- Image from WeHeartIt -

At the very beginning of this year I posted about my new years resolutions and I thought since it's been almost half a year (ALREADY?!) I'd take a look back and see how well I've done. 

1. Drink More Water: 

I'd say that I've definitely been doing well with this so far this year, I keep a glass constantly topped up by my bed and have taken to carrying a water bottle with me when I'm out and about so I don't get too dehydrated. I've also started to notice more when I'm thirsty whereas before I was so used to not having any water in my system that I didn't even notice how thirsty I was. A definite improvement and I've found that you feel much better about yourself when you know you're looking after yourself and part of that is drinking enough water.

2. Making Time For Breakfast: 

This one has been a little up and down, I started off so well having a good breakfast every day. But then the rush to get ready in the morning took over and breakfast was soon replaced by a quick snack during my break, which isn't really the same. Lately, though, I have been getting back on track and I've started being sure to have some breakfast in the mornings. So, both good and bad for this one but still I'll keep trying with it because breakfast is the most important meal of the day after all.

3. Relax!:

Oh how naive I was telling myself that I was going to be able to keep calm and not stress this year. I certainly picked a silly year for it, finishing off my A Levels (which I certainly underestimated the difficulty of), applying for University offers, then sorting out student finance, job hunting as well as a few unexpected personal things that popped up have certainly made this year one to remember, but it hasn't made it possible to stop and relax. I'll try very hard over the Summer to keep calm but so far I've definitely failed with this one. It's been a stressful year for sure!

What about you? What were your resolutions, and how have they been coming along, fizzled out by the end of January or still going strong? Let me know in the comments.

xxx 

Current Drugstore/Highstreet Wishlist:

I did a similar post to this not too long ago using high end products, but this time we're giving the drugstore a go. I'm a big list keeper and love to stay organised so when it came to putting this post together I simply opened my little book of lists and picked out some drugstore products.

1. Sleek Contour Kit - I have wanted this for years and years (no exaggeration) I'm a big fan of contouring and would love to try out more from Sleek as a brand in general, I rarely hear anything negative about them, and this product in particular comes highly recommended. 
2. Topshop Lipstick in Infared - I'm trying to get more into lipstick lately because my collection is pretty limited. I also don't really own a bright coral lipstick so why not try one out from Topshop? All the other makeup I've tried from them has been great, so fingers crossed if I get my hands on this it won't dissapoint.
3. Boujois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick - I'm not too fussed about the colour with this one, I just know that Anna (ViviannaDoesMakeup) has made me want one of these so badly from watching her videos. Also I'm a big fan of bright lips lately and these look immensely pigmented.
4. Real Techniques Setting Brush - I always set my face because I like my makeup to last as long as possible, but I've been using an old scratchy brush to do it for years and it would be nice to get a nice brush that's actually made for setting makeup. Plus you can't get much better than Real Techniques when it comes to brushes.
5. VO5 Miracle Concentrate Elixir with Argan Oil - As I'm sure many of you know I'm getting more and more into haircare lately and I'm trying to grow it. So keeping the ends as healthy and shiny as they can be should mean each time I get it cut I won't have to get too much cut off. We all know argan oil is super good for the hair and this is much cheaper than the higher end brands of haircare using argan oil.
6. The Body Shop Aloe Vera Body Butter - Who isn't a fan of the body butters? They're amazing for the skin, have cute packaging and smell just lovely. An Aloe Vera one sounds like it would be really kind and gentle to the skin and do it some real good, which is perfect for Summer as you want something light (as aloe vera products usually are) and does a good job.
7. Maybelline Fit Me Concealer - I love my Collection concealer but I've been looking for something a little lighter and creamier for under my eyes, but still with high coverage, which is what I've heard this is. It's also always nice to break out of the bubble of using the same products all the time and try something new out.

Well that's all for this post, but what about you? Has there been any products on the highstreet that have caught your eye lately? Let me know in the comments because I always love finding out about new products. 

See you all again soon 

xxx

Empties #4:

It's that's time again. I've letting my empty bottles and tubes build up and now it's time to give you some little reviews of the products I've finished up.

