NEW IN: My Muji-Inspired Lipstick Storage

On an impromptu trip to TK Maxx with my dad the other day, I came across the most awesome little surprise: clear acrylic make-up storage. I'm a fan of MUJI but I'm not a fan of their prices, so after quickly rushing over to check out these little beauties I was more than happy when I saw that this 24-space lipstick storage was just £5.99! I've seen a few floating around on eBay, but after reading reviews from others on their poor quality I gave them a miss and invested in this set instead.

 

The perfect width for a variety of products of different shapes and sizes, this unit measures three spaces down and eight across, giving 24 holes in total. The rows raise slightly higher as they go back, giving you a good over-view of all of your lipsticks without having to rummage around.

 

Featured on top of my new Ikea Billy Bookcase alongside a beautiful copy of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and a strawberry and melon candle, I adore my new lipstick storage!

 

xx

In A Dream World...

1. I would have gorgeous lilac hair that doesn't require re-dying every few weeks and wouldn't dissolve my fine hair.

 

2. I would have a lip ring. Not really to everyone's taste, I know, but I think they're so pretty. I just now have to pluck up the courage to get it done.

 

3. I would have a book-related tattoo. I don't have any tattoos, but most on my wishlist involve a favourite book.

 

4. I would be tall enough to wear a maxi-dress without drowning in fabric (or shopping in the kid's section for a length-appropriate skirt).

 

5. This beautiful dip-dye knit would be in my wardrobe.

 

6. This adorable little puppy would be mine. Look at those eyes.

 

7. I would be a professional writer.

 

8. Cassandra Clare would be my BFF and offer her word-ly wisdom when it comes to writing.

 

9. This book-nook would be an integral part of my bedroom.

 

10. Sun + picnic blanket + no wind + books = how I would spend all of my time. (In between looking at my hair/tattoo/lip ring/puppy)

 

11. This would be my back garden.

 

12. This beautiful fictional universe would be real. (And this is how everyone would spend Christmas)

 

What makes up your dream world?

 

xx

April Reading Wrap-Up & Mini Reviews

April has been such a good reading month for me - I powered through almost 11 books! I admit, most were re-reads but I did also try out a few new books, too. I just thought I'd share my thoughts on what I've been reading, I hope you enjoy it!

Re-Reads -

Slated by Terri Terry. I bought this book years ago and after finishing it, never really thought about it again. I hadn't enjoyed it too much the first time around, I admit, but this time I'm really loving it. It's basically about a girl who is supposedly an ex-criminal, for which her punishment was being Slated. Slating is a new thing in the world (the book is set about 20 - 30 years from now), where the government decides that instead of death, they simply erase every memory and every personality trait you have, so you're basically born again. Kyla is the main character in the book, and although I do find her quite babyish sometimes in the way she thinks and describes things, she's fairly interesting. I'd describe this as a light-hearted thriller - it's certainly intriguing and has a few twists and turns through-out to keep things interesting. 3.5 / 5 stars.

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. I'm not sure what it is with me and re-reads, but I always seem to love things more the second time round. A story centred around two cancer survivors (Hazel and Augustus) who fall in love, this book is refreshing and thought-inducing. I'll leave it there for now, as I have a full review here which explains a little more about the story line and my thoughts. 4 / 5 stars.

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. Anyone who knows me knows I adore this book. It centres around Charlie, a teenage boy about to start his first year in high school. It sounds quite cliché, but bear with me. This is honestly the most thought-provoking book I've ever read. Charlie offers opinions and thoughts on things that make you see things in a whole new way and there's always something you can relate to, whatever stage you're in in life. For a full review, click here. 5 / 5 stars.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. The final instalment of the Hunger Games trilogy, we follow Katniss's final adventure in her attempts to throw down the Capitol. This book is definitely more of a 'war book' compared to the previous two in the series, as we see Katniss actually step out into the front line of the Capitol VS Rebels war efforts. Katniss experiences a lot of new things in this book - post traumatic stress, the loss of friends and family (I'm not telling you who!) whilst fighting for a cause she's not sure she should be backing. I don't want to give too much away in case you haven't read the previous books (which you totally should!), but I do think this is better written compared to the others. 4 / 5 stars.

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare. Well, Cassie Clare's books have definitely been a big part of my month! The most recently read, though, is Clockwork Angel, the first instalment in the Infernal Devices trilogy. Set in the 1800s, the story centres around Tessa, a seemingly normal girl who has the ability to change her appearance and touch the minds of whom she transforms into. She bears no warlock or Shadowhunter mark and no one - not even herself - really knows what she is. The main plotline of this book centres around the alarming army of Clockwork creatures that are intent on destroying the Shadowhunters (a group of half-angel demon hunters) and kidnapping Tessa, in order to give her over to their master, The Magister. Witty, fast-paced and beautifully written, this series has fast become one of my favourites! 4.5 / 5 stars.

