July 2017 Glossybox

I may have missed a few recently, but it's Glossybox time once again!

This month I was sent a super summery box which really put a smile on my face. Now I just HAVE to go on holiday, so that I can use all my new products. It's only right!

First of all, can I just say how much I love the actual box? Don't get me wrong, Glossybox's are always packaged beautifully, but I just adore the peach shade of this box, its just so rich and lovely!

So the first product that I have received is this Spectrum A10 fan brush. I have heard really good things about the brand Spectrum, and it is so reasonably priced that I might well be persuaded to buy some more... ooh who said that? It's really soft and I love the colours, it truly looks magical! My only tiny problem is that I already have a fan brush that I hardly ever use, so we'll see how much use I get from this one.

Next, I've got possibly the most disgusting sounding mask ever. Shills Snail Essence Wrinkle-Smoothing Sheet Mask really doesn't seem like something that I am wanting to put on my face. However, I have been enlightened by all of the benefits of snail essence for the skin, so I am more than open to giving it a try! I just really hope it doesn't smell of snail poo...

Next is a product that I would really like to try, but one that I just don't think I'll get the chance to. This MONUspa Soothing After Sun Lotion looks amazing, smells amazing, and just seems super luxurious. The problem? England post heatwave = a lot of rain. However, I may be going on holiday in the winter to somewhere gloriously sunny (haha suckers), so I'll be sure to keep this for then!

Next are these two Papanga Spiral Hairbands. I've seen these quite a lot around, but I've personally never really felt the need to try them. I believe that they are designed to prevent kinks being created by hair bands, but my hair is already so curly, that a few extra kinks are warmly welcomed. I have to say though, I thought they would be really loose, but I was pleasantly surprised by how tightly they held my hair.

And lastly is the product that I am most excited for in this box, the BellaPierre Banana Setting Powder. You have no idea how long I have wanted to try a loose powder, because they are meant to be really good for oily skin. So far I have made one hell of a mess with it, but I don't care because I finally get to try my hand at baking! Every girls dream come true!

So that is my Glossybox for the month of July. I hope you enjoyed, and as always, I really recommend Glossybox, it's such good value for money and a great little monthly treat!

See you soon!

New Look Wish List (SS17)

For several years now I've had a real thing against New Look. I haven't really bought anything from them in a really long time and I can never seem to find anything that I like. It also seems that since I used to shop there, they have really increased their prices so that they're more on the Topshop/Zara level rather than the H&M level.

So you can imagine my surprise when I went in a few months ago just on a whim and found the most amazing range of things that I love. It will come as no surprise to you that my favourite colour is yellow (I mean, duh) and bright yellow seems to be the colour of the season - it's everywhere and I love it! I also love that gingham is a trend, I think it is so cute.

I know that this post is coming a little late through the month, but hey ho - think of it as your shopping list ready for next summer! So here is my wish list for New Look!

£24.99

£22.99

SALE - £18

SALE - £20

SALE - £24

£17.99

£24.99

SALE - £7

SALE - £5

£24.99

£15.99

£19.99

£39.99

£29.99

£22.99

So that's my wish ist from New Look at the moment. I could have gone on and on, but I had to exercise some sef-restraint. Oh, if only I had all the money in the world...

See you soon!

What To Do?

Now not to brag or anything, but I'm already on my summer holidays, and I'm pretty darn smug about it! Although if anyone is jealous, just remember that I had to take a hella lot of exams in order to earn this!

However, I am learning that after the first few weeks of unwinding and promming, I literally have nothing to do for the next 10ish weeks.

Part of me is very excited by the idea of endless days of nothingness where I can just feast on trash TV all day, everyday. I have my eye on Riverdale, TOWIE, and I also want to re-watch Pretty Little Liars and Once Upon A Time.

I have spent the past two years or so working on re-doing my bedroom, which I am very excited to say is drawing to a close. Yesterday, I assembled my final piece of IKEA flat pack, and it was a proud moment. I just have to get rid of my old furniture and then it'll be all done, ready to be showcased here as a before-vs-after post - one which I am very excited about!

