The more I read and blog about beauty, the more I realise what a horrendous beauty blogger I am. I might put on a good show online but in my real life I struggle to stick to routines and the thought of spending £20+ on an eyeliner makes me a little bit faint. Now I know I'm not alone here and I thought it would be fun to list my confessions of a bad beauty blogger.
1. I've only worn fake eyelashes once in my life.
2. If my hair is in a ponytail or bun, chances are that I haven't brushed it.
3. I don't always take my makeup off before I go to sleep.
4. I used to drench my face in toner overnight just because the one I had smelt like peaches. I still have no idea what it actually does.
5. I'm too tired/ lazy to stick to a skincare regime.
6. Sometimes I buy products just to blog about them and then forget I ever bought them.
7. I wash my hair like twice a week tops.
8. I have been known to wear the same mascara for 2 days.
9. Sometimes I feel like my hair is more dry shampoo than hair.
10. Spending more than £30 on one beauty product makes me feel physicaly unwell.
11. I get cleanser in my eyes more than I would like to admit.
12. I pick the mascara off my eyelids which usually results in me ripping quite a few lashes out.
13. I've only had my eyebrows threaded twice and I cried like a baby both times.
14. I constantly pick and bite my nails so my finger tips are almost always sore.
15. I absolutely love popping spots, whether my own or someone else's.
Last week I popped over to Grand Central Station in Birmingham City centre to attend a lovely event hosted by The White Company and Style Birmingham. The White Company were showcasing their latest collections of fashion and home wear for Autumn/ Winter 2016.
As well as being treated to bubbly and nibbles we were invited to listen to a wonderful talk by their clothing director Barbara Horspool. Barbara walked us through some of the new clothing range, showing us how she would style them and giving us a detailed run down of the White Company's beginning and values. By the end of the talk I was pretty much sold on quite a few pieces, especially a gorgeous sheepskin coat which unfortunately retails at £995 and is completely over my student winter coat budget.
After the talk I wandered around the store eyeing up some gorgeous pieces of homeware and drawing up my imaginary shopping list. Although The White Company pride themselves on their good quality products without the designer prices I do feel like they are still a little out of reach for many people.
One thing however I feel is more on the affordable side is their huge range of candles. Although these can cost up to £125 they start at just £6. My favourite candle; The Lime & Bay Signature candle, which I was told was a new product retails at £20 and bursts with citrus and floral notes.
I had a such lovely evening and I'm sure I will be back to pick up a handful of candles in the near future! If you have any recommendations please feel free to leave them in the comments!
Thanks for reading!
xxx
So summer is finally over and its time to start stocking up on coats and jumpers. I've never been a fan of cold weather, wrapping up warm doesn't appeal to me at all, but I've decided to take it all in my stride this year.
Over the next coulple of months I want to start working on a kind of capsule wardrobe. I'm really bored of having clothes I like induvidually but that don't go with anything else. This wishlist has a colour theme of black/ white/ grey and pink because these are the colours I really want to gravitate to over the winter months.
Do you think you could stick to just wearing certain colours?
Thanks for reading!
As you might know, me and Sean popped off to Dublin for a few days at the start of August. If you missed my ramblings about day 1 + 2 you can read that here. Todays post is all about what we got up to days 3 + 4!
Day 3 - Our Third day in lovely Dublin was actually my 22nd Birthday! We had tickets booked for a tour around the Guinness factory, and even though I can't stand the stuff I was pretty excited! I was probably more excited for Sean as he drinks this vile liquid on the regular. We hopped on the bus and were ready to learn all about Guinness before midday.
The factory is actually quite interesting but not that different to other factories we'd been to before. It's basically the same as the Heineken factory in Amsterdam only its obviously about making Guinness, not Heineken. The best part was definitely the Gravity Bar right at the top the factory which gives a gorgeous 360 degree view of Dublin, even on a rainy day. I have this thing with views and heights; when I look over a city, or a beautiful view I get this funny feeling in my tummy and I just feel pure happiness. It's so strange to describe but the feeling I get when I'm looking down at the world below me is the closest I've ever got to understanding what life's all about. I don't want to get all deep here but in those moments I kind of just know that I'm meant to travel and see as much of this world as I can.
