My Top 5 Red Lipsticks

From left to Right: MAC "Russian Red," Revlon "Cherry Blossom," Rimmel Kate Moss 101 "kiss of life,"Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Lipstick in "Brick," Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Colour Moisturising Lipstick in "Scarlet"

1) MAC "Russian Red"

I think pretty much everyone owns this lipstick. It's a gorgeous deep red shade, and the matte finish is lovely and long-lasting but not at all drying. I tend to apply a little layer first, pat it in with my finger to create a stain, and then add another layer for a nice deep bold red lip.

2) Revlon "Cherry Snow"

This is a lovely moisturising lipstick. It's not completely matte, but isn't at all glossy on the lips. It's a lovely raspberry red shade and I really like wearing this in Summer when I want a red lip but something more fresh.

3) Rimmel Kate Moss 101 "Kiss of Life"

Again this is a lovely true red lipstick. The matte finish isn't drying at all, and the lasting power is great. A great drugstore alternative to MAC's Russian Red.

4) ELizabeth Arden Ceramide Lipstick in "brick"

This is such a lovely lipstick. I'd moisturising, but lasts throughout the day/evening. The brown undertones of this red lipstick make it unique and go well with a brown smokey eye for an evening look.

5) Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Colour Moisturising Lipstick in "Scarlet"

This gorgeous hollywood red suits pretty much any skin tone. It's lovely, rich red tones definitely give your makeup that hollywood glam vibe. I would have to say that this is probably my favourite out of the lot, I just love the colour and the formula is lovely too.

What are your favourite red lipsticks?

School's Out For Summer, School's Out For Ever.

Sincere apologies for my absence on here, but I have a good excuse - promise. Since about February I have been studying for my A Levels. If you didn't know, I'm in my last year of Sixth Form studying English Literature, History and Psychology and all throughout June I had my exams that decide whether I get into University or not (not a big deal or anything); hence my lengthy absence on this blog. But finally, after months and months of stress, I have finished all my exams and now have a long Summer off catching up on all the blog posts, YouTube videos and trashy TV shows I've missed - which also means I'll have a lot more time to create posts and blog more regularly. It feels so good to finally be free of exams

and not have to stress and worry about something (except results day, yuk). 

For my next post I was thinking of doing my top five favourite red lipsticks - what do you think?

Have any of you had exams this month? 

Music I'm currently loving

Besides having a love for makeup, skincare and anything beauty-related, I also love music and enjoy listening to different artists from different styles and genres. I often go and see bands live and so I thought I'd share my favourite current artists with you to mix things up and deflect from the usual beauty babble. 

1. Little comets - Now I was fortunate enough to see little comets last month and after trying to see them twice before, both attempts ending in complete disaster, I can officially say they were worth the wait.They are by far my favourite band. Like. Ever. And as big as a bold statement that is to make, it's true. Their songs are beautifully written, each song explores a different social issue and they are so talented. My favourite songs from their album 'In Search of Elusive Little Comets' are Adultery, One Night in October, Joanna and Dancing Song. Favourites from 'Life is Elsewhere' are A Little Opus and Bayonne. THEY ARE SO GOOD. I also love Violence Out Tonight, Semaphores on the Lawn and Woman Woman. They've recently brought out their new album, 'Hope Is Just A State Of Mind,' and worthy mentions go to Fundamental Things, The Gift of Sound, The Daily Grind and Don't Fool Yourself. I highly recommend checking these guys out.
2. James Bay - everything by him. His album is incredible; every song is unique and could easily be majorly successful as singles. So happy I got tickets to see him in October. Favourites include If You Ever Want To Be In Love, Running, Best Fake Smile and When We Were On Fire.
3. Angus and Julia Stone - love this brother-sister duo. Favourite songs of theirs has to be Big Jet Plane, A Heartbreak and Grizzly Bear.
4. Laura Mvula - Recently re-listened to her and fell in love with her voice and music style all over again. Worthy song mentions go to Sing To The Moon, Like The Morning Dew, Can't Live With The World, Is There Anybody Out There? and Green Garden.
5. Hozier - I first heard Take Me To Church ages ago, way before it hit the charts and became popular and I really liked it. After listening to this album, my favourites have to be From Eden, Like Real People Do and Cherry Wine.

What artists are you currently loving? Hope you're all having a lovely week.