However saying that, part of me is very sad that it is over. I have been planning and saving for so long that it will feel as though I have lost a good friend when it's finished. Maybe I'll just have to start planning for the next redecoration!

I'm not going on holiday at all this summer, and the only other event that I have planned is Guidepost in a few weeks (WHOOP WHOOP!), so I am really at a loose end.

I seem to spend most of my time on Pinterest, looking for something to do. Don't get me wrong, that is an amazingly fun and incredibly fulfilling use of my time, but I wonder if I need a little something more...?

Since I finished making my prom dress (yesterdays post), I have been looking for another sewing project to undertake. I have been thinking about attempting a coat or jacket because I have never made something that complex or that requires tailoring skills before. However, the problem with dressmaking is that its actually quite pricy - patterns for coats are the most expensive patterns to
buy and coat fabrics are no picnic either!

So I suppose what I want is a long-term activity that is really fun and ideally free. Not too much to ask for really. I did ponder writing a novel or discovering the meaning of life or something, but frankly, that just sounds like too much effort and I am a teenager.

As a result of all my rambling, it appears that I have come a full circle and ended back up at plan A, and should therefore spend the majority of the indefinite future watching Netflix under the duvet.

I apologise for wasting your time with this fairly useless post, but hey, if you have any ideas please do not hesitate to inspire me - I am in dire need!

See you soon!

My Prom Dress

I recently had my prom which as we all know is the most important night in every girls life. And by that I mean the hugely overhyped, incredibly American, awkward evening of standing around and making small talk with people you didn't even realise were in your year. So yeah, lots of fun!

Regardless of this however, I decided to make my prom dress, because hey, when you've had a month of exams, what's better than more stress? It was something that I've always wanted to do and I wanted the chance to push myself and make something that I could wear and be proud of.

I'm really pleased (and quite smug) to say that it was actually a success! Like many others, I thought that I may be running round a shopping centre the day of prom, trying to find something to wear after everything had failed. This was not the case, though I'm not denying the fact that there was a little last minute sewing.

My dress is made of two separate pieces, the top and the skirt, though I wore the top tucked in so that this wasn't obvious. I used two patterns for this: McCall's M7355 where I made skirt B, and Simplicity 8130 where I made top A.

I used a beautiful teal satin duchess polyester with black trimmings, straps and netting. It's not really a colour I normally go for, but I am absolutely obsessed with it! It looks different in every light, sometimes it's really green and others its much more blue.

It took me a while to decide whether to make a long or short skirt and I went for short in the end. I am really pleased about this, I think that it was definitely the right choice. I had enough difficulty navigating the gravel path in heels, I did not need a long skirt to worry about too! Plus, I was going to make the top from the McCall's pattern, but I changed my mind and bought the Simplicity pattern instead, which gave the dress more of a 50s edge, so the shorter skirt worked better with it.

I love 50s fashions and I really think that the little nipped in waists and full skirts are very flattering. Team that with the cute little collar and sweetheart neckline and I was completely in love. Although the collar did cause me quite a lot of grief during the production (its not even!), its one of my favourite parts of the dress. My other favourite part is the dotty buttons going down the back. They are just such fun - I love them!

The top was originally going to include boning (strips of plastic used as stiffener), but I decided not to include it. The fabric was stiff enough and it had interfacing, so it really didn't need any more structure. It would've also made it really difficult to sit down without being jabbed in the boob!

I don't know exactly how long the dress took me to make, because I did little bits at a time. I was working on it for just over a month, but as some of you may well know, the most time consuming part of any garment is always in the cutting and not the sewing. I estimate that it probably took me 20 hours, though I really have no idea.

In total, this dress cost me around £70, which I really don't think is too bad. That's the amount I would've wanted to spend had I gone to a shop and bought one, and making it was much more fun! Prom dresses are, on average, a lot more expensive than that, so I really think that it is quite reasonable.