First things first this is the Beauticology shower gel in Cherry Candy Cane. If you saw my Christmas post then you'll know I got this for Christmas. I'm glad I did because it lathers up so nicely and makes really nice soft feeling bubbles, which leaves your skin super soft. The smell is amazing too, I'm not quite sure where the candy cane comes in to it but you can really smell the cherry. If you like cherry bakewells then you'd love it because it smells exactly the same.

The next thing is the Rimmel Match Perfection. This has been flying around people's blogs and Youtube channels of late and I know why. It replaced my 2 or 3 year long love for Healthy Mix, which I do still love but prefer this at the moment. It has such a good coverage and gets rid of any redness or darker areas, but is super light weight in feeling and leaves a nice dewy effect to the skin. The only negative is that you can't use it for photography because it has an SPF in it. I would definitely repurchase this though.

Another part of the Beauticology set I got for Christmas was the Pink Peppermint body lotion, I used this all over my body and then towards the end of its use when I had started to move on to other moisturisers I kept it by my bed to use as a hand cream at night. The smell was very true to the name a sweet peppermint, and it felt very cooling so you could use it on your feet too. It was a very thin consistency and so doesn't moisturise too well but it sinks in nicely.

This next product featured in a very old post of mine (here) and I've finally worked my way through it all. You should all know by now that I'm a huge Soap & Glory fan and the Heel Genius foot cream is no exception. Everything I said in the other post about loving it and it doing my feet wonders still stands, and I think it would be nice to pick up now it's getting warmer too because I don't know about you but I'm on my feet much more in Summer than any other time of the year.

Last but not least comes this Garnier Fresh Essential Refreshing Gel Wash. This had it's own first impressions and I said there that I would give it a more indepth review when I'd used it all up. I still love the smell and the fact it made my skin feel really fresh and clean. However, on the other hand, I didn't like the fact it sometimes dried out my face a little and made my skin feel quite tight.  It claims to have purifying agents which I do agree with but to a little bit too much of an extent for me to use everyday. I probably would repurchase this but only to use every other day or so to clarify my skin.

I hope you enjoyed this post I really like putting together empties posts so I hope you like reading them.

xxx

18th Birthday Celebrations, Outfit & Haul:

On, the 19th of May I celebrated my 18th birthday. That's right I'm officially an adult now! Hmmm, doesn't mean I have to start acting like one though ;) I've been looking forward to this for a very long time especially with exams coming thick and fast, it was nice to take a day or so off and just relax with my family and have some fun.

 

 

We had the celebration in an absolutely gorgeous restaurant that my family loves, my mum and dad hired out the private room, of course Myles came too as pictured. My lovely birthday cake was one giant brownie that my mum had specially made! She knows her daughter very well indeed! My Mum and one of my aunts also decorated the room beautifully with balloons and decorations, which was a nice extra surprise. 

 

As for presents I got this wine glass (which will probably be filled with cider as I don't drink wine) and I took all of my pretty balloons home.

My little cousin got me a cute little 18 teddy, which is super cute and super soft! Also two of my friends made me lots of lovely oreo brownies! They know what I like! 

As part of a running joke about my love for quirky or different hats as well as my tendency to put on a bit of a west country accent, my parents got me a flat cap. As well as this my dad took the time to do this gorgeous painted calligraphy of my all time favourite quote! Isn't it beautiful?

Of course, I had to get something Disney related, this is a little figurine of Marie from the Aristocats, which is sitting proudly on my bookshelf. Speaking of books (smooth transition there) I'd mentioned wanting to read both Coraline and Stardust as I love the films, which it turns out were both written by Neil Gaiman, and so I got those as well as two more of his books American Gods and The Graveyard Book. I've still not had a chance to read the books I got for Christmas what with A Levels taking over so I've got plenty to work through come the summer holidays.

Now if you follow my Pinterest boards, then this present needs no explanation, but quite simply I am beyond obsessed with Sherlock! So all three series is an absolute dream come true. Back to Disney, the music from Frozen is undeniably fun and catchy so I was very happy to be given the soundtrack and I certainly know what will be in the background of revision sessions for the foreseeable future. 

My Mum chose out this 18 pandora charm to add to my collection, she chose to get one that dangles as I've only got one other dangling charm so it will help tie it together. I'm also going to be working through this cute bag of sweets that she took the time to put together and put on everyone's table seat.

