30 facts about me!

This type of post seems to have be done by every blogger out there, I love reading them and having a bit of a nosey into people's personalities. I know some people have done 25 or 50 facts and some even 100 but I got a bit carried away with 25 and couldn’t cut it down so here's 30 random facts about moi…

1) Due to my birthday being 2nd September, I was always the oldest person in my year during primary school and oldest girl during secondary school.

2) I was born with different coloured eyelashes. My left eyelashes are black and my right are blonde, my parents joke that this was how they were able to tell me apart from the rest of the new-born babies in the hospital.

3) I love peanut butter, like seriously LOVE it. Peanut butter on toast, mmmmmm perfection!

4) I am the oldest out of 12 cousins, there are 17 years between myself and the youngest.

5) I have lived in the same house my whole life. I will be moving away from home for the first time this September when I go off to uni.

6) I passed my driving test exactly 6 months after my 17th birthday and passed my theory by 1 mark!

7) Although I can get on with nearly everyone and were friends with most of the people in my year group, I’ve always had a small close friendship group rather than big. During the majority of my school life I normally only had about 2 best friends.

8) I got my first job within 1 month after turning 16 as a waitress.

9) Fussy eaters really annoy me, it’s one of my pet-peeves. I will eat practically every food and there isn’t much I dislike but the 3 things I do hate are marmite, celery and radishes.

10) I’m incredibly indecisive. From silly, insignificant things to big, life decisions, it takes me ages to make a choice and settle with it.

11) For about 5 or 6 years through secondary school I really wanted to be a costume designer for movies and TV shows when I grew up. I would help out in the costume department on school productions and even visited some universities to study it after sixth form, it was only then that I realised that it wasn’t what I wanted to do.

12) I’ve never really been a sports fan but during my childhood I did swimming, ballet, horse-riding and tennis. However, I do still enjoy watching tennis and have been to Wimbledon and the ATP finals in London.

13) I absolutely love skiing. I’m by no means brilliant at it but I just enjoy everything about getting on the slopes; the atmosphere, the adrenaline, even the cold! I have been on 5 ski trips including to France, Austria, Italy and Bulgaria.

14) I started playing the clarinet at the age of 8 but stopped after passing grade 4.

15) My favourite Starbucks drinks are the Toffee Nut Latte (during wintertime) and the Caramel Frappuccino (for summer).

16) I have natural ginger highlights at the back of my head and had them for as long as I remember.

17) My favourite movies are Back to the Future I, Dirty Dancing (I am a huge fan of 80s movies!!) and Titanic.

18) I’ve been extremely fortunate to visit 15 different countries and my favourites of them were Iceland and Barbados. However I prefer going on city breaks rather than beach holidays as I believe you get to experience more of the culture. I have incredible memories of my visits to New York, Paris and Dublin.

19) I can touch my nose with my tongue. The less said about that the better I think.

20) I don’t tell many people this but I hate the movie Grease. In fact I don’t think I’ve ever been able to sit through the whole thing.

21) In the future I would love to visit Rome, San Francisco and Canada.

22) My favourite song is Dream Catch Me by Newton Faulkner. He is AMAZING live!

23) If I could eat 1 thing for the rest of my life it would have to be cheesecake.

24) My favourite smells are coconut and vanilla.

25) My first celebrity crush was Orlando Bloom after seeing him in Pirates of the Caribbean (can you believe the first film was 10 years ago!) Come on, he is beautiful.

26) My first concert I attended was S Club. I’m not even embarrassed, they were awesome! Everyone loves  a bit of Reach, right?!

27) Due to the Icelandic Volcanic Ash Cloud in April 2010, my family and I got stuck in America. We went on a 2 week holiday to Florida and got stuck for 2 weeks in Washington DC but it was awesome, staying up the road from the White House whilst everyone else was at school, yeah I can think of worse things.

28) When I went to Wireless festival in 2011, I lost my friends after going off to the loo and spent the entire headline performance on my own in the crowd and ended up getting urinated on by a random drunk guy. I then had to travel all the way home on the train without washing.

29) On a night out you will most likely find me drinking JD and cokes, whoever says it’s a mans drink, you are wrong.

30) My favourite colour is the turquoise/teal shade of blue.

Do we have any of these things in common? Let me know if you’ve done a post on facts about you!

Collective Beauty Haul

Over the past few weeks I have found myself nipping into my local Superdrug a little too often and have not been leaving empty handed. Sometimes I enjoy beauty shopping more than clothes shopping; it’s easier, there’s no faff about sizes and there’s the anticipation of trying out a new product. Oh god, I sound so sad! Anyhow, this is the little bundle I’ve accumulated…

For some reason I find lots of small, cheaper purchases much easier to justify spending my money on rather than 1 big shop when I know really it doesn’t make any difference. To be honest most of these things were essentials and were either on offer or fairly cheap anyway (yes, I am referring to the many Primark logos you see.)

