My Month Via Instagram - June 2013

Hi guys! It's come to that time of the month again where I share what I have been up to during the month of June with all of you. This month has been pretty mellow for me as I am focusing on getting my life together and consequently, I have signed up to do some voluntary work at a local ante-natal clinic. With that being said, whilst being busy going through that process, I have had a pretty busy month when it comes to nights out. So, without further a do, here's what I have been up to!

1. My first night out of the month was with my friend Lucy. We decided to go to a nightclub in our hometown that plays alternative music (which is right up my alley as rock is my favourite genre of music.) I was also excited to wear my new dress as pictured above. This really cute tie-dye cut-out dress is from a range in New Look called Cameo Rose and I am obsessed with it. When I wear it, I feel really confident and that is always a good thing! To view the dress on New Look's website, click here.

2. Shortly after, I went on another night out with my friend Danielle. We went to a club about a twenty minutes drive away from where I live which requires you to be a little more dressed up. Danielle came round mine for a few pre-drinks and I ended up doing her entire make-up look complete with some lovely false eyelashes. We both had a really great night and danced the night away, despite the fact that my feet were killing me in my heels. The sacrifices us girls make for fashion, eh?

3. This is just a little snap I took of my gorgeous dog, Sasha. She is a labrador-husky cross and I swear that 50% of my Instagram photos are just of her looking adorable. In this particular shot, she was begging me for food (as per usual) in my kitchen. 

4. This month, my parents went away to Suffolk for the week and so I was left in charge of the house. I am normally quite lazy when it comes to tidying up after myself but I turned into a bit of a domestic goddess throughout the week. Cleaning, cooking, hoovering - you name it, I did it. On one particular afternoon I was feeling a little creative and I ended up making some delicious Devil's Food cupcakes. As you can see from the picture above, they turned out pretty well. I especially love the leopard print cases which I bought in Tesco's, I am a sucker for leopard print items! They tasted divine and I ended up scoffing the whole lot - oops!

5. This is a little bit of a random photo to include but whilst in town on a sunny afternoon the other week, I decided to nip in to Costa and buy a drink to cool me down. I ordered a cranberry & raspberry iced lemonade and it's safe to say, I'm now addicted. Since that day, I have bought another two and they are so good. I highly recommend that you get one if you are passing by!

6. Last but not least is my final night out for this month with my friends Lucy, Harriet and Charlotte (from left to right.) Again, we gathered at my house for some pre-drinks and a gossip before heading out. We also had a bit of a 'glamming up' session where I curled the girls' hair and so on. As you can see, I wore my trusty tie-dye dress once again as I literally cannot get enough of it. This was my favourite night out of the month as me and the girls are rarely all free at the same time to go clubbing all together, especially as Harriet is usually away at university. However, I paid the price for the extremely drunken night the following day, where I was very ill and hungover which was not very pleasant at all!

So, that's it for this month! I hope you all enjoyed reading about what I have gotten up to over the past four weeks. As always, I always appreciate and love reading your comments so please do not hesitate to leave your thoughts below. 

My Room Tour

Hi guys! Today's post is going to be a little different, as I am giving you all a brief tour around my bedroom. I thought that a nice little post like this will allow you, my lovely followers, to get to know a bit more about me. I believe that a persons bedroom can give you a great insight into their personalities. So, let's begin!

As you can see in the photograph above, my room is a duck-egg blue colour with floral bedding. The bedding is so beautiful and is part of the Butterfly Home range by Matthew Williamson, which is stocked in Debenhams. The duvet cover is a gorgeous oriental design that includes flowers and birds. I used to have a deep purple room for several years, however, last year I felt like a change and I wanted a room that was more light and feminine looking.

One of the main, and my favourite, features of my room is the huge cork board that hangs above my bed. The board has many different items pinned on to it; photographs of me and my my friends, gig tickets, stickers, brochures and so on. I even have one of my dance medals and a homemade dream catcher hung off of it courtesy of my very talented friend Bethany!

Next is my stack of shelves where I keep my perfume and DVD collections. Two of my favourite perfumes that I currently own are 'Daisy' by Marc Jacobs and 'Reb'l Fleur' by Rihanna - which are the two scents that I am renowned for by my friends and family. I also  have my two favourite prorgrammes, Friends and 90210, on boxset as you can see above.

Adjacent to my shelving is this really lovely necklace hanger that my Mum bought me a few years back. It is a very handy thing to have to keep my necklaces all in one place and untangled. Plus, I think having a little display is a really cute idea.

Last but certainly not least is this amazing 'pivot' pillow that my friend Corbin got me for my 18th birthday last year. As mentioned above, and in my 15 Facts About Me post, I am a massive 'Friends' fan and any of you who also love the show as much as me will understand the 'pivot' reference I'm sure! I love this pillow because it is so rare and whenever somebody comes into my bedroom, they always point it out!

I hope you all enjoyed the quick tour of my bedroom and that it allowed you all to get to know me and my personality a little better. As always, I would love to read your feedback so please do not hesitate to leave a comment below!