Harry Potter and the Order Of The Phoenix by JK Rowling. The fifth book in the Harry Potter series, we see Harry return for his fifth year at Hogwarts. Not really much to say about this one - if you don't know Harry Potter, where have you been for the past ten years?! Another brilliant chapter of Harry's story, I thoroughly enjoyed this. 4 / 5 stars.

Divergent by Veronica Roth. The first book in the trilogy, the story opens up into a world set far in the future - a dystopian world, whose inhabitants have been split into five factions to maintain the peace. We follow Tris as she, for the first time, makes her own choices in life and watch as she deals with the consequences. This is a pretty hard-core book, with fights, deaths and alarming plot twists to keep the pace moving. Honestly, though, I'm in two minds about this one. Whilst I adore the storyline, the writing just isn't up to scratch for me and I find the dialogue rather awkward. But that aside, I have high hopes for the next chapter of this trilogy, Insurgent. 3.5 / 5 stars.

New Reads:

Looking For Alaska by John Green. I'm not really going to offer very much on this one, as I abandoned it mid-book. We follow a boy nick-named Pudge as he pushes through a year of school. I think it may be the fact that the characters are a lot younger than me, but their antics and conversations just didn't really register very much interest from me. I often found myself skipping pages as nothing really contributed to the story-line. 2 / 5 stars.

City Of Bones by Cassandra Clare. This is the first book in the Mortal Instruments series. Set in the same kind of world as Clockwork Angel - but two hundred years later, in present day - this book features the same amount of handsome and witty Shadowhunters, a girl who doesn't know much about who she really is and another load of exceptional writing. I really do adore Cassandra Clare's writing style - it's so captivating. I can't offer much opinion on this as I'm only half-way through, but I expect if I enjoy it I'll upload a full review on my blog. So far - 3.5 / 5 stars.

Wonder by RJ Palacio. Such an adorable little read. The story is written from the point of view of a few different characters, but the main character is clear: August, a 10 year old boy with a lot of facial and genetic deformities as he steps into school for the very first time. Despite the sad subject, this book is very light hearted and uplifting. I did cry at the end - but they were happy tears! A few of the characters point of views were unnecessary in my opinion (like Via's boyfriend) and I did find the writing a little skip-able at times due to this, but the main theme is clear - people can be wonderful, despite their lot in life. 4 / 5 stars.

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare. The final chapter in the Infernal Devices series, we see all plot points that were built in the previous two books come to a boil. Characters reveal their true nature, relationships are tested and we say goodbye to a few dear characters. I honestly did cry during this book, during the last chapter (not the epilogue). The writing, as expected from this brilliant writer, was beautiful and the plot was thread together wonderfully. Despite the length of this book, I was never bored. 4 / 5 stars.

So that's what I've been reading through-out April!

xx

HAUL: Books & Home Decor!

 

Well, well, it's definitely been a while since I popped up a new post on my little blog! I recently found myself in a bit of a slump with no motivation to really do anything, in any aspect of my life - college, work-out, eat healthily - so I took a few weeks away to myself to kind of re-grasp my reasons for doing things. Do you ever have that? Also the fact that I'm nearing the end of my college course and have no real idea of what to do with my life has definitely spooked me. All-round, I've had a difficult few weeks, but let's just put that behind us and get on with this haul!

As you can tell, I've been on a bit of a book splurge. I find that when I'm having trouble with reality, a book is a nice place to be instead. So as well as re-reading old favourites (Mockingjay, The Perks Of Being A Wallflower & The Fault In Our Stars), I've picked up a few new books lately. Firstly, I got Looking For Alaska by John Green. I have to admit, I had high hopes for this book as I liked The Fault In Our Stars, but I have to confess I'm not really into it. Not sure why, but I just find it quite... uninspiring. I don't feel a real connection to the plot or the characters, so have deserted this book half-way through. If anyone has read it and feels I need to read on, let me know! Next, I got A Game Of Thrones by George RR Martin. I haven't actually read this yet, but have seen adverts for the TV show and think it looks amazing. I don't have the channel that it runs on, so naturally the next best thing would be to read the book. I got these two for a 2 for £7 in Tesco. The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell and Cinder by Marrisa Meyer were charity shop finds, for £1 and 50p respectively. I naturally had to pick up The Carrie Diaries following my love for SATC and I've heard great things about Cinder, so am looking forward to reading both. City Of Bones by Cassandra Clare follows my adoration for the Clockwork series, also by her, and is the first book in the Mortal Instruments series. I got this for £3.85 from Asda. And finally, my little love, The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien. My dad actually got this from a car boot sale for me for 50p! From reading the first few pages I can tell I'm going to adore it. Incidentally, I also bought The Desolation Of Smaug on DVD and have watched it twice since.

