Dismissing the hype...

So if you are an avid beauty lover like myself, you will have heard of the Maybelline Eraser Eye; the concealer that all the big beauty names are talking about right now. I bought this product, after having seen a million reviews on blogs and youtube. I thought that as so many people had been talking about it, it must be good, right?

Wrong. I have had nothing but trouble with this concealer from the beginning. For me, the lightest shade is too orangey, and I'm not even that pale! Its cakey, leaves creases almost as soon as its applied, and its packaging is pants... who uses those foam/ sponge nozzles nowadays? It's not the nineties anymore!! 

I literally can't stand it. I was so disappointed too, because so many people (including my own mum!) love this product, and I had to take out a small mortgage to be able to buy it too... its so overpriced! I think in future, I'll stick to what i know... Lasting Perfection and Rimmel's Hide the Blemish stick. I'm going shopping today for a new foundation (the one i have had for over a year has finally given up on me, so I'm excited to try something else), a new liquid eyeliner and maybe something for my brows... We shall see.

Primark Nails

Long time no see, I guess. So apologies for that!

Last week, I took part as a lead singer in something that was genuinely amazing. I was a part of the MK Dons Disability Teams Awards Evening, and can honestly say it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I got to represent an amazing team of people who put it all together, and perform some smashing hits in a flash-mob type style, with some fantastic dancers and singers, and had an amazing day and night. Me and one of my closest performing buddies, Britney, performed Don't Rain On My Parade (although there was a technical hiccup, and our mics weren't working, I like to think we rocked the stage anyway ;D), and then as a group with three others, we supported Ain't No Mountain, Footloose (and can I just shout out to the amazing amazing amazing dancers who absolutely rocked the dance floor and blew everyone away!), and Everybody Needs Somebody. It was such a fab experience, and I hope to get to do more of things like this in the future!

I am aware that a detailed account of a performance is not why you clicked onto this post, however I am getting to that, I promise.

Anyway, so for this event, we needed to get dolled up to the nines, of course, as it was a suit and tie event. I wore the most gorgeous black body con with fringe, and have attached a picture below (not from the actual night, sadly... we were too busy to take any pictures!) because it was so lovely. I totally felt a million dollars that night, the dress was gorgeous and I had these beautiful false eyelashes on, and false nails.

All was going well during preparation for the evening. I had all my makeup on, lashes were on (they took a while however, but I have absolutely no complaints with them! They went on okay eventually, and lasted the whole evening without falling off once! They also had loads of different styles, so something for everyone. Hats off to Primarni for those), contour was on fleek (lol), and I was ready to start applying my false nails. They took a while, and as I just got nude ones, it was really difficult to tell which was was up with them; I am pretty sure I had them all on topsy-turvy, but they looked alright once they were on. I only had one mishap throughout the night, where one fell off. However I chucked it in my bag and reapplied it later. Apart from that, all was good. I don't like false nails as a general rule (although I guess thats not Primarks fault!), and when it came to the next day, problems began to arise. I tried to paint them a different colour, and the paint just wouldn't dry at all on the nail.

Also, my little finger was swollen, and stinging like you wouldn't believe. I think the glue had reacted badly to my skin/ nail, but either way I just needed it off. Getting it off was the tricky part. I had to attack it with some tweezers and acetone nail varnish remover, and it took me about half an hour. In the process, I split one of the other nails too... so that wasn't fun.

The true test was an hour later, when that one was still stinging, and I just wanted them all off. it took me nearly an hour to get the blighters off, and once I had finally managed, it was a disaster underneath. My nails looked like road kill; they were all red, and the glue hadn't properly come off, no matter how much I scrubbed. They felt really sore, and stinging, and weak.

All I would say, is that if you like fake nails, and normally buy a good brand and have no problems, do not try the Primark ones, as they will rip your nails off. But for a pound, and for one night, I can't really complain too much... can I?

Hello again!

So I'd first like to apologise for the fact that I have been a very absent blogger in the past month. I have just got a new job (some of you on my Facebook will already know), and it involves marketing for a local company. I would like to do a whole blog post on my blog about it anyway, so I won't bore you with the details just yet!