So first up was the 3 for 2 offer on at Superdrug, I believe it has finished now however they regularly bring it back and Boots often do a similar deal.

Barry Me Gelly Nail Paint (Guava) – I absolutely love blue for nails in the summer and I already had quite a good collection however I hadn’t tried any from this new range from Barry M so I thought I’d give it a go. The shade is slightly more turquoise than the photo shows however it doesn’t come out quite as nice on the nails but still ok. The formula did have a nice finish and therefore I chose not to use a top coat but I think it still needed one as they chipped within 1 day. I love Barry M’s nail paints however I think in the future I’ll stick to the original formula (unless I see an awesome colour and can’t resist!)

Collection 2000 Supersize Mascara – When looking through the endless makeup racks I came across Collection 2000 and remembered using their ‘Big Fake’ mascara about 1 year ago and really liking it. Instead of doing the clever thing a picking that up, I thought I’d try another one by them and went for the cheapest. At £2.99 I don’t know what I was expecting but it is truly awful. It does absolutely nothing, it barely even turns my lashes black let alone giving them any length or volume. I think even an MUA mascara at £1 would probably have been better than ‘Supersize’. I will definitely not be purchasing it again, ever.

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation – Having just pumped the last usage of product from my Rimmel ‘Wake Me Up’ foundation, I was on the hunt for a new one. I’m still fairly new to foundations having only used a few different ones before so I’m still looking for my perfect base. I had heard a lot of positive reviews regarding ‘Match Perfection’ and that it gave a dewy finish which is something I look for having dry skin. So far I really like it, it’s a fairly good match for my skin although I could have gone a shade lighter (I just don’t like to admit to myself that I’m the lightest shade available.) It definitely suits my skin better than ‘Wake Me Up’ and is buildable which is great for both summer time and nights out when I need different coverage. So far, so good!

Palmer’s Natural Bronze Gradual Tanning Moisturizer – So summer comes round and the weather seems to just get worse; rain, cold and wind means jeans and winter clothes hang around. Then BAMB, we get a lovely scorcher of a day, the shorts come out and then I remember; my legs haven’t seen the sun for a good 9 months meaning they are ghostly white. Just to throw another problem in the works, I NEVER tan. Last year I spent 2 weeks in Florida and didn’t even got that “sunkissed” look. That is where fake tan comes to the rescue…well, sometimes (often it just makes me look like a wannabe TOWIE cast member.) I prefer to use gradual tanners as I think it creates a more natural look however I don't like the long process it takes, which is why this Palmer’s version might be my saviour. I’ve only used it once so far to try it out but my legs were noticeably more bronzed the following morning. Living up to Palmer’s reputation, it’s super moisturizing and I actually don’t really mind the smell, it’s far nicer than the traditional , biscuit, fake tan scent. I picked mine up for around £5 in Sainsbury’s.

L’Oreal Elvive Nutri-Gloss Light Shampoo – In search for a shampoo to beat my favourite by Aussie I remember hearing/reading quite a bit about this range in the beauty world. I went for the ‘Light’ version as it is aimed at people with greasy hair and I usually have to wash mine every 2 days which I would like to make less often. I’ve using it for about 2 weeks now and so far really like, it refreshes my hair without causing build up and leaves it smelling really good. I still have to wash it every other day so it doesn’t seem to make my hair less greasy but for £3.99 I’m quite impressed.

Most recently I picked up some beauty basics whilst in Primark. I got a 2 pack of hand wipes for £1 and a 4 pack of tissues for 60p for when I go to T in the Park in July, festival essentials! I also got a twin pack of cotton pads for £1 as for that many in Boots it would be double the price, they’re not amazing quality but they do their job at removing make up and nail vanish. I saw they now do teasing/backcombing brushes for £1 so picked one up, I’m always trying to create volume when I’m going on a night out and I think it will come in useful when doing my hair for prom in a couple of weeks. I also picked up the 4 pack of hair grips/clamps (or whatever they’re called) they don’t last long but for 25p each they are so useful. Finally when I was by the tills in H&M I noticed their make-up collection and on sale was a double ended ‘smoky’ brush. It has a angled brush at one end for eyeliner and a soft eye shadow brush at the other for blending, I’ve been looking for something like this for a while and got this one for £1.99, bargain!

I hope you enjoyed this beauty haul, let me know what you think. What is on your beauty wish list? Is there any recent purchases you’ve bought?

Have a great week!

Empties #1 + Mini Reviews

A few months ago I decided I would start a blog this summer and since then I’ve been hoarding some empty beauty products away in my room to do a post on. As I’ve accumulated a nice small collection, I thought I’d jump right in and do it as my first ever post, so here goes…

Although it may not look like much, 5 completely empty products is pretty remarkable for me. It seems that I very occasionally manage to stick it out with a product to the end, whether its due to boredom, bad quality or just simply always using lots of different products.