 

Home-ware-wise, I picked up a few things from Poundland: the little decorative jar, the strawberry and melon scented pillar candle and this amazing macaroon print chopping board. Not sure what I'm going to do with the latter yet, but how adorable?! Such a great find. Maybe just use it as a desk protector for my make-up? As for the jar, I think I'll either store cotton buds or write down all my to-be-read books and chuck them in there, ready for plucking when I'm lacking inspiration. Lastly, I bought two little Yankee Candle tarts from the Yankee Candle store: Strawberry Cheesecake and Summer Scoop. Yum!

 

I hope you all had a lovely weekend!

 

xx

Health & Fitness Update #3

 

Hello everyone! And sorry for my unexpected disappearance. I'm nearing the end of my college course and with the impending finish date brings a whole host of exams and panic and stress. So I've been cramming everything from my multiple notebooks into my head lately and haven't had much time to sit down and write a blog post.

 

But I just thought I'd check in and give you a little health and fitness update. I have to admit I've been slightly unhealthy this week, with a McDonalds and Chinese take-away happening both within the same week a two-day time span. This is partly due to the fact I'd been too busy to shop for healthier things and partly due to the fact that I honestly couldn't be bothered to cook. But I'm still only drinking water (unless you count a sip of my boyfriend's Dr Pepper when he wasn't looking) and my skin is looking fresher than ever. I rarely wear foundation anymore! But the crappy food has taken it's toll as I felt lethargic and simply ill within a day of eating it. Whether that was due to coincidence or not, I can't wait to get back on track after a good food shop this weekend.

 

Exercise-wise, I do personally feel that I've been kicking ass. I have some cool new apps on my phone that are fitness related (let me know if you would like me to do a post showing these apps) and I have finally taken to writing down in a notebook what exercise I do and when. Sit ups and wall sits were a bit of a pain last week, but this week I can do them effortlessly. Which naturally means that I do more of them more often so my muscles don't get used to easy workouts. Again, if you would like a post showing my regular work out, let me know and I'd be more than happy to upload it.

 

Favourite healthy foods this week:

 

Apples. Oh my god, I could eat them all day. In fact, on Monday I ate two within the space of about half an hour, simply because I couldn't wait to eat the next. Healthy binging is okay sometimes, right?

 

Wholegrain tomato and herb bagels. Now I know this isn't exactly healthy, but hear me out. Toasted with a sprinkling of grated cheese in the middle, this tastes better than pizza and definitely curbs those cravings.  If you're having trouble kicking your pizza habits, I'd say to try this!

 

Broccoli. This is so plain and simple, but I've been really enjoying eating broccoli. Paired with wholegrain pasta and some chicken/turkey, it's so good! It's great for filling up my plate, too, as I've now started to section vegetables on half of my plate, carbs on a quarter and protein in the other quarter.

 

I hope you guys had a lovely week, and for all of those out there who are considering/pushing through a health & fitness lifestyle change, keep going! It will all be worth it in the end, promise!

 

xx

Health & Fitness Update #2

This week has been an okay-ish one. Exercise-wise, I've been doing pretty well. Last Sunday was one of the sunniest days I've seen for a while (UK problems!) and I took advantage of the warm-ish weather and took my puppy for a walk through the woods. We were out for about an hour and a half, but I made sure I had a bottle of water on me! Other than that, I've been fitting in small bursts of exercise whenever I have a spare minute, whether that's a 1 minute plank, a set of 30 squats or a 2 minute jog. Diet-wise, I've been failing a little. I had a large chips from McDonalds today and two bags of salt and vinegar Kettle Crisps yesterday... see the second point below to explain why.

 

What I've Learned This Week:

 

Fit in work-outs where-ever and whenever. This tip has been a lifesaver this week. I've been so busy with stressing about college that I've barely had a minute to sit down, let alone drop 20 squats. But I've been making an effort doing simple things: lifting my knees higher whilst walking up the stairs in college, doing calf raises whilst brushing my teeth and jogging on the spot whilst I wait for my bath to run.