The factory is actually quite interesting but not that different to other factories we'd been to before. It's basically the same as the Heineken factory in Amsterdam only its obviously about making Guinness, not Heineken. The best part was definitely the Gravity Bar right at the top the factory which gives a gorgeous 360 degree view of Dublin, even on a rainy day. I have this thing with views and heights; when I look over a city, or a beautiful view I get this funny feeling in my tummy and I just feel pure happiness. It's so strange to describe but the feeling I get when I'm looking down at the world below me is the closest I've ever got to understanding what life's all about. I don't want to get all deep here but in those moments I kind of just know that I'm meant to travel and see as much of this world as I can.
After leaving the Guinness factory we headed back to the hotel early as we had missed one of the tours we were meant to be on, and we had a little bit of time to relax before getting ready for our final night in Dublin.
Because it was my birthday we decided to eat at the Hard Rock, and as usual we had an amazing meal. Sean told the waitress it was my birthday while I was in the toilet and not long after I came back I was presented with a huge Chocolate Sundae and prompted to stand on a chair so everyone could sing happy birthday to me. There is a really cringe video of the whole thing but I don't want to subject you guys to that. Once we had finished our meals we tried to get another cocktail from the bar but they were already closed. I swear this Hard Rock closes earlier than any other Hard Rock I've ever been to before! We then went back to one of the pubs we drank in the previous night for one last pint in gorgeous Dublin City.
Because it was my birthday we decided to eat at the Hard Rock, and as usual we had an amazing meal. Sean told the waitress it was my birthday while I was in the toilet and not long after I came back I was presented with a huge Chocolate Sundae and prompted to stand on a chair so everyone could sing happy birthday to me. There is a really cringe video of the whole thing but I don't want to subject you guys to that. Once we had finished our meals we tried to get another cocktail from the bar but they were already closed. I swear this Hard Rock closes earlier than any other Hard Rock I've ever been to before! We then went back to one of the pubs we drank in the previous night for one last pint in gorgeous Dublin City.
Day 4 - Our final day was quite emotional. We checked out of the hotel and went out to catch our final tour. We had a little bit of time to kill beforehand so I had a quick look around Pennys (Primark in the UK) and Sean obviously headed for the nearest book shop. I came away with the most gorgeous top for €13 which I will include in an OOTD soon I promise. We then jumped on the bus up to Glasnevin Cemetery for a slightly morbid tour. For just a couple of euros you are taken around the graves of some of Ireland's most famous residents. I would really recommend this tour after you've visited Kilmainham Gaol as you can see where a few of the people involved in the Easter Rising are buried. Grace Plunkett, who I mentioned in the last post is actually buried here, although sadly not with her husband. Other notable people who are buried here include, Eamon de Valera, Michael Collins, Charles Stewart Parnell and of course Daniel O'Connel who is buried beneath the huge tower. Guests are encouraged to rub his coffin for good luck but I passed on that as it was a bit too weird for me.
Once our tour was finished it was time to head back to the hotel to pick up our bags for the airport. Even though we were flying to Paris I was still really sad to leave this city and both Sean and I have vowed to return as soon as possible. We didn't make it to the airport without issues though, as our coach drove straight past us and our horrible taxi driver tried to completely overcharge us but those are stories for another time!
All in all I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Ireland and writing this post up has brought back so many good memories! I really want to get back there soon and I'd love to explore more of this beautiful country!
Thanks for reading!
xxx
I think most people have lost intrest in Pokemon Go now but to be honest the whole thing has brought back so many childhood memories so I'll always be thankful for that. I too have stopped playing it recently as I don't fancy going over my data for a second time, but with this new passion for Pokemon that has emerged I wanted to do something Pokemon themed on the blog.