If I could change anything about my dress, it would be the hem on the skirt. It is really bulky and wouldn't lie flat no matter how much I ironed it, but despite that, I am really happy with my dress. I enjoyed wearing it and am proud of myself for making it.

I wore my hair in milkmaid braids to try and continue the 50s theme and I did a cut-crease (ish) teal eyeshadow look with a nude lip. I wore small black heels, because I really did not want to be taller than everyone!

I did enjoy prom, more than I thought I would. My advice would be to go in with no expectations whatsoever, so that anything that happens is a nice surprise. This is what I did, and I ended up having a good time!

I hope you enjoyed this little look at my prom dress and hearing all the behind-the-scenes gossip from its creating!

See you soon!

April, May and June Favourites 2017

I have returned from the dead! Or, you know, returned from exams, which is basically the same thing. And I am returning today with an explosion of a post whereby I talk through all the things that I have been loving in the past three months. Now there is a lot of stuff to get through and we are all aware of my outstanding tendency to ramble for England, so I am going to try and be as sharpish as possible!

First up, beauty. I haven't tried out a huge amount of stuff recently but there are a few things that I have really enjoyed using. The first of these is an old classic, the Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation. I don't know what it is about this foundation but I have just been reaching for it again and again. It covers blemishes without being too high coverage and is really lightweight so doesn't feel heavy or sticky which is a definite bonus during exams.

Next, I have two contour products. I have never really contoured before but have recently fallen in love with it. This Contour Stick by Model Co is a really nice colour, it applies really easily and blends out nicely if you just want a subtle contour. I have also been loving this Collection Highlight and Sculpt Kit. The highlight isn't my favourite, but I really love the contour powder, again it just applies really nicely and is super easy to blend.

Lastly in the beauty category, I adore this trio of Primark nail varnishes. The colours are just absolutely amazing, I'm especially obsessed with the centre coppery one. They look like molten metal on your nails and are actually amazing quality considering I got all three for £2.50!

The next section is definitely the biggest, its the TV that I have been loving. As we all know, exams are the perfect time to discover some new gems as you have all the extra time from insane amounts of procrastination. And believe, some true gems have been found. First of all, Dance Moms. I cannot tell you how many hours of this show I have watched, but to give you a rough idea, I have watched two episodes a day for two months - I just can't get enough. If you ever think that your life is bad, go and watch an episode of Dance Moms and EVERYTHING is put into perspective. And the drama! I have been on a rollercoaster of emotions with that show.

How I Met Your Mother is one of my favourite sitcoms and is just amazing to unwind to. I have also discovered TOWIE, of which there are 17 series on Netflix (I've just finished series 2, quite a way to go yet!). It's absolutely hilarious and again, something great to unwind to. I also love Project Runway, I find it completely fascinating and I just pray that Netflix put up more series! I need more Tim Gunn in my life! RuPaul's Drag Race is another one that I have enjoyed, I find it really interesting because I never really knew anything about Drag Queens or that side of the LGBTQ+ community before, and I think RuPaul is simply fabulous!

And lastly, I can't NOT mention the queen of them all, the show that has stolen my heart once again: Love Island. A few weeks in and I already care more about all of those people than any of my friends or family. I know its trash, but it's good trash and it is just the best thing in my life at the moment!

 I've read quite a lot of books recently, some of which I may write separate posts on. I was completely stunned and amazed by Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman, and I can completely see why it is so raved about. I've read a few books by Sophie Kinsella, who is great if you just want something light to unwind to. And one of my all-time favs: Goodnight Mister Tom, you'll never find a book that touches your heart more, that I can guarantee.

And finally, recently we have seen a little bit of sun! Well, around 30 degrees worth. I love the sun, I think it makes everything so much more positive and summer clothes are so much prettier than winter clothes!

I had a lot of other things that I wanted to talk about, but I had to edit a lot. Now that I'm back, I'm back with a vengeance and I'm going to be annoying you by uploading A LOT of posts!

See you soon!