 

Eating healthy food I don't enjoy makes me eat more. I've noticed lately that I'll prepare myself a lettuce and celery side salad, take one bite, deciding it's too bland and boring then end up buying a bag of crisps from the vending machine at college. As weird as it sounds, eating and enjoying food does put me in a better mood so when I'm eating something I don't enjoy, it honestly does make me miserable. From now on I'm only going to pack food that I'm looking forward to eating - red grapes, pineapple and red apples are my current favourites!

 

Cute gym wear makes me want to work out. Also, the brighter, the better. I now have a purple sports bra and a neon pink leopard print one and a pair of pink and black running shoes. Cute things like that motivate me as I want to wear them!

 

Lunches This Week:

 

 

Tuesday: lettuce, sweetcorn & celery salad with breaded chicken pieces and wholemeal seeded bread croutons. As a snack I had a peanut museli bar (not pictured) and a bottle of water. This was probably my favourite lunch this week - the salad was so refreshing!

 

 

Thursday: wholegrain pasta with a side of lettuce and celery. This meal was honestly pretty damn boring to eat. I ran out of veg to chuck in with the pasta so had to have it plain, which I didn't mind as I like plain pasta, but the side salad was hardly touched. This was the day that I splurged on the two bags of salt and vinegar crisps. As a drink I had water.

 

Overall, I think I'm working at a steady pace that I'm fairly happy with. More exercise was done and a lot more water was drank (the only drink I had this week!) but the diet changes are making me unhappy. Hopefully a trip to the Sainsbury's fruit aisle will change all of that for next week!

 

xx

February Favourites!

 

Hello everyone! I know it's a little late but I thought I'd share my February Favourites. I'd been stuck in a bit of a rut beauty-wise lately and so through-out February I made an effort to try different things in an attempt to freshen my routines.

 

 

Naturally a few Lush products had to make it's way into this post. I bought the Karma solid perfume (£5.00) as a birthday present to myself and have been wearing it every day since. It's such an uplifting, zingy, citrus scent and it puts me in such a good mood and I've received so many compliments about it! It's certainly not a subtle scent and it's a little on the spicy side, but it's vibrancy puts me in the mood for the summer months! Also featured is the Close To You massage bar. Sadly this was limited edition, but I got it for Valentines Day from my boyfriend! I have used this for it's intended purpose as a massage bar on my legs and my shoulders and it works amazingly, it gives just the right amount of slip and slide without being greasy or oily. I use this more often as a moisturiser on my legs, I simply sweep the bar along my skin and massage in to moisturise! Recently I've also started trying to make more of an effort with my eye make-up. I'm a lipstick kind of gal usually, but I got the Collection Eye Shadow Pencil in Vintage Blush (£3.19) for my birthday which is a creamy slightly shimmery pink shade. It's a cream eye shadow which is something I haven't tried before and it lasts for hours and is waterproof! A bit of a pain when trying to remove it, but it's long lasting trait makes it a favourite this month! Paired with this pencil I like to apply a little powdered eye shadow in the crease of my eye to create a little shadow. I've been using the MUA Undressed palette (£4.00) for this purpose and have been working the third colour on the bottom row into the crease with a fluffy brush to create a subtle smokey effect. Finally, beauty-wise, we have the Real Techniques Contour Brush (only available in the core collection) which I use to apply my highlighting pearls and a touch of peachy blusher. It's the perfect shape to apply specific highlight but also is great for blending blushes easily. Last of all I wanted to feature my new watch, it's face is patterned with a map and the strap is white faux leather. I picked this up for just £1.64 from eBay and am looking forward to pairing it with a white crop top and pale shorts in the summer! (Click here for the link)

 

xx



Health & Fitness Update #1

 

What do we have here? Another new feature on my blog? I know I said in the New Year that I would be trying to incorporate some more pieces of my life into my blog and so far I'm really happy with it! I hope you guys don't mind the change and are enjoying my new posts too :)

 

I've been trying to go on a bit of a fitness kick lately, not so much a massive diet and exercise binge but more of a gradual lifestyle change in general. I've been wanting to do this for a while after many failed attempts but the allure of Springtime and crop tops is pushing my forward. I'm going to try and stay as honest as possible when it comes to the exercise I manage to do and the food I eat, so if you spot a McDonalds on here once or twice you have been forewarned!

 

After that super long intro, let's just get onto the update.

 

To me, going back to college after the half-term break seemed like the perfect opportunity for me to indulge in some healthy eating. My college hours mean that I'm eating lunch at college twice a week, 'dinner' once a week and breakfast twice a week as I get up super early to get the bus. I used to be guilty of getting chips on two of those three days, a habit which I've now kicked completely.

