Hello 2018!

Despite everything that was going on in the world 2017 was actually a pretty good year for me. I spent the first part of the year interning at ASOS and then in September went back to uni for my final year. I have been on some amazing holidays skiing, Bali, Cornwall and Budapest and had some of the most incredible experiences (being hugged by elephants is definitely up there!). I got my fitness and eating to a place that I am really happy with, its not perfect, but it makes me feel good and I actually enjoy going to the gym now! I went to a dermatologist and now my skin is the best that it has ever been. And I even found the time to read multiple actual novels! All in all I am looking back at my 2017 and smiling at all I have accomplished.

2018 is set to be a pretty big year for me too. This year I will graduate, leaving full time education forever. I will start my first actual job at ASOS working as a Buyer's Administrator. I am going to New York for the first time ever! And I will turn 22, which for some reason sounds so much older than 21. Basically, I am going to end 2018 as a proper adult with a job fending for myself in the actual real world! It's a scary and exciting thought. Although as I sit here writing this, procrastinating from revision of my January exams I feel like I am ready.

For Christmas my parents bought me this beautiful 5 year diary. Each day you write a sentence and by the end of the 5 years you can look back at what you did on that day for the previous four years. It's a beautiful idea that I am so excited to start, and as someone who has never kept a diary before I think that a line a day should be manageable. I have decided that I am going to keep this diary honest, which means that not every day is going to be perfect. If I have a rubbish day I am going to write it down, because that's just life. And it might be interesting to see what I wasted my time worrying about 5 years ago!

So here's to the next year and everything that it has to offer. Speak soon xx

 

 

Accessorize Sale Picks

If I'm honest I haven't really done very much sale shopping, particularly for someone who loves shopping as much as I do! December sort of bled me dry and I've got a few holidays planned for next year which I am trying to save for. But last weekend I just couldn't walk past the huge sale signs in the window of Accessorize. So I popped in and emerged about 20 minutes laters with some lovely picks that I thought I would share.

The first, and my favourite is this beautiful double chain necklace from the Z by Accessorize collection. I absolutely love how delicate and expensive this looks, especially as with 70% off it really wasn't.

I think this would look beautiful just with an undone white shirt for an effortless but expensive look.

The next thing that I got was a bit of a boring purchase but I always need these! I really like to style my hair half clipped up so these grips work perfectly for that as they can hold more hair than bobby pins. And for only £1 I couldn't really go wrong!

I also couldn't resist this delicate rose gold heart necklace as in the sale in came to £1.50. And this would perfectly complement the rose gold and pink Cluse watch that I bought for Christmas.

And finally...I bought chocker! I know what you are thinking, they're probably old news now. But I never really felt like they suited me or my style, particularly the thicker velvet ones. But this one is so simple and delicate that you can barely tell its there. I really like to layer it up with a few other gold necklaces for a slightly bohemian look.

So there you have it, a few little picks from the Accessorize sale. There are probably going to be a few more little hauls coming up here and there as I have got some lovely things recently that I really want to share with you!

Speak soon xx

January Favourites

January Favourites 

 

 

The fact that my monthly favourites appear to have a slight colour scheme makes me very happy! So the first month of 2016 is over and I have a few new favourites as well as some old loves to share with you.

 

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette 

In December is was all about the gold eyeshadow and red lips, so this month I have really been enjoying something a bit more natural. These pinky, rose gold shades as so pretty and are getting me in the mood for some pretty Valentines Day makeup! Also the dark purple shade looks great as a smokey eyeliner along the top lash line to really make brown eye pop. 

 

Sanctuary Spa Velvety Hand Cream

Just like lip balms I have so many different hand creams in different bags and all over my bedroom. However this one is by far my favourite. I find that a lot of hand creams just make my hands feel greasy and then dry again an hour later. This one smells lovely and is really so moisturising. Probably going to have to repurchase this when it runs out, which doesn't happen very often. 

 

Rimmel London Wake Me Up Concealer 

I'm never really loyal to a concealer as I still don't think I have found the perfect one. However of all the ones I have tried I think this is my favourite. It's my perfect shade right now and feels so light on my skin. The only think is I wish it was a little bit thicker for a little more coverage. Back to uni and the bags under my eyes are already so bad...

 

bareMinerals Powder Foundation 

I think a mix of alcohol and lots of chocolate made my skin very unhappy this Christmas. So I wore more foundation to cover it all up and then it got worse so the cycle continued. After my exams in January I went home and was makeup free for almost a week. My skin cleared up a lot and now I have been really enjoying wearing something a lot lighter. I stopped wearing this a few months ago as the shade I had was way too dark once I lost my Summer tan. However this new pot is the perfect colour and feels just like skin. 

