NEW BARRY M A/W GELLY NAIL PAINTS | SWATCHES

I've completely forgot that we ever had a summer and I wouldn't even blame you if you didn't even realise we did, as it was definitely easy to miss! I am completely ready for Autumn and have already started craving hot chocolates and Autumn fashion - which I feel like I need to stock up on. I came across Barry M's new A/W collection a couple of weeks ago and knew that I needed to add some more colours to my ever growing-already too big- collection. I initially saw the shades Mustard and Paprika and instantly knew I needed them, but then I saw the rest and as it was 3 for 2, I just had to. The only shade that I didn't get was the poor green shade which I sadly neglected;I even chose a different colour from an older collection as the free nail varnish in the offer over the green. 

As with all of the Barry M nail paints, these shades apply really smoothly, give a lovely shiny finish and look good after either one heavier coat or two layers for a completely opaque finish. I find that they last well on the nails and hardly chip; mostly I find that they still look reasonable after a weeks wear and I normally change the colour every week. 

I absolutely love the colours that they chose to release and feel that they really are quite unique in the nail varnish world. Even the red and orange shades, aren't your typical shades and instead have the perfect Autumn tone to them; the red shade (chilli), is a darker deep brown red shade and the orange (Paprika) also has the brown deepness to it. I love the Mustard shade and really have not seen anything like it before. Although grey (Chai), sounds pretty boring, it's such an easy and sophisticated shade to wear. The dark brown shade (Cocoa), looked gorgeous in the store, but looking back on it now I did wonder why I bought a brown nail varnish. I do like it on but I'm still not completely sure on it as I wear a lot of black which may not go too well. 

 So, that's nails sorted now I need to sort out my wardrobe for Autumn and Winter!

 At the moment Superdrug have a 3 for 2 offer on all Barry M and Boots have a buy 1 get 2nd half price - yes, I've done my research! What's your favourite shade from the collection?

MY HOLIDAY TO CORFU

It's now been a couple of weeks since I got back from a very relaxing week in Corfu and returning home to full time work just makes the holiday blues even more intense. I went to Corfu with my sister Hannah, we only went for a week, which really is not long enough as a week just goes by way too quickly! 

Most of the holiday was spent relaxing by the pool, soaking up the much needed sun and then trying to hide from it when you remember that your poor English skin isn't really used to anything but the cold and rain and it needs protecting! It was such a hot week in Corfu so it was really nice to be able to jump into the pool to cool down whenever you felt like you were melting. The pool was an infinity pool, which I think was the main reason Hannah decided to book this hotel. It over looked the sea, which was just so beautiful as you could relax in the pool while looking out at the sea, rather than just having the view of everyone else sun bathing. 

This was the view from our room which was pretty amazing as we hadn't even specifically booked a sea view - I could definitely wake up to this view every morning! All of the rooms were like little apartment buildings which was nice as you're more spaced out than being crammed into one huge hotel block. The hotel seemed to have a few dogs which just strolled around all day, one followed us all the way to the pool one morning and then back to our room and if he had his own way, into our room! Luckily that didn't happen as we quickly rushed in and closed the door before he could get in. 

It was so nice to just be able to relax for a whole week and have all of your food cooked for you , *note to self* must get rich and hire a chef, actually a house keeper would be better. The hotel was built up on a hill so as you can expect we did a lot of up hill walking, which was slightly tiring, especially in the heat, but probably very beneficial on the legs and essential after a couple of ice creams each day and three course meals... 

The only down side of the week was for Hannah, who somehow managed to get stung by a wasp twice in the space of about 5 minutes. It looked like either the same wasp had come back for round 2 or it's friend came to join in on the fun. Apparently, on a scale of 1-10, wasp stings are a 16... so I've been told. 

 

If you look to the left of the plant pots you may be in for a little creepy surprise - it's some kind of lizard reptile, which were actually pretty big and not something that I would feel comfortable about getting too close to. 

Obviously we had to have a selfie session, which was pretty fun. We have a thing about buying t-shirts from everywhere we go, where possible, so we bought matching Corfu shirts from one of the shops in the hotel. 

Overall, it was a great week and really nice to be able to spend the whole week with my sister as she's leaving for university very soon so it was nice to get some sister quality time in. 

