Lush Favourites

Wednesday, April 29, 2015
When it comes to Lush products, everyone has their favourites. The whole aura of the shops are enough to draw in a beauty, bath or body care obsessed girl from miles away, especially when you can find the store amongst hundreds by simply following your nose. My first Lush product is one I spent a long time researching. I still remember how I felt and my excitement when I first walked into the Trafford Centre store and picked up the Space Girl bath bomb. Three years later, everyone who knows me should've had a present - whether that be birthdays, Christmas or just random presents - from me, from Lush. Any excuse I can find to pick up a bath product, I'm all over it.

Lush Bath Bomb Favourites: Space Girl and The Comforter Review


To this day, Space Girl is still one of my favourite Lush products, and one of my favourite bath bombs ever. That's a big statement but one that it's able to fill. I love it when scents can take you back to a certain chapter in your life and that's exactly what this does to me. I first bought this when I was in my third year of high school and long, relaxing, candlelit bubble baths were important for my sanity. I'm not a fan of the glitter that these are coated in so I always pick the one with the least coating but the smell of this is divine. Sweet, refreshing and parma violet-like, it's the perfect ingredient for a bubble bath.

Talking of bubbles, I can never resist picking up The Comforter whenever I'm in Lush.  The supersized bubble bar gives enough bubbles for at least two pink baths. This has minimal effort with maximum results; spend a minute or two crumbling it under the tap and you're left with a bright pink, bubble-filled bath that smells like a blackcurrant dream. I always find my skin is very soft and moisturised when I use this, which is always a plus!

What would a Lush favourites post be without a mention of Snow Fairy? For the past three years I've been stocking up on enough Snow Fairy Shower Gels to last me at least 6 months. The S.F range is only out around Christmas and I wait for it every year. If this came in perfume form, I'd be the first to buy it - that's how obsessed I am with it! If you're a lover of marshmallows, sweets and candy floss, this is probably your idea of heaven. Make sure you go into a Lush store and at least give it a sniff, but beware; once you've given it a smell you'll be hooked & anticipating Christmas just for Snow Fairy all year round!

What's your favourite Lush product?

The Reading List

Monday, April 27, 2015
To be honest, I'm not that much of a reader. When it comes to blogs, websites or even magazines I'm all for a good read, but the lack of pictures and amount of words in a book scares me out of reading them. Due to being a very visual person, quite often books catch my eye & I trick myself into thinking I'll actually get round to reading them if they sit looking pretty on my desk. Needless to say it never works. However in an attempt to start reading more and expand on my book knowledge, grammar & vocabulary, I'm making an effort to get reading something non-internetty.

The Books On My Reading List by a UK Beauty Blog


IT - ALEXA CHUNG
When I was talking about books looking pretty, I was mainly talking about this one. Who wouldn't want a pastel pink book with a nice font (and Meenie's paw prints!) on their desk? Plus, Alexa Chung is one of my all-time favourite style icons so buying this was a no-brainer for me. I did have a flick through and saw that it has quite a few photos/illustrations in, so I guess this will be the first book I attempt to tackle!

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS - JOHN GREEN
I have actually read this before but fell into the trap where you read the words, don't actually take them in & re-read them over and over again. I've also attempted to read it on around 10 different occasions. once I've started reading, I won't stop. when I do eventually put the book down I tend to lack the motivation to pick it back up & continue where I left off. If I manage to finish 'IT', I'll try this again and re-read it (and actually take it in!) before I watch the movie.

AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES - JOHN GREEN
This was one that I picked up along with TFOIS because I'd researched that it'd be an author that I'd like to read. I'm your typical girl when it comes to books; airy-fairy, romantic teen books are what I tend to go for. This book is along the young adult novel genre so I think this would be a good read for me!

Have you read any of these books? What's on your reading list?

25 Things To Do On A Sunday

Sunday, April 26, 2015
25 Things to Do On A Sunday

Sundays are a day for rest. A day of relaxing, doing nothing but preparing for the week ahead. Sundays are probably my favourite days of the week purely for that reason - you don't feel guilty about doing nothing but spending the day surgically attached to your laptop. If you're bored or just fancy doing something this Sunday, here's my guide to the perfect day.

