6 Lifestyle Changes Until September!

I started to realise a few things about myself that I thought I could improve upon. What changes could I make to make myself feel healthier and happier? So, here I am, with 6 things I plan on doing as a sort of trial until the beginning of september to see I feel any different!

1. SAY NO TO STRAIGHTENERS!
I have never dyed my hair any outrageous colours or made it overly damaged, but I never realised how much I used straighteners, even to curl my hair. That level of heat that I used nearly everyday can't be good at all. I don't get my hair trimmed regularly but my hair isn't in too bad a state. On top of not using straighteners, I'm trying not to use hairbands that strain my hair, so hence using scrunchies. Plus, not brushing my hair when it's wet which is a thing that I do nearly all the time. I'm hoping that not using my hair straighteners for the next few weeks will allow me to see benefits!

2. WATER, WATER, WATER
I have tried this before, and it worked miracles. I am unfortunately proned to bad skin, but I went through a phase of drinking 1.5-2 litres of water a day to flush out my system and it truly worked. But it was quite hard to keep up and keep track of the water I was drinking. I remember how much better my skin was and how much it had improved, so lets start round 2. Side note, no fizzy drinks, none.

3. LIMIT THE JUNK
I will raise my hand and say I love chocolate and there is no doubt I eat way too much of it. I'm not planning on cutting it out completely, (mainly because that would be impossible for me), but making sure I'm not just eating it 'because it's there'.

4. SQUAT & LUNGE
This is more of a personal one, a photo on instagram where I was tagged made me realise how large my thighs are! This isn't really anything new to me, I've always felt my thighs have been out of proportion. So the first step is 50 squats and 50 lunges per day. Maybe Ill soon start to notice a more toned lower half soon?

5. NAIL BITING
I don't really think this is a 'lifestyle' change but I have been driven to paint my nails to cover how horribly bitten they are. They aren't as bad as when I was about 14, I have gradually become better however I really don't want to see horrible nails anymore, I'm done! I remember a gross little fact someone told be about the amount of bacteria under the nails, apparently there's a lot. Ew.

6. POSITIVITY
I wouldn't say I'm a negative person, or a pessimist, but I definitely sometimes find it hard to see the good in things. So, this isn't just a few week thing, I'm going to try and keep this up for a while, maybe see if anyone can notice a change. Not get involved in drama and stay mentally healthy.


Do you have any changes you'd like to make as the summer comes to an end?

Laura x

Where do I want to go?

Having just gotten back from Berlin, I started to ask myself; where next? I am an absolutely keen traveller, its important to keep seeing as much of the world and experience as many cultures as possible.

I have no problem in admitting that I have been very fortunate to have been able to go where I have but I also believe that sometimes you have to put yourself out there to go and get what you want. After I finish my degree, I really want to travel and perhaps even live abroad for a while. A few places I have visited include: New York, Florida, Paris, Cairo, Rome, Venice, Bishkek, Shymkent, Tashkent, Barcelona, Salamanca, Murcia, Dubai, Geneva, Santander, Naples and most recently Berlin. So it's safe to say I'm no stranger to flying. If I could visit 5 places, where would I go?

1) Prague - Czech Republic

I'll be perfectly honest and say I'm not 100% sure why. I know a few people who have been here and say its a place every person should have a chance to see. It's supposedly very pretty and a place that has always been on my mind.





2) Cancun - Mexico

Supposedly a Spring Break hotspot for Americans, this is a place I really have to see for myself. White sand and killer sun, that's my idea of a nice break away. Apparently theres an underwater museum?

3) Rio de Janeiro - Brazil

No, the world cup did not inspire me to go here, and nor will the next Olympic Games, but the flamboyant colours and the carnival life seems like something to celebrate. One of the things that is always brought up is the divide between the wealthy and the poor. Apparently slums lie next to skyscraper city blocks, and this is something I really want to get a sense for myself.