The Body Shop’s Vanilla Bath & Shower Gel

Anything Vanilla I know I’m going to automatically love and this was no exception. I received this as part of a Vanilla Christmas gift set in 2011 and only got round to using it a couple of months ago. It is so thick and moisturising however I feel it is definitely more of a winter time product. Although the scent doesn’t linger on the skin, when teamed with the Vanilla Body Lotion and perfume, it really creates a lovely strong effect. I believe this is the old version and the entire Vanilla range is now in different packaging and called ‘Madagascan Vanilla Flower Shower Gel’ on sale for £6.50 for 250 ml. I think for the individual price it’s a bit steep for me to buy as my regular shower gel but I would really like to try out some other scents.

Rating = 7/10

Sarah Jessica Parker NYC Eau de Toilette

I remember my friend spraying this in class once and just falling in love with the fruity and floral mix of tones, I saw the unique bottle and kept reminding myself to find it when I was in Boots next. Sure enough, there it was amongst the overflowing racks of gorgeous perfumes. Although it’s only £30 for the largest bottle, I couldn’t justify spending my spare cash on ANOTHER perfume. However when I found myself killing an hour in the duty free at Dublin Airport with some leftover holiday money, I couldn’t resist. This bottle lasted me a good 9 months which for an Eau de Toilette isn’t too bad I think, especially as I used this as my main day fragrance. I can’t quite decide if I’m a fan of the plastic/paper patterned bottle but when the bottle is being bashed around in the bottom of the bag, it does its job at protecting it. I’ve had so many compliments from people when I’ve been wearing this, I remember one in particular when I was on a night out; I spritzed myself with this before heading out the loos and as soon as I arrived back at my group, a few guys commented on how nice it smelt, so for males to notice I think that’s a fairly clear sign that this is a pretty good perfume. Before I had even reached the last drop I had my next bottle waiting. I can tell this is going to be a staple in my perfume collection for a long time.

Rating = 9/10

Matrix Total Results Sleek Conditioner

I purchased this as well as a Matrix Total Results Shampoo from a salon at the same time as having my ombre done last August and have only ran out of it this week. I was aware of the brand and had tried a Matrix Heat Protector but I wasn’t too sure if this would suit my hair, although it was recommended for me by the hairdresser. I don’t know the exact cost but I think it was around £6 which is pretty good for a salon brand. Now, did it work? Well to be honest, I’m not sure. It did keep my ombre looking healthy for the first few months but I don’t think its as conditioning as I needed it to be. I always use an oil on the ends of my hair as it always feels dry straight after washing, although this is probably due to my straightening addiction. Overall, I doubt I’ll buy this again and will probably return to the old faithful, Aussie’s 3 Minute Miracle.

Rating = 6/10

Batiste Dry Shampoo (Tropical)

This was the first dry shampoo I ever bought and I probably had it over 2 years as I wasn’t keen on it to begin with and it took me a while to get into using it. I didn’t really think it did a huge amount when I began using it so just put it aside and only tried it again on rare occasions when I was desperate. However the past 6 months or so I’ve been using it more regularly and actually quite like it, minus the pesky white marks it makes in my hair, being a brunette it shows up clearly and occasionally, no matter how much I brush it out, you can still faintly see it. Saying that I think it does refresh the hair and gives a little more volume which is pretty good for £3 (although I only pick it up when it’s on offer, cheapskate?!) I’ve got the cherry version ready to start and I would really like to try the coconut one afterwards.

Rating = 8/10

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation

This is pretty great but as with all foundations getting the correct shade is essential, unfortunately I didn’t. I’m not sure what I was thinking when buying this but the shade was far too dark for my skin tone. I picked up 103 ‘True Ivory’ and I should know by now that my skin is so pasty pale I’m always the lightest shade but I never seem to learn. This resulted in requiring quite a bit of blending to get a natural finish but once it was sorted for the day, the effect was nice. Not too heavy but not light like a BB cream, the staying power was good (lasted me all day, however saying that I never really touch up my makeup anyway) and didn’t break me out. The packaging is also excellent, the pump is so useful for getting the perfect quantity each time although I would say that it possibly isn’t the best foundation for dry skin as it did pick up the drier areas of my face. I’m interested in trying out other foundations until I find the perfect one for me but ‘Wake Me Up’ is definitely one I’d consider getting again in the future.

Rating = 8/10

So there we have it, not a bad batch overall. I’ve really enjoyed doing these mini reviews and I’m definitely going to do another ‘Empties’ post fairly soon. I’m actually in the process of using as many products up as possible before I head off to Uni in September so I don’t have a load of half empty things lying around everywhere.

Have you tried any of these products I’ve mentioned, what did you think of them?

I hope you enjoyed this post!