01.  Catch up with your favourite blogs!
02.  Plan for the week ahead using your favourite pens.
03.  Paint your nails.
04.  Watch an episode of Pretty Little Liars. Or five.
05.  Light your favourite candle.
06.  Take your camera on a walk & snap some photos.
07.  Drink enough hot chocolates to swim in.
08.  Give your bedroom a Spring clean.
09.  Shop until your feet hurt.
10.  Buy some fresh flowers that make the house smell fresh.
11.  Bake some cupcakes.
12.  Treat yourself to a Lush bubble bath.
13.  Practice your handwriting.
14.  Creating a playlist for your week.
15.  Catch up with your YouTube subscriptions.
16.  Read a book.
17.  Spend time with your family.
18.  Try doing some yoga to relax yourself.
19.  Pamper yourself!
20.  Have a makeup-free day.
21.  Go on an adventure.
22.  Pick out some of your favourite outfits.
23.  Pin your life away.
24.  Watch some cheesy romantic films.
25.  Catch up on sleep.

What's your favourite thing to do on a Sunday?

The Best For Beauty

Saturday, April 25, 2015
When it comes to makeup advice, beauty hacks or even specific product reviews, there's always many places that I look to. However, depending on subject there's a few places I check. I like to decipher them into three categories; the books, the relatives and the blogs and I use these three to help me get the information I'm looking for. Of course each has it's benefits and downfalls - for example, I doubt my mum would know different ways to pull off eyeliner but I'd never have made it to my beauty loving years if she'd taught me the importance of not over-plucking my brows.

The Best Place for Beauty Advice by a UK Beauty Blog

The first category is books and where I go to be inspired. The best I've found are magazines like Porter and Company but most magazines and papers usually have a beauty section. It's where I see post ideas, new product launches and different ways to use the products. More traditional books I've found are by the likes of Lauren Conrad and Bobbi Brown. Beauty by LC is one of what I like to call a 'beauty bible' in which Lauren herself gives some beauty advice, tips & tricks as well as stories from her beginning in makeup. Definitely a great read if beauty is your thing!

Relatives are where I check in for more traditional advice and tips. I always read about/see people older than me saying that their eyebrows were majorly over plucked when they were teens but I'm so grateful my mum told me about staying away from my brows. When I did start to play around with them, she did them herself to show me how it's done. Mums are the best! If you're up for a laugh, try reading some of the worst beauty advice I've ever heard.

The most obvious one (and the one I have the most faith in!) are the blogs. I spend about 1 hour a day solely reading blogs of all kinds but this is the best category when it comes to reviews. There's a few blogs I go to for beauty reviews, mainly including Vivianna Does MakeupMilkteef Pearls and Poodles. Emma's blog also has a really handy directory which I think is a lifesaver! When I'm looking for a product that isn't really around in the blogosphere, Google is the answer - simply type the product name with the word 'blog' on the end and you'll have all of the results!

Where's your favourite places for beauty?

Seychelles Candle by Ashleigh & Burwood

Wednesday, April 22, 2015
ashleigh and burwood seychelles candle review

There's no denying that I'm one of the biggest candle obsessors you'll ever talk to. My bedroom, living room & even kitchen combined has over 30 candles, from tea lights & votives to huge jars. I'm obsessed, so when Ashleigh & Burwood asked if I'd like to review the new Seychelles candle* from their Escapology range, I couldn't turn it down.

When it comes to scents in general - candles, perfumes, pretty much everything! - I like fresh scents. This one is right up my street when it comes to the fragrance, as it has a gorgeous smell which reminds me of a Summer holiday. The most surprising thing about this to me was the strength of the fragrance. Before I'd even burnt it I had it placed on my bedside table & after I walked out and come back in 10 minutes later, my whole bedroom smelt amazing. Another great thing is how the wick burns easily because not many things annoy me more than a candle which has wasted wax all down the side!

Overall I'm so impressed with this candle and after having a browse on their website, I've added many more to my wishlist.
* indicates PR sample. full disclaimer here.

What's your favourite candle?

24 Reasons Why Being 10 Years Old Was The Best

Monday, April 20, 2015

1.  Adding that gorgeous, multicolored string around your Tamagotchi so that everybody knew it was yours.

2.  Making the youngest of your friend group be horses when you tied skipping ropes around them, pretending to take a horseride. Fun.

3.  Staying up all night so that you could make your best friends some bracelets made from Scoobies. What else could you spend your £2 pocket money on?

