How much is your face worth? TAG

This tag was inspired by Louise (or Sprinkle of Glitter as some of you may know her), who blogged it a day or so ago; Though I'd seen it done before, I'd forgotten about it until now - and seeing as I have nothing else to do on this fine, incredibly rainy and miserable day, I thought I'd give it a go!

The point is to add up the cost of all the makeup you put on your face in one look, and that's how much your face is then 'worth', or how much you spend on it in essence.

This is my usual everyday make up, so it's just the basics - I don't really wear heavy eye makeup or anything!

Face & Base:

Clinique Super City Block - £16

No7 Shine Free Primer - £11

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer - £4.19

Clinique Anti-blemish Solutions Liquid Makeup - £22

Soap & Glory Solar Powder - £11

Topshop Head Over Heels Blush  - £6

Eyes:

L'Oreal Super Liner Carbon Gloss - approx. £6.50

Maybelline New York Great Lash Mascara - £2

Rimmel Scandaleyes Mascara - £6.99

I don't use anything on my lips because they are so incredibly (and infuriatingly) sensitive, wah :(

That brings the total to £85.68 - which is actually pretty cheap, I'm impressed! Considering Louise's came to £198.49, I'd say I do pretty damn well at keeping things cheap haha :) 

The only trouble with seeing how that's actually quite cheap, is that I'm now thinking 'Hmmm, maybe I do deserve those luxury MAC, Nars or Liz Earle products that I've wanted for so long..' I have a feeling if I repeat this in a year or so, that price might dramatically go up! 

This was an interesting tag which I really enjoyed doing - have a go yourselves and either be disappointed in your own willpower, or realise you deserve a shopping trip!

Liv :)

Wednesday Wishlist (A/W 2012 Themed)

It's the first rainy day after summer (despite the fact that it's still August..) and all the drizzle and chilliness has got me in a rather autumnal mood. Seeing as I'm sitting in my rabbit onesie with a hot chocolate and nothing to do for a couple of hours, I thought I'd do a bit of online browsing - and found rather a lot that I realised I 'needed' before Autumn struck! As well as some Autumnal clothes, there's also quite a few skincare/makeup products I'd like at the moment, so I thought I'd share them with you!

Clothing Wishlist

1) Pearl Point Collar, Topshop, £15
2) ASOS Popper Parka, £65
3) Knitted Speckle Slouch Jumper, Topshop, £36
4) ASOS Abacus Leather Chelsea Ankle Boots, £40
5) Knitted Panel Stitch Cardi, Topshop, £38

Makeup/ Skincare Wishlist

1) Alpha H Liquid Gold 100ml, approx. £25-30
2) MAC Superslick Liquid Eye liner, £16.50
3) 5 in 1 Water, This Works, £21
4) High Beam Highlighter, Benefit, £18.50


I think I need to start saving :( I'm not sure if I'm looking forward to the cosyness of Autumn with it's jumpers  and coats, or dreading the stress of layering and winter outfits.. we'll see! I'm going to try and build up my winter wardrobe now to avoid stress later on!

Liv :)

Monday Maintenance

Recently, I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed by the stress of starting my new job and also starting sixth form next week - so much so that I've been a bit poorly the last couple of days, which I'm pretty sure was down to just pure exhaustion! I've been trying to get so many shifts at the pool done and I've been feeling like I haven't really had any me-time - unless you count chucking on a bit of makeup before my shift (I don't!).

I had to do staff training this morning, which is a monthly thing that you do to make sure you're remembering everything you need to, to do with CPR, first aid and water work (and the dreaded timed swims, ergh!), which ran from 10-12, so I've finally had an afternoon to myself. Unfortunately, that was taken up by a heap of paperwork which I had to complete - leaving only the late afternoon/evening as my relaxation time. As I was sitting at my desk, wallowing in all the choice of what I could do to fill my evening all to myself, I remembered a post by Alice at Shiny Pretty Things about her Monday night maintenance - how she used her evening to fully pamper her skin, nails and hair. I only recently painted my nails, and seeing as I have a shift at the pool tomorrow, I'm not too bothered about my hair, but my skin has grown horrific with the stress recently - so why not take a bit of time for skin TLC! 