The Future

At the moment, there are so many things that I need to decide upon. Most people say that you should ‘live for the moment,’ however, I have always been the type of person who likes to plan things in advance. I like structure, I am very meticulous in that way. I am always thinking about the future, which often means that I am oblivious and am not fully present in certain situations. I can rarely switch off my thoughts and feelings and simply enjoy myself, there’s always a little voice in the back of my head. I worry about the repercussions of my actions way too much and I care way too much about what others think of me.

It always upsets me when people ask me about what I do for a living or my life goals, because I honestly don’t have any. My belief is why set yourself up to just be disappointed? I am a pessimist and I always expect the worst, which I suppose is a bad trait to possess. But hey, you could also say that I’m just realistic! I guess for now I just need to focus on what my strengths are and then try to build a career around that. Maybe that will be something to do with writing, seeing as I love blogging so much! In the mean time, I am in the process of signing up for some voluntary work at my local ante-natal clinic as a receptionist. This will be for a few hours a week for starters - just to get me out of the house and to get myself back into a routine. Plus, I would love to gain a little bit of self confidence.

Overall, I know that I am still young and that I have plenty of time to figure out which path I want to take in life, but I just wish that I could make my mind up a little bit faster. I want to be able to do something that I am proud of and make other people proud of me too. Who knows what the future will bring, I just hope that I enjoy it! 

Nifty Nails!

Hi guys. Earlier on this week, I had a major beauty spring clean - throwing out lots of make-up and nail varnishes that were either used up or old/broken and organising them in to various cosmetic bags and boxes. Whilst doing this, I came across my extensive nail varnish collection which has every colour and brand that you could ever think of. I think it's safe to say that I am a bit of a hoarder when it comes to nail products! I have so many favourites and I thought that I should definitely do a review on some of my varnishes. Consequently, I went on to eBay in search of a nail varnish wheel and I picked up a pack of two for £1.99 and with free packaging - what a bargain! On each wheel is 18 individual nails which you can paint colours and designs on to. I realise that 18 polishes is a lot to review in one post, so I am only going to do a very brief overview of each one. I have also decided to break things down into colour categories to make it easier to read.

Reds, Pinks and Oranges

Jessica Custom Nail Colour in Company Vamp - My Mum picked up this polish at work a while back and we both love it. I had never heard of the brand 'Jessica' until Mum bought this home either. This deep red, shimmery colour is perfect for a vampy evening look. Plus, it is pretty chip resistant. I have a lipstick from Avon which is this exact colour and I love wearing both products together!

Max Factor Nailfinity in Red Passion - I bought this little nail varnish quite a while back, it is a classic bright red shade and looks great with a statement red lip too. The varnish tends to look a little pink upon first application but applying a second coat will cause the finish to look completely red. The name of this nail varnish on Max Factor's website has since been changed to 'Glossfinity' instead of 'Nailfinity.'

Nails Inc in It's Red, Babez - I absolutely love this colour. Again, it came free in In Style magazine and this colour is a really striking red with orange undertones and is the ultimate summer shade. The only down side to Nails Inc products is that the brushes are not great for painting with precision, so I always tidy up the edges with a cotton bud dipped in polish remover afterwards.

Models Own in Raspberry Crush - This raspberry pink shade really looks great with any skin tone; it is very bright and eye-catching, I always get compliments when I am wearing this particular varnish. I think that Models Own bottles are quite big, so they are excellent value for money. Unfortunately, this is the only Models Own product I own but I really want to try some of the neon Hed Kandi shades soon.

Sinful Colors Professional in Daredevil - I picked up this amazing neon shade in Superdrug the other day. I could not believe that this bottle was a mere £1.99! I believe that this nail varnish would look great with a tan, this is definitely the best neon varnish I have ever tried.

Avon Colortrend in Bikini - I seem to have purchased a lot of clothing with coral on lately, so this polish is perfect when I want my nails co-ordinated with my outfit. The bottle is rather small so I do not use this colour very often and I sometimes use a Barry M dupe instead.

Nails Inc in Atomic - I have never owned a bright orange nail varnish before and I am obsessed with this particular shade! I love Nails Inc's formulas as you can sometimes get away with only applying one coat depending on the colour that you are using, which is handy if you are in a rush or are impatient with letting multiple coats dry!

Barry M Nail Paint in Peach Melba - This neutral peach shade is really pretty and very feminine. Obviously, pastels are a great pick for summer and I recommend this shade to anybody that doesn't want a nail varnish colour that is too 'out there.'

Blues and Greens

L'Oreal Paris  Color Riche in Perle De Jade - I bought this product the other day after I bought an adorable mint-coloured cropped jumper from New Look and I wanted a varnish to match. I saw this L'Oreal one on special and the colour was spot on, yet another great pastel shade to add to my ever-growing collection!

Rimmel London 60 Seconds in Green With Envy - As mentioned in a previous post, I am in love with this varnish and it is probably one of my favourites of all time. The greeny-blue colour reminds me of the sea and mermaids. Every time I wear this colour, I always get compliments on it.

