I know February is a short month but I honestly don't know where this month has gone!  Actually I don't know where the beginning of this year has gone, it seems to have flown.  I have been meaning to do this post since Christmas and although it is a little late now I wanted to do it anyway.  Ted Baker is one of the most beautiful brands and I love their collections they bring out in Boots every Christmas. Their makeup range is so beautiful and such high quality I am saddened by the fact that it is not available all year round, although it does give me something to look forward to at Christmas.  Every Christmas I get something from their makeup range and I think this years has to be my favourite yet.  My boyfriend bought me the Ted Baker Treasure Trove and just look how beautiful it is with that rose gold and white packaging.  Yes, that's right, I'm a sucker for packaging!  But I am happy to say that I love all the products too.  I won't go into too much detail about them as that would make for the longest post ever but I did want to share them with you as I never see much about Ted Baker makeup and I would love for it to get more attention and potentially lead to something a little more permanent than just Christmas gifts.

Firstly is these two lipsticks.  I have to admit I've only really tested the first one, as you can see it is pretty pink and I don't very often wear pink (especially in the winter months) but it has a lovely creamy texture and I can't wait to try it out a bit better in the summer months.  The second one however has quickly become one of my favourites, it is a lovely nude colour and has the nicest formula.  It is really moisturising and has a slight lip balm feel to it, a little like the Rimmel lip butters but with a better colour pay off.

I actually already have one of these lip and cheek tints from the previous Christmas and although it looks a reddish pink when used it is actually a similar colour to the pink lipstick only with a sheerer finish and a touch of sparkle.  I tend to use this on my cheeks more than my lips for a lovely rosy glow.

I always think mascaras can only be judged on what type of look you want to go for... voluminous, lengthening, subtle, dramatic etc.  This mascara is perfect for separating and lengthening lashes, there is no clumping or over dramatic finish which makes it the perfect daytime mascara for me.

If I'm being honest this eyebrow pencil is one of my least favourite products in the Treasure Trove, but mainly because it is a tad too light for my brows and not quite as soft as I like my pencils to be.

Then there is this beautiful little eyeshadow trio in the lovely rose gold packaging with a useful sized mirror.  The eyeshadows are really pigmented and blend beautifully.  There is a subtle everyday taupe, a gorgeous shimmery copper (which is my favourite) and a nice dark matte brown.

This bronze and blush duo is also fast becoming a favourite.  Again it has the beautiful rose gold packaging and the lid rotates to open with a mirror the full size of the lid on the opposite side.  The bronzer is not too dark and has a really nice subtle shimmer to it making it perfect to get a healthy sunkissed glow or for a more subtle contour.  The blush is a beautiful dusky pink, a colour that I never really look at when it comes to blush and I don't know why because it really seems to suit my skin tone.

Finally we have these two nail polishes, which are pretty self explanatory, one is a lovely shade of red and one a pretty pale pink.  Both being one of the most wearable colours, as when I can't decide what to wear I always seem to gravitate towards a red or pink.

The Treasure Trove also contain some beautiful rose gold eyelash curlers, a mini contour brush and an eyeshadow brush, which all do the job they are supplied to do.  If you would like a more in depth review of any of these products just let me know.

Have you tried any Ted Baker makeup products before?

Top - Topshop

Jeans - New Look

Boots - Dorothy Perkins

Necklace Set - Dixi

Rings - Pandora

There are so many posts I have been planning to do over the last few weeks, mainly product posts of things I've been loving recently, but had been struggling to find the time to do them and the longer I left it the harder it got.  The reason for this being that the longer I left it the more I felt like I had to apologise and the explain myself for my lack of presence.  Something that just didn't seem to fit with product reviews, because I didn't want that to be the focus of those posts or for it to make them too long.  Then I'd been really struggling to find a place to take decent outfit pictures to go along with my explanation, and after stressing myself out about my goal to blog more I had to take a step back and evaluate.  Why do I feel guilty when I don't blog regularly?  Why do I feel the need to explain myself?...

I shouldn't feel guilty and I shouldn't have to apologise or explain my absence, and the truth is that none of you probably even expect me to, it's a pressure I've put onto myself, that has in turn made me feel guilty for not posting as regularly as I would have liked to.  I need to realise that this is a blog, if I go a couple of weeks without posting it's not the end of the world and nobody is going to hate me for it.  In my goal to improve my depression and anxiety I also need to learn to cut myself a bit of slack, I have had a tough few weeks and just being able to cope with it is enough in itself.  Although I have just stressed that I don't need to explain myself, this is also my little corner of the internet where I can share how I'm feeling and that's exactly what I'm going to do.  For a while now my Nan has been suffering from dementia but since Christmas she has really gone downhill and is in the final stages.  I have been visiting her in hospital for the past 5 weeks and spending as much time as possible with her.  I have never experienced dementia firsthand before and I have to say I feel for anyone who has had to.  It is a cruel disease and one that I have really struggled to come to terms with in the last few weeks.  My Nan has gone from telling me to "F*** Off" and asking who I am, to telling me she loves me and that she will never forget me.  I'm not going to lie it has been an emotional rollercoaster with lots of tears.  But I also have to say that I feel quite proud of myself for not allowing it to set me back in my anxiety and depression recovery and accepting it for what it is.  Accepting that it's ok to feel sad about it and cry every now and then, it doesn't mean I'm failing.  Whilst writing this post it has also made me realise how far I've come in my recovery, never before would I have been able to admit any of this or feel proud of myself for coping with this struggle.  Before it never would have been enough.

If any of you have experienced this before, my thoughts are with you, it's tough to watch a loved one lose themselves like this.  And also know that you never have to explain yourself to anyone, your life is yours and if it helps to share then share and if it doesn't don't feel guilty for taking a break, I'm sure I'm not the only one that has felt like this.