As my skin maintenance, I wanted to take a bit of time to use my beloved Fab Pore Facial Peel by Soap & Glory - which I realised I haven't ever reviewed for you! So as it's soaking into my pores, making them all lovely and wonderful, I decided to do a bit of typing :)

woooooo enjoying my facial peel in pjs and a hoodie (classy madam)

I bought the Fab Pore Facial Peel to combat the blemish-scars that cover my cheeks from before I started taking prescribed medicine to help with my skin. I was reading around on the internet and this came up as a good option, as it was a 'facial peel' rather than a just a face mask. A facial peel aims to remove the dead layer of skin cells that cover your face, whilst a facial mask helps control excessive oil and tightens pores - so obviously the facial peel is going to be much more help in removing my scars! Though it is described as a peel, it has facial mask qualities as well, as it peels as well as shrinking pores.

The Fab Pore Facial Peel

The peel is very thick, and has small green beads in it - when you apply it to your face, you rub it in until all the beads have disappeared - this makes sure you have massaged the peel deeply into your face, and makes a nice facial. On the tub it says to leave for five minutes for a 'quick refresher', or fifteen minutes for a 'real deep cleaning do it yourself kind of facial' - I personally always try and do fifteen, so that I don't waste the product, and I find that with this amount of time, it really deep cleans your face.

After 15 minutes, you wash the product off with water and/or a washcloth, and it comes off very easily - because a grape sized blob is enough for your entire face, it's easy to put on and easy to wash off! When washed off, my face really does feel clean and fresh - and though I don't notice a sizeable difference in my pores, I think it does make a slight difference.

Close up time!

As for the peel-properties, a lot of bloggers have said that they don't feel it actually peels at all, and that they feel it should be named as a face mask - but I really would disagree, I think people just don't use it often enough for it to take effect. On the pot it suggests using it 2-3 times a week, and when I first bought this product, I made sure I did that, and within a month or so, my scars really had lightened up - or disappeared completely! I finished my first pot and straight away repurchased another - and though I haven't used it as frequently as when I had lots of scars, I still use it every so often because I love the feeling it leaves on my skin.

Swatch (as much as a face mask can be swatched)

All in all, this really made a massive difference to my skin - it took off the dead layer of skin, leaving it feeling smooth, soft and fresh, as well as minimising the oil on my face for a day or two, and also closing pores - for an all round amazing feeling on your face :)
Because it's taken much much more than 15 minutes to type all this out, I really have had a deep facial by now, so it might be time to go and wash it off!

Enjoy,
Liv xo

Sixth Form Haul

Hi everyone,

As most of you will know, in a week and a half I'll be starting sixth form, which is completely terrifying me! Our uniform code is 'smart officewear', so basically suits with matching skirts/blazers, and one of the things I'm worried about is whether I own enough clothes to look 'different' every day - I don't want people thinking i'm wearing the same things every day! It's really not possible to wear something different every single day, so aaaah!

I've bought two suits to start with - one plain black skirt suit from H&M and one navy pinstripe skirt/trouser suit from Mango; My theory is that if I buy a few tops, I can just circulate the two suits with tops, and hopefully I won't look awful! I probably care far too much about this kind of thing (I bet the boys aren't panicking about it!), but how I look is important to how confident I feel, so I'm trying to plan ahead :)

One of the ways I prepared was to take a trip shopping at Westfield London (literally my heaven) to stock up on some basics, just to stop me having a full on panic about it all :') I bought quite a bit, so I thought I'd do a bit of a haul on here, to also make up for the fact that I've been terrible at blogging lately!

The first place I went (as usual) was Topshop.. I'm not sure why I always have some kind of magnetic attraction to it's shiny frontage and bright signs, calling me to it's ridiculously expensive (but so very lovely) goods. I picked up two of their basic vest tops (2 for £10, or £9 with my NUS card) just to wear under shirts that were a bit sheer, as well as just lounging around at home - for those days where planning an outfit is just too much! I got one in a sort of burgundy red, and another in a teal green colour.

The next thing I picked up was this gorgeous satchel bag, also from Topshop. I was looking for a bag that would be big enough to fit all my paper, folders, stationary and make up bag in - I really don't fancy carrying everything by hand! I loved the style of this, the faded colouring, and the front pocket - meaning I can separate things like my bus pass/money to my school work. It was £34, or £30.60 with NUS)

I was so so excited to come out of Topshop and remember that the models own pop up shop was still in Westfield! I'd seen it mentioned somewhere on the blog scene and been like OMG I NEED TO GO, but never got round to it.. I went over and the first thing that struck me was just how huge a range of nail varnishes models own have - it took me a while to get my head straight and pick some! I've read since that there were actually over 200 colours featured at the pop up shop, so no wonder I was a bit mindblown!  Their nail varnishes are usually £5 each, but the shop was running a promotion where you could buy 3 for £12 or 6 for £20 (I think, correct me if i'm wrong!), and if you bought a 3 or 6 pack, you could choose a free one from their new collection, which were all pastelly colours. I bought a three pack of Snow White, Blooboo, Silver Fox and Jade Stone. The three featured in the photo are (L-R) Blooboo, Jade Stone and Silver Fox. The other colour Snow White had gone walkies at the time, but is basically just a plain white colour! I thought it could come in handy for nail arts etc. I also love love love the Silver Fox colour, because it is so so similar to the Topshop varnish Ice Crush, which I've been lusting after for months on end!

