Autumn Is Here

This morning, myself and my family went on an early morning walk with the dogs around a field that is near to our house, which used to be an army base thing (not too sure) haha.

I'm not usually the type of person that is overly enthusiastic when they get awoken by their mum at 10 o'clock on a sunday morning saying that we are going on a walk... But the sky looked beautiful this morning so I decided to go along with them, and I am so glad I did.

When we arrived at this very muddy wet car park, I wasn't best impressed, but as we walked through the forrest into a beautiful open patch of land, I hung back a bit from the others and took my time to admire the amazing settings and get some pictures. 

To some of you, these pictures may be nothing special, but for someone who is constantly either in a busy town with no countryside, or locked away in their room on social media for hours on end, I found this rather amazing.

I have also done a lot of Autumn/Winter clothes shopping recently, and after my long walk this morning, I was inspired to do a lookbook in this setting, so look out for that!

Strawberry Smoothie

I was feeling rather healthy today, so I decided to make myself a strawberry smoothie.

If you are interested and would like to give it a go yourself, here is a list of the ingredients that you will need.

- 8 strawberries

- 3 tablespoons of sugar

- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

- 120ml milk

- 120ml ice cream/yoghurt

- 6 ice cubes

So, first of all I collected all of my ingredients together and measured them to the correct amounts...

Then, I washed my strawberries and began to chop them into quarters. 

Once I had chopped the strawberries, I poured the milk into a glass ready to pour into the blender.

I then added the strawberries, sugar, vanilla and ice cream to the blender...

 I then blended all of the ingredients together until I was left with a smooth, thick liquid.

I then added some ice cubes and gave it one last mix, and then poured it into glasses to serve.

Simple!

Depth

Usually, I like to keep my lipstick and makeup in general quite subtle. If anything I usually make my eyeliner/eyeshadow the boldest out of all, but I decided to go ahead and buy the topshop lipstick in the shade "depth". This is the dupe of Mac's lipstick "media". It's such an amazing bold colour and the packaging of topshops lipsticks are so cute. 

The lipstick is a deep purple colour that is extremely pigmented when it's first applied however it doesn't last very long throughout the day and I had to re do it a few times.

What I love about this lipstick is you can apply it very light and dab it in to make it a light purple/pink shade, but you can also build up the application to make it as dark as it can be. 

The lipstick looks black in it's case and is rather scary at a first glance, but on the lips it is more of a deep purple colour.  

I love this lipstick and I think it's perfect for nights out and special occasions like Christmas or birthdays. It's not the type of lipstick that I would wear out on a daily basis, but for evenings out I think this lipstick is perfect. It makes you look asif you made some effort with your makeup which is always a winner.

It's very moisturising and glides straight onto the lips. It doesn't really smell of anything which I do like in a lipstick. If a lipstick smells nice then obviously that's a bonus but for me I have always managed to pick lipsticks that smell awful, so I would rather no scent!

It is such a unique colour with a rich glossy finish and I can't wait to find an excuse to wear it again!

Primark Summer Outfit

This outfit is one of my favourites, it is so affordable and so timeless. All the pieces I am wearing are from primark and the total price came to under £25.

First is this beautiful kimono paired with a plain white top.

This looks so cute and is so easy to wear. It's perfect for the spring and summer and I can't wait to wear it! I then paired this outfit with some high waisted denim shorts which are extremely similar to the topshop ones except these were less than £10!

This is one of my favourite go to outfits for summer because it looks so nice all together and it's so easy to wear. It is such a timeless outfit and will never go out of fashion. The quality of all of these pieces are fantastic and I was so impressed when I found these. The shorts are the exact same ones that are being sold in topshop at the moment (joni cut offs) and kimono's similar to these have been sold everywhere recently for ridiculous prices, where as this was so cheap! 

What I love about primark is people have very low expectations and always go in to just get some cheap basics and every single time primark suprise me with some amazing things! I couldn't believe it when I saw the kimono for £10 and when I saw the shorts I didn't expect them to fit like the topshop ones but they do, it's amazing! They're so comfortable and soft and so affordable. They come in all sorts of colours and designs and I can't wait to go back for more and see what else I can find!