(PS: I'm struggling to think of posts to do so if you have any ideas on what posts you'd like to see feel free to leave them in the comments!)

Matching Lips and Nails for Spring

Whenever it comes to Spring, I love ditching the deep reds and burgundy's that I've sported throughout the Autumn and Winter for more neutral and pretty pink shades; hence this perfectly spring-orientated duo of Barry M's nail polish in the shade 'Ballerina,' and Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet liquid lipstick in 'Don't Pink of It!' Firstly, I love both the names of these products (superficial, I know, but true all the same) as well as the gorgeous blue-toned pink shade they both offer. I'm definitely one of those people who match their lipstick colour to their outfit, but lately I've taken a real liking to matching my shade of lipstick to the colour on my tips. Needless to say the formula of both of them are lovely. You can get away with even one coat of this nail polish, but two just gives it that lovely pop of colour and considering I painted my nails on Saturday and there are still no signs of any chipping, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't impressed. I already knew what to expect for this Bourjois lipstick as I already have one in the shade 'peach club.' I love the - as the name would suggest - velvet texture that glides on the lips and makes for a very easy and precise application. The formula is lovely - matte, long-lasting, but not at all drying and wears nicely throughout the day. I'm so in love with this pretty pink combo and I'm sure I'll continue wearing it all throughout Spring.

Have you been loving any nail/lip choices lately?

10 things that make me happy

1. Having some alone time.It may sound sad but I really enjoy having time to myself to think about things and just relax. As much as I love spending time with my family and friends, I think having time to be alone with your thoughts is important.
2. Sundays evenings. I have a little pamper session on most sunday evenings to unwind and prepare me for the week ahead. I then watch films in bed (most likely something with either Meryl Streep or Grace Kelly in) with a massive mug of tea and, of course, biscuits.
3. Costa dates with my bestie; it's when we usually have our best talks.
4. Reading books that you can't put down. Worthy mentions go to The Picture of Dorian Gray, To Kill a Mockingbird and The Fault in our Stars. (Can you tell I'm a literature student?)
5. Watching the sun go down on the beach in Greece. It was beautiful.
6. No makeup days. Any girl who claims she loves wearing a face full of makeup 24/7 is lying. Letting your skin breathe feels so good.
7. Seeing my grandparents every friday. I'm so close to them, and I'm grateful for everything they've done/do for me.
8. Meals out with my best friend. We recently went to our favourite Chinese restaurant for results celebrations; it's kind of become tradition.
9.Lazy days where all I do is catch up on YouTube videos and drink copious amounts of tea in bed.
10. Days out with my mum; whether it be lunch, shopping or even just a chat over tea and cake. I'm so close to my mum so spending time with her is the nicest thing.

What things make you happy? Share them in the comments!

Welcoming September and the Last Year

I can't quite believe that it is September already, where has the year gone? On the 4th of this month I go back to Sixth Form, which means it'll be the start of my last year in school (I can't lie, the thought makes me extremely happy.) I wanted to make a post at the beginning of my last year, and set myself some goals for the academic year ahead so that I can look back on them and see if any were achieved. So, without further a do...

- Get into university. It's an obvious and standard goal for people my age but this year my biggest goal is getting into university (preferably my first choice) and studying a degree I enjoy.

- Finding a balance between work and social life. Last year I hardly went to any of the events organised by the enterprise team so this year I'm going to make an effort to attend more of them. 

- Stop Comparing myself to others.  I'm so bad at this. I need to stop focusing on how everyone else is doing and just concentrate on myself and my own success. 

- Spend more free periods doing work. Although I worked through most of my frees this year and didn't actually have many frees where I was just sat doing nothing, that was mainly because I'd deliberately leave all my homework to do in frees. Not a smart move. This brings me onto my next point...

- Do homework on the night it is set. I started off really well this year but as the year progressed I started leaving homework till a couple of days before and I was buried in work. I'm going to make a conscious effort to not let that happen again by completing my homework on the night it is set. Getting it out of the way is the best thing to do, because I can't even count how many nights I spent worrying over work that I hadn't started.

- Stay organised. Dear me, if only you could have seen the state I was in this year. I had random pieces of paper dotted all over the place and I had various notes from different subjects in the same notepad. One word, shambles. This year I need to make sure I file away all my paperwork and notes and stay organised. I can't be rummaging for hours to find that one piece of paper that had everything important on it again this year. Just, no. I'm hoping that if I buy a lot of cute stationery, it'll encourage me to actually use them. Am I the only person that does this?