 

My college lunches & snacks this week:

 

Monday:

Wholegrain pitta bread with roasted turkey breast chunks, with a few pieces of dark chocolate and a small stack of pretzels and a side of grapes. I had a bottle of water as a drink.

 

Tuesday:

Wholegrain pasta with sweet corn and broccoli, a Belvita breakfast bar (the chocolate and nuts one) and a bottle of orange juice for my drink.

 

Thursday:

Wholegrain pasta with sweet corn with a bottle of water and a small stack of crackers with cheese chunks.

 

As you can see from what I had, I've been replacing white bread and pasta with their wholegrain options. I honestly prefer brown bread to white anyway, but wholegrain pasta was a new experience for me and I can honestly say I'm converted. My boyfriend now calls me a pasta snob because I will only eat wholegrain pasta! It's much better for you as it contains more fibre and nutrients that the regular white pasta. The same goes for bread and I didn't realise how much sugar goes into regular white bread! It's insane. I still have a few treats packed such as pretzels and dark chocolate but only if I finish my fruit first (haha) as I find that if I crave chocolate at college, the prices are so expensive that I end up losing money and eating more of it than intended. If I pack myself a small amount, I can control the amount I'm eating whilst satisfying the craving.

 

Exercise-wise, I've subscribed to the Blogilates Youtube Channel which is amazing, scoured Pinterest for inspiration and routine ideas and downloaded some of my old Zumba songs and have been doing a few old routines I can remember from my classes last summer. I have also been taking part (kind of) in the 30-day Plank, which is basically where you do the plank movement daily but up your time by ten seconds each day. I'm not going to lie, I have been skipping days on this and have been stuck on 60 seconds for a while now but every time I work out I always add in the plank movement at least twice. Jogging is also on my work out list at the moment, as I'm working my way up to being able to run outdoors without becoming a tired mess within minutes.

 

I hope you guys liked this change of post, it's been a much longer one than I thought but now I've set down the basics I wont have to fill you in on as much next time!

 

xx

 

NEW IN: Dream Guide & Aroma Sleep Aids

Stress and sleep don't often go hand-in-hand in my life. If I'm feeling particularly nervous about something (an upcoming exam, meeting new people, ect) then I'll often find myself experiencing some pretty crazy dreams and a disjointed sleep pattern. In order to battle this pressing issue, I picked up a few aromatherapy sleep aids from Avon. I'm the sort of person who doesn't believe in medication of any kind and so I'd prefer to tackle my issues with a few home remedies rather than have to pop a pill and whilst flicking through the brochure a few weeks ago I came across these two items: the Pillow Mist and the Balm. Laced with the soothing scents of chamomile and lavender (both known relaxants), I'm keeping my fingers crossed with these two products. Paired with a calming bubble bath and a comfy pair of PJ's, hopefully the two will help with my insistent lack of sleep. The Pillow Mist retails for £4.50 and the Balm for £3, but they're regularly on sale so keep your eye out. Also, due to the crazy dreams, I picked up this A - Z Of Dreaming book in Asda. I know these things are sometimes a hoax - and after reading through some of the explanations, they're completely random - but I have had quite a few dreams that, once looked up in the guide, have made more sense to me. This book also features a 'Dream Diary' section at the back with pre-questioned columns to fill out to help you decipher your dreams.This was £3.

Do any of you guys suffer with sleepless nights? What are your favourite remedies?

xx

My Week #5

Photo Captions: Primark & Lush Haul // Pink bath using Lush's Candy Mountain Bubble Bar // My Valentines gift // Healthy Breakfast! Fruit Salad & Cranberry Juice // OOTD // Starbucks Vanilla Frappuchino

Product of the week: The product I've been really loving this week is the Lush Karma Solid Perfume. It's such a zingy, citrus scent that clings to my skin literally all day and puts me in such a good mood.

 

Purchases this week: Recent purchases can be seen in the above photo! I went to Primark with my boyfriend and picked up some fitness gear plus a pair of leather leggings and a pair of fur lined socks. From Lush I bought the Butterball bath bomb and the Karma solid perfume and The Fault In Our Stars arrived in the post that day so I included that as well.

 

Watched this week: If you follow me on twitter you will know that I have been so desperate to watch Lord Of The Rings but I can't find any of my DVDs so I'm on a massive downer about it. I haven't actually been to the cinema for a while as I've been so busy at college that by the time I leave I'm just too tired. I've mostly been reading this week, compared to watching movies and am currently reading (to satisfy my LOTR cravings) The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkein.

 

Highlight of the week: I had a lovely client on Monday for a full body massage, which also got me signed off completely for my massage unit in college. I also picked up two other Distinctions (the highest grade) in my Promoting and Client Care assessments. Yay!