I now want to go on holiday again asap and I'm already thinking about where to go next year, so where are your favourite holiday destinations? 

WHAT'S IN MY TRAVEL MAKE UP BAG

I don't normally use a make up bag at home and prefer to keep all of my make up in my draws, as I just have far too much for any make up bag to handle. Last week I had the dreaded task of having to decide which make up products to take with me on holiday - which honestly felt like I was choosing which child I wanted to take with me. I was also terrified that things would get broken during the journey, so it took me a lot longer than I'd like to admit to choose between my beloved eye shadows. 

I did take quite a bit more than what is photographed but these were the only products that I used. First, I used MAC's Prep + Prime Skin Base Visage for my primer as it is really hydrating and spending all day out in the sun means you can't get enough hydration to your skin. For my foundation I used Bare Minerals Ready foundation as it's so quick and easy to apply, gives great coverage but still doesn't look or feel heavy on the skin. I set my foundation with Bare Minerals Mineral Veil to control any extra shine, so I didn't look like a hot mess in the equally hot weather. I used MAC's Pro Longwear concealer under the eyes and on any imperfections. I also used MAC's Prep + Prime Highlighter in Radiant Rose under the eyes and as always MAC's Emphasize powder to set it. I used Bare Minerals Stroke of Light to highlight areas of my face, to look more glowy and summery. To bronze my face I used Bare Minerals The First Resort bronzer, there is also a highlight shade in there which I used as a blush and highlight. 

For my eyes I used MAC's Painterly Paint pot as a base. As I was on holiday I decided to experiment a bit more with some colour, so decided to bring Sleek's Del Mar Palette and managed to use the green, blue and the coral and orange shades.  I also used Urban Decay's Naked Basics palette to compliment the brighter shades and also used the dark brown and black on my brows. When I wasn't feeling too colourful I stuck with my trusty Make up Geek eyeshadows, in Peach Smoothie, Coco Bear, Creme Brule, Cosmopolitan and Mocha. For mascara, I like to bring a waterproof one as I'm one of those girls that does apply a little make up throughout the day, so waterproof is essential. I chose Maybelline's The Falsies mascara, as we all know Tanya Burr raves about it so I thought it would be a good time to try it. I liked it but I wouldn't rate it as highly as she does. 

I love a bright lip for summer but I didn't want to deal with applying lipstick and then worrying about eating and drinking at dinner, so I just used a tiny amount of Bare Minerals Go the Distance lipstick, by just dabbing it on my lips to give a slight stain of colour. 

Finally, The Urban Decay Chill setting spray came in very handy, both when setting my make up and to use just to refresh and cool me down throughout the day. 

Have you been away lately? What are your holiday make up must haves? 

HOW TO GET BRONZED AND GLOWING SKIN

At this time of year, some of us have naturally bronzed and glowing skin from holidays and others are religiously packing on the bronzer in order to convince the world that they did in fact go on holiday this year. I thought I would share some of my favourite products to use when I'm trying to look naturally tanned and glowing. 

First off for glowing skin I like to use some kind of brightening primer, like MAC's Skin Base Visage, which I've reviewed 'here' and the Bare Minerals Brightening primer. Both are pretty similar and include tiny little shimmer particles, that look very natural under make up and just give a nice glow to the skin. I also like to use Benefit's Sun Beam highlighter mixed with my foundation if I want a really glowy finish. 

For foundation, I like to use L'oreal Lumi Magique as the name suggests, it gives a gorgeous dewy finish. I also like to use Bare Minerals Original foundation as it gives a naturally fresh, healthy and radiant finish to the skin. 

MAC's Give Me Sun bronzer is my absolute favourite bronzer in the whole world, it's just perfect. A little goes a very long way so it's very quick and easy to apply. It's a gorgeous warm colour that instantly makes you look so healthy and radiant. The colour is dark enough for fake tan wearers but also suits very fair skin tones, as I've also convinced my sister to buy it and she uses it regularly on her fair skin too. I also like Benefit's Hoola bronzer, but I just don't reach for it as much as Give Me Sun as it's just not as warm and 'look at my gorgeous bronzed, healthy glowing skin' as Give Me Sun.

For highlighter I like to use MAC's Soft and Gentle. I only apply it to my cheekbones and under the brow as I naturally get a tiny bit shiny on my t zone throughout the day so I don't need any extra on my forehead or nose like some people with dry skin like to do. 