It feels so bizarre that I'll be going back as the eldest in the school. It always feels like there's another year group above you, but this time I really am in my last year. Crazy. 

I hope that any of you starting Sixth Form or even High School in the next couple of days enjoy it, and good luck!

My Month Through Instagram; August 2014

1.Skiathos island view from the plane| 2. The best cocktails I've ever had| 3. Dinner with a view| 4. Re-reading TFIOS on the beach| 5.Celebratory meal with my bestie| 6. Movie date with Deborah Kerr and Cary Grant accompanied by tea and biscuits.| 7. Chilled Saturdays| 8. Sundays are for musicals and copious amounts of tea| 9. Sweet treats| 10. Happy to be reunited with my bestie| 11. Another picture of tea featuring my new pretty ikea teacup.| 12. Re-kindling my love for both Mary Poppins and Emma Thompson by watching Saving Mr Banks.

The month of August has been a great one. The first two weeks of August were spent on the sunny island of  Skiathos (aka Paradise). If you haven't seen it already, I did a post all about my trip here. On the Saturday after I got back I went for a lovely meal with my best friend, Kim, to celebrate our AS results; she's the best. Other highlights of the month include many film nights, over indulging on biscuits and sweets, and, as you can see, a lot of cups of tea! You can follow me on instagram here.

Hope you've all had a lovely month. I must admit, although I go back to Sixth Form in September, I'm excited for autumn to come. I love wrapping up in jumpers and watching the leaves change colour on the trees; definitely my favourite time of the year. Are you looking forward to September?

A Journey to Paradise

You may or may not know that on the 1st of August I jetted off to the sunny island of Skiathos in Greece for two whole weeks. I had always wanted to visit Greece; I really didn't mind which part because everywhere looked so beautiful, and when we settled on Skiathos I was so excited as I knew it would be the ultimate relaxing holiday, and it was exactly that.

1. Skiathos Island| 2. The pool at the apartment.| 3. Kourkounaries beach

4. Elias Beach| 5. Walking down to Agistros beach| 6. The sea at Agistros

The main reason for why Skiathos was such a beautiful destination is all due to the true blue waters and white sandy beaches. Whilst we were in Skiathos, we visited a total of 4 beaches; Koukounaries, Elias, Agistros and Lalaria. Out of the four, Koukounaries had the best sea/sand, however it did get very busy with the locals. All beaches we went to were absolutely stunning, with thick blue waters and white, grainy sand. We visited Lalaria beach when we went on the Mamma Mia! boat trip (more on that later) and it was the most stunning beach I've ever seen. It's only accessible by boat, meaning it was very quiet and serene, the most tranquil place I've been to in a verrrrry long time.

7. The Clock Tower| 8. Ready for dinner and drinks| 9. Long Island Iced Tea

Other than the beaches and boat trip, this post would be nothing without mentioning the food.....ah the food. Being so close to sea, we were offered fresh, locally caught fish every night. We dined at a few of the tavernas near our apartment; worthy mentions go to Elias for some seriously equisite food, and Augusteras for the best cocktails you'll ever have.

On the Monday of our second week we decided to book the Mamma Mia boat trip. For obvious reasons, I couldn't come all the way to Skiathos and not visit Skopelos/the Mamma Mia church. It was everything I imagined it to be and the beach surrounding the cliff where the church was was equally as beautiful as the ones on Skiathos island. The climb up to the church was, to put it mildly, a very tough struggle. The steps were very steep, and it was about 35 degrees, and we were without water. Great. It was all worth it though because the view from the top was incredible. It was such a bizarre experience to be stood where they'd filmed Mamma Mia and it was a day I'll never forget.

10&11. On the boat, ready for the Mamma Mia trip| 12. Lalaria beach| 13. The Mamma Mia cliff| 14. The view from the top| 15. The Mamma Mia church in all its glory| 16. Lalaria beach (aka the most beautiful beach I've ever been to| 17. Chilling by the beach| 18. Boats by Kourkounaries

This is mostly just a post for me to look back on my holiday and give me a serious case of the holiday blues but nonetheless I hope you've enjoyed having a little insight into my holiday. I really would recommend Skiathos for people who want a really relaxing holiday. All the locals were very friendly, and it was definitely one of the best holidays I have had.