4.  Using Facebook pretty much only YoVille, to scam people out of their money by doing a fake trade. Then your 'friends' tried to scam you out of giving them the only prized posession you had... The dog.

5.  Appear on & offline when the boy you fancied came online on MSN, just so he'd notice you.

6.  And adding so many emoticons to your MSN message that you could barely make out what your message actually was.

7.  Using your Sony Erikson brick to prank call people from school to tell them 'they stink'. Original.

8.  Having "like for a rate" on your Facebook status so you could tell people what you really thought about them.

9.  Trying to do the longest handstand & cartwheels like your life depended on it.

10.  Deciding your fashion style, best friend & which NSync member you should marry from those magazines with the free lipglosses.

11.  Bop It was the best game, and making it repeat the words "low, medium, high" over & over again was the most hilarious thing you could ever think of.

12.  When you came back from your Summer holiday after having your hair braided with colored beads meant you'd have every boy in the school fancy you.

13.  Jacqueline Wilson was all you read.

14.  You basically lived for school discos, because there's nothing better than cold hot dogs and dousing yourself in your mum's bright red lipstick, right?

15.  That time you got banned from Club Penguin for saying the word "boob"... What a rebel.

16.  If you didn't have smiley faces for your tea, you weren't doing it right.

17.  Using Limewire to download all of JLS' new songs to your MP3 player, then listening to it on repeat for 4 weeks straight.

18.  Scribbling a random design on Paint and filling in the shapes different colours.

19.  Having Groovy Chick everything was the only way to live your life acceptably.

20.  Meeting your friends at the local bowling alley so you could impress them all with your dance mat skills. Steps' 5,6,7,8 was the hardest & you were the only one who could master it... Go you.

21.  Ask Jeeves had the answer to everything.

22.  The Love Calculator told you your real destiny with you and your crush.

23.  Trying your hardest to not sleep at your sleepover in order for you to brag about doing 'an all-nighter'.

24. Thinking that having a sip of WKD would give you liver damage... Oh, I think that was just me.

What embarassing things did you do as a child?

MAC Ravishing Lipstick Review

Friday, April 17, 2015

Yet another MAC lipstick has been added to my lipstick collection - I just can't help myself. The latest addition is Ravishing; one that I picked up because I've never seen another lipstick similar to it before (which is rather unusual considering my mum tells everybody I have the aisles of Boots stocked in my bedroom).

It is a gorgeous beautiful coral shade with a Cremesheen formula. This basically means it's really comfortable to wear, sheer and light. It's described as a "clean light peachy coral" and I couldn't have put it any better myself. It's perfect for Summer months and looks gorgeous when worn with a winged liner. As with all Cremesheen formulas, the wear time isn't the best. It lasts a good 2-3 hours before reapplication is needed but as I've said previously, I don't mind touching it up.

The only thing I'm not too keen on is that it only looks nice when I've self tanned. The combination of the orange tones and the peachiness means that it completely washes out my pale skin. Overall, a really comfortable and lovely lipstick for everyday wear. I would definitely recommend if you're not as ghostly pale as I am!

What's your favourite MAC lipstick?

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara Review

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

When it comes to mascaras, I think Maybelline do some of the best. I've been a huge fan of their mascaras ever since I started wearing makeup, with their newest launch, Lash Sensational, being my daily tool for my lashes. I randomly picked up Great Lash when I had a coupon for some money off & I had high hopes considering it was Maybelline, but I have to say, I really am disappointed.

This reminds me a lot of their Brow Drama, which I reviewed & hated last year. It did nothing for my brows despite the ambitious name, and added nothing but a horrible texture. I feel like this is the same but just for my lashes. The wand is nothing fancy and is pretty bog-standard, but the formula itself just doesn't 'grip' to my lashes so doesn't make a difference whatsoever. Because I didn't get along with it to begin with, I left it around 2 weeks and tried it again. Still the same results - no difference.

From what I've read on other blogs, this mascara seems to be pretty hit-and-miss. Another thing I really don't like about this is the packaging. It's bright and stands out in my mascara collection, but I can't help think it looks like one of those cheap lip glosses you get from an 8 year old's magazine. Overall I'm really not a fan of this & for an extra £2, I'd definitely recommend picking up Lash Sensational instead!

