Saturday 10 September 2016

August Favourites


I have had such a busy month packing my whole life up at home ready to move to University (when you're reading this I will have just arrived!) and so haven't had much time to spend blogging, but I have managed to collect together some bits and bobs I have loved throughout the month to share with you!

Saturday 20 August 2016

The fastest way to straighten hair EVER?!

I was recently contacted by a representative of the website Irresistible Me and given an opportunity to choose one of their products to review. I had been following the huge internet hype surrounding the revolutionary concept of a hair straightening brush, so when I saw they offered this product I couldn't wait to try it out for myself!
When the Jade ceramic hair straightening brush arrived, I dug out an American plug adaptor and immediately tried it out on myself and was amazed at how it completely flattened out any kinks and waves with only one brush. However, as my hair is naturally quite straight I wanted to give it a proper trial run and so I put it to the test on one of my friends, Catherine, who has far curlier hair than I do. Hopefully this review will give you a proper idea of whether the hair straightening brush lives up to the hype!
Catherine's hair usually takes about 30-40 minutes to straighten completely as it is very thick. However, using the Jade brush it only took 15 minutes to do her entire head of hair. She was impressed with the results but did say it left her hair a little thicker than when she uses regular straighteners, but noted that it made the bulk of the work easier and that she would just go over the hair once quickly with her normal straighteners to smooth it down, knocking an impressive 15-20 minutes off the usual time it would take to achieve sleek, straight hair!
Before
After
One of the things which surprised me most while using the brush on both myself and Catherine was just how simple it was to use. There was no faffing about with extensively separating the hair into tiny sections, you can literally just pick up a large section and brush it through, and it is left straightened.
So, I would recommend looking into a hair straightening brush whether you have relatively straight hair and just need to flatten out any kinks or waves which have appeared overnight or from wearing your hair up, or if you have thicker, curlier hair which takes a long time to straighten and you want your morning routine to be faster! 

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Monday 25 July 2016

Summer Bucket List 2016

I know I've been away for quite some time due to exams and then a holiday to Tenerife with my boyfriend & best friends (blog post to come!) but I am now well and truly back for the summer, and what better way to start it off than with a Summer Bucket List of all the fun things I'm hoping to do over the next few weeks until I go off to University in September (eeeek!)

    Summer Bucket List 2016
  1.  Build a pillow fort
  2. Have a movie marathon
  3. Take a boat out on a lake
  4. Go to an arcade
  5. Watch the sunset at the beach
  6. Stargaze
  7. Make a fire & toast marshmallows
  8. Go for a night-time walk to find Pokemon
  9. Have a picnic at the park
  10. Cook a 3 course meal
  11. Go to a theme park
  12. Hike to the top of a mountain
  13. Play mini golf
  14. Have a water fight
  15. Host a BBQ
  16. Have a girls' night in
  17. Play board games
  18. Go camping
  19. Play hide & seek
  20. Make a scrapbook
  21. Write a letter to my future self
  22. Read books in French
  23. Go for afternoon tea
  24. Start & finish a TV series
  25. Clear out & redecorate my room
Let me know what's on your summer bucket list! Also, if you have any suggestions for future blog posts then please do let me know, as I need to get back into the swing of things in terms of producing content after taking such a long break!
  
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Saturday 14 May 2016

My 18th Birthday

Last Saturday (7th May) was my 18th birthday. It was an absolutely magical day, made special by my amazing family and wonderful boyfriend, and was finished off by a big, sparkle themed party with all of my friends before heading into town. The photographs by Tess Semour Photography were so amazing that I just had to share them with you all! 

My friend Amber (on the right) bought me a "Birthday Princess" sash and a tiara so I felt like a real princess! 

I requested "Let It Go" kareoke and got all the girls up to belt it out at the top of their voices!

We had lots of lovely heart-to-hearts about everything under the sun. Nia (second from the right) looked amazing with her pink hair and went all out with the sparkles!

My night was filled with smiles, hugs from people I love the most, lots of dancing and being attacked with even more sparkles!
 
I couldn't have asked for a better 18th birthday, and I'd just like to thank everyone who made it so special: my family, Ethan my boyfriend, my friends and of course Tess for capturing the whole night so beautifully!

I'd also like to apologise for my huge absence on my blog recently - I'm in the middle of revising for my A2 exams and am finding it really difficult to balance this blog among everything else I have to do! I promise I'll be back for good over the summer (and I have lots of holidays and fun things planned which I will share with you), but please bear with me for the next few weeks!
 
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Saturday 16 April 2016

Fitness: 6 Tips on How to Get Started


As summer edges closer, a thought on a lot of our minds is how we're going to get that "beach body" we've been dreaming of. Although this can act as good motivation, you should never think of fitness and exercise as solely a means to the end of this "perfect" body. The fact is, the perfect body does not exist. However, this is only because we can continuously improve forever, which is even more motivational for me. Below are just a few tips I have found to work for me whilst getting more into my fitness which I hope can benefit you too!

Saturday 2 April 2016

My Visit to the LUSH Spa (Bath)

On Wednesday my mum and I had a "be kind to yourself" day and booked ourselves in for two treatments each at the LUSH Spa in Bath. 

Saturday 26 March 2016

14 Motivational Quotes for when you need a kick up the butt

It's at this time of year when we all seem to lack a bit of motivation. The new year has worn off and we have probably already broken our ambitious resolutions. Summer seems so far away while the temperatures are still in single digits. And, for all you students out there, exams are right around the corner and you need to start pulling yourself together in terms of revision. So, I've collected a few of my favourite motivational quotes to keep me, and all of you, going!


