Recent purchases

Hello there :)

So, I just got back from my 18-30's holiday in Kavos last week and I have to say it was amazing, so many funny memories! I think I'm going to do a separate post on it with a few photos. I've definitely got the holiday blues now, though. All I'm doing currently is working at my part-time job and waiting anxiously for my A Level results next week. Anyone else nervous?!

Oh, T in the park was also absolutely awesome, and I strongly urge you to buy a ticket for next year. It beats Leeds music festival hands down! It's just such an awesome atmosphere with LOADS to do. The Foo Fighters were definitely the highlight of my (and probably everyone else's) time there because they were just so amazing. Beyonce was also another favourite. Oh, and you know the post below on festival beauty essentials? Well you may as well ignore if if you go to T in the park, as they have opened something called 'Refresh' for which you can buy a wristband and allows you proper showers and flushing toilets, as well as people to wash your hair for you AND everyone beauty essential necessary for you laid out in the Pamper room, think Straighteners, hairspray and even toothbrushes! It is definitely worth the £25.

Anyway, back to the main point of the post. Recent purchases! After returning from Kavos I had a few pennies to spare so decided to treat myself a little bit. I didn't really buy anything on holiday, apart from a few little bracelets and a trinket box with Corfu on it (I collect them wherever I go) but that's it.

So....

1) Converse

Finally! I have been meaning to buy some for ages, but have just never got round to it. They hardly break the bank at £35 ish and I know I'm going to wear them every day. I bought them in the colour 'beetroot purple'. They sort of have a washed out effect which I think makes them look even cooler. If anyone is interested I bought mine from Surfdome (I couldn't see this colour on the other websites!)

It's true love :)

2) The Harry Potter books special edition (yes, I'm a dork.)

Although I've already read them all growing up, I have never actually owned the books myself, always either borrowing off someone else or getting them out of the library. I desperately wanted to re-read them and thought why not buy them with these fancy covers in a nice red box :). I would have downloaded them on my kindle, but what do you know they aren't available in kindle-form :(. I don't mind though because I get to have these beauties sitting proudly on my shelf. I paid about £30 for them off Amazon brand new which is pretty alright if you ask me!

Wasn't the newest film just great? Yes yes they missed out quite a bit from the books but they simply cannot fit everything in. I went to see it a grand total of three times at the cinema, and cried every single time! The end of an era for sure. I would really love to head over to Harry Potter world in Orlando, I just missed it when I went to Florida, it opened about 6 months after we were there! Devastated is an understatement. Any other potter geeks here?

3) Lastly, a new scent! Benefits 'So hooked on carmella'

Okay so I actually bought this before I went on holiday, but I have to share it. Gorgeous! Now I know for a fact this perfume isn't to everyone's taste, the mother hates it. It does smell slightly like alcohol but theres just something different about it that I like. And it's the longest lasting scent I've ever owned, it lasts all day and probably the next if I didn't wash (though I'm not going to test this, sorry!) I also love the little 'house' it comes in, I don't want to throw it out :)


That's all for my recent purchases, although I am heading to Primark this afternoon with the best friends so perhaps I'll have more to show... it would be kinder to my bank account if I didn't, though. Also, anyone else baffled as to how fast this year is going? Pretty soon it's gonna be September, then Christmas, and then a brand new year. I'm sure years didn't go this fast when I was a child. Must be what getting older feels like, I don't wanna grow up :(

Anyway, laterz :)

Festival beauty essentials

Hi everyone :)
Following my last post on what I've got planned for the summer, I thought it might be a fun idea to do a festival (or mini break) beauty essentials guide. Now, this may seem like a lot to some to take camping, and it may seem hardly anything to others. However this is what I believe, beauty wise, is essential when camping at a festival!
Also, bear in mind I usually go early-bird, which means I camp for 4/5 nights, not just 2/3!

P.s. Very sorry for the picture quality, taken on the Ipod touch and afraid I'm a bit of a technology dummie and haven't got the hang of Camera + yet. Any tips?