 

Essie Urban Jungle 

This was one of the Essie nail polishes that I got in my stocking for Christmas. It's such a lovely of white shade that looks so pretty with every outfit. And of course, Essie just do the best nail polish formula. 

 

Maybelline Cream Blush - Shade 02 

I bought this a while back and loved it so I don't really know why I stopped using it. But recently I have really got back into using this to achieve a lovely healthy glow. It's such a pretty shade that will be perfect for Spring. 

 

Olivia Palermo for Ciaté London Lipstick - Praline

I only acutally got this right at the end of January but I had to include it as I have worn it pretty much everyday since. It is such a beautiful natural shade and has a really velvety texture. 

 

Hope everyone had a lovely start to 2016! And with Pancake Day next week and then Valentines Day after that there is so much to look forward to! Speak soon xx

January Favourites

January Favourites 

The fact that my monthly favourites appear to have a slight colour scheme makes me very happy! So the first month of 2016 is over and I have a few new favourites as well as some old loves to share with you.

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette 

In December is was all about the gold eyeshadow and red lips, so this month I have really been enjoying something a bit more natural. These pinky, rose gold shades as so pretty and are getting me in the mood for some pretty Valentines Day makeup! Also the dark purple shade looks great as a smokey eyeliner along the top lash line to really make brown eye pop. 

Sanctuary Spa Velvety Hand Cream

Just like lip balms I have so many different hand creams in different bags and all over my bedroom. However this one is by far my favourite. I find that a lot of hand creams just make my hands feel greasy and then dry again an hour later. This one smells lovely and is really so moisturising. Probably going to have to repurchase this when it runs out, which doesn't happen very often. 

Rimmel London Wake Me Up Concealer 

I'm never really loyal to a concealer as I still don't think I have found the perfect one. However of all the ones I have tried I think this is my favourite. It's my perfect shade right now and feels so light on my skin. The only think is I wish it was a little bit thicker for a little more coverage. Back to uni and the bags under my eyes are already so bad...

bareMinerals Powder Foundation 

I think a mix of alcohol and lots of chocolate made my skin very unhappy this Christmas. So I wore more foundation to cover it all up and then it got worse so the cycle continued. After my exams in January I went home and was makeup free for almost a week. My skin cleared up a lot and now I have been really enjoying wearing something a lot lighter. I stopped wearing this a few months ago as the shade I had was way too dark once I lost my Summer tan. However this new pot is the perfect colour and feels just like skin. 

Essie Urban Jungle 

This was one of the Essie nail polishes that I got in my stocking for Christmas. It's such a lovely of white shade that looks so pretty with every outfit. And of course, Essie just do the best nail polish formula. 

Maybelline Cream Blush - Shade 02 

I bought this a while back and loved it so I don't really know why I stopped using it. But recently I have really got back into using this to achieve a lovely healthy glow. It's such a pretty shade that will be perfect for Spring. 

Olivia Palermo for Ciaté London Lipstick - Praline

I only acutally got this right at the end of January but I had to include it as I have worn it pretty much everyday since. It is such a beautiful natural shade and has a really velvety texture. 

Hope everyone had a lovely start to 2016! And with Pancake Day next week and then Valentines Day after that there is so much to look forward to! Speak soon xx

January Favourites

January Favourites 

I don't really have very many favourites this month due to a mix of exams, being ill and not wanting to wear a lot of makeup. But I do have a few new things to share that I have really been loving this month. 

Too Faced Boudoir Eyes Palette
I was lucky enough to get this palette for Christmas after wanted it for ages and if definitely has not disappointed. The nine colours are so beautiful and can be mixed and matched for both daytime and evening. I don't want to talk too much about the palette as I have a whole post coming soon. 

Clinique Chubby Stick in Two Ton Tomato
This is another product that I had wanted to try for ages. And after spending ages decided which colour I wanted to try I chose this one. It looks like a really bright red but I like to apply it over a lip balm so it is a lot more sheer and natural. It's great for an everyday red as it is not too bold but it adds a nice fresh pop of colour. 

Topshop Nail Polish in Buff
I remember writing a post a few months ago about desperately looking for a really pale blue almost white nail polish. I finally found this one a few weeks later but when I first tried it I found that I didn't really get along too well wit the actual nail polish formula. I found it thick and gloopy. This sat in my nail polish box for a while but this month I picked it up and tried it again, and this time loved it. I must have just applied too much product last time as this time I just did two quite thin coats and it looked really lovely. The colour is beautiful and looks gorgeous with a few silver of gold rings. I know this is going to be such a Spring staple for me. 