 

Blog Posts this week: What I Wore: My Birthday Meal // My Lipsmacker Lip Balm Collection & Review // Review: Lush Big Blue Bath Bomb // Current Go-To Nail Shades // Review: Lush Karma Solid Perfume // Book Review: The Fault In Our Stars // Review: Rimmel Kate Moss 101 Lipstick // My New Jewellery & Perfume Storage

 

The Social Stuff: Bloglovin' // Twitter: @laaurenpiper // Instagram // Pinterest

 

xx

Bedroom Updates: Jewellery & Perfume Storage!

 

It's been a long time coming with many hours spent on Pinterest and a jewellery storage inspiration post here on my blog but I've finally took a step towards sorting out the storage for my bedroom. I wanted something that was pretty as well as practical, but also displayed my jewellery in such a way that I'd remember to wear it. In these two storage devices I have only a few pieces but they're certainly my favourites. My other pieces that require a home are more statement things such as chunky bracelets, collars and chains that couldn't fit in with the things I have now on display.

 

Let's start with my favourite: the photo frame (bought from The Range). I got this heart shaped photo frame for my birthday years ago, but as the little heart clips didn't meet together properly the photos just kept falling out and so I'd pushed it aside until I discovered it again earlier. The gaps between the clips are perfect for arranging chains inside without risk of them becoming caught or damaged and also make cute little hangers for earrings. Stored on here I have two necklaces, two pairs of earrings, a bracelet and a ring. I hang this on my wall next to my full-length mirror.

 

 

  Arrow Bracelet - Topshop

Bow Ring - Charity Shop

Gold Chain Earrings - Charity Shop

Chevron Feather Earrings - Primark

Eiffel Tower Necklace - Avon

Deathly Hallows Necklace - eBay

Secondly I have an adorable little breakfast tray that my mum bought me. I keep this on top of a chest of drawers in front of my books but it's in a patch of bad lighting so I just placed it on my bed to be photographed. The colours are a bit all over the place but I like that thrown together, eclectic feel. On the left hand side of the tray I have my cute little mint green and gold polka dot tea cup and saucer, where I store my River Island midi rings and my pearl bracelet. I don't wear a lot of rings as my fingers are so tiny it's hard to find any that fit me and my Crown Ring I keep stored by my bed in it's little case so I don't have much in here. On the right hand side of the tray I have a small variety of perfumes - Taylor Swift's Wonderstruck Enchanted, a mini Nina Ricci Nina and my boyfriend's Black Suede. I also have a chunk of natural Amethyst placed next to it for decoration.

 

I still have a long way to go with my bedroom but it's just finding the time (and the money) to do everything properly! I hope you like what I've done so far, let me know what you think!

 

xx

What I Wore: My Birthday Meal

Leather Jacket - Primark

Top - charity shop (tag says Dorothy Perkins)

Jeans - Primark

Shoes - Primark

Necklace - Primark

Nail Varnish - Revlon's Cupid

 

Happy birthday to me! I am now officially 19 and decided to mark the occasion yesterday by going out for a casual meal with my family. A photo diary of the meal itself is currently being edited together, but for now I'll just talk to you about what I wore.

 

The place we went was a simple pub-turned-restaurant which was child-friendly (very important, as my sister is 6!) and had a lovely, chilled atmosphere. I didn't want to wear anything too dressy - my brother couldn't be talked out of his 'Sunday' joggers - so went for the option of jeans and a white top, with a little twist.

 

It's not often I walk out of the house almost head-to-toe in Primark, but I love it when I do! This is probably one of my most budget outfits, but I don't feel like it looks like that. My lace top is an old charity shop find, although the tag says Dorothy Perkins. It has the prettiest cut-out lace design all over and has buttons running all up the back. Paired with this I threw on my black leather jacket (let's just ignore the super-long sleeves) and trusty Primark jeans to add a touch of casualness, as I felt the top would have looked too dressy with a skirt. Accessories-wise, I wore my multi-chain necklace and my new crown ring, paired with Revlon's Cupid nail polish.

 

Overall, I'm very happy with what I wore. I was super comfortable and didn't feel over dressed at all, despite the fact I wore a necklace, which is something unheard of from me!

xx

My Week #4

 

Photo Captions: quote of the week // testing out new skincare // sisterly manicures // sharing is caring! // sweet potato jackets with chicken breast and sweet corn // book of the moment // 'spa' bath with my sister: marshmallow candle and Christmas snowman bath bomb // on towel duty at college // my favourite, most gorgeous birthday present from my boyfriend

 

A bit of a change from the normal lay-out of this post, but I thought I'd have a bit of a ramble at you guys rather than listing my favourites and what I've been watching because to be honest, it's been such a crazy week I haven't had much time to do much of anything!