Kimono: London Oxford st primark £10

Shorts: my local primark in Telford either £8 or £10

Plain white top: my local primark £3 

Modelling

On Friday 2nd May 2014 I was invited to the blue rooms photo studio in London on Oxford circus street to come for a modelling shoot for UK models. I had only ever done it once before when I was little and I forgot what to expect, I was so nervous but it was so amazing! My hair and makeup artist and my photographer were so helpful and lovely and made me feel so comfortable! The shoot went amazing and soon I will be sent a CD in the post with the 94 photos that were taken and a list of agencies to contact for work. So exciting! As soon as I have the photos I will post a link to my E-Portfolio, which is just a portfolio on the internet instead of printed out photos if you didn't know. I had a look at them on a slide show in the meeting afterwards and I'm so excited to see them again! There's no photography allowed in the studio but when the slide show was playing i got a sneaky photo of one of the photos! (only one unfortunately) look how long my legs look! :o

I'm so excited to get the real photos here and as soon as I have them I'll post a link!

Topshop Nail Varnish Review

I was in town with my friends last weekend with no intentions of buying anything, until I saw this beautiful nail varnish sat on it's own on the stand! I couldn't resist and had to pick it up! The bright baby blue colour caught my eye instantly and I knew I had to have it! 

I find that topshop's metallic nail varnishes can be rather thin and not very pigmented, and they take a few layers to finish... however it wasn't the case with "air kisses" This nail varnish took only ONE coat and was amazingly pigmented and bright! I was expecting to have to give it at least 2 coasts but after one this is the result. That is why I was so inspired to do a blog post on this.

You would expect from any nail varnish that if it only takes one coat the downside to it would be that it chips easily, however I've had this nail varnish on for 3 days now and there are no chips what so ever!

I would 100% recommend any of topshops current nail varnishes as they're all beautiful summery pastel colours and are amazing quality for only £6! 

Ted Baker Shopper Bag Review

I first saw this bag when I was waiting at the train station, and a girl walked past wearing the lime green shopper bag and I instantly fell in love and knew I had to have it! I then luckily received the beautiful pink version for Christmas off my dad! And I've used it everyday since I got it! I use it on an everyday basis for school, sleepovers, out in town, everywhere I go I use it! The bag is a generous size and also has a zip pocket on the inside which is very useful! 

The bag has 'Ted Baker London' printed across the front, on the left it has a list of various different locations where you can find a ted baker store and on the right it says 'no ordinary designer bag'. On the inside above the zip pocket it says 'you've really got a hold on me'

The size of the bag is great and fits everything I need in! 

The handles are also long enough for it to be worn on the shoulder which I love because it's such an easy and practical way to carry the bag. Another great thing about this bag is the shiny material is easy to wipe clean. I have dripped juice on it before and this did not stain or mark at all - I simply wiped it with a tissue and it completely disappeared. This makes it very practical as you don't need to be too careful about where you put it! Although it can be wiped clean, it is slightly prone to scuffing on the bottom but mine has not scuffed severely. 

The bag does look nice, as it is a simple and classic design in shiny baby pink patent. It has a shiny black patent bow in the middle as you can see...

The handles are also patent and at first glance they appear to be very securely stitched onto the body of the bag, I have had no issues with the handles breaking away, however I have seen a few other people talking about how theirs have come away. Fingers crossed mine will survive. 

* UPDATE *

I wrote this blog post on the 23rd of March 2014, and it is now the 9th November 2014, and my Ted Baker bag is completely ruined.

I never over pack my bag or put anything in there that is relatively heavy, however a few months after writing this post (I've not had chance to update it until now) the handle completely fell apart and came off, and all i had in my bag was school books and the bottom of the bag ripped too!

I definitely wouldn't recommend this bag unless you're going to walk around with nothing in it, because after a few months of daily use with hardly anything in it, it fell apart.

"Why are you so skinny?"

Let me start by saying I am 5"2 (1.5 meters) tall, and I weigh 6 stone 6 pounds (41.5kg) and my BMI is 17.2. I have been the same height for about 2 years and I don't seem to be growing much taller at all. My mum is 35 years old and is smaller than me and weighs only 1 stone more than me, so when I say I'm 'naturally skinny' I MEAN IT! It's in my genes! My mum is very petite and I take after her!

