Travel Make-up Bag and a Manicure!

Eeek! My journey to Lourdes begins tomorrow night, so make-up bag essentials have been compiled (first things first, even though I haven't thought about actually packing yet...)

Here are my absolute essentials for a wee trip away!

(sorry about the flash... I considered re-taking this pic but I am lazy and it's raining!)

Make-up Bag Primark

Seventeen Miracle Matte Pressed Powder - My fave powder of the moment, it only takes a quick swoosh to work and lasts pretty much all day.

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation - obvs

Seventeen Skin WOW! Three-Way Highlighter - This is fabulous, I use it for all means of highlighting and it's got the shimmer-dew balance just right. It makes me feel like a princess.

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer - Believe. The. Hype.

Avon Lip Plumping Lip Conditioner in 'Smitten Red' - A classic lipstick, this is always my go-to-pillarbox-red-can-never-let-you-down shade.

Bourjois Lovely Rouge Bijou in 'Brun Elegant' - This lipstick has a mirror! Probably worth a buy for that alone...

Earl Grey Lip Balm - I bought this from a sweet little gift shop in Cambridge, it is as magnificent and fabulous as it sounds ;)

MODEL co. Eye Pencil - This beauty does a great job and ACTUALLY lasts the day, which is always useful! It also has a sharpener attached, which is an on-the-go lifesaver.

Bourjois Volume 1 Second Mascara - This is new, and is currently on offer in Sups! It's not the best masacara I've ever tried, but is quick and nice enough for day-to-day wear.

Seventeen Make Your Mark Eyeliner Pen - This bad boy LASTS. If you won't have access to make-up for a while (why hello there, 24 hour coach journey), this may be the pen for you.

Seventeen Eye Eye Crayon - Easier than lugging palettes and brushes everywhere!

Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil - Because not much else gets on with my eyebrows.

Kate Moss for Rimmel Lipstick in 107 - Oh Kate, you can do no wrong... I love this shade for hazy evenings :)

It's always a tough decision to choose which pieces to take away with me, but I think these lovelies should last me the week!!

On my way home today I popped into a local parlour to get my nails done, because busy days in Lourdes will mean I won't get much chance to keep re-doing them from my own poor painting efforts.

How cute was this place?! I'm definitely going back here again!!

I opted for a pretty OPI dusky berry colour (the name fails me... I remember it being cute though!)

This is my last post until at least a week on Sunday because of my Lourdes adventure, but I'll be back and raring to go with all the tales of my trip then... I'm excited already!!

THANKS FOR READING!! (I love you if you read this much of my rambles!)

XXX

Ging-Ham Style

I've always been a big fan of gingham - probably because Wizard of Oz has always been up there as one of my fave films! I think it's such a versatile design, and it's feminine and summery whilst not looking too out-there!

I'm considering ordering an adult-size primary school summer dress, but I think that might be a step too far ;)

Does anyone else share my love of gingham? I'm loving the fact that it's everywhere at the moment!

XX

Latest Beauty Bargains

As I've mentioned before, I'm on placement at the moment, which means 7 day working weeks! I thought this would mean I'd be preventing myself from spending money on stuff I don't need, but apparently this isn't the case...

All these purchases were on the bargainous side though, so I'm going to let myself off and enjoy the treats!

I bought these little gems over the last few days.

L-R: 

Good Things 'Spot that Spot' Cleansing Gel Boots 

Rimmel 'Moisture Renew' Lipstick in 240: Tower of Mauve Fragrance Direct

Nivea Rich Regenerating Night Cream Boots

Rimmel 60 Seconds Nail Varish in 'Ready, Set, Paint!' Fragrance Direct

Rimmel 60 Seconds Nail Varish in 'Little Bo Peep' Fragrance Direct

Botanics Organic Nourishing Body Oil Boots

I can't find the exact prices of all these items, but they were definitely all under a fiver - (actually) as cheap as chips!!

I've never tried body oil as an alternative to moisturiser, so I'm excited to try the Botanics body oil - I'm not sure whether my skin will feel more or less dry with the use of it, but we shall see! (oooooh excitement)

The skincare stuff isn't that exciting but necessary - I haven't been able to get as much sleep as I'd like over the last few weeks, which means can only result in one thing - breakouts.

And the hype is true... all these bad boys were a round pound from B&M. If you haven't raided their beauty aisle yet, GO!!

In other news, how beaut is the current weather in the UK? I'm close to driving with the sunroof down! It's so so nice to have the option to be outside - I had a grand old time sitting on the swing earlier. It's the small things!