My aunt got me this beautiful heart bracelet, and Myles picked me up these stunning flowers with colours that match my newly decorated bedroom exactly. (Room tour asap I promise.) But that isn't all he got me of course, he's paid for a surprise week in Brighton in a lovely hotel and on one of the days we'll be having Afternoon Tea and going to a spa! Which I'm already extremely excited about and have created a countdown on my computer. It will be something nice to focus on to keep me from going insane whilst revising.

I got two things from Topshop too, the first is this gorgeous scalloped crop top which is quite floaty and so will be getting a nice lot of wear, especially as after literally months of almost 0 degrees weather Britain finally seems to be seeing some sun! Also these, dungarees as I've wanted a pair for years!

Mostly I got a lot of spending money from family members because they all knew I would need it for Brighton, I'm sensing a big haul coming already.

On to the outfit, hair and makeup; I started with a shower. I'm not going to include pictures of my products otherwise this would be the longest post in the world, but in the shower I used the new Herbal Essences Moroccan My Shine Shampoo & Conditioner and Nspa Coconut Daily Fresh Scrub. Out of the shower I topped up my tan using Garnier SummerBody and used Nspa Raspberry Rich Body Butter on my hands and feet. For the face, I used my St. Ives Invigorating face scrub, The Body Shop Sumptuous Camomile Cleansing Butter, Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water, Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic Spritz and finally The Body Shop Vitamin E Moisture Cream. 

Next came the hair, I used Phil Smith's Total Treat Argan Oil then blow dried and straightened my hair using the VO5 Heat protect Styling Spray and smoothed everything over with Loreal Ever Sleek Serum. As for the outfit the dress is from Topshop and both shoes pictured (here and above) are Primark. 

Finally the makeup, I used Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation, Collection Lasting Perfection concealer, topped off with Rimmel Stay Matte powder, MUA bronzer. I used a Topshop cream blush in Head Over Heels and Highlight in Polished. Then for eyes I used Halfbaked, Buck & Smog from the Naked palette and Dope & Toxic from the Vice 2 palette. Sticking with Urban Decay I used their 24/7 liner in Zero then Eyelure Girls Aloud Lashes in Kimberly. 

I'm sorry this was such a long post but I had a lot to talk about, I have my prom coming up soon too so there may well be another one of these on the way. I hope you enjoyed nonetheless. I'll see you all next time! 

xxx

*REUPLOAD - WAS MYSTERIOUSLY DELETED*

Top 10 Bucket List:

*image from WeHeartIt*

I thought it was time for another personal post today because I feel like it's a while since I've done one. We all have bucket lists whether they be literal written out lists or simply dreams that we like to think of when our mind wanders. These things are in no particular order I'm just writing things down as they come to me.

1. Go to Paris:

From everything I've seen in videos, films and pictures Paris looks like the most beautiful of places. As well as this I'm a real sucker for tourist attractions like the Eiffel tower, I also love finding little quiet places on holiday and I think Paris would have a nice mixture of the two. It's definitely on my list to go to the lovers bridge and leave a padlock on it. Not only this but what kind of girl would I be if I didn't want to have a wander round some lovely French pharmacies and shops?! 

2. To Do Charity Work in Underprivileged Areas:

I cry every time I watch Red Nose Day or Sports Relief and I'm fully aware that I lead a very lucky and privileged life. I don't think it's fair at all to live such a nice life without trying to help others and I think there's a difference between holding cake sales, buying T-shirts and being sure to always grab a copy of the Big Issue whenever you have loose change on you and doing some proper hard charity work and seeing the other side of things. Not only would I love to do this work to help others but I know it would be an amazing experience and could help me to be truly grateful for what I have.

3. Make the Most of University:

A part of this will probably be by doing charity work whilst I'm there but as well as that I'd really like to make the most of the experience as a whole. I've always been a very dependant person and rely on my parents and school to look after me, tell me what I'm doing when and help me. Now I know at University I'll still have help where I need it but I definitely want to use University to become a much more confident and independent person. I've been working on it for the past year really hard but I think these three years are what will really help me become an adult. I'm determined to force myself into things I usually wouldn't and some extra-curricular activities.