Its also the summer for me, so when I haven't been working, I've been out seeing my boyfriend and my other friends. I thought I'd just update you on stuff I've been up to, just incase you're interested! ;)

So the first exciting thing that happened was I went on holiday to Spain with one of my good friends. We had such a lovely time, and I also want to do a whole blog post on that too. Its just finding the time, ahhh! A week or so later, we went to see Ed Sheeran in Wembley, London, and it was the most amazing experience ever. When he played Tenerife Sea, I cried like a baby! It was epic.

I then spent a lot of time with my boyfriend, as we hadn't seen each other for ages because of his cruise, and my holiday, and uni in general. It was so amazing just being able to chill out at each others houses and spend quality time together. We haven't done much, been on a few dates and went to Crazy Pirate Golf the other day, but we've been exploring Milton Keynes on our bikes, and that has been so much fun! 

The other exciting thing thats happened is I got to see my bestie that I did a previous blog post about (the shopping trip one), and that was awesome. She came down on a Thursday, and didn't leave until the Monday. We went shopping on Thursday (she bought NOTHING... such a fail of a working girl!), out on a night out on the Saturday with my mum and her bestie (my second mum), and that was a messy night... On the Sunday her boyfriend came up (I'd not met him), and my boyfriend came over, and we had a double date at Nandos. The boys stayed over, and we played Cards Against Humanity, Mario Kart and Mario Party, and watched a film. All in all, we had a really nice few days, and I miss her already! I have an idea of a blog post I can do based around that trip too ;) 

Anyway, thats my life so far. I am going on holiday to Wales soon, which is super exciting, and then I am jetting off to Denmark to see my big bro! So more exciting blog posts to come.. they just might take a while!

Lets get fit!

So the other day, whilst playing Wii Fit with my boyfriend and my family, I learned that since I have joined University, I have put on 11 pounds. This may not seem like a lot, but my BMI is now much higher, and I'm freaking out. Hence: FITNESS TIME.

I made a really good smoothie and attempted to recreate it today, so that I could take some pictures and write up a blog post about it. EXCITING. 

Lots of caps lock today... clearly feeling passionate about fitness today. I've been out bike riding with my boyfriend quite a lot too over the past week, and I've actually really enjoyed it. But anyway, onto the recipe. 

So its a pretty basic recipe. I have a Vitamix at home (basically, just a really good blender), and so I will just list the stuff I put in, and let you figure out how to do this in your own blender. I simply chuck it all in, and stick it on the highest whack, but you might need to do this in stages if your blender isn't as powerful.

And without further ado; the ingredients:

• A handful of frozen strawberries
• A whole frozen banana
• A small cup of unsweetened soya milk
• A teaspoon of agave nectar (or honey/ syrup if you don't have any; agave is just healthy!)
• A handful of crushed oats
• A small cube of ginger (optional: if you want to add spice!)
• A teaspoon of Chia seeds (see below).

My final ingredient is a teaspoon of Chia seeds. These are a superfood that are simply brilliant. I'm not 100% sure on what they are specifically amazing at, but I believe it is a protein and fibre source, and they're good at making you feel full, so you don't eat as much in a day. They contain powerful antioxidants (whatever they are) and very little carb. So I add these to my smoothie (only every now and again, they're really expensive and are actually my dad's; if you're reading this, remember I LOVE YOU!).

Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading this recipe and have fun trying it out and adding your own ingredients if you decide to give it a go. Enjoy!

UPDATE: I wrote this blog post a while ago, just didn't post it, and have since made many more smoothies, and many more healthy meals, and have managed to lose 4lb since I started bike riding, eating healthily (and less), and exercising on Wii Fit (don't laugh, it actually works!!). Just thought I'd let y'all know!

Bucket List

So in the past week, I have ticked three things off my "bucket list". I went and met Louise (Sprinkle of Glitter) at a book signing to surprise my sister, and I went and saw Ed Sheeran live in Wembley. I also found out that I managed to achieve a first in my first year of university. Such a proud moment! Three of the most exciting days of my life, summed up in one week. It led me to thinking that I have never actually written down my bucket list... hence this blog post. Here it is! Please feel free to comment any better ideas that I could add on!