The next shop I ventured into was Urban Outfitters, which I'm always a bit wary of - firstly, I'm very aware that it's a very 'edgy' shop, and I know some people must look at me walking in like whaaaat, you're not cool enough for here?! Secondly, I hate that their prices vary from really good value to ridiculously designer, because of the boutiques section - and it always seems that the nicest things are the ones with the designer price tag - but then again, I guess you get what you pay for! I found this shirt with cutout lace shoulders on sale (£30 down from £42, or £27 with my NUS card) and just loved it! I had been looking at a plain white shirt in Topshop but it was completely see through, and I loved that this one was actually opaque - i'm not quite sure why every other white shirt feels the need to be invisible, personally the whole 'bra showing' look isn't for me! I also thought the lace parts made it a bit more interesting - and I can imagine myself wearing this casually with shorts or leggings, as well as to sixth form.

After escaping from the 'oh-so-edgyness' of Urban Outfitters, I went for a look in a place where I felt a lot more comfortable: the lovely H&M. I used to despise H&M - the cluttered shops and basicness of every item used to annoy me - but recently, I've really got into it! I saw this top and instantly loved it - it was simple but nice, and something I can just throw on with my black suit for a no-time-spared outfit. Even better, it was only £14.99!

Next, I was persuaded by my sister to have a quick look in Zara - a shop which I love everything in, but seem to suit nothing! She picked out this shirt for me to try on, and after a bit of hesitation, I went and tried it on - and really liked it! It has a lovely fit which is really flattering around my waist, and the collar tips are adorable! I'm a bit worried it might be too smart for sixth form, but I'm going to try and wear it - maybe in the first week, when no one will really know what to wear. Anyhow, I'll get some wear out of it somehow - even if I pair it with a pair of beige trousers for a smart/casual look - job interview anyone? (not me, I've had enough of those for now!) It was £29.99 - not bad for Zara!

The last thing I picked up were these studded slipper shoes from New Look - I've been wanting a pair of these for ages! Sorry for the mucky state of them, I wore them out to a results day party on Thursday night - unfortunately losing one of the studs in the process, wah :( Besides the runaway stud, I love them to the moon and back! They're so comfy and will definitely be my go-to shoes with my black suit, to slightly edge up an outfit. I can't quite remember the price, but it was around the £16-£17 mark, which I thought was really good, as I've since seen many other pairs for at least £30 - let's just hope they last!

I also picked up a load of Gilly Hicks underwear (though I thought that wouldn't interest you too much), and I just wanted to say, if you haven't heard of Gilly Hicks or tried their underwear - YOU NEED TO. It's changed my underwear life haha! Also, if you're planning on buying any, there's a promotion running at the moment (which might just be in the UK..) where if you buy anything from Hollister, you get a pair of 'down undies' free at Gilly Hicks. This is because they're brother/sister brands (whatever you call them), if you were wondering! We found this out after we'd already spent our money in Gilly Hicks and finished shopping, so we didn't get to use it - just to let you all know!

Just as a catch up for me, thank you for all your congratulations on my results! I'm very happy :D Also, my lifeguarding job is going really well, I'm settling into the swing of things and just about know what I'm doing with everything now, as well as getting to know everyone - even though lots of the other lifeguards are leaving for uni this month! I can't wait for them to hire some more people, so I'm not the 'new girl' anymore! I'll let you all know how sixth form goes as well - though I might not have too much time to blog in the first week - fingers crossed the work load starts off lightly!

Hope you all enjoy the bank holiday weekend!
Liv x

Clinique bonus time!

Afternoon!

Just to start off, sorry I've been so awfully terrible at blogging lately - I recently started my first lifeguarding job so I'm doing shifts around the clock and trying to fit a social life around it. Unfortunately, this has left little to no time for blogging! Because it was results day today (aaaah), I don't start work till 5 this evening, so in my afternoon off I thought I could take the time to write out a little post! My results this morning went really well, 6 A*s and 4 As, so I am very happy - I hope everyone else's results went fantastically!