Sorry, again, for the lack of posts, I will hopefully be getting back into posting more frequently. The combintation of being on holiday and being completely uninspired has unfortunately resulted in an absence around here.  Would you be interested in a 'What I Wore' post from when I was on holiday? Let me know. Have any of you done holiday posts? If you have, be sure to link them in the comments! Hope you're all having a lovely weekend.

How to get motivated

I, more than anyone, know how it feels to be completely unmotivated and lethargic - especially around exam season. We all have those days where we just want to stay in bed all day and then we regret it and feel guilty afterwards - been there, done that, got the t-shirt, and worn it pretty much all year. However, if you have work to do or even jobs that need doing around the house, it is often hard to get that bit of motivation to get started. Fear not, I've got a few tips that may just help...

Create a list

Write down a list of all the things you want to do and the date that you want/need to have done them by. Whether it be that wardrobe you said you would revamp last summer or that homework piece you keep putting off, scribble it all down. This will help you see what exactly you need to do and just how long you have to do it.

Prioritise

Once you've made your list, prioritise your tasks. You could use one colour to underline things that need to be done asap, and other colours for things that can wait a little longer (although that doesn't mean you don't do them at all!) 

Be realistic

By this I mean don't  tell yourself that you're going to complete all your tasks in one day - this will only make you stressed and more unmotivated. Instead, set yourself realistic goals that you can achieve- you'll feel much happier being able to tick off one thing that you put all your effort into than ticking off several things you rushed and did half heartedly.

Get in the zone

When I have things to do I often make a music playlist on spotify to listen to whilst I'm doing it - it makes the task that bit more endurable. For example, when I need to tidy my room, I'll listen to some music as I go along - pick up beat tunes, it'll put you in a happier and more motivated mood. If you need to do homework or something that requires your full concentration then music is definitely not one for you. Instead, you could give yourself a reward. For example, you could tell yourself that once you've completed that piece of homework you will sit down with a cup of tea and watch your favourite film. Not only does this make you more motivated to complete your work, but it also gives you some relaxation time in between tasks where you can just forget about work for a while and enjoy some 'me-time.'

Tick off your tasks

As you go along, tick off the tasks you've completed. I don't know about you, but I find there's nothing more satisfying than scribbling the hell out of things I've completed. My exam timetable is a prime example!

I hope this helped some of you. I often find that when I have a lot to do I just see it as one big task whereas confronting each task individually makes the process a lot more bearable. 

Let me know if you'd like to see more posts like this!

Beauty Wishlist #2

My beauty wishlist is progressively starting to resemble a scroll. Calling it a list is a tad - and by tad, I mean colossal - understatement. There are just so many things I want/need to get my hands on. 

First up, Nars Sheer Glow

I'm sure you've all heard about this foundation. If you haven't then...how's that rock you're living under? I have wanted Nars Sheer Glow since the beginning of my makeup addiction and it's about time I saved up my pennies and made a trip to Selfridge's.

Stila One Step Correcting Primer

I haven't really seen that many reviews on this primer but a few weeks ago my favourite online magazine, Nouvelle Daily, posted a full review of this which you can see here. Anything they review has me scribbling it down. I don't really have that much interest in primers as my skin is on the drier side, but even their post had me wanting to make a sneaky online purchase.

Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Red Square

I want this. I need this. It will be mine. No more need be said.

Charlotte Tilbury Palette in the shade The Vintage Vamp

For ages I lusted after the Dolce Vita Palette but I was recently perusing the Selfridge's website and came across the shade Vintage Vamp. It's fair to say it was love at first sight. At a gasp-worthy price of £38 the palette is obviously on the higher end of things, but it is beautiful and it is less than the Chanel Quad that is similar so therefore, in my books, it is fully justifiable. 

Estee Lauder's Bronze Goddess Perfume

A big massive YAY for this one. I'm so happy this is being relaunched on the 1st of May. I wanted this perfume desperately last year but my student budget just didn't agree with the price tag. Needless to say I'm still on that budget but I'm willing to save for this one.

I know all these products are high end but they are things I've wanted for a looooong time. Do you own any of these products? I'd love to see what's on your wishlists, so please leave comments to posts you've done.