1. See Ed Sheeran live 
2. See Taylor Swift live
3. Go and tour America (Florida, Vegas and New York specifically)
4. Visit Disney World in Florida (kind of linked to the above)
5. Skydive (face my fears!)
6. See the Northern Lights
7. See The Script live
8. Meet my favourite Youtubers (Zoe, Louise, Alfie)
9. Visit Paris with my loved one, stand at the Eiffel Tower at night with the lights, put a lock on a bridge.
10. Be Tinkerbell in the Disney Parade
11. Get my Tinkerbell tattoo
12. Swim with dolphins
13. Visit Australia and New Zealand
14. Tour around China and Japan
15. See the Lion King in the West End
16. London Eye for New Years
17. Climb all of Snowdon, Wales
18. Get to the top of a climbing wall
19. See Les Mis in the West End
20. African Safari
21. Take part in a pantomime
22. Reach 10000 views on my blog
23. Graduate with a first, and do a masters in Psychology
24. Get married (eventually)
25. Go to a movie premier and meet the celebs!
26. Get a first in every year of university (1st, 2nd, 3rd year)

These are all I can think of for now, but I shall add to these 26 as time goes on and I remember new things. Hope you enjoyed reading this, and its given you some ideas to add to your own bucket lists!

Review: MUA Undress Your Skin Shimmer Highlighter

I haven't done a makeup review on my blog yet, however I have drafted a few. As I haven't posted in a while, I thought I'd stick up a review!

I have been using this MUA highlighter (in the golden shade, they also sell a pink shade which I am DEFINITELY going out to buy soon!!) for a long time. I bought it back in April, and especially as it's started to get hotter in england, have started wearing it a lot more. I pair it with my Bourgeois Bronzer and my cream blush by Maybelline or my rose gold blush by Sleek, and it always makes me feel super pretty!

Its very shimmery and lovely, and has a good pigment to it. It brings out flecks of gold that  can look a bit strange if you apply to your nose/ chin when contouring. However, on the top of your cheeks and under the brow, its beautiful. Couldn't recommend this more, and its cheap! ;D

The End of First Year

So I don't really know how this blog post is going to be structured. All I know is I wanted to talk about the last year of my life that has been spent in the most amazing place. I finished my last exam yesterday, and my summer has officially begun. Over the next week, so many exciting things are going to happen, and I wanted to write about them, so I can treasure them forever!

My first year at Loughborough University is over, and I am so sad to see it put behind me. When I think back, back to Freshers, and Halloween, and Christmas and Easter, I think of some amazing times and amazing accomplishments that I've managed to achieve on the way.

In semester one, I managed to get a 71% overall; which is a First (top level you can get in a degree). I might not get that overall throughout the entire year, but at least I know I managed to achieve it in my first semester ever at University. Semester one also included several AMAZING nights out, and involved getting to know my flat (and one of my best friends' flat), and several good course mates that I'll love forever. I have made so many friends in Rigg-Rut (my hall) that I know I'll stay in contact with for a long time.

Semester two was when it all kicked off for me though. I've managed to secure myself a summer job, a job in the Union starting from September, and a part time promotion job for throughout. I am so excited to start all of these things, and feel independent. Rigg-Rut Summer Ball was amazing, and I'm gutted to have missed Stage Society's Summer Ball (nothing will hold me back for the winter one!!). Another thing that happened throughout mainly semester two, is that I was appointed as Stage Society's secretary; something that has completely changed my university experience as a whole. I've got to know a whole new bunch of people who I think are absolutely brilliant, and I can't wait for the next couple of years with them. 

Over the next week, I get to chill, work with my fabulous flatmate, experience Rigg-Rut day (celebrating a year in Rigg-Rut), and most importantly, watching series 3 of Orange is the New Black; which came out today!! (oh, and I get to see my boyfriend, who has been on a 17 night cruise, and I've really missed! I guess thats kind of awesome too ;D). 

In a week and a bit, me and one of my bestest friends are jetting off to Spain, and my summer really begins! I'm undoubtedly going to do a blog post about the whole week, but I thought I'd mention it because I'm so excited! Heres to the summer!