 

one. I'd like to announce: it's my birthday tomorrow! I'm officially going to be 19 which is actually a little terrifying but it's given me a bit of a reality check about all that I've achieved since this time last year and I feel like I'm allowed to have a bit of a calm down instead of rushing through everything all the time.

 

two. Although see the quote pictured: 'remember why you started'. I've been hitting a bit of a mental block lately with blogging and creative writing, mostly because there's always that little doubt in my mind about the quality of what I do and all manner of other self-conscious things. I've had this quote as the background of my iPhone to remind me to remember the reasons I love all of these things.

 

three. Another birthday related thing, I'd just like to take the moment to have a complete fan girl about the beautiful ring my boyfriend bought me. It's a handmade tiny little silver crown. He had to have it specially made for me as I have the thinnest fingers known to man, but isn't it beautiful. It's not often I post really personal things onto my blog, but I just couldn't not share this! I should be uploading a photo diary about my birthday as we're going out for a meal this evening with my family so a better photo of it will be included in that!

 

four. I've brought no beauty related things home this week, although I have added a few new books into my Play.com basket: The Mortal Instruments and The Fault In Our Stars. I have also finally moved onto the third and final book in the Infernal Devices series: Clockwork Princess. I'm enjoying this one a lot more than I enjoyed Clockwork Prince despite the fact I'm only a hundred or so pages in.

 

I hope you all had a lovely week!

 

Blog posts this week:Jewellery Storage Ideas // The £1 Tangle Teezer Dupe?! // Testing, Testing: Skincare

My Week #3

Photo Captions: warm chocolate fudge cake and vanilla ice cream // my night routine: animal crossing new leaf and the perks of being a wallflower // my recent lush storage and collection post // painted my nails with barry m gelly nail paint in blue grape // OOTD for my brother's birthday meal // fish and chips at said birthday meal!

 

Product of the week: My favourite product this week has to be the Avon Diamond Shimmer Face Pearls. I use these pearls as a highlight on my cheekbones, cupid's bow, forehead, chin and down my nose and it's beautiful. It's a very light shimmer and the colour isn't too dark or too pale for my skin tone and isn't too obvious when worn with a darker foundation, either.

 

Purchases this week: Recent purchases include the Lush Sex Bomb & Think Pink bath bombs (which I included in my lush storage and collection post) as well as a new handbag for college and a cute little leopard print make-up bag, both from Primark. I'd been in desperate need of a new bag as my current one wasn't up to lugging around folders and notebooks for college, and I found a simple black one in Primark for just £12. Also whilst in the bag section I picked up a cute make-up bag for just £3!

 

Watched this week: I actually went to the cinema three times this week! Once with my boyfriend, one with my dad and once with my little sister. With my boyfriend, I watched The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug in 3D. It was actually a brilliant film, much better than the first Hobbit which I felt was rather long and boring. Orlando Bloom also made an appearance in this one, which I was very happy about. (He's a very hot elf, fyi). With my Dad, I re-watched Catching Fire. I know, I know. But I just couldn't resist. It was just as perfect the second time around and my dad actually really enjoyed it. Finally, I took my little sister to watch the new Disney Princess film, Frozen. It was such an adorable film and although there is an awful lot of singing involved, the new Princess and Queen are both amazing. The main plot of the film is that 'only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart', but the incredible thing is that the act of true love in this instance was sisters love, not romantic love. I thought this was a brilliant move on Disney's part - about time they showed younger girls that life isn't all about love and finding a man!

 

Highlight of the week: This week at college was actually a very good one! I finished my final assignment and got four pre-observations done, two on clients. I also managed to get my client to re-book in for a treatment and she's requested me as her therapist! Very excited about that!

 

Blog Posts this week: My Lush Collection and Storage // Book Review: The Perks Of Being A Wallflower

 

xx

My 'LUSH' storage and collection!

If you've been reading my blog for a while (or if you take a quick click through my archives) you'll notice that I'm a little bit obsessed with Lush. I use their Seanik Shampoo Bar religiously and treat myself (and my little sister) on occasion with one of their spectacular bath bombs. As I'm very frequently called playfully by my family, I'm a 'tree hugger' which basically means that I adore Lush's environmentally friendly standards and am always on the look out for how to cut down on packaging and unnecessary waste.