I also had Sunday off, so I took the time to go on a little shopping haul for sixth form, which I start in a couple of weeks (yet another thing to stress about!). I'm planning to upload a haul sometime in the next week with the clothes I bought, so that will be coming soon! However, when me and my mum were there, we also needed to go and get some more of my foundation (Clinique anti-blemish solutions liquid makeup)- we're both major Clinique-aholics so we were ecstatic to find it was Clinique bonustime!

For anyone who doesn't know, Clinique runs 'bonustimes', which is basically an offer where if you buy a certain amount of products (usually 2, with at least one being skincare-related), you get a wash bag or tin or whatever with some free products in. It's always such good value, so we always try to plan our Clinique shopping around when they have a bonus time on!

This time was no different, and to get your free tin you had to buy two or more products, one being skincare - this was no problem for us, as I needed my foundation and my mum needed to pick up some moisturizer, so we got it free, yay!

You got six products in total - Superdefense age defense moisturizer, High impact mascara in Black, Dramatically different moisturizing lotion, Rinse-off foaming cleanser, Moisture surge tinted moisturizer and Superbalm moisturizing gloss in Grapefruit. Unfortunately, in the time between Sunday and now, the lipgloss has gone walkies (most likely claimed by a female member of the household as their own), so I can only show you 5 - sorry!

The first product I got was the Moisture Surge Tinted Moisturizer in shade 03. I found it a bit annoying how you couldn't choose your shade, as out of the 01, 02 and 03 which I could have recieved, this was the darkest - and consequently the worst for my pale as pale can get skin. Therefore, when I rub this into my skin, I do end up looking like I've rolled in a bag of doritos.. not a good look. This could just about work for me on holiday, when I have a slight colour to my face, but I'll probably end up just giving it to my mum, as she has slightly darker skin than I do. Apart from the colour, this tinted moisturizer actually looks really nice - it gives a medium coverage for a tinted moisturizer and goes onto the skin really smoothly - so it's easy to get even coverage. The SPF 15 is also an added bonus - this would be so good for holiday, as it would solve the whole 'suncream on your face = greasy skin' issue. Just a shame about the colour!

The next product was the High Impact Mascara. I have to say, this one let me down a bit! Firstly, the packaging looks very cheap - it has a very plastic-y feel to it, and the external packaging colouring of the so-called 'black' mascara is a weird forest-green glittery colour - very odd! For a sample size, the brush is decent sized, and the consistency looks good - not too gloopy but not all watery either - so I was expecting great things from this. However, the real problem with this is that it just doesn't do much! I put it on my lashes and it barely showed a difference, meaning I had to then just return to my usual 'Rimmel Scandaleyes' mascara to go out. To use this up, I'll probably end up using it for my bottom lashes, where I don't want so much volume or length - but I'd be very annoyed if I had paid the full £16 for this!

I was so happy when they included this in the bonus time - I LOVE THIS PRODUCT SO MUCH. This used to be my go-to cleanser before I discovered my body shop cleanser (see my skincare saviours post), and it's just gorgeous. The main thing I love about this cleanser is that you use literally a pea-sized amount, and it lathers up so much - meaning that the product lasts an absolute age. It also leaves your face feeling moisturized, so you don't experience the 'squeakily clean' feel that I absolutely hate in cheap cleansers or soaps. What's more, the sample I recieved was a huge 50ml, which will last me a few months at least - the full sized bottles are an absolute godsend and last months and months. This fully removes all traces of makeup and 'day dirt', leaving your face feeling lush morning or evening.

This was the first time I had experienced the 'Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion' and I was excited to give it a try! My mum had already said it wasn't moisturizing enough for her skin but I should try it, and I would agree that it's not the most moisturizing of lotions, but that actually works well for my skin - because it's oily, I only need a bit of moisturization for it to feel soft and lovely! The packaging of this is also lovely - I love a glass bottle, to me it makes the product feel a lot more high quality and expensive. I love how soft this makes my skin feel and how it gives me that certain dewy finish - glad I found it, and this 30ml sample should last me a while!

I haven't actually had time to try this moisturizer, but seeing as it's 'age defense', I may hand this over to my mum - not sure my 16 year old skin is looking old just yet! However from first impressions, this looks like another lovely product - I like that the consistency is quite thick, almost like clotted cream, though this could make it hard to apply. Though it says fragrance-free, it has quite a clinical smell, which puts me off a little - though it also makes me believe it will produce good results - so I'll leave it up to my mum to judge this one! Love products with SPF values though, such a bonus in summer!