What's your favourite mascara?

20 Great Post Ideas for Beauty Bloggers

Monday, April 13, 2015
20 Awesome Post Ideas for All Beauty Bloggers

Blogging is tough and once in a while, a slump is inevitable. I wrote a post a while back on 20 Awesome Post Ideas for All Bloggers which seemed to go down pretty well, so today I'm back with 20 more post ideas more geared towards beauty bloggers. If you'd like I could do one of these for fashion bloggers, lifestyle bloggers etc - let me know in the comments! :)

Five Things

Sunday, April 12, 2015
Five Things: Eyebrow Routine
[ New eyebrow products! ]

Hello again and happy Sunday! I feel like I'm going to start every post of this series mentioning how fast the past week has gone but it feels like just yesterday I was writing last week's Five Things post. I've spent pretty much all week watching Pretty Little Liars & trying to convince my mum to start watching it because I have nobody to gossip with about it. 

I started from the beginning of Season 1 three weeks ago and now I'm almost on Season 3. To say I'm obsessed is an understatement! I'd also appreciate no spoilers (pretty please!) because I'm trying to watch them as if there was no Google to find out who A actually is. Trust me, I've held myself back from finding out and the temptation is getting unbearable now. Anyway, here's this week's Five Things. :)

Rodial Glamtox Skincare Range

Thursday, April 09, 2015
Rodial Day & Night Cream and Firming Neck Masks Review

I've recently converted to the Parisian style of beauty - spending more time on skincare & less on makeup to give me a naturally fresh look. Since the New Year I've been putting skincare to the forefront of my whole beauty regime so when I was given the chance to review Rodial's Glamtox skincare range, I jumped at the chance.

The first thing I tried out was the Glamtox Day Cream (£75)*, a cream that promises to reduce the apperance of wrinkles and keep moisture in the skin. Because I'm only 17 and don't really have any wrinkles to treat, I can't comment on that (although my mum has tried it before and swears by it!), it does a great job at keeping my skin feeling moisturised. The thing I love most about this is that it contains an SPF of 15; so I don't have to apply it seperately in my skincare routine.

I also received the Glamtox Night Cream (£90)*, the product that should be applied in the evening just before you go to sleep. This one is slightly more expensive & is meant to improve imperfections. I have to say that it has massively improved the condition of my skin and leaves it looking less blotchy than usual.

Finally are the Glamtox Neck Masks (£56)* which again, didn't suit me so I gave my mum to give me an honest run-down of what she thought. She said that this was her favourite skincare product she'd ever used (which is amazing - she has a tray in the bathroom of over 100 skincare products!) because it improved the condition and firmness of her neck massively. She also loved that there was no waste as sometimes with tubs of product, you apply too much or can't get to the bottom of the jar. With this, you simply apply it over your neck for about half an hour & she claims it to have instant, improved results.

One thing I have to mention about the whole Glamtox range is that the smell is divine. It smells citrusy but not in an overpowering "I daren't put this chemical-smelling-thing on my face!" kind of way. All in all, great results all-round!

* indicates PR sample. full disclaimer here.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE SKINCARE PRODUCT?

5 Pinterest Boards for Blogging Tips

Wednesday, April 08, 2015
5 Pinterest Boards for Blogging Tips & Advice

I have to say that I think Pinterest is without a doubt, one of the best social media platforms for blogging advice - I can't believe it's free! There's hundreds of thousands of blog advice & tips that you can search through. If you're a blogger yourself I've found it unbelievably useful to create your own board for Blogging Tips. I've done this myself and it's such a great library to referance back to if you need help with something. To get you inspired for your own Blogging board, I've rounded up 5 of my favourites.

BLOGGING TIPS by Autumn Leaves
Some amazing tips for bettering your blog & easy to understand tips.

BLOGGING & BUSINESS by Elle & Co
Graphic inspiration as well as amazing blogging advice from social media to business.

BLOG HELP & INSPIRATION by Cat Crawford
All-round blogging tips, from creating About pages to finding images online.

BLOGGING by Altsummit
Over 250 free pages of blog advice for any size blogger.

BLOGGING TIPS & ADVICE by Elise Dopson
My board! I collect things like growing & branding your blog as well as my very own blogging tips.

What's your favourite place to find blogging advice?