Collar Junkie

L-R:

Lilac Shirt Charity Shop Necklace Was my Grandma's

Dress New Look

Dress George at Asda

Shirt Charity Shop, with buttons from mum's tin! Tee Zara

Shirt Primark Collar Made from an old doily!

Shirt Vintage

Dress Warehouse

Dress Boohoo

Shirt Primark Jumper Charity Shop

I am a self confessed collar junkie! If what I'm wearing hasn't got a collar, I get the shakes - and usually panic and add one underneath. I think they're just the prettiest and add a bit of schoolgirl chic to any outfit. 

Most of my pals say that I'm so predictable and need to occasionally stray away from them, but in my opinion you can just NEVER have too much collar :)

Does anyone share my collar love? 

XX

NEWSFLASH

New in at B&M: Revlon and Rimmel nail varnishes (Scented and 60 Seconds) for a cheeky pound.

GO GO GO!

Planning a Room makeover...

This is the current state of one of my bedroom walls! I still love this, but my room on the whole is looking a bit tired so in a couple of weeks I'm FINALLY going to have it sorted out (room tour coming!)

I've got bags of homely stuff that I've been accumulating over the past few weeks, so I may post a haul of exciting interior bits (I've definitely paid The Range's workers' wages). One day this week I need to order some carpet (yippee) and a bed, but following that, we're nearly done and I am far too excited!

More updates to follow...

OOTD: Patchwork for Placement

Smock Dress Topshop Cardigan New Look Watch eBay

My part-time job requires me to wear a pretty gross uniform, so it's nice to be able to choose what I wear on placement!

I'm spending a month at a lovely local primary school, which is the absolute cutest.  I'm loving getting to know the wee students and helping them where I can - it's definitely making me want to teach for the long run :)

Most of the clothes I own double up as decent enough teaching-wear, which meant that I didn't have to do any big shops before starting at school! (which was good for my purse but a bit sad for my happiness)

Necklace Primark

(Battered) Chelsea Boots eBay

I intended taking all these pics outside but after I took one of my feet what I can only describe as an intense monsoon graced the skies - maybe next time!!

Thank you for reading :) XX

Soap & Glory Collection: I may have a problem

Points to whoever can guess what my favourite body product brand is!

I would like to add that this stuff is only built up since around Christmas time - I get through S&G products VERY quickly and don't like to mousturise sparingly.

Does anyone else share my unhealthy obsession? A lot of people I know see S&G as a high-end high-street brand that is overpriced nonsense, but I honestly do believe that you get what you pay for - the products go a long way, do the job well and smell like the sweet love of angels.

It's always lovely to smell lovely!

Does anyone have a favourite S&G product? I think my favourite set of scents has got to be 'Sugar Crush' - so bladdy delicious! I feel like I smell like a pina colada when I use them.

XX

NOTD: Rimmel 60 Seconds in 'Mind the Gap, Victoria'

I'm a big fan of Rimmel 60 Seconds - I always forget that I've just painted my nails and smudge them and have to start again (several times) so quick-drying polishes are the best. 

They have a HUGE range of colours, which are fabulous ogling material in any massive Boots! 

This is bad news for my bank balance though, I own about 15 shades but my collection is nowhere near complete. *woooo excuse to buy more*

This one slipped under my radar at first, but caught my eye the other day when I was in a local pharmacy, I love its duskiness (and good names are always a bonus). 

It's perfect in two coats, and will require a top coat if you don't want it to chip in a day. What a beauty!

Battle of the Cleansers!

I like to take good care of my face. I'm not naturally prone to spots but I do love a cheeky sweet binge and there aren't many days when I leave the house without a full face of make-up so if I didn't have a proper cleansing routine my face would definitely hate me!!

Here are the current bunch of cleansers I've got on rotation (sorry about rubbish pic quality):

L-R: No. 7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Balm, B. Pure Micellar Water, Good Things Deep Pore Anti Blemish Lotion, No. 7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser, No. 7 Soft and Soothed Gentle Cleanser, No. 7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Lotion,  Soap & Glory Peaches and Clean 3-in-1 Wash off Deep Purifying Cleanser, Botanics All Bright Cleansing Foam Wash, Good Things Stay Clear Purifying Cleanser

Hands up who loves No. 7 vouchers? Ha!