Anyway, here we go:

Before anyone asks, yes, I am able to fit all of this in my rucksack, with ease ;)

Top row

Johnson's baby wipes: Do I really need to explain these? Mine are a mini-pack bought from Tesco. However much I would love to squeeze a large pack into my rucksack, it's just not possible! These baby's can seriously be used for anything. Even washing, if there is no access to showers, or if you're too hungover to make it to the showers before they close for the day...
Batiste dry shampoo: Again, this miracle product speaks for itself. No, its not the most hygienic method of keeping your luscious locks clean but it sure is the easiest way. I bought the new XXL volume version to give my hair more oomph, and I have to say it definitely does what it says on the tin. Much better than most volumizing products I've tried!
Deodorant: Definitely a given. Unless you want to smell worse than you probably will. I've gone for my favourite, Mitchum 48 hour protection and it is honestly the best deodorant I've tried. I have no idea if it lasts 48 hours, but it definitely lasts 24, and that's good enough for me.
Body spray: You can get these gorgeous mini spray's from pretty much anywhere, I bought this impulse one for £1 from Tesco. Absolutely tiny, keeps you smelling like flowers and much more practical than a delicate perfume bottle.

Middle row

Shampoo and conditioner: Obviously only necessary if you plan to actually wash your hair, and this year I really do hope to, I cannot even describe the state of my hair at Leeds festival last year after not washing it for five days. Someone in the crowd threw something which can only be described as vile in the air and guess who it landed on, me. This year I intend to make full use of the showers, every morning! ;) Again, these gorgeous mini Aussie products were only £1 each from Tesco, and a rather generous size I might add (75 ml) so will definitely last the duration of the festival.
Johnson's baby oil: Now this may not be a necessity for some, but I honestly cannot imagine stepping out of the shower and slapping this glorious product all over my legs, especially to combat shaving rash. This cutsie little mini bottle again cost only £1, from Tesco. Do you see a pattern occurring here?
Body wash: Again, will only be of use if you have access to a shower. I think it would be silly to take large bottles, plus it seems doubtful there would actually be room for them, so I picked up these mini bottles (can you guess where from and how much?) by Radox and Original source. I'll probably only take one, though.
Toothpaste and Mouthwash: Definitely essential, especially when you wake up with a mouth as dry as an arab's sandal (love this). Also, who doesn't want to taste minty fresh?

Bottom row:

Compact mirror: Handy if you like to see yourself when you apply some make-up in the morning. Mine is a light-up mirror, pink and only £1 from Primark
Makeup brushes: Okay okay so not exactly vital but in my defence I'm only packing two.. not too bad! I've gone for the Real techniques multi-task brush (even though I'm only bringing one blusher) and the foundation brush from the same line. Oh, I should also mention that although I haven't included them I will also be taking mascara and foundation (hence the foundation brush) :).
Blusher: You gotta have at least one cheek product, right? I've gone for a gorgeous cream-to-powder blush from Topshop in 'head over heels'. It's a gorgeous peachy pink, not over the top and the compact also includes a mirror. Handy!
Eye crayon: To be honest I can't see myself faffing about with powder eyeshadows and more brushes, so I picked up an eye crayon from Topshop in 'Satchel'. It's a beautiful, shimmery cool brown and you simply just draw it on and smudge it a bit with your finger, easy peasy :)
Liquid eyeliner: If you're like me and can't live without a bit of winged liquid liner then it is definitely an essential, it just makes me feel a bit more 'done up' without too much effort. I usually opt for a gel liner, but didn't want to bring an extra brush and bring my fairly expensive Clinique one. Instead I picked up a L'oreal Super liner in 'black crystals', you don't really want to risk bringing expensive items to a festival because they can be so easily lost/damaged.
Lip balm: I suffer with insanely dry, chapped lips so this is always an essential for me, not just for a short break. I'm taking Lanolips lip ointment in 'apples' - because it soothes and adds a pop of colour. Love it :)

Lastly, (and something I forgot to photograph) is Sudocrem

Seriously, this can be used for anything! Dry skins, sun burn, bites, rashes you name it. Don't go anywhere without it (when travelling, that is!)