Since the day I received a special shiny Flareon Pokemon card she has been my favourite. One of three possible evolutions of an Eevie, Flareon was the best as far as I was concerned. When I decided I wanted to try and create some makeup looks based on Pokemon I knew she had to be first, so here's how I made this look...
As always I start with my eyeshadow first. I applied my new Benefit Air Patrol eyeshadow primer to both lids (review up soon!). Then taking the shade 1987 from the Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Pallet I dusted it over the inner half of my eyelid. I then took the gorgeous orange shade Paradox from the Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland pallet and applied it to the outer half of my eyelid. Since doing this look I would have preferred to have put orange on the inner, gold in the middle and orange again on the outer corner so I'll try that again next time.
Once I was happy with how vivid the colours were I tidied the eyeshadow up a bit and prepped my lashes for mascara. I always dab a small amount of moisturiser to my lashes before I add mascara as I feel like it keeps them looking healthy and it also helps to apply my mascara evenly. The mascara I've used for this look is my old trusty Roller Lash which I've talked about none stop since its release early last year.
After coating my top lashes I then applied more gold eyeshadow underneath my lower lash line with the smallest dash on orange just in the outer corners. Then using my new favourite eyeliner the Kat Von Dee Ink Liner I drew on my everyday flicks. After doing this I always apply mascara to my lower lashes and again on my upper lashes as I need all the help I can get in that department! An optional extra for this look is adding a dusting of highlighter above the eyeshadow, the one I've used here is from MAC in shade Lightscapade.
And thats all there is too this look! Its not very complicated but then again I don't have the time or skills to do anything too fancy! I've love to know what you think about this Pokemon inspired makeup!
Thanks for reading!
xxx
I've been blogging for just over 3 years now and although I'm no expert I have picked up a few tips along the way! These little bits of advice won't make you an overnight blogging sensation but I hope they are useful to you guys either way! Don't forget to leave your own tips in the comments!
1. Only blog about what you are passionate about, not the latest trend
2. Always resize your photographs to 'Original Size' if using blogger, the quality will be much better.
3. Buy a custom URL, it makes it easier for other people to remember and looks more professional.
4. You don't need a fancy camera but images are everything on a blog. Learn how to edit your photographs, even if thats just chucking a filter over them.
5. It's important to have several social media platforms and link them if you are happy for them to be public.
6. Don't try and stick to a blogging schedule unless you're really happy with doing so. Blogging should be fun and not forced, don't ruin it for yourself.
7. Lighting is so important when taking photos but you don't need a professional lighting set up, natural light usually works just as well!
8. Get on Twitter and share share share! Don't forget to be friendly and engage with other bloggers too.
9. Try not to buy things 'just to blog about them'. I know a lot of beauty bloggers are guilty of this one and its not a good habit to keep.
10. Sometimes its good to take a break. Its easy to tell when a someone hasn't enjoyed writing a blog post.
11. If you are offered free products to try out only accept those you are genuinely excited about. Blogging isn't about getting your hands on all the freebies.
12. Don't be afraid to try something new, if blogs were all the same they would be boring.
13. Keep a blogging notebook to write down ideas as and when they come to you.
14. Don't start a blog expecting to make money from it. The big bloggers put a lot of time and effort in to get where they are.
15. Invest in a nice easy to use blog layout if you can afford one.
16. Don't be afraid to comment on other blogs, we are all friends here!
17. Try not to worry if you don't have many followers, I only had 3 followers for for the first 6 months of having a blog and I still loved it just as much as I do now!
18. Most importantly have fun! Use your platform to talk about things that matter to you and enjoy it!
Do you have any other tips? Leave them in the comments!