Imperial Leather Shower Gel 
Being a student shower is not going to be something that I splash out on. The days of my favourite Body Shop gels are long gone and now it is just whatever is cheapest or on offer. Thankfully this was an offer that I spotted in Boots and I just love the formula and the scent. It's fresh but not fruity or overpowering and it lathers up really nicely. I hope this stays on offer as it was such a nice treat after a couple of cheap and nasty shower gels! 

Nivea Lip Butter Original 
Suffering from both types of cold this month (the weather and the illness) meant that my lips were incredible dry. I swap lip balms regularly, almost depending on my mood. But this month this is what I have been using. It's simple, effective and just does the job. It's also unscented as I wanted to save all my pretty smelling lip balms for when I recover my sense of smell! 

January Favourites

January Favourites 

I don't really have very many favourites this month due to a mix of exams, being ill and not wanting to wear a lot of makeup. But I do have a few new things to share that I have really been loving this month. 

Too Faced Boudoir Eyes Palette
I was lucky enough to get this palette for Christmas after wanted it for ages and if definitely has not disappointed. The nine colours are so beautiful and can be mixed and matched for both daytime and evening. I don't want to talk too much about the palette as I have a whole post coming soon. 

Clinique Chubby Stick in Two Ton Tomato
This is another product that I had wanted to try for ages. And after spending ages decided which colour I wanted to try I chose this one. It looks like a really bright red but I like to apply it over a lip balm so it is a lot more sheer and natural. It's great for an everyday red as it is not too bold but it adds a nice fresh pop of colour. 

Topshop Nail Polish in Buff
I remember writing a post a few months ago about desperately looking for a really pale blue almost white nail polish. I finally found this one a few weeks later but when I first tried it I found that I didn't really get along too well wit the actual nail polish formula. I found it thick and gloopy. This sat in my nail polish box for a while but this month I picked it up and tried it again, and this time loved it. I must have just applied too much product last time as this time I just did two quite thin coats and it looked really lovely. The colour is beautiful and looks gorgeous with a few silver of gold rings. I know this is going to be such a Spring staple for me. 

Imperial Leather Shower Gel 
Being a student shower is not going to be something that I splash out on. The days of my favourite Body Shop gels are long gone and now it is just whatever is cheapest or on offer. Thankfully this was an offer that I spotted in Boots and I just love the formula and the scent. It's fresh but not fruity or overpowering and it lathers up really nicely. I hope this stays on offer as it was such a nice treat after a couple of cheap and nasty shower gels! 

Nivea Lip Butter Original 
Suffering from both types of cold this month (the weather and the illness) meant that my lips were incredible dry. I swap lip balms regularly, almost depending on my mood. But this month this is what I have been using. It's simple, effective and just does the job. It's also unscented as I wanted to save all my pretty smelling lip balms for when I recover my sense of smell! 

January Favourites

January Favourites 

This is my first ever monthly favourites, and hopefully the first of many. I have started trying out a few new products this month but for many of them, particularly skin care I wanted to keep using for a bit longer before giving my opinion. But these are the things that have really stood out for me this month. Hope you all had a lovely January. 

Urban Decay Naked Palette 2 
I seem to have got so much use of this in January, not just for evenings out but also for everyday. I have finally broken out of my "this is expensive so I should only use this on special occasions" and it feels good! For my detailed blogpost on this palette click here. 

Body Shop Shea Butter Lip Balm 
My lips got so dry this month and this is the product that saved them. It's so moisturising and it smells amazing. Plus I was wearing it like a nude lip colour and it never left any creases or lines on my lips. 

Body Shop Vitamin C Daily Moisturiser SPF 30
I had been looking for a daily suncream that wouldn't be too greasy or make me breakout for a while. This one works really well and doesn't make my skin look white at all. I'm not totally in love with the smell but it works so I don't mind. 

Boots Tea Tree Witch Hazel Pore Nose Strips
These are amazing. And I only remembered how much I love them when I used them for my huge pamper evening. They really do get rid of the yucky stuff that builds up around your nose, but you do need to use a little bit of moisturiser afterwards. 

Boots Build Up Removal Expert Shampoo
While I do love all of my Aussie products I was looking for something that would really get rid of all the products and grease that build up in my hair. This does the job perfectly without leaving my hair feeling stripped or dry. I used it every 1-2 weeks and for under £3 it is a total bargain. 