4) Sydney/Gold Coast - Australia

Cheekily combining this into one, this is a place where I am determined to go to, perhaps even live? I guess we will see. The great barrier reef would be a sight in itself, let alone the beaches and the glorious weather. A hot christmas? Yes Please.






5) St Tropez/Cannes - France

 Another cheeky combo, his is definitely and up and coming place. I can't really justify why I want to go here other than it is supposedly 'a great place to be'. I guess because I live in London, and France is very close, why wouldn't I want to hop over here? Would I like to time it with Cannes Film Festival? Of Course. 

Do you have five places you HAVE to visit? Better start saving.

Laura x
(all photos taken from Google)

Glossybox July 2014

So after stating that I would not resubscribe with glossy box, i saw that this month was a special edition with 4 full sized products with the USA theme so I did a one off buy. The great thing was that I loved this box! The dilemma I face is do I re-subscribe?



























The usual pale pink box was transformed in to a stars and striped theme, very cute. I have always felt I got the worst sample products in my box, but this month, I think I got the best!
My box included:


1) Carmex lip balm - £2.69
2) Color Club - Glossy Seal nail Polish - $8 for 15ml
3) tarte - lights, camera, lashes 4in1 mascara - £19.50 for 7ml
4) Bellapierre Cosmetics Ltd - Mineral Lipstick - £20.00
5) ABSOLUTE New York - Perfecting Eyeshadow Primer - $4.99

So this was a pretty valuable box, definitely worth its money. The funny thing is, my lipstick came in a Ruby colour and just the other day I was looking for a popping colour lipstick, now I have this beauty! The nail varnish isn't my first choice of colour however I don't own one like it and I am looking forward to trying it. I have always wanted to try carmex but to be completely honest, never got round to buying it, typical me. So this was a real treat, I remember the craze of carmex and it seems to have come back around. I seem to get a mascara in nearly every box, but I can't complain, this was the cutest mascara I have ever seen, it had a sort of leathery snake skin look to it, incredible. Finally, the eye primer is a blessing as I always resort to foundation, which can sometimes crease in the folds of my eyes.

My favourite product has to be the mascara, mainly for its casing. All in all, I am overly happy with my box. Did you get the same products as me?

Laura x

Glamour Magazine + eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner

I brought the July 2014 edition of Glamour Magazine, and whilst the magazine alone was worth buying, the little treat I received was a lovely treat, the eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner. I think I can speak for everyone when I say, you can never have too many eyeliners.

I am not a fan of pencil eyeliners, I always have to push to hard to get the definition I want, and it can't start to hurt my eyelids. Hence why in my make up trial years, I switched from pencil to liquid. At the moment I am using Collection 2000 eyeliner. However this little beauty from eyeko is so sleek, in silver, and gives such a great definition. The end is rather fine allowing you to have control and to create all types of looks, whether its all out wow factor or a subtle going to lunch with the grandparents look.
I was extremely impressed with this product and its a very good liquid eyeliner, and very quickly it has become my new favourite eye make up piece. It is worth £12 so to some extent, I guess you would expect it to be rather good. It was named TeenVogue's Beauty Award Winner, it lasts a long time and it does smudge. One of the reasons this has come in the Glamour magazine, is Alexa Chung is the feature of this edition, and of course she fully deserves it, but she has teamed up with eyeko, advising the brand on its direction.

At the moment, if you subscribe to ELLE UK, you get a free eyeko kit worth £52, including the eyeliner.

If you get a chance to get the magazine, either to read Alexa's feature, or even purely for the eyeliner, please do! (The magazine is definitely worth a flick through this month)

Laura x

DINNER PARTY TIME!

So a friend of mine decided to host a dinner party, we are all back from nearly a year apart, from all over the place whether its university or art college, and it was really sweet to see the girls. The table looked beautiful and the flowers were stunning, we even had little name plates and matching napkins! We each prepared a meal, I was on dessert, along with cocktails, alcohol and non, and of course the evening ended with a game of 'Cards Against Humanity'.