Thanks for reading!
xxx
At the start of August Sean and I flew out to beautiful Dublin for 4 days. Neither of us had been to Ireland before and with Sean's family links to the country we were super excited to delve into the history and explore the city. Unfortunately we were enjoying ourselves too much to take lots of photos and I'm kicking myself a bit now that I hardly have any to show. Anyway here is a run down of what we got up to in those few days...
Day 1 - After a very early start we arrived in Dublin at around 9am; we were checked into the hotel by 10:30am and by 11am we were riding around on a sightseeing tour bus. We needed to make the most of every second here as we only had a few days. The first few hours were spent viewing the city from the top of the tour bus, taking in lots of information as we went. There really is just so much history here and I think tour busses are one of the best ways to learn a lot in a short amount of time.
After a few hours of looking at all the touristy stuff we headed back to the hotel to get ready for our first night out. After realising I'd left my hairbrush at home (along with my toothbrush, phone charger and makeup wipes) I sent Sean out to buy me one and we were out not long after 7. The plan was to find a nice place to eat around Temple Bar area as our hotel was 5 minutes away but it was just so busy. I think the amount of people around coupled with being in a new place set me on edge and I just couldn't stay in that area. I was really annoyed at myself for getting so anxious but we soon found a little american dinner that was super cute and dead cheap.
After our slap up burger meals we headed to The Dublin Hard Rock Cafe for our all time favourite cocktail; The Southern Rock. Me and Sean are trying to visit every Hard Rock eventually and this one marked our 5th! We soon turned in for the night after deciding I just couldn't hack the Dublin nightlife.
After our slap up burger meals we headed to The Dublin Hard Rock Cafe for our all time favourite cocktail; The Southern Rock. Me and Sean are trying to visit every Hard Rock eventually and this one marked our 5th! We soon turned in for the night after deciding I just couldn't hack the Dublin nightlife.
Day 2 - The second day was also another early start. We had pre-booked tickets to Kilmainham Gaol for a morning tour but we also really wanted to change hotel rooms. After a lot, and I mean a lot of pleading with the reception staff they were willing to move us but only if we moved right then! With only 5 minutes to spare we packed everything up and popped it into our new, much nicer hotel room. We then dashed off to take one of the most interesting tours I've ever been on.
I can't even explain the emotions that go through you as you wander around Kilmainham, its so easy to feel sympathetic for the former residents and angry too but I mostly just felt sad for them. As you are told their stories it's so hard not to get emotionally attached to them. The story that spoke to me the most was of Joseph Plunket and Grace Gifford, who were married just hours before his execution. It's really worth reading about those two and the others involved in the Easter Rising but you'll probably cry, don't say I didn't warn you.
I can't even explain the emotions that go through you as you wander around Kilmainham, its so easy to feel sympathetic for the former residents and angry too but I mostly just felt sad for them. As you are told their stories it's so hard not to get emotionally attached to them. The story that spoke to me the most was of Joseph Plunket and Grace Gifford, who were married just hours before his execution. It's really worth reading about those two and the others involved in the Easter Rising but you'll probably cry, don't say I didn't warn you.
After that emotional rollercoaster we walked down the road from the jail to where Sean's grandad was born. Sean wanted to see the house he used to live in and get some pictures for his grandad. Out of courtesy for the current owners we knocked on to see if was okay to snap some pictures and explained why we were there in the first place. After talking to Patricia the new owner we discovered that Sean is actually related to her husband and we were soon being invited in for tea and to chat about Sean's family! It turns out her husband is Sean's grandad's cousin and they had lost touch when he came over to England 50+ years ago!
After leaving there we headed back to get ready for our second night and went on the hunt for some traditional Irish stew. Turns out I'm not the biggest fan of Irish stew. We decided to give temple bar another go and despite staying in a few pubs for a little sing song and a couple of pints I really just couldn't enjoy myself. My confidence was virtually none existent that night again and I'm so gutted I let everything get on top of me. For whatever reason I just couldn't get settled and felt sick again for the whole night.