Rimmel London Lycra Pro in Aqua Cool - Rimmel's Lycra Pro formula is amazing. The varnish is just the right consistency with great colour pigmentation, meaning that you only need to apply one coat. This blue is really pretty and also matches my eyes (weird thing to notice, I know!)

Barry M Nail Paint in Cyan Blue - This cyan blue is one of the best Barry M shades I own. Due to it's strong pigmentation, you need only apply one coat of this gorgeous colour. I think that this varnish dries slightly darker than expected but nonetheless, I still love it!

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine in Blueberry - I recently purchased this gorgeous dark navy polish to go with a tie-dye dress I bought in New Look. I had never tried the hi-shine formulas until now but they are amazing. My nails looked so glossy, however, after one night out they were pretty chipped the next morning, so I might add a top coat next time anyway.

Purples and Glitters

Rimmel London Lycra Pro in Ultra Violet - This über pretty lilac shade looks great with my skin tone. Purple is my favourite colour and I love wearing this polish. As I've already mentioned, I love Rimmel's brushes as they are flatter than other brands which makes for a quick and usually a mistake-free paint job. 

Max Factor Max Effect in Fantasy Fire - This is yet another recent purchase of mine. I was browsing in Boots one day and this colour really intrigued me. As mentioned in a previous post, this purple varnish has a blue, metallic undertone with it and some pretty glitter too. The only downside to this product is that it is so thin and to get a bold colour, I had to apply a whopping total of FIVE coats (which was rather time consuming waiting for each layer to dry.)

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Scarlet Fever - This lovely magenta-like colour is one of the latest editions to my collection. I had never tried any Sally Hansen varnishes before but I can honestly say it is the best brand I have ever used. The wide brush allows for perfect application and it is just the right consistency. I will definitely be purchasing a few other colours asap. 

Nails Inc in Berwick Street - One Christmas, my Mum bought me a Nails Inc set that included this glittery silver colour. This varnish is perfect for parties and nights out, however, its texture is pretty rough so applying a top coat is definitely necessary. I usually apply two coats of this polish to ensure that it really stands out.

Rimmel London Precious Stones in Diamond Dust - Last but certainly not least, this deep silver/grey nail varnish is so eye-catching. I bought this at Christmas time to match a pair of glittery hotpants that I wanted to wear on a night out. There are only two problems with this polish; after a few uses, the remaining polish in the bottle starts to go a little gloopy. Secondly, the finish of this polish is rather disappointing. The glitter is really rough and so a really thick top coat needs to be applied so that specks of glitter do not flake off or chip.

I hope that you all enjoyed reading about my favourite nail varnishes in my ever-growing collection. As always, I would love to know your opinions if any of you have used these products yourself. I love reading your comments and getting feedback on my posts. Thank you for reading :)

My Month Via Instagram - May 2013

Hi guys! I am sorry that this post is a little late seeing as it is now June (I cannot believe we are almost half way through 2013 already,) however, my Internet has been down ever since my birthday. I was seriously starting to have Blogger withdrawal symptoms so I am happy I am back! Here is what I have been up to all throughout the month of May...

1. At the beginning of this month, my best friend Laura (who is currently living in Germany doing a semester over there) came back to celebrate her birthday in England. I was very excited to have her back in Essex and on this particular day, we did a bit of retail therapy in our local town. This picture was taken in the Topshop changing rooms - I fell in love with this dress. To view the dress on Topshop's website, click here. Unfortunately I still haven't gotten around to buying this dress but it is definitely on my wish list!

2. As part of Laura's birthday present, I asked my extremely talented friend Corbin to draw a picture of me and Laura so that I could frame it for her. The picture is ridiculously life-like and I love it so much that I even photocopied a copy for myself.

3. I took this photo purely because I have fallen back in love with my black and white polka dot shirt. I have nothing else like this in my wardrobe and teamed with a simple pair of denim shorts and tights, I think this outfit is really cute. I also took quite a lot of time doing my hair and make-up on this day too, as I was seeing a friend in the evening. 

4. The weather has been really nice in England lately (what a shocker!) One sunny Sunday, me and my Mum decided to make lots of cocktail pitchers and soak up the sun. We even finished off our cocktails with cute umbrellas, as you can see in my Mum's hair in the picture above! I rarely spend an entire day away from technology but me and my family, including my Nan, spent the whole day together in the garden and we even had a delicious  BBQ!

5. Again, I took this picture of my dog Sasha on yet another sunny day in my garden. We had been playing with her rope and she looked so happy and smiley, so I decided to grab my phone and take this adorable picture. I think that I have an obsession of uploading photographs to Instagram of my dog!

6. Last but not least, I have purchased yet another John Green book. As you can all probably tell from some of my previous posts, I have become a huge John Green over the past few months and 'Paper Towns' is no exception to this. I am halfway through this book at the moment and once again, I am hooked. I find John Green's style of writing so captivating and after finishing Paper Towns, I am hoping to read 'An Abundance Of Katherines' next.

I hope you have enjoyed seeing what I have got up to over the past month and now that my Internet is back up and running, I will be back to doing regular posts once again!