 

Its called cards against humanity for a reason… it was a new game for me too, but take my advice and don't play it with your parents. The food was lovely, the cocktails were some of the best I've had and it was one of the most enjoyable evenings I've had in a while. FACT: you don't need to go out and get lashed for a good night! I think we are going to try and make this a regularly thing, maybe once a month. 

Laura x

GlossyBox June!

I was relatively impressed overall with this box, and this was my last of my 6 month subscription however I have decided to renew it for one month only, as its a special edition USA box next week.

My 5 treats in this box were:
1) 3-in-1 Base/Topcoat & Nail strengthener from Nail Girls
2) Rise 'N Shine Souffle from got2b
3) Beautiful Flat Stiff Brush from TeeezTrendsCosmetics
4) Universal Blush from So Susan
5) Antiperspirant spray from RITUALS

 I must admit, I'm not a big hair care product user, so the Souffle by got2b wasn't that useful for me however it really did smell lovely and will try it at some point. As for the nailgirls clear nail polish, this was a blessing in my box as I am always too lazy to buy clear nail polish as its extremely over priced in shops. I wasn't too sure about the antiperspirant at first but now its my go-to product. It smells divine! I cannot get enough of how amazing this is and it doesn't leave any patches or stain clothing and it also stays for a long time, throughout the day. I had just brought a blush, and this blush seemed to have a slight glitter tinge, which I was happy about. I hate make up that has a shimmer look, it looks very fake. Finally, the brush, again, when in stores, they are majorly overpriced hence why I was pleased to see this when I opened my box, you can never have too many brushes! Also the brush was very pretty.

Normally I am disappointed with my box, so this was definitely an improvement for me. I said as soon as my subscription ends, i was not going to renew, hence why I have gone for a one off box for the USA july edition. I always seem to get the lesser of the products offered by glossy box and soon to hope a subscription with another beauty box. Any recommendations as to which one?

Laura x

MIA for the whole of June but back for July!

So to summarise, I havent blogged at all in June, which is beyond pathetic. It was a busy month with exams and results as well as deciding what to do academically next year. However, I am now free for the rest of summer and ready to blog blog blog. Also to say, although the majority of my posts have been beauty/fashion, I am going to expand my blog to general posting, e.g day to day to make it more well rounded.

Happy blogging,

Laura x

e.l.f Cosmetics Review

So I wanted to try a few new things from a company called Elf Cosmetics. I wasn't really 100% sure what I should try so I went for a variety of products.

 Firstly the Studio Stipple brush. I don't have many brushes so I thought I would try this out. It was £3.95, pretty good for a brush, especially as the brush to me seemed like high quality and I loved the design of it! You have a plastic cover to keep your brush in so the bristles don't get ruined. To go with the brush, I brought some powder foundation. I am normally not a big fan of powder as I have quite dry skin so I can sometimes end up getting flakey. It was £5.95 and I personally think that it is worth it. The shade I chose online seemed very close to what I got.

Probably my favourite product in my batch is without doubt the Matte Lip Colour which I chose in Coral. I think the reason this is so great is that it lasts a long time and doesn't wear away through the day. also it a little brighter than my natural lip colour so it give a great natural look. I am definitely going to be investing in more colours. It was a great price of £3.95.

The all over cover stick which I brought in Apricot Beige, was pretty good. I can see this being great on a night out to have in your purse for a quick fix. I think the idea of this is for it to be a quick fix as it was only £1.95. This was a pretty average product that I am happy I have purchased.

The last two I brought were blusher and bronzer. I got the sun kissed bronzer and the Shy blusher. I prefer more of a natural look hence why I didn't go for any boisterous shades. Both of these work fabulously, although the bronzer has a slight shimmer in it which I wasn't a fan of and both the brushes aren't that great but still useable. Both cost £2.50.