4. Become More Fit:

This one seems strange because (not to come across as braggy) but when looking at me I know I'm not overweight, but I am extremely unfit. I'm the kind of person that can't even run up the stairs or walk up a hill without getting a little out of breath and it's something I really want to work on. The problem is I cannot stand sport, especially competitive sport. I do however,  have a real enjoyment for yoga and aerobics and used to be in a club at my school before it got cancelled. Lately I've been thinking of joining a gym purely for those classes and to get my fitness levels up again. 

5. Grow My Hair Much Longer:

When I straighten my hair it hits the middle of my ribs at the moment, sadly my hair is most definitely not straight naturally and falls into quite tight ringlets. Which means that it looks like my hair is just past my shoulders when really it's much longer. Years and years ago I had super long and straight hair naturally. It was so long that I could sit on it but then puberty hit and I decided to get all rebellious and cut it all crazy short to follow my jawline. To this day I don't know what has happened to it since but it has become naturally curly instead of straight. Nevertheless I'm determined to grow it as long as  I can and keep it in the best condition possible.

6. Spend Some Time in Brighton:

I've heard nothing but lovely things about Brighton and from what I've seen of the Pier, The Lanes and all the adorable little shops and beaches around there it looks like the kind of place that is right up my alley. It seems to have just the right mix of busy town like things to do and quiet peaceful places to relax and get away from it all.

7. Take a First Holiday Without My Parents:

Now, don't get me wrong I love my family and going on holiday with them but I think it's another big part of growing up to take your first holiday away with someone else. I have no idea where I'd want this to be or when (possibly Brighton?!) but I know I'd love to go soon, purely for the experience.

8. Go to America:

It looks like such an amazing place, and lets face it everyone has grown up watching films based in the big hustle and bustle of America. The shopping, the tourist attractions, the hot weather what more could someone ask for? Especially having been born and raised in rainy old Britain. I love Britain I truly do rain and all but it is nice when it lets up every now and again.

9.  Get the Feeling I've Really Pushed Myself:

I'd love to do something totally adventurous like climb a mountain or something like that. I can imagine just a huge sense of achievement stood on the top of a mountain or something similar and being able to look around and feel like you're on top of the world. There has to be some amazing feeling that comes with that to look around and think, yeah, I've done that.

10. Know How to Drive:

I'm taking lessons at the time of writing this but because I'm planning these posts so far in advance what with my A Levels taking full control, so I don't know quite how far into it I'd be when this post comes out but I really do want to be able to drive. Not only would it hold a huge sense of accomplishment for me (especially as I'm someone who seriously lacks hand eye coordination) but I'd love the freedom of being able to just hop in a car and going wherever I needed to without having to ask for lifts or plan it with my parents before hand. My mum and dad have both always been lovely about taking me places and last minute can I go round so and so's houses, but to not have to ask them would be very nice.

40's Inspired Makeup

Ok, first of all yes I am wearing my boyfriend's T-shirt but let's look past that ;). I've been obsessed with the 40's era since I was very young and we started learning about WWII in school. Don't ask me why but it's really stuck with me and I find it so interesting. I also adore the make up hence this post, I've tried to stick to it as much as possible but I did go a little thicker with the eyeliner than most of the pictures I was looking at.

I started off with a nice pale base and powdered to make it matte. The eyebrows I saw in the pictures were pretty similar to mine a little rounded at the top and fairly full so I didn't do much different to my usual routine there, I put plenty of pink blush all over my cheeks with a very minimal amount of contouring under the cheek bone and a tiny bit of highlight. The eyeshadow was very simple just a light brown and then a darker brown through the crease. Then, of course it wouldn't be a 40's look without some winged liner, but mainly clean along the bottom of the line. Last but not least the pop of bright red along the lip. I love this look and I think I may try and push my confidence more and wear it out at the next opportunity. 

I sent this picture to my friends when I finished doing my make up and it was silly enough that I wanted to put it up here too! 

What do you think about the look and what's your favourite makeup era? Let me know in the comments! 

xxx

Current Highend Wishlist:

MAC Studio Fix Fluid 

I've been in want of a higher coverage foundation for a long time and having tried out a sample not long ago I'd really love to get a full sized bottle and give a much more in depth try, as well as this I think it would come in very useful for blog looks.