I also adored the tin that we got this time! The colours are lovely and I'll probably use it to store my make up brushes in - how handy!
Overall, this was an amazing bonus time as usual- I thoroughly suggest you all get yourselves down to your nearest counter and get buying!

Liv xo

Lush Solid Perfumes - My Summer Fragrance

My summer fragrance is pretty certain: I've fallen head over heels in love with my Lush solid perfume in fragrance Love. 

I picked it up just over a month ago when I was holiday shopping and have never looked back!

Firstly, I love the concept of a solid perfume - it makes so much sense! When applied, the perfume is really concentrated and smells amazing - described on the website as 'spicy apple with fresh citrus' but smelling a lot better than that description would suggest.

I love the quote featured on the Love product page on the website:

“Watching my sons fall in and out of love inspired this perfume, and rather like their relationships, it took quite a while to get right. It is for flirts really, but being a flirt is not something everyone wants to be known for. On the other hand, flirting is so much fun. I have tried to make a perfume that will flirt for you while you pretend indifference. Love is an instantly bright and bubbly fragrance with a vivacious green apple fruit scent and sweet citrus innocence. As the initial burst fades, it's replaced with a sugary sweet apple pie note while maintaining a sharp lift.”

You literally use it like it's a lip balm (i guess) but just rub a bit onto wrists, neck, or wherever you want. At first, it does look a bit like a greasy sheen, but don't get all freaked out - just rub it in with your fingers and it soaks right in - just be careful not to spread loads everywhere!

The smell lasts for about 2-3 hours strongly, but lasts on the skin for around 8 hours I'd say. That's pretty good for a fragrance!

I love the little lipstick type packaging, it's so cute! The size also means that it's so easy just to chuck in your handbag or even pop in your pocket if you're going without - meaning you can always top up on the go.

One tip I would give with this is that if you live in a hot country, or even if it's just english summer, I would advise keeping it in the fridge if possible, or just a cool place if not. This is because I find even in slightly warm weather, it goes a bit gooey and ruins the consistency - making it hard to apply.

The one thing I really don't like about it is that once you've applied the perfume, you have to use the lid to almost force it back into the tube - you can push up from underneath to move it up, but there is no mechanism to help return it - this means that you often end up with product on the underside of the lid, as well as sometimes spilling out the side.

As annoying as that is, I absolutely love love LOVE this perfume and will definitely repurchase once mine has run out - which by the looks of things, will be an absolute age! I'd also like to try out a few of the other scents, as there were a few which caught my eye in the shop.

The solid perfumes range from £5 - £10 depending on the scent, and Love cost £7.50.

If you're in any doubt - BUY ONE. You definitely won't regret it, and like every other Lush product, it won't let you down!

Liv x

My tuesday morning culinary disaster

Afternoon everyone! I'm not getting up to much today apart from a couple of job interviews this afternoon, so this morning I decided I'd treat myself to a special breakfast: pancakes for one!

I spent a bit of time researching yummy things I could put in them, and decided on putting a bit of Nutella in them to get chocolate pancakes - how good does that sound?!

Anyway, I got all the ingredients out, and I had my recipe ready. GAME ON, LET'S MAKE PANCAKES!

It all started well, and I mixed all the ingredients together - apart from the nutella, I was planning to add that last minute.

I went over to the stove and melted the butter in the pancake pan, as usual.

This is where the first bit went a little wrong.. I decided it would be great to melt some nutella in the pan with the butter to get a sort of chocolatey outside to the pancake.
Hence the next photo.

Let's just say that the pan didn't react to well to the chocolate, and had a bit of a meltdown (hah i'm so punny!)

I ploughed on regardless, and just turned the extractor fan up a bit. I added more nutella to the mix and mixed it up - I have to admit, it looked lush!

Anyway, to cut to the chase as soon as I put the lovely mixture in my pan (a ladleful, as usual), it stuck. Fast. I had to quickly try and save it, but before I knew it, the chocolate butter had solidified, and the whole pancake had all mushed up.

Hahahah, have you ever seen such a good looking pancake?!
I tried the second ladleful and it came out a little better, so I smothered it in syrup and wolfed it down anyway (I was pretty hungry by this time).
I have to say, as bad as it looks, they were actually not that bad tasting - except the burnt to a crisp parts, I avoided those...