Collect Deluxe Lipstick in 03 Charleston 
I wanted a natural looking slightly brown tinted lipstick that I could wear with a brown smokey eye look. I found this one in Superdrug for £3 and decided to give it a go, not really to see if the product would be good but to see if the colour would even suit me before I splurged. But this was a lovely surprise. I can look past the horrible cheap packaging becuase the lipstick itself is so lovely and smooth and glossy. This was such a bargain! 

CALA Angled Contour Brush
I got this for Christmas in my stocking and have used this everyday since. I use this to define my cheek bones with my Rimmel bronzer and love the look this gives. The brush is so smooth and I will definitely be looking into this brand more for makeup brushes.  

And finally I wasn't sure if I could count this but it is more of an obsession than a favourite. One day I was scrolling through Netflix and decided to give Vampire Diaries a go. Next thing I know I've watched the whole of Season 1 in a week! Not only are Damon and Stefan absolutely gorgeous but the storyline is so tense and really makes you want to keep watching. I'm having to limit the amount of episodes I'm allowed to watch now before my A levels begin to suffer! 

So let me know in the comments down below what you have been loving this month. And bring on February, with a little less rain please! 

January Favourites

January Favourites 

This is my first ever monthly favourites, and hopefully the first of many. I have started trying out a few new products this month but for many of them, particularly skin care I wanted to keep using for a bit longer before giving my opinion. But these are the things that have really stood out for me this month. Hope you all had a lovely January. 

Urban Decay Naked Palette 2 
I seem to have got so much use of this in January, not just for evenings out but also for everyday. I have finally broken out of my "this is expensive so I should only use this on special occasions" and it feels good! For my detailed blogpost on this palette click here. 

Body Shop Shea Butter Lip Balm 
My lips got so dry this month and this is the product that saved them. It's so moisturising and it smells amazing. Plus I was wearing it like a nude lip colour and it never left any creases or lines on my lips. 

Body Shop Vitamin C Daily Moisturiser SPF 30
I had been looking for a daily suncream that wouldn't be too greasy or make me breakout for a while. This one works really well and doesn't make my skin look white at all. I'm not totally in love with the smell but it works so I don't mind. 

Boots Tea Tree Witch Hazel Pore Nose Strips
These are amazing. And I only remembered how much I love them when I used them for my huge pamper evening. They really do get rid of the yucky stuff that builds up around your nose, but you do need to use a little bit of moisturiser afterwards. 

Boots Build Up Removal Expert Shampoo
While I do love all of my Aussie products I was looking for something that would really get rid of all the products and grease that build up in my hair. This does the job perfectly without leaving my hair feeling stripped or dry. I used it every 1-2 weeks and for under £3 it is a total bargain. 

Collect Deluxe Lipstick in 03 Charleston 
I wanted a natural looking slightly brown tinted lipstick that I could wear with a brown smokey eye look. I found this one in Superdrug for £3 and decided to give it a go, not really to see if the product would be good but to see if the colour would even suit me before I splurged. But this was a lovely surprise. I can look past the horrible cheap packaging becuase the lipstick itself is so lovely and smooth and glossy. This was such a bargain! 

CALA Angled Contour Brush
I got this for Christmas in my stocking and have used this everyday since. I use this to define my cheek bones with my Rimmel bronzer and love the look this gives. The brush is so smooth and I will definitely be looking into this brand more for makeup brushes.  

And finally I wasn't sure if I could count this but it is more of an obsession than a favourite. One day I was scrolling through Netflix and decided to give Vampire Diaries a go. Next thing I know I've watched the whole of Season 1 in a week! Not only are Damon and Stefan absolutely gorgeous but the storyline is so tense and really makes you want to keep watching. I'm having to limit the amount of episodes I'm allowed to watch now before my A levels begin to suffer! 

So let me know in the comments down below what you have been loving this month. And bring on February, with a little less rain please! 

Wishlist #1

Wishlist #1

Nude Lace Top Pleat Dress - ASOS

Lara Leaf Gold Sandals  - Accessorize

5X Rid Pretty Stud Pack - Accessorize

Botanics body brush - Boots 

Hors d'oeuvres Nail Polish - Essie

Playa del platinum Nail Polish - Essie

Wishlist #1

Wishlist #1

Nude Lace Top Pleat Dress - ASOS

Lara Leaf Gold Sandals  - Accessorize

5X Rid Pretty Stud Pack - Accessorize

Botanics body brush - Boots 

Hors d'oeuvres Nail Polish - Essie

Playa del platinum Nail Polish - Essie