"you don't eat enough" "you're so skinny" "theres no such thing as being naturally skinny" "how much do you weigh" "why do your bones show" "i can see your ribs" "your thigh gap is huge" 

Can someone please explain to me why people think these questions are acceptable to ask a person? Would you turn to a 'fat' person and say "you must live off mcdonalds look how fat you are you should really go to the gym and loose some weight its disgusting" NO... YOU WOULDNT!!! Why asking skinny people why they are skinny is socially acceptable I will never know.

According to BMI if your BMI lies between 18.5 and 25 you are 'the right weight' but if it is lower than 18.5 you are 'underweight' and if it is over 25 you are 'overweight'... WHO CARES?! If you're happy in the skin you are in who's to say any different. Obviously if you are critically underweight then that is a different case. I know no one can stop anyone else judging people, but for my height and age I see no problem with the number on the scales. Also there's this magical thing called metabolism which stops me from maintaining any weight. 

Like my mum, my metabolism is extremely high! For those who don't know, metabolism is a chemical reaction that occurs in all your living organisms to help maintain life, which basically means the rate at which your body burns calories and breaks down fat. Having a high metabolism means that it is impossible for me to put on weight, and actually maintain it. My body breaks down fat and burns calories at a stupidly fast rate. Now I know for a fact, that many of you will be reading this thinking you would love to have a high metabolism, but let me tell you, it's not all it's made out to be. 

Whilst going through school being 'skinnier than my friends', had serious affect on the way I saw myself and the way others saw me. It's pretty steriotypical that the fat kid in class doesn't want to get into a swimming costume or gets changed in the toilets for P.E, or get bullied or called names. However I feel exactly the same way. I used to get changed in the toilets with my friend every lesson because even if they weren't i felt asif people were staring. I feel like in the summer when I'm wearing a crop top or when I'm at the beach in my bikini, people stare at me for how i am, I hate it!

People comment on my photos asking 'how are you so skinny?' 'do you just not eat?' 'do you excersise a lot?' Well let me tell you. I am naturally skinny and there is NOTHING I can do about it. People need to be seriously careful when they talk about weight around others, they could have had a member of their family or maybe even themselves suffer with anorexia or any kind of eating disorder. You must be careful with what you say as you could really lower someones self confidence or offend and upset them.

No one should comment on anyone else's weight because it is nothing to do with them! Everyone is different, and no one is perfect. ♥

Maybelline baby lips review

I've had my eye on mabyelline's baby lips moisturising lip balm for a while now, and I finally decided to get one for myself! According to Maybelline's website... Their balms are described as 'no more basic lip balm, lip renew formula and 8 hour hydration for visibly renewed lips in 4 weeks, clinical care for baby-soft lips.'

There is no denying that the packaging of these lip balms is adorable! The shade I purchased is called 'pink punch' and I love how it looks on the lips! The lip balms are generally not a heavily pigmented lip balm and they are more like traditional tinted lip balms with a sheer wash of colour to the lips. However pink punch is a cool toned pink that appears almost orchid pink on my lips. These lip balms glide on the lips so effortlessly and the consistency is not heavy thick or waxy they are thinner balms that do not feel greasy.

I don't think these lip balms really deserve all the hype they received, as they are just like any other lip balm. However the packaging is adorable and the flavour and scent is lovely! Also 'pink punch' is the best for colour pigment and it looks lovely on. 

Urban Decay Optical Blurring Foundation Brush Review

After purchasing the urban decay naked 2 palette I decided to look into more of urban decays range, and I came across the 'optical blurring foundation brush' I was going to purchase the real techniques foundation brush, but I decided to go for this instead and IT IS THE SOFTEST BRUSH I HAVE EVER TOUCHED IN MY WHOLE LIFE! This foundation brush is absolutely faultless and I love it so much! When I saw a photo of the brush on the internet I thought, there is no way that the bristles can be as soft in person as they come across in this photo... But I was wrong... This is a picture of what the brush looks like in person... Yes, the softness is real.