So much for my plan to write you all a nice food blog post - maybe this is why I should stick to beauty, cooking's obviously not my thing ;)

Oh well!
Liv :)

What's in my bag?

Evening everyone!
I was having a little Zoella youtube rewatch today and came across her 'Whats in my bag?' video - as boring as it sounds, this was actually really interesting.. and that's not just because I love her!

So I came to the conclusion that I'd do my own little 'What's in my bag?' post in pictures - hopefully it doesn't turn out to be a total bore - let's aim to keep at least half of you awake by the end! The basic point is just to grab your bag from wherever it is and show everything that's in there - no matter how weird or whatever, just what's usually in there.

This is me, looking insanely keen with my bag (also known as one of the loves of my life)

This, gals and the occasional guy, is my bag - I think it was £14.99, from H&M a while ago. I absolutely love it, it has a long strap that I mainly use, which is literally a necessity for me; Let's just say I don't exactly get on with short strapped bags. Unfortunately *sobs* the strap snapped on me a few weeks back, so I've had to sew it back on - it's holding so far, but it can't carry much weight anymore, I think it's time for a new bag!

The first thing in my bag is obviously the most important: my much loved make up bag, which I stuff with all the 'essentials' before leaving the house. I got this for my last birthday and I absolutely adore it - plus it's actually big enough to fit all my makeup in for once!

Secondly, let me introduce my obsession: I love to write lists. Lists of anything - but mainly shopping lists, which isn't great for my bank balance.. You will never find me without a shopping list and a pen on me, for those little moments of retail inspiration, you never know when you'll think of something! (and big it up for the hello kitty paper! my sister's, not mine..)

I'm ashamed of this one: I've had this purse/wallet for about two years now, and I know it's all shabby and everything - i'm getting round to buying another one! I'm on the search for a gorgeous big patent cream one, with endless compartments and card holders - yum!

In my purse I found about ten thousand loyalty and gift cards - I should probably spend some of them.. I also found this milkshake loyalty card which I thought was so cute - I mean, the stamps are cows for heaven's sake, how cool! The Shaken Cow do THE best milkshakes (hence why I've had 5 recently..)

My beloved amazon Kindle! My mum bought me this to use on holiday this year, and I was totally glued to it the whole time - they are so useful to store hundreds of books around - seeing as I read ten on holiday, it was a darn sight lighter than lugging those around!

This is a bit of a weird one, I'm really not too sure why I have hand wipes - though they smell amazing! I'm out of hand sanitizer at the moment (another obsession?) so I probably threw these in as a substitute. 

Wow, we're really getting to the fun stuff now ;) I also depressingly found some chemistry homework I still have to do before sixth form starts in September - I should probably be doing it actually, instead of just blogging about how awful it looks..

I always have to carry around something fragranced with me, I love my little top ups throughout my day! I was recommended this spray by a blogger recently, and as they're half price in Superdrug at the moment (98p, whaaaat!) I popped out and bought myself one in my Mini 'Essentials' Haul a while ago. It smells gorgeous, all florally and girly, and is great for a quick freshen up.

This may look odd, but I always carry a pair of footsies around with me - you never know when shoes are going to start rubbing, and I like knowing I can slip these on if I end up doing a lot of walking.

Ever since I bought this solid perfume in my Holiday Haul, I've been totally in love with it - it has the most amazing smell, and is the size of a small lipstick - making it perfectly handbag sized, and I can pop some on whenever I need a little whiff of perfection!

I realise how boring this stuff is, so I'll be quick ;) Love love love my aviators after my holiday - they saved me! Obviously my keys (and the adorable little miss sunshine keyring my parents bought me one birthday), and a pen - just in case anything needs noting down! Love this pen because you can write in green, blue, pink or purple.. meaning I always have a totally jazzed up shopping/ to-do list!

There you go - no wonder the strap broke with all that in there! Hope you enjoyed this post and didn't find it utterly sleep provoking :') 

Liv xo

Springfield Nail Varnish - Naranja

Morning everyone! This morning's post is a quick review of a nail varnish I picked up whilst shopping in Portugal. The brand is Springfield, which I gather is a Spanish brand, and I completely love it!

When I first went in the shop, the first thing I noticed was the amazing smell - easily on a par with the gorgeous A&F or Hollister smells that waft out of their shops. Obviously that drew me straight to the fragrance section, where I experienced that crushing feeling you always get, when you realise they don't actually sell the fragrance pumped round the shop - wah! Anyhow, by that stage I had completely surpassed the clothes and was in the cosmetics section - I could see a good few sale signs so I dived in and had a rummage.

