baking steps:

First:

Preheat your oven to 180°C and grease a large baking tray.

Melt your sugar, butter and golden syrup in a large saucepan over a low heat.

Second:

Add the oats in a little at a time and keep stirring until they are covered in your sugar, butter and syrup mixture!

Third:

Then add your raisons, flaxseed and cacao powder to the mixture and stir, after stirring I then added more raisons, stirred again and then needed even more raisons!

Then add in a splash of Soya vanilla drink (which is also brilliant for porridge) and stir once more.

Fourth:

Pour and spread you mixture into the baking tray, I pressed the flapjack concoction down using a fork to make sure it was completely even and filled every corner of the tray.

Pop into the oven for 20 mins.

And that's it, it really is so so simple, and you can really alter this recipe however you want to!

Love El

xxx

4 Themed Instagram Profiles You Should Follow (Updated)

I have previously published a post just like this and it went down so well (even made it as a popular post) I thought I would do an updated version!

I am such a sucker for a beautiful Instagram profile with a gorgeous theme, and of course themed Instagram's aren't the b all and end all but these are 4 I think you should follow!

This is my Instagram profile (just if you're interested!):

https://www.instagram.com/elliewillmer/

ZOE PORTIA:

https://www.instagram.com/thewatercolourjar/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4HL3j2MNBW6_aTuaq5Knbw

Zoe's Instagram is such a beautiful boho, natural theme, definitely one to follow for a relaxing, dreamy profile!

I would also highly suggest subscribing to Zoe's YouTube channel, especially if you love What I Ate and haul videos! They are beautifully edited and you will all love her videos a lot!!

ROSIE BEA:

https://www.instagram.com/rosietheginger/

Rosie's theme is very soft and gentle, so lovely to look at with some very Pinterest-y images!

THE GLOW EDIT (KATE ROONEY):

https://www.instagram.com/theglowedit/

Kate's profile is full of beautiful beaches, perfect outfit posts and dream holidays with a very obvious blue/grey tone running through all of her images.

LYDIA ELISE MILLEN:

https://www.instagram.com/lydiaemillen/

Lydia's Instagram has a very clean theme running through her images, and the images are truly perfect from flawless selfies to luxuries items to dream destinations, definitely worth a follow to brighten up your news feed!

Let me know your favourite Instagram profiles below!

Love El

xxx

Investing in a Designer Bag

Now don't get me wrong I definitely don't think I'm the font of all knowledge when it comes to buying designer pieces or handbags, and I definitely haven't bought as many designer bags as others in my 20 years on this world but I did think it could be helpful if I shared the thoughts and queries I had when buying my Mulberry. If you are thinking of buying a designer bag or designer anything then these thoughts could help you.

My Thoughts:

The Price
Keep a budget in mind before buying the product.

Wearability
Is the piece well made? 
Will it last forever, as with a more expensive price tag I believe it should.

Suitability
Will you get enough wear out of the item or will you only wear it once and then discard it. When purchasing a designer item it needs to be a piece you will love, use or wear forever.

Your Style
Does the colour of the piece fit your normal taste?
Will it pair well with the outfits you wear?
Can it be a staple, potentially, everyday item?


Love El
xxx

Stanton Village, The Cotswolds

Another day another beautiful Cotswolds village.

If you've read my blog for a little while you will know I adore The Cotswolds and aspire to live there one day! My mum, dad, uncle, auntie, cousin and I visited the beautiful village of Stanton for some lunch at The Mount Inn and had a walk around. It was a stunning day weather-wise and so I had to take some shots of the immaculate village, and wanted to share a few with you.

(Ps spot the horses and my cousin soaking up the sun in the red check shirt, caught him sunning himself!)

Love El

xxx