 

Tree-hugging aside, I thought I'd show you guys my Lush collection and storage today! I'm finally very happy with the way I store my bits and pieces and thought it could give you guys some ideas if you're looking for other ways to store yours, too.

 

 

 

I got this large glass jar from Matalan for £2.50. Now I know that Lush sells their own 'Fizz Tanks' but I like seeing what I currently have, which reminds me to use them and also, I just think it looks pretty in my bathroom. The lid is completely air tight which means that no steam can get in to get everything soggy!

 

Stored away in this jar, I have one and a half bath bombs and one and a half bubble bars: Think Pink, half of the Christmas Snowman, Creamy Candy Bubble Bar and a tiny chunk of the Candy Mountain Bubble Bar.

 

 

 

 

Think Pink is one of my sister's favourite bath bombs, as is has a gorgeous florally sweet scent and fills the water with cute heart confetti and a pink colour. I also have one half of the Christmas Snowman which was part of their limited edition Christmas range, but almost the exact same product can be found in their Butterball bath bomb. It smells like cocoa butter and is filled with cocoa butter nibs that dissolve in the bath and coat your skin in softness. I'm yet to try out the Creamy Candy bubble bar but just from the sweet scent alone I know I'll love it. As for the Candy Mountain, which was also a Christmas product, I'm hanging on to my last little chunk!

 

Reviews: Think Pink Bath Bomb //  Candy Mountain Bubble Bar

 

 

 

 

As for my Lush products that aren't stored in the jar, I have four of these, also: the Seanik Shampoo Bar, FUN in Gold, Sex Bomb Bath Bomb and a tiny bottle of the Ponche shower gel. Again, two of these were part of the Christmas limited edition range and two of them aren't.

 

 

 

 

 

The Seanik Shampoo Bar is my chosen replacement for regular bottled shampoo. I've been using it for nearly a year now and I adore it! The sea salt and seaweed particles give my hair amazing texture and natural volume. As for the other three products, well, I can't give much information about these as I'm yet to use them. The Christmas Gold FUN is basically a 5-in-1 product that you can use to wash your hair, body, clothes and use as bubble bath, as well as playing with it like play-dough. The scent is their 'Honey I Washed The Kids' scent and smells lovely. Another Christmas product is the Ponche shower gel. The scent of this is very orangey and also contains tequila! Wild. I haven't used one of Lush's shower gels before so I'm excited to try it out. Finally, the Sex Bomb bath bomb is probably one of the only ones I haven't tried yet and it's florally scent is really nice.

 

Reviews: Seanik Shampoo Bar // Seanik Shampoo Bar Update

 

 

I hope you enjoyed seeing my Lush storage and the little bits and pieces in my collection, and I hope you all had a lovely week!

 

xx

 

 



My (Beauty) To Do List Before 2014!

 

 

There's a tradition that I heard I don't even know how long ago about the new year that has stuck with me ever since: never leave anything unfinished.

 

So while I've blitzed my post-Christmas bedroom (which included wrapping paper-littered floors and presents that still hadn't found a home), I got to thinking about my beauty related things that needed doing. Thus, my beauty to do list was born.

 

Sorry about the dodgy photo quality, I took this picture on my phone!

 

 

Things To Do:

 

- Clean my make-up brushes. This involves all of my brushes, even the ones that I may or may not have used a few months ago that are still coated with a dusting of forgotten eye shadow or the wrong shade of foundation. I was lucky enough to receive the Real Techniques Core Collection for Christmas from my boyfriend's mum and although I've only had them a few days, they could do with a clean. To see how I clean my make-up brushes, click here.

 

- Empty my make-up bag and refresh with new products. I'm the sort of person that overfills their make-up bag with 'that lipstick I want to try' and all sorts of other random things that never see the light of day. So I've decided to clear out my make-up bag of all of these products (plus an insane amount of bobby pins) and to only replace the ones that I need. Also prime opportunity to introduce some new products into my routine.

 

- Clear out unwanted toiletries. As I'm sure everyone else did, I received quite a few shower gel gift sets this Christmas and my mum is also re-decorating our bathroom so I've decided to sort out my shower gel/bubble bath/body spray collection and to donate all my unopened and unwanted bits and pieces to a charity shop.

 

- Throw away empties. Following on from the point above, I'm 99% sure that I have more than a few empties lurking on my bathroom shelf. Now is the time to get rid of all of my empties!

 

- Re-organise make-up. As I think I've mentioned previously, I'm currently going through the re-decoration of my bedroom and I'm looking for some new ways to store and display my make-up. There are a few things I'd like to start using and a few that could do with being re-homed so new year is the perfect opportunity to start!

 

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and have a wonderful new year! xx