What I found was this gorgeous little nail varnish for €1.99 down from €4.99 - a complete bargain! The nail varnishes were packaged adorably, with little pink flowers around the lid, and to be quite honest, it was too much to resist. Most of the nail varnishes were at this sale price, so I chose a lovely orange shade (Naranja) - I've been craving an orange nail varnish ever since seeing Zoella wearing one in one of her youtube videos and this one was a slightly subtler shade, so I was a very happy bunny.

When I went up to the till, they wrapped it up adorably in this little gift bag, and I just loved the whole thing!

I put this on as soon as I got back to the villa, and I loved it! It had a lovely consistency similar to the Topshop nail varnishes, so went on my nails really easily. I've had it on my nails for about a week now and only experienced minor chipping without a topcoat so it also has good lasting power. 

Another good point is that it has kept it's sheen - I hate it when nail varnishes go dull after a few days! 

I probably can't comment on the drying time - I put it on in the hot Portugese sun so it dried in like a minute haha :) 

This is probably one of my favourite nail varnishes in my collection now - orange is such a bright summery colour for nails, I've had lots of compliments on it already and I can't wait to keep wearing it! Most of my nail varnishes I tire of within a few days and have to change colour but I still love this one, which is great :)

As for the Springfield brand, I think it's amazing! The clothes looked great in the shop - quite quirky, but not enough so that it's hard to wear, and the cosmetics/ fragrance collection also looked lovely - even though I couldn't find the specific fragrance they sprayed in the shop, the others were lush still. I tried having a look at the postage to England but I couldn't find much information so I'm not sure if I'd be able to order anything else, but next time I'm in Spain/Portugal, I will definitely make sure I pop in and have a good haul!

If you live there, you lucky thing!

Liv xo

Liebster Awards

Recently I've been lucky enough to recieve the Liebster blogging award from three different people - wow!
These are:
Paris When It's Pink
Buttons Beads Beauty
Talk Pretty

Just wanted to say thank you so much to these people, it's amazing that people are reading, let alone enjoying my blog!

I've already done the whole 11 (well, 10) things about me, so I thought instead of passing on the award as you're supposed to, I'd just answer the questions set for me by these blogs, using them to give you all a little snippet into my life - I'm also midway through watching the Olympic diving (and drooling over Tom Daley) so I may get distracted.. sorry!

Paris When It's Pink's questions:

1. What is your favourite clothing brand?

I used to be topshop-obsessed, but I'm really enjoying the new H&M styles that are in for autumn/winter.. so maybe a cross between them. Though, i'm a sucker for a bit of Hollister and Gilly Hicks in summer!

2. How would you describe your own style? 

'Chuck it on and hope it looks acceptable' haha!

3. Who is your style icon?
Shenae Grimes - I love her in 90210 and she always looks gorgeous in real life too!

4. Who do you find an inspiration? It could be celebrities or people around you!
This is such a tough one! I have no idea to be honest, I'd rather take inspiration from things people have done than them as a person.

5. Do you prefer a natural make up look or glamorous?
I wouldn't say either, probably more natural but with ten layers of eyeliner haha!

6. How do you like to spend your holiday?
By a pool somewhere hot with some music in the background - lush!

7. Winter or Summer fashion? 

Summer definitely! I find putting outfits together so hard so less is definitely more.

8. What's your favourite band/music artist?
I have a few, but at the moment I'm loving Lady Antebellum (long time favourite), and for acoustic guitar type stuff, Gabrielle Aplin and Hudson Taylor are amazing!

9. Do you have any hobbies?
I ride horses, play the violin and swim quite a bit.

10. What's your favourite film?

As of a couple of weeks ago, The Last Song is amazing! (for a cheesy easy movie) I can't get over how adorable the Maroon 5 scene is.

11. Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Definitely night owl - don't even try getting me up early in the morning!

Button Beads Beauty's questions:

1.what made you start your blog 

I'd read Zoella's and Sprinkle of Glitter's blogs for ages, and after constantly pestering my family with makeup and skincare facts/tips, my sister suggested I start one - so here I am!

2.whats your favourite song right nowColourful Day - Alan Pownall

3.who are your top 3 bloggers

Zoella, Live Laugh Lipstick and The Wallflower

4 what is your all time favourite makeup brand

Either Clinique (they do the best foundations!) or Collection 2000 - which I think is amazing value for good quality items.