As I said I cannot fault this foundation brush. Even though the brush was developed to be used with urban decays naked skin weightless ultra definition liquid foundation, it still works with every single other foundation that I have used. The bristles on the brush are INCREDIBLY soft and the synthetic, cruelty free hairs on urban decays brush are divine... No scratching or tickling! It also cleans and dries so fast and easy without any hairs falling out... The size of the brush is also perfect and easy to manipulate around your nose chin and eyes so that blending the foundation is a breeze!

Like the naked palette, this foundation brush may be slightly on the pricey side, but it is so worth it and it makes applying your foundation a hell of a lot easier. 

My Naked 2 Palette Review

Wow.. My first reaction when I opened this palette, was just, wow. It is simply incredible. This palette has every eye shadow a girl would ever need, from white to black, all the colours in-between, matte or shimmer, it is incredible.

The Naked 2 Palette is made up of 3 matte shades (white, brown and black) and 9 shimmery shades. It comes with a double sided brush for both applying and blending eyeshadow, it also comes with a lip gloss attached too.

This palette allows me to achieve every eye look I could ever want, whether that is for school, a meal out, a party or an interview, this palette has everything. I use this palette on a daily basis and I am starting to hit pan on 3 colours, which all happen to be next to each other, the 3 last colours in the palette, YDK, Busted and Blackout. These are generally my every day colours. What I like to do is cover my eyelid in YDK as a lovely shimmery base, then either apply just Busted into the crease and outer corner, or sometimes for more depth and drama I also add blackout to darken the look up. These are my favourite eyeshadows in the whole palette.

I have used every shadow in this palette at least once before and they are all very pigmented and easy to work with. They blend beautifully with any brush, not just the one that is provided, they all have a slight fall down to them but nothing major. The colours last all day and night and are extremely easy to remove.

I think that the naked 2 palette is such an amazing essential eyeshadow palette in every girls makeup collection! It's so difficult to find an eyeshadow palette with white, black AND everything inbetween all in one! It provides such a range of shades to try out different styles with and I absolutely love it! I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is contemplating it. I know its a bit pricey, but for all the eyeshadows you get, plus a brush and a lipgloss, it is totally worth the money.

Current Favourite Topshop Nail Varnishes

My current favourite nail polish's by Topshop are...

Number 1: Plume

Number 2: Adrenaline

Number 3: 3D

Number 4: Brazil

So, let's start of with number 1... PLUME! 

My first impressions of this nail Polish were that it is a very pretty and unique shade, I haven't seen anything like it!  It is a gorgeous midnight purple colour, however it has a duo chrome effect with multi dimensional glitter that gives it a purple to blue to almost pink appearance depending on which way the sparkles catch the light. With all of this going on it appears almost metallic which has been in fashion for a while now! However I found it quite patchy when applying to my nails, it took three coats to get a decent covering without it looking streaky. One thing I hate is nail varnish that applies streaky, it just puts me off using it again. It dries in an incredibly slow time and stays sticky for a while which makes it a very long process. 

However I don't have that problem with "adrenaline".

This is a beautiful sparkly and glittery baby pink shade and it's one of my favourites at the moment! It dries in a bearable amount of time and is such a pretty colour too! I have been wearing it for 3 days and there is no chips or scratches which I feel is an essential in a nail polish! It looks better on top of another colour, and the sparkles are much more defined, however for school or work this is perfect on its own as it is very subtle but so pretty.

Now, let's talk about 3D...

This nail polish is very thin and looks better ontop of another colour rather than on it's own, it looks great over plain black or blue nails! It's a gorgeous green-blue shade of sparkle and it is an essential in every girls collection! I feel like this nail varnish is my least favourite, as it takes at least 3 coats to get a half decent amount of coverage and only really looks nice on top of another colour.

My final favourite for today is this beautiful sparkly nail varnish called 'Brazil'. It's extremely similar to the American apparel galaxy glitter nail polish! It's a clear based polish packed full of rainbow coloured sparkles and glitter! It's a truely beautiful nail polish and  it looks great on top of matte black or fushia polishes! Here's an example of what it looks like ontop of pink! It's gorgeous!

There's so much I can do with all these beautiful nail polishes and I would 100% recommend all of these to anyone! They make a great gift and are only £6 each! What a bargain for such perfect nail polishes. They are all great for all year round, and they last an extremely long time too.