After leaving there we headed back to get ready for our second night and went on the hunt for some traditional Irish stew. Turns out I'm not the biggest fan of Irish stew. We decided to give temple bar another go and despite staying in a few pubs for a little sing song and a couple of pints I really just couldn't enjoy myself. My confidence was virtually none existent that night again and I'm so gutted I let everything get on top of me. For whatever reason I just couldn't get settled and felt sick again for the whole night.
I was going to put the whole holiday into one post but I've written a lot more than I thought I would so I'll post the second half next week! I hope you guys actually enjoy my ramblings!
Have you ever been to Dublin before? Did you love it?
Thanks for reading!
xxx
Rushing around the shops a few hours before I needed to be packed to go to Dublin I suddenly realised I hadn't washed my makeup brushes. I aways give them a good soak before I go on holiday and the thought of running out of time to do so made me feel a bit unwell. Luckily I happened upon this gem of an item and my worries drifted away.
The B. Makeup Brush Cleanser retails at around £5 for a 125ml bottle which I think is a pretty decent price. The formula cleans and disinfects brushes and can be used with either synthetic or natural bristles.
To use the product you simply spray the solution onto your brush two or three times and gently rub the dirt off into a tissue. I prefer to use a couple of clean flannels as tissues tend to make a bit of a mess. You then leave your brushes to air dry and use again as normal. I found the cleanser really easy to use and my brushes were dry within a few hours which is perfect if you are in a hurry like I was.
The product also claims to condition your brushes although so far I haven't really noticed any difference. This might be because I've only used it twice and my usual way of cleaning my brushes (baby shampoo and warm water) does leave them feeling really quite soft.
I always have to comment on the scent of a product and although this doesn't smell of anything amazing it also doesn't smell bad. The scent is mostly down to the disinfectant which smells a bit like alcohol and hand sanitiser but this doesn't stay on the brush once the product has dried.
Although I'm very impressed with this product for how easy is it to use and the price, I don't think I will use this every time I wash my brushes as I think they do need a long soak every now and then. That being said this is a perfect cleaner for a lazy girl like myself and I would buy it again!
Have you tried this makeup brush cleaner before?
Thanks for reading!
xxx
With summer in full force and everyone jetting off on their jollies, I thought it was about time I put together another style guide. As everyone's idea of the perfect holiday can be different I've created looks for both city lovers and beach goers. This year I've really pushed myself to wear more dresses as its too easy to just throw on a pair of jeans and there are some gorgeous holiday dresses on the highstreet right now.
Outfit One
Grey Jersey Dress | Tote Bag | Converse | Sunglasses | Unicorn Necklace
The first look is a simple very casual style designed for hot sticky days wandering around the city. I've paired these comfortable converse with a light jersey dress and basic tote to make a practical yet stylish outfit.
Outfit Two
Star Bracelet | Pandora Earrings | Black Cutch | T-Bar Heels | Yellow Skater Dress
I've based this next look on outfits I usually wear on my own city holidays. Again I've decided to keep it quite simple with the yellow skater dress being the only pop of colour with all black accessories. I've chosen to included some pricier jewellery for this outfit as I like to really dress up for a night on the town.
Outfit Three
I was going to choose another daytime dress for this beach look but honestly when I'm on the beach I spend most of my time swimming in the sea, occasionally popping out to get a drink so I thought a pretty cover up would be more appropriate. I chose this pretty Topshop kimono as it would be perfect to wear day or night.
Outfit four
Black Sandals | Bucket Bag | Charm Bracelet | Gold Necklace | Floral Tea Dress
For the last look I wanted to create an outfit that I could see myself in, sipping cocktails by a harbour in the Med somewhere. I've chosen this gorgeous floaty tea dress paired up with a staple bucket bag and some delicate gold jewellery to top it all off.
I hope you enjoyed this style guide!
Thanks for reading!
xxx
This post was made in collaboration with JD Williams
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