All these cleansers essentially do the same thing (i.e. getting crap off yo face!) but trials and tests of them all have definitely highlighted the best ones! I'm lazy, so cleansers that don't require me walking to a tap really appeal to me, but I've found that the No. 7 cleansing balms and lotions are bad news if you plan on not using hot water or a toner to take off excess lotion - I tend to always be left with a face full of grease and specks of excess makeup (nice).

For this reason, liquidy cleansers and micellars are right up my street! The B. Pure cleansing water is a quick option and also claims to tone skin, but is hard to get onto a cotton pad and has left my face feeling tight and dry afterwards. The Good Things 'Deep Blemish' Lotion, however, is my absolute fave - it also tones skin which is perfect for quick cleanses when I can't be bothered to do more than one step, it smells divine, and isn't drying or hard to apply.

Soap & Glory 'Peaches and Cream' genuinely smells like peaches which is obviously lush, but using this isn't the quickest of processes... I always have to be quite rigorous with the muslin cloth to actually get all my make-up off with this one!!

The two cleansers on the far right (Botanics and Good Things) are what I generally use for morning cleansing. These both do the job well but could be drying if I didn't always moisturise like hell afterwards!

I don't like to have favourites, but the obvious winner here is definitely the Good Things Deep Pore Anti Blemish Lotion, which just ticks all the boxes that a cleanser can tick. You can get these from big Boots and Tescos, and I can assure you that buying this beauty will enhance your life.

That's all for now :) thanks for reading!! XX

Round-up: The Last Month

Oops. I know blog silence doesn't bode well for anyone, especially for newbies like me, so this is an attempt to swing back into blaction (blog action) (maybe not).

I've just had a three and a half week break from Uni, which was SO lovely and needed after my exam period. I was doing lots of extra shifts at my part-time job (which I enjoy anyway) but it was lovely to actually be able to have a social life on my few days off. 

It was really nice to stay in my Chester for a few days after finishing exams, because I'm not used to being there and not having to spend every hour in the library! We went for a cute house meal as it's not often all ten of us are together. It's fun living in a ten-bed house but long terms can be very tiresome when you want some sleep and a clean surface to cook on.

There's more than ten people in this photo as partners were invited too (mine is non-existent, haha).

I was also in a play just before I came home again! It was Footloose, and this is a shot from the after party. It went so swimmingly and I had so so much fun (as my big role... 'Extra Townsperson'). I miss it loads and still haven't seen the film!

I went to York for a couple of days with mum, dad, my sisters and their husbands and children. York is my kind of place, so quaint and beautiful, elegant but still full of modern essentials and kitsch shops and just a general delight of a place! It was sunny, too, which is obviously allllways a bonus and we even had a few cheeky icey cs. 

I also had a really lovely three days in Portsmouth over Easter weekend. Our friends Dom and Rachel live there and have recently jumped on the proper grown-ups bandwagon after getting married last August (such a good day. We helped serve the Pimms and I had to actually slap myself mid-speeches because I was so drunk and couldn't concentrate) 

Rachel is now expecting a baby and they invited us all down for a civilised mini holiday with tea, cake, a BBQ on the beach, big cosy nights in, shopping and coastal walks. It was perfect! I was designated driver one of two, which meant five hours each way on the roads (and six motorways!) so on our next holiday I'm definitely shotgunning in someone else's ride.

Easter Sunday was lovely too, I created a crazy egg hunt which went down pretty well!  It was actually my first at home for three years, so it was lovely to be with family and go to church together. 

I got to meet this little princess the other day! This is Naomi's new niece Catherine who I loved giving a wee cuddle. My 'weekend' last week meant that I got to visit Naomi's school and meet some students as we're taking them on a trip to Lourdes in May half term (buzzzinnngggg). Although the concept of me, as a leader, with an actual school, with actual responsibility, for an actual week is slightly terrifying. 

Aaanddd... to round off a wonderful break, a trip to Leeds to celebrate lovely Laura's 21st was on the cards! I was off alcohol for Lent, so it was so good to finally have a night out that didn't have me serving the primary purpose of looking after everyone else! We went to some mental karaoke bar which was obviously top lols, and I 'sang' the last song of the night which was 'Because I Got High' - only because the person who was signed up for it had gone home so I nobly stepped in and got involved! (I had forgotten how gross the lyrics get at the end - worth it for the respect from the crowd though haha).  I like this photo... that couple were gross though!!

I started my placement in a school today - it's been such a lovely first day and I can't wait for tomorrow with Class 2! Life is so so good.

Much love!! X