MAC Sunny Seoul - my first high end lipstick!

So today's post is a really exciting one for me as I'm sharing with you my first ever MAC purchase... eeeek! Now to many of you this will be nothing out of the ordinary but for me this is a huge deal and I am way too excited. If you know one thing about me you should know I'm more of a drugstore girl, but over the last few months I've been really enjoying reading/watching more in-depth tutorials and reviews and have really come to lust after some high end lippies. I must have bought over 10 lipsticks in August/September alone which is crazy! Anyway without rambling on too much, whilst reading various blogs and watching many beauty tutorials MAC always comes up top and I really felt like I was missing out, and I also couldn't decide if I really wanted to spend £20 on one lipstick (I had to order online as no-one stocks MAC products near me), so after a lot of thinking (literally about an hour) I decided to go for it and treat myself!

As I'm quite pale I really wanted a nice light pink shade that wouldn't wash me out, to brighten up my face and be different from any colours I already have. So I went for the Sunny Seoul which is the most beautiful light baby pink colour, at the first application I was hooked. I have worn it every day for a week and I have definitely noticed the difference to any highstreet products and what the hype is all about! It is very long lasting, it hasn't got a sticky texture and it's really creamy so it doesn't dry out my lips which is brilliant. And it smells like vanilla!

I really couldn't be happier with this lipstick and I've already been looking at what other shades I need to invest in, all I can say is my poor poor bank balance...

Liebster award

So the lovely Totally Lola has nominated me for the Liebster award! Thank you so much Lola, this tag is such a great way to let the little blogs know they are appreciated and help you find more blog friends! Not forgetting it lets us all snoop into the lives of the bloggers we love the most and find out more about them!

There are a few rules and simple steps to the Liebster Award, so if you are nominated in this post, or need some pointers on completing your own nomination, here they are:

1. Link back to the person who nominated you

2. Answer the questions you were given

3. Nominate a handful of bloggers with under 200 followers (I'm ignoring this rule for Zoe as I love her blog too much to not include it!)

4. Give them questions to answer 

Here are my answers to the questions Lola gave me:

1) Why did you start blogging?

Like most bloggers, I've spent years of my life reading other beauty, fashion and lifestyle blogs. I think it's wonderful that bloggers are turning into the role models of the younger generations instead of other more shallow celebrities (not that makeup isn't shallow in some way, but there is more to blogging than what we blog about ironically!) So for starters it's because of what the bloggersphere represents and the lovely community of people involved, and secondly it's because I just love makeup and clothes! 

2) If you could release any line of beauty products, what would they be and why?

Hmm, not really a "beauty" product but I would love to have my own jewellery line. I do enjoy making little bracelets and necklaces and spend a lot of time customising my own jewellery, so I think its something I would really enjoy designing.

3) What is your most used beauty product on a daily basis?

My Bourjois 123 Perfect foundation definitely!

4) What item of clothing do you love to dress up for a night out, and down for an everyday look?

Skater skirts! So much can be done with a simple black skater skirt, it is by far my favourite thing to dress up or down just because of how flattering and versatile it is

5) Which is your favourite season for fashion and why?

Winter!! I'm SO excited for it this year! I love Christmas jumpers, tacky novelty clothes, cosy layered outfits, big boots, coats, hats scarves and gloves!

6) If you could attend any show of London Fashion Week, which one would it be and why?

 Definitely one of the higher market ones like Vivienne Westwood or Mulberry because I think it would be amazing to see those models and those clothes in the flesh, and I think it would make me feel a little starstruck in a way!

7) Which YouTuber(s) do you secretly love to watch?
 Hmmmm... probably Dan and Phil. I don't know why they are a guilty pleasure for me, I think because all my friends look at them as immature and awkward, but I love the awkwardness! It's one of the funniest things for me and I love them. There I said it.

8) If you could switch places with any blogger/YouTuber for one day, who would it be and why?
Obviously Zoella! Who wouldn't, she's going out with Alfie, has the best flat, wardrobe, makeup collection etc and has the cutest guinea pigs in the world!

9) Would you rather have no mascara or no lipstick?
No lipstick, my eyes look so beady without mascara!

10) If you could only shop in one store ever again, where would it be and why?
Topshop probably! Even though it's a bit on the pricey side they just have the best clothes

11) You get the opportunity to film a colab with your favourite YouTuber. Who is it and what would you do? 
Probably Zoella again ha, and I'd love to do something stupid like the Disney tag or an ironic sketch like the breakup tag she did with Tyler - so funny!