 "You did not wake up today to be mediocre"

"Stop letting small minds convince you that your dreams are too big"

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started"

Saturday 12 March 2016

Style inspiration from Gigi Hadid

I absolutely love following the lives of my favourite models and celebrities, and Gigi Hadid is definitely at the top of my list. Every time I see Gigi on the catwalk she brings her own personality and flair, and every time I see photographs of her street-style I am in awe of how she can look so effortless and laid-back while still looking chic. I've picked out a few of my favourite photos which I often look to for outfit inspiration, which I'll share with you below.

Saturday 27 February 2016

LUSH Spring 2016

Every season I look forward to going along to the LUSH event in my local store (@LushCardiff) where I get an exclusive peek at all the products which are new in. Probably my favourite collection of products comes out in the spring, as I am a huge fan of sweet scents and you can't have Easter products without them!


Saturday 20 February 2016

Mini Make-up Revolution Haul

I was on the look-out for a couple of new eyeshadows to add to my collection as I've almost hit pan on a lot of my everyday shades, but I ended up leaving town with 44 eyeshadows and highlight! I can't help myself when it comes to buying MUR products, as they're so affordable but don't compromise on quality.

Saturday 13 February 2016

Top 5 Travel Essentials

I have been going a bit holiday-crazy recently as I've booked my first ever holiday with my boyfriend for July this year. So, when I was contacted by HomeAway and challenged to think of my top 5 travel essentials which I couldn't be without, I was well up for it!

Saturday 6 February 2016

Exam Revision Techniques

You may have noticed that my blog posts have been a bit sparse throughout January - this was because I had my head down revising for my A2 mocks and found myself with little time to do anything else, let alone create blog content of a quality I was proud of. I'd like to apologise for the lack of posts and I promise I will get back on track with my upload schedule as quickly as possible!
 
I thought I'd start back by writing a post full of my most helpful tips for revision. These may not be as effective for everyone as they are for me as we all learn in different ways, but it could be useful to add something new to your revision schedule to change things up a little! I did a similar post this time last year on general exam revision tips which I would highly recommend reading if you haven't already, so this post will focus more on specific techniques I use to better my understanding of topics and memorise important sections.

Saturday 23 January 2016

My Everyday Rose Gold Jewellery

I am definitely minimalistic when it comes to jewellery, as I love having a small collection of absolutely beautiful, delicate pieces which I adore and wear everyday. It is also important to me that my staple jewellery carries some meaning, so I really cherish it as special. Although it's a modern day cliché, I love rose gold and so all of the pieces I wear on a daily basis are a matching rose gold.

Saturday 16 January 2016

Bblonde Maximum Ombré Kit* Review

I've been thinking about lightening my hair for some time, but it wasn't until after I got 16 inches cut off for charity that I could really physically do it, as it would have been a mammoth struggle when my hair was all the way down to my bum! I wasn't quite ready to lighten my hair all over, and I don't have the spare time to deal with retouching my roots, so I decided to try out ombré to refresh and brighten my hair for the New Year.

Friday 1 January 2016

New Year's Resolutions

2015 has been full of unforgettable moments and has brought some amazing people into my life who I now can't imagine living without. I am much happier now than I was this time last year, and I have achieved some amazing things including getting AAAA in my AS levels, applying to university, getting my first job, finally recovering from an eating disorder, cutting off 16 inches of my hair for charity, getting rid of toxic people from my life and falling in love. 
2016 is going to be a big year for me, as I'll be turning 18 in May and going off to university in September, and I know there will be some huge changes to my life. I am a little bit terrified but mostly excited for what this year has to offer and how I'll grow as a person faced with new challenges. I've made a couple of resolutions to keep me on track towards a happy, healthy me, which I intend to look back on over the course of the year to make sure I'm still fulfilling them.

1. Eat healthily - I know this is a very clichéd resolution, but I want to ensure I don't fall back into any unhealthy habits this year such as skipping meals or eating junk food out of convenience. I always feel and work a lot better when I eat properly, which is going to be more important than ever this year as I'm doing my A levels and starting university. However, this doesn't mean I'm going to be avoiding "unhealthy" foods altogether, as I know it is healthy to have them in moderation with the right mindset.

2. Tone up - Unfortunately when I lost a lot of weight a few years back I also lost my muscle definition from years of competitive swimming and gymnastics. I think this year I will be able to approach fitness with a healthy mindset, and exercise to tone up rather than to lose weight.

3. Save money - I am an absolute shopaholic and often turn to shopping when I'm stressed, sad or bored. I end up purchasing things I'll never get around to wearing as my closet is already absolutely stuffed, when I could be saving the money to spend on experiences, holidays, festivals and university. I'm going to put myself on a spending ban apart from items which are absolutely essential, refrain from online browsing and steer clear of the city centre as much as possible.

4. Keep room tidy - Having a messy room really stresses me out and makes me anxious, but as I don't have a lot of free time aside from college and my job, my mess often piles up because I just leave things lying around. I'm going to try my best to put everything back in its place after using it, and throwing out everything I don't use (this involves a huge wardrobe clear out in the new year!)

5. Work hard - To be fair, I do this already and my mum often has to tell me to STOP revising at night and give myself a break! However, this year is really important work wise and I'd hate to fall at the final hurdle due to not doing enough revision for my exams.

6. Relax - Anyone who knows me knows I hardly ever give myself time to relax, and I often overload myself with work and plans to the point that I physically can't even fit in 8 hours of sleep a night. I really need to work on giving myself some downtime to reload and make sure I stay sane.

7. Appreciate people - I think all of us overlook those around us to some extent and often don't make it clear how grateful we are to have people in our life. This year I am going to try and show my friends, family and boyfriend how much I love them every day and never take them for granted.

Do you have any New Year's Resolutions? Please share them in the comments below! I'd love to hear what goals you're setting yourselves for 2016.



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