Black Ice Watch

Don't ask me why but I've always liked the look of this watch, it's nothing like my usual style but I was really drawn to it. I hope to pick one up one day especially as black is such a classic colour and it can go with almost any outfit.

Benefit's The POREfessional

Everyone seems to either love or hate this primer, and having been in need of a new primer for a long time I'd really like to give this a go and see which side of the argument I'd land on.

Vans

I've gone for pink ones in the picture but I'm really not too bothered about the colour if I ever do get a pair. I just think it would be nice to have a pair to make a difference from wearing Converse most days. They also look really comfortable and lets face it a girl can never have too many shoes.

Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream

This seems to be a part of every girls beauty collection and I definitely want it to be a part of mine. From reading the bottle it claims to be of use with everything from hands and cuticles to lips or elbows. I'd really love to give this a go and see if or where it works well for me.

Redken Extreme Shampoo and Conditioner

I'm a huge fan of Sara from Swalkermakeup and have been for years, a long time ago now she did a hair care routine video where she had what was possibly the shiniest hair I had ever seen on a woman, in the video she said she used this shampoo and conditioner set. Ever since then I've been desperate to get my hands on it, and still am.

That's all for my highend wishlist, but if you'd like this to be a regular thing or if you'd like to see a highstreet edition of this post then let me know in the comments.

xxx

First Impressions: GOSH Show Me Volume Mascara:

I've never really used anything from GOSH before, I've always liked the look of the brand and have a few eyeshadows from them that I like using but in terms of choosing things for myself on the highstreet I always tend to lean towards other brands.

I picked this mascara up not too long ago and thought I'd use it to get back into doing First Impressions again. 

The packaging feels very lightweight when you hold it and in my opinion it does look quite low end with the brand name written all over it in gold, but it's what's on the inside that counts. So, as for the brush my first impressions of it were that it was massive!  About the size of my eye, which I found made it a little tricky to keep my eyelids clean when I was applying the product. 

The consistency of the product was almost a strange mixture of very wet (as with all new mascaras) and yet almost dry and flaky too. I know this is supposed to be a fist impressions but I did find that with a few uses it began to dry very harshly and flake down the face a little.

Before

After

As you can see it does provide a fair amount of volume whilst still separating the lashes nicely. This picture was taken after a good few coats and so you can see it doesn't clump up very much at all.

All in all a good mascara so far and I definitely intend to continue to use it as it really seems to do a good job.

xxx

John Frieda 3 Day Straight (Day by Day) Review:

I'm sure by now you all know that I have extremely curly hair and as much as I like it I do get annoyed that I put so much effort into growing it and yet it looks about 5 inches shorter than it actually is. When I want my hair to look long I straighten it, and I always use some sort of treatment in it that claims to help it stay straight for as long as possible because as we all know you shouldn't use heat on your hair too often. Lately what I've been reaching for is John Frieda's 3 Day Straight.

I thought it was high time I gave it a review seeing as it's been in my hair care collection for a year or so now.

To start off I'll tell you what you need to do. Just wash your hair as normal, spray a little of this through the lengths of the hair then blow dry and straighten it. I'm going to use this and this alone over the next three days and see how well it stands up to it's claim of keeping you "three days straight".

Day 1:

As you can see my hair is totally poker straight and very shiny. Which are huge benefits, I do think a fair amount of the shine comes from my own hair because I do try to take good care of it but I think the product added some shine. In terms of the use of the product itself, I can tell you from experience that if you spray too much then your hair can feel a little sticky and look slightly greasy. Overall, day one is always my favourite because your hair is super straight, soft and shiny.

Day 2:

For me this is still very straight but as you can see a few of my usual curls are slipping into the bottom of my hair and a few waves at the back. All in all however, it's still fairly straight and soft although some of the shine seems to have died down.

Day 3:

Still pretty straight but my hair is feeling very greasy whereas usually I could probably get away with not washing my hair for a little longer what with having curly hair. A few curls have also popped back in too. 

Overall though it's still a very good product and if you have curly hair that you'd like to straighten like I do, or if you just want super straight hair for a certain event I'd recommend picking this up.

xxx