So those were all the questions! Thanks again Lola and here are the wonderful bloggers I would like to nominate:

• Zoe from classicrouge.com
• Hayley from simplyhayleyx.blogspot.co.uk
• Rebecca from rebeccakate.co.uk

 

You girls have the most amazing blogs that I just love to read, so thanks for doing what you do! Here are the questions I would like you lovely girlies to answer: 

1) Tell us the story of your blog and how/why it came to be...

2) What is your favourite place to shop for clothes?

3) What is your dream job?

4) How does your style change from day to night?

5) If you could release any line of beauty products, what would they be and why?

6) How organised is your makeup collection?

7) Do you have any guilty pleasures in the YouTubing/blogging world?

8) Name your top 3 desert island makeup and/or beauty products

9) What's your favourite item of clothing at the moment and where was it from?

10) Favourite lipstick shade ever?

11) Talk us through the average day in the life of you!

I look forward to reading your answers girls! Thanks again Lola for the nomination!

Hair products I cannot be without

Hello guys! So today I thought I'd share with you my 'go to hair products' which are basically the hair products I cannot be without. Now my poor hair has been through many changes throughout the years, its been short, it's been long, I've had fringes (even one I cut myself at the age of 5, you can only imagine..), It's been red, it's been black, it's been light brown and only now am I finally pleased and happy with my hair. It's taken me 20 years to get it right and my hair is currently completely natural and I am so pleased to say that! After getting all the terrible black dye out of my hair I have left it to do it's own thing and let my natural colour come back through, and I am so happy with its colour and how shiny and healthy it is. I just want it to grow a bit longer then It'll be perfect, somehow I know I will get bored and end up changing it in the future though.

So here are my four favourite, everyday, go to hair products:

1. Firstly you have the VO5 Give Me Texture Spray which I am so in love with. I use it every single day, it's just the perfect spray to give your hair some volume and texture which is definitely something I am in great need of as my hair is very flat. I couldn't recommend this spray enough and It's not too expensive either so I would definitely give this a try!

2. Now this Batiste Dry Shampoo Dark & Deep Brown would actually be one of those products I would take to a deserted island with me! I could not function and cope without this, I only ever use the one for brown hair as it doesn't look like you're wearing any and especially with being a brunette when I use the normal ones which come out the spray as white powder it can sometimes make my hair look grey which is not what I need. So this dry shampoo is so perfect and it's exactly what you need to refresh your hair and to hide any signs of grease!

3. This is the L'oreal Paris TXT Volume Supersizing Spray, I use this quite a lot and use as it an alternative to the VO5 give me texture. This spray does work however it gives my hair quite a dry and crunchy texture which I don't really like, however it is really good at it's job and definitely gives your hair a lot of volume!

4. And lastly but not least is the L'oreal Paris Wave Creating Spray. Now this is one of my favourites, I use this before I curl my hair as it keeps the curls in for such a long time and makes them look so pretty. My hair is naturally super straight so I really enjoy trying to curl it or make it wavy and this spray definitely does it's job, if you have a look at the online tutorial it shows you how to create waves using only this spray and a hair dryer which I have done and it did turn out quite nice however it didn't last that long! But last week I curled my hair after using this spray and it kept the curls intact and they looked so pretty once the curls had dropped and loosened.

So I hope this post was useful to you if you were thinking about buying any of these products or are after something new to style and look after your hair.

Life lately... #1

Okay I know recently I have been rubbish, I've not blogged in nearly 10 days, but I am now back! Today I thought I'd do a catch up, lifestyley post to let you know what I've been up to.

So If you follow me on Instagram you'll know me and my family recently got a new little addition to our family... our new Cocker Spaniel puppy called Teddy. He is the cutest little thing ever and even though we've had him for just over a month, he's grown so much already! There is nothing more that I love than cuddling up to him at night, and I'm going to miss him so much when I go back to university. Which brings me to my next point....

My third year of university will officially begin on Saturday when I move back into my halls. I'm staying in the same room and flat so thankfully the moving in won't be too hectic. My friends and I have stayed in the same flat since first year and I feel so lucky to have found such a wonderful group of people to spend my uni years with. I'm hoping my final year will be one to remember even with the impending stress of dissertations and exams!

The other week I saw Tanya Burr make her amazing Milk and White Chocolate cookies and I just had to have a go at baking these myself! They were super easy and were amazing, the mixture made about 10/12 Large cookies and they were super moist and gooey even after a few days. I will definitely be giving these another go! Last week I nipped into Tesco and picked up these adorable owl pyjamas, as soon as I saw them I couldn't resist! They are super comfy and the bottoms are like patterned leggings, so cute!  I decided to have a little pampering session at the weekend and painted my nails, I am so so proud of these, they look so girly and pretty, I love them. I used Barry M's Rose Hip and an old Barry M Glitter Nail Varnish in Rose Gold. These rings are parts of a set I picked up from New Look a while ago, they're so nice and I wear them all the time!