Five Things

Sunday, April 05, 2015
[ New reading additions ]

Hello! This week has been a busy one, spent doing lots of blog-work. If you hadn't already noticed, I have a new design! I spent the majority of my days typing what seemed like endless Google searches, and also searching Elaine's blog. She's the queen of coding - I don't know what I'd do without her blog! I feel like the minimalist theme is really what I love in a blog, so it was only right that I implemented it in my own blog.

Now that the clocks have gone forward it's nice to have some time at the end of the day to relax whilst it's still light outside. Can you believe it's not pitch black at 6pm anymore?! Meenie loves playing out in the dark, and she even brought us a present home on Wednesday night... A mouse. The only thing I don't love about Spring is her bringing home animals. Mice, birds, everything. Not nice!

The Easy Summer-Glow Tan

Saturday, April 04, 2015

It's been well-documented on my Twitter feed that I'm a fake-tan newbie. The last time I tried it was when I was in Year 8, dousing my legs in a thick brown goo and ending up with streaks when it rained. Trust me, it's a good thing that I have no photos - you'd be shocked at how bad it actually was. That whole experience has put me off fake tanning for the past five years until recently, when I decided that I'd had enough of being ghostly pale.

Because my skin is bright white, most self tanners look absolutely hideous on me. I've heard great things about the St Tropez Gradual Tan, so I thought that whilst I'm still able to cover my legs (if needed), I'd give it a go. Unlike the tanners I used back in the day, it's so easy to apply and doesn't end up streaky whatsoever. It's an everyday lotion but I only use it every 3-4 days because it's quite expensive, but I think the key to making your tan last longer is keeping your skin moisturised.

Overall I'm so shocked that I've finally found a self-tan that doesn't make me look like an extra in TOWIE. A nice, natural glow is more my style!

What's your favourite fake tan?

Scrapbooking

Thursday, April 02, 2015


It seems like recently, anyone & everyone are getting involved with scrapbooking! I've personally been scrapbooking for about 2 years and have somehow accumulated my own stash of books filled with memories that I'd otherwise forget. Seen as the recent interest in scrapbooking has come about, I thought I'd share a few photos from my scrapbook and a few tips on how to make your own. For me, the number one rule to scrapbooking is to have fun. It's supposed to be a fun experience where you can let all of your creative juices flow with no limits - a little like blogging but on a more personal level.

How to: Make Money Online

Wednesday, April 01, 2015
Making money online is not as hard (or as difficult!) as people may think. I've been making a small income from doing various things on the internet for the past few years and although it's not enough to live on, it's nice to have a bit of money to treat yourself with.  I've found three easy ways to make money online & I thought I'd share them with you!

how to make easy money online fast

SURVEYS
Don't shout at me - I know many survey sites that promise to get you quick money are scams but I've found two that definitely work and are bringing me in a bit of money each month. The first is One Pulse, an app that I've been using for almost a year now. This is simply the easiest way to get money because for each survey, you may get 15p & you only answer 3 questions. You need £5 before it can be put into your Paypal account but if your notifications are on & you're completing them regularly, you will start earning! You can use my code S27ZC when you're downloading the app.

A recent discovery of mine is Swagbucks, a site where you can do various activities to earn "swagbucks", which you can then trade in for gift cards, vouchers and money. The best thing about this is that you can get points for watching their videos - getting paid for procrastinating isn't too bad after all! You can get 150 bonus Swagbucks if you sign-up using this link.

BLOGGING
Again, don't shout at me! There's been a big debate in some Twitter blogging chats recently about monetising your blog. My opinion is if it's not spammy & you're genuinely blogging for fun, why not make a bit of money from it? There's many different ways to monetize your blog that I could write a whole post about it but there's three main ways you could do it - Google Adsense to display ads in your sidebar; selling ads independently & using affiliate programs. My favourites are ShopSense & EtailPR.

SELL THINGS
If you have a talent, I'm sure there could be some way of making a bit of cash from it. You could be great at making handmade jewelry or just a blog expert - either way, there are ways to earn. Online stores like Etsy & eBay make selling things online easy, which can be a nice little earner. If you're more of the internet / marketing side, you could create & sell an eBook. If you're not too good at either, have a clear-out and sell your old things. I'm sure you'll find something to sell if you read my tips on Defining Personal Style!

Do you make money online?