Well that's it for my 'festival beauty essentials', writing this gets me super-duper excited for T in the park on Thursday, can't wait to see some great bands and just chill after some seriously stressful exams. Whether or not your going to a music event this year I hope this was helpful in some way to help you pack for some other occasion.

See you later :)

Summer holidays....

Hi everyone
Well, it's official. My exams are over.... YEEEEEEHAAAAAAA!
I'm not sure how well they went exactly, but hopefully I will have obtained the grades I need to get into uni, hopefully.
Anyway, this is my very first blog post and I'm not gonna lie it feels a little strange, typing away to no-one (ha) but I shall see how it goes, anyway
FYI: This will be mainly a beauty blog, but I'd like to include other random little things I feel like posting about.
Such as...

SUMMER HOLIDAYS!

Woo. What is everyone up to for theirs? Mine, in order, includes:

1) T in the park festival

In just over a week, me and one of my best friends will be travelling 4 hours up to bonnie Scotland to mosh with the scots (lame, I know..). I've only ever been to Leeds festival before (last year) and loved it, even though there were some problems, a.k.a. a friend's boyfriend troubles and some trips to the first aid tent. But, despite this it was amazing all the same which is why I'm highly positive about this year, how worse could it be right? I've never been to T in the park so hopefully it will measure up, I'm especially ecstatic to see BEYONCE, COLDPLAY, FOO FIGHTERS, and the ARCTIC MONKEYS (capitals for emphasis ;) ). However, Blondie and Tom Jones I am too very, very excited for!

2) An 18-30s holiday to Kavos, Corfu


Although I'm very excited for this, i'm also a bit wary. It is my first 18-30s holiday, seeing as I turned 18 last November, so I'm slightly nervous as to whether I may come back alive after the massive consumption of alcohol that will be taking place. I'm going with my two best girls though, so it is almost guaranteed to be amazing. However, there are a few slight problems;
Firstly, the reviews of our hotel are not good. We picked what is known to be the 'main' hotel of Kavos, where it all happens. But the reviews have revealed some horrifying things.. such as that the door doesn't lock properly (hello theifs?) and the main one in particular which is worrying.. the toilet brings up everything that is flushed and spills all over the bathroom floor! Not to be high maintenance, which I'm not, but... eww?
Luckily one of my friends is a very determined and intimidating person, so i'm sure her complaints will get us a normal room with a functioning toilet if there seems to be any problems with us.

The second problem is the beach. Many people have told us the beach is not very nice, and considering it is where we will be laying our hungover buts for 99 % of the day time we are there this is very disappointing. In my head I pictured a beach as rather like this one:

However, it seems the reality will be something along the lines of this:

Okay okay. So that may be a slight exaggeration. Plus that beach isn't even in Kavos. But with all the bad word of mouth my little mind couldn't resist. Anyway, what am I complaining for, I shall be in a hot place with a cocktail in hand - what more could I ask for?

3) Leeds festival
As mentioned before, I've actually already been, and due to some awful experiences this year could only be better. If you haven't been to a festival before I strongly urge you to go, it is an awesome chillaxed atmosphere with your favourite bands and some good friends. I didn't drink a drop of alcohol last year either, so don't assume it will only be full of drunken idiots. I will be going at the end of August just before uni (If I get in) so it will be the perfect end to the summer and a great way to spend time with my best friends before we part our separate ways. I also reccomend you purchase a decent tent (not too expensive though, as most end up abandoning it there). Last year my friend took a cheap pop up tent which ended up not being the most stable:

Our one this year cost £50 from Halfords, four man with a porch which we will be using for both festivals. Also, make sure it is waterproof!

So, thats the biggest of my plans for Summer 2011. Apart from this I will be working at the part-time job, which I dislike muchly but is the only way to fund the fun things I want to do. I also plan to do lots and lots of reading, I purchased a kindle last week and can't wait to burry myself into some great novels which I haven't had a chance to do because of exams. My amazon wish list just keeps growing! I'm also planning to learn some belly dancing off a self-taught DVD since there are no lessons in my area, and already have my eye on one so that should be fun. Other things include the norm, picnics, the movies (anyone else ridiculously excited for the final Harry Potter?) and generally hanging out with friends.

So, what are you up to for Summer?