Relaxing sunny day and August favourites

So today I've had a lovely first day off to start my long weekend! I had a well deserved lie in and I had planned to be really productive and wash my car, however after an hour of being bored I decided to call my sister up and we went out for lunch to the local Little Chef, ate our body weight in nachos and finished it off with some amazing chocolate Ice Cream Sundaes. After that we decided to make the most of the reasonably nice weather and nipped to the park, and played on the swings and children's roundabout (yes I did forget that I'm 20, just for an hour or so).

When I returned back home I decided to sort through my makeup and beauty products and do a little post on my current must haves.

I really love the Body Shop Shea Shower Cream and the Chocomania Shower Cream. They both smell so great and I just love them.

The Dove Colour Radiance Shampoo and Conditioner are definitely my current favourites for hair care. I'm not one for keeping the same shampoo and conditioner so I'm constantly buying new ones to try, I bought these a while ago and they keep my hair feeling silky smooth and my hair seems to look a lighter now, which I love!

Above are some lovely bath products from a local shop call Simply Natural, they have some great products from bath salts and bath bombs to brilliant looking soaps. All made from natural ingredients.

Okay so here is my most favourite Lipgloss and Lipstick from the LOOK Magazine Makeup Collection. It is a brilliant two in one 'Double Hit Lip' Lipstick, this one is a perfect colour for me as it's a peachy pink so it really goes well with my pale skin! I think this one is the shade 5 'Rose Riot'. I either wear just the lipstick or lipgloss or I can wear both together which makes my lips a bolder colour and it stays on for longer! Also pictured is the Body Shop Vitamin E lip balm which I put on every night before bed to make sure my lips are always smooth and moisturized for when I wake up in the morning.

As you can see this lipstick is just the perfect shade for me and I adore it, I'm a pretty big fan of the LOOK Makeup Collection as I have another double hit lip set in a bright pink colour and I've previously used the 'Fat Lips' in a light pink colour too which I loved!

Today my hair is looking a super light brown colour which I'm loving, as a few years ago I made the terrible mistake to dye my hair black and it's taken all this time for my natural hair to come back through! Right now I feel that I won't ever dye my hair again, it usually feels so soft and silky now that it's free from all the chemicals of permanent hairdye. I'm also wearing my new favourite blue earrings, I actually got them from Claires Accessories and I think they were about £5! They're just really pretty and I love any jewellery like this. As usual today I dressed casual and comfy in my denim shirt, a blue tee and my leggings!

 

Birthday baking

Today is my boyfriend's birthday. Seeing as it's his 21st I had to think of something pretty spectacular and different to the chocolate cakes I have made before. I did a lot of research for inspiration on pinterest and amazingly I found the perfect cake but added my own twist.

Ingredients

8oz Margarine

8oz Caster Sugar

4 Eggs

8oz Self Raising Flour

4oz Cocoa Powder

1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

100g Milk/Dark Chocolate Chunks

10oz Icing Sugar

4oz Butter

2oz Cocoa Butter

2tbsp Milk

100g Fudge Pieces

Smarties

Ferrero Rocher's 

Kit Kats

1. Mix the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
2. Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl, then add half of this egg mixture to the butter mix. Add the vanilla extract and half the flour and cocoa powder, combine really well.
3. Once the mixture is well mixed, add the remaining eggs, flour, cocoa powder and the chocolate chunks.
4. Place into two cake tins and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes at 180 Degrees.

For the icing:

1. Mix the butter until soft, add the cocoa powder and gradually all of the icing sugar, adding milk where necessary to get the right consistency.
2. Once the sponges have cooled, sandwich them together using the icing in the middle. Then ice the top of the cake and all down the sides.

And the decoration is the fun part, add as many sweets and chocolates as you desire!

F&F summer picks

The other week I nipped to the local Tesco store just to pick up the usual essentials, when I came across their clothing range. I mean I've seen their new eye catching F&F Clothing advert on the television but I've never really thought about clothes shopping at a supermarket. However, I am not one of those girls who only buy branded clothes and only shop at the high end fashion stores. If I like something then I buy it, simple. I don't care if it's from Primark or Topshop, Jack Wills or George at Asda. Don't get me wrong, I'm constantly reading fashion blogs, watching hauls or reading Vogue and Look so I do know what's in fashion and what people are wearing, I guess that does definitely influence my choices and the things I like. But there are so many different kinds of people, with such a range of fashions and trends that you can choose whichever style you want to go for and still be admired and looked upon as stylish.

So without rambling on any more, please see my two lovely purchases from F&F which I am absolutely in love with right now! And two cheeky selfies along with them, hey, why not?

White skater dress: £18

Parrot top: £8