5.have you been watching the olympics? if yes favourite event?

I've been trying - luckily there was Sky in Portugal! I loved the Artistic Gymnastics - despite the fact that I'm unable to do even a forward roll!

6.do you have any pets?

Two cats, Molly and Jake, and I part loan a horse called Comet (MY BABY)

7. favourite food?You could say i'm a bit of a steak-addict..

8. do you do any sports?

Horse riding and swimming - nothing too strenuous!

9. do you know any other launguages? 

I did French up to GCSE, but nothing else!

10. who is your celebrity crush?

Probably David Beckham or Matt Lanter (yes, i'm also obsessed with 90210)

11.what makeup product could you not leave the house without wearing?

Concealer, without a doubt - bad skin does things to your confidence!

Talk Pretty's questions:

1. What's your stripper name? 

Not even sure what to say to this one...

2. What song could you listen to all day and not get bored of?

Lady Antebellum - Things that people say

3. What is your dream holiday destination and why?

Australia - but without the flight! The beaches look amazing, but I would visit in a cooler month, I'm not so good with heat!

4. What accent do you wish you had?

Irish, it's such an amazing accent!

5. Do you have any weird habits or talents?

Not that I can think of.. maybe I'll think of one later!

6. Who would be your dream dinner date? 

Anyone who's offering ;)

7. Favourite Disney film?

I know it's not a classic, but I never watched any of the Lion King/ Aladdin type ones, so I have to say, I love the Hannah Montana movie haha! Not ashamed to say that I cry every time..

8. Would you rather eat raw potatoes or drink undiluted squash?

Undiluted squash definitely! I'm a strong squash kinda gal, so that doesn't sound so bad for me haha :)

9. What is your most inspiring quote?

I really like 'Life isn't measured in the breaths you take, but in the moments that take your breath away', but I have no idea who said it!

10. What are your fears?

Spiders, rats, mice, and Michael Jackson - I know, I know, but I can't help it!

11. Ever prank called someone? If so, what about?
Nope - I was the type of child who would be terrified about someone finding out and telling on me!

Phew, that took a long time! Hope you enjoy my answers, thank you again to everyone who nominated me :)

Liv x

I'm back from Portugal! - Holiday Snaps

Afternoon everyone!
I'm back in the comfort of my own snug little bedroom, and after a lovely lie in and visit to the horses i'm finally in blogging mode! I thought I'd just pop a few outfit posts in as well as general photos of my trip; I had the most amazing two weeks so why not share them with you!

The first morning!

This was taken on the first morning of our stay.
I wore a sheer white shirt over a lime green bandeau, and orangey/coral shorts.
My sister wore a topshop white crop top and floral shorts, which I loved!

Evening outfit

This was one of the outfits I wore in the evenings for a meal out - excuse the face, the sun was in my eyes and i'm pretty sure this is my 'deer caught in the headlights' face, I didn't expect the photo haha :)
I'm wearing a playsuit from Dorothy Perkins and some white wedges I got years ago from somewhere in America.

The bargain maxi dress!

I wore this maxi dress as a bit of a staple item - as a beach cover up, a day outfit and with heels in the evening. However unflattering the angle of this photo, I love this dress so much!

It's originally from topshop, but I got it off eBay for £10.. WHAT A BARGAIN haha, I'm so proud of it!

A (very hot!) day outfit

This is me and my mum outside a gorgeous portugese house, the tiles on these houses are amazing! It was over 40 degrees that day so I just put on my coolest top and my homemade bleached shorts - the hair had to go up for practical reasons! I tied my ring of daisies (see holiday haul) round my bun as a cute addition.

Evening outfit

As a little mention, this is my sister! I wanted to feature her outfit from our other sister's birthday meal because I thought it was amazing.

Her silk maxi dress is from Warehouse and she matched it with lime green wedges from topshop (love them, might have to steal them at some point..)

She wore a coral sheer lipstick and pulled her hair back into a side bun, which I thought was gorgeous.

The villa

The villa

The villa

The lovely town of Tavira

I don't want to bore you all too much (though I guess the most bored of you won't have made it this far) so I kept it short (ish)! I'll try and do some proper beauty posts in the next few days - with my recently hectic (yes, I count a holiday as hectic) life I haven't got round to doing many, but I promise that will change haha :) I'm also incredibly sorry about the quality of the photos, it's not my camera I swear! They seem to have gone funny when uploaded aah :(

Hope you are all enjoying your summer!

Liv x