Overall, with free postage, I paid £20.80. For what I received I would say that this is fantastic value for money and I may have found a new favourite brand! If you get a chance, please take a look at their products. I found the website very easy to use. The last thing I must add, I absolutely love the packaging. It got a simple finish on everything and the pots and pallets are all of high quality make. Hopefully I'll be able to review some more things in the future! 

Laura x

GlossyBox May 2014

So I came home today to open my glossy box, and I was really excited as everyone is saying it is the best yet! One of the things Ive noticed people saying in reviews is that even before they opened their box, it felt heavier than usual. I didn't find this, mainly because when I opened it, I felt like I had nothing similar to any of the others!

One of the things I really wanted was the Spray and Go by Vaseline. I have seen this in every review so I guess I assumed it was one of the items in every box. I also really would have loved the primer as I am running low! However, when I came to opening my box, heres what I found.

Firstly, I found Scandal Eyes Mascara by Rimmel London in my box. I wasn't too fussed about this as I already have about 4 mascaras already. I don't have a lot of Rimmel products mainly because I find they don't last long, either they run out quickly or break. So I am interested to try this but as I said before, I'm not overly interested in this. (£6.99)

Next came the Ghost Eclipse Tester. I don't really value these as they are very useless to me. I never find enough in the tester to actually wear it out. There really isn't much to say about this as I wouldn't really mind if this didn't arrive in my box.

This is probably the least impressive thing in my box, the Caramel Sheer Conditioning lipstick by B. I tried it on and it made my lips feel horrible. It didn't come out as a caramel colour, it just looked slightly shimmery. If I wanted a shimmery look, I would wear lipgloss. It genuinely looked as if I had no colour change on my lips but some sticky chapstick. (£6.99)

This is almost as unimpressive, Gosh Eyeliner however it comes in a violet shade? I only ever wear black coloured eyeliner as Im so pale, any odd colour looks strange on me. I also only use liquid eyeliner not pencil. (£4.99)

2true Pro 3D candy Marine Nail Art was in my box. I love the idea of this however I don't really like this colour. I would have preferred either a pastel colour or a pink type. I am looking forward to using this and if it goes well, I may look at the other colours available. The only thing I would say is that I seem to always receive nail varnish in every box, I am a little tired of it now. (£3.00)

One thing I am glad to have in my box is a doughnut ring. I have always wanted to try this and now I have! It was quite easy to use. I have quite fine hair but it still worked well. Maybe for a smart day, this would be great. Glossybox have clearly taken into account I have blonde hair by sending me a blonde shade doughnut ring. So maybe they do think about what goes into each box? (£3.99)

Lastly, a tester of the Garnier Body Oil Lotion. This is again something that I am not too fussed over, but I will try it as I do have dry skin so maybe this is a little perk.

Overall, I am dissapointed. I had such high hopes, especially as it was a collaboration box. Personally, I alway feel I get the worst of the products available, just my luck. Hopefully you are all more satisfied with your boxes, let me know if you disagree with anything Ive said! The total value of the box excluding testers is £25.96, and I can't say it's worth it, sorry Glossybox.

Laura x

Jasmine Reed Diffuser - Lily Flame

If you haven't hear of lily flame, where have you been!? Lily Flame has got to be one of my favourite brands of candles and I recently got a gift for my 19th birthday present, a lily flame Jasmine Reed Diffuser.

Reed Diffusers are great if you don't want an overpowering scent to hit you as you walk in a room, but you still want the room to smell nice. It was great to receive this as a gift as unfortunately, reed diffusers can be a tad expensive. Jasmine has got to be one of my favourite smells, its fresh and doesn't bowl you over because it's very relaxing. Having done some research, this cost around £20.00. The bottle isn't that big but it's expected to last a very long time. What's great is that you can just buy the refills when you run out, but Lily Flame do so many other scents. Another favourite of mine has to be Fairy Dust.

So this was just a quick little review of a gift I received, and if you have the chance, maybe invest in one yourself. If not, they make a great gift!

Laura x