What are your favourite bronzers and highlighters?

FRESHERS SURVIVAL GUIDE #4: WHAT I WISH I HAD KNOWN

I am now a full grown graduate of university, therefore, I have been through all of the stress, the anxiety, the 'shall I just run you over and you run me over, so we don't have to take our exams' - scenarios and yes that was a legit conversation. My point is that I now feel that I am pretty experienced and can offer some advice about all the things I wish I knew when I was at uni, to make sure you get the most out of your uni experience. 

If you're going to uni next month, you may want to read my previous 'fresher's survival guides' about packing, making friends and fresher's week, for some extra tips. 

When I started university I don't remember being overly excited about it or particularly wanting to go, it was just what you did after sixth form or you would end up a failure at life - which obviously I now know isn't true, but someone may want to tell the sixth form teachers that! This leads me onto my first tip:

Only go to university if you want to

Yep, seems pretty straightforward. I am glad I went to uni but thinking about it now I would advise people who are unsure to maybe wait it out a few years to see what you really want to do. There is no rush in going to university and if you're relying on student finance I think they only help you for one degree, therefore if I now decide I want to be something very specific that I need a different degree for, I'll have to fork out a small fortune. If you work for a couple years or study at college or anything else, you will have more time to figure out what career you actually want to do. I think it also helps to gain some experience in the working world so then if you do go to university you have some kind of work experience on your cv to give you a head start once you graduate. I remember one of my teachers once said to me it is very sad that you don't know what you want to do in life... bitch please, I'm 14! You have your whole life to decide! 

Pick a degree that you're actually interested in

If you've read any of my other posts about uni, you'll know that the majority of the time I absolutely hated my degree. Lucky for me I now have a law degree which is considered to be a good one to have, so secretly I'm glad I chose to study law, but seriously the degree will be so much easier if you are enjoying what you're studying! During the third year I enjoyed my modules so much more because I had picked them and knew they were subjects I was more interested in. 

Have fun!

So, this is the section I think I failed at most. My degree was extremely demanding and I spent pretty much all of my time doing my seminar work, research, lecture reading, seminar reading, listening to lectures, reading more, writing essays, reading even more... I now seriously regret not making more time for having fun. I don't feel like I had the time to have fun and do well but I wish I had done, especially in first year. As we all know it doesn't reaaally count all that much so I wish I had gone out more, spent more time with friends and just have more fun in general. I feel like I wasted the fun side of my uni experience which is supposed to be one of the greatest times of your life. So, have more times when you start your 3,000 word essay at 9pm the day before it's due and finish at 4.30am and when you have a presentation to prepare for the next morning but instead you stay up chatting with your flatmates until 2am and then start the prep so you're ready for your 9.30 seminar - go on I dare you! 

Move far far away and don't come back

Typing that sounds a little depressing but it's not! It leads on from my previous point of having more fun while at uni. I only went to a uni which is about a 2 hours drive from where I live, which seemed a good idea as I had a boyfriend at home. I ended up living at home the second and third year and commuting in.  If I were to do it again I would go to somewhere a lot further away and stay at uni for the whole terms and only come home for christmas and easter break. I would definitely live there during the whole of university too, to really gain the whole uni life experience. In my first year I wasn't making the most of uni and spent most of my time wishing I was home so I would go home every other weekend. If you stay at uni and make more effort with doing more with your friends, you wont need to go home. 

You don't need to have a boyfriend/girlfriend

I still have the same boyfriend that I did during school, sixth form and uni, but it hasn't been easy. My boyfriend stayed at home and got an apprenticeship, so worked all week. At the beginning of uni it was the hardest because we were literally living opposite lives; he was getting up just as I was getting in from the nights out - and I'm not even a crazy partier! I'm glad we have made it through everything and I do not know what I would have done without his support throughout the three years. My main reasoning for not having a partner when you go is so you can just do your own thing without having to worry about anyone else. I think you need the time to figure yourself out and what you want and need in life and it's a lot easier to do it on your own, without always considering someone else. If you do have a boyfriend/girlfriend, don't worry, it can work out if you both put in the effort. My main point here is I know as a 18 year old girl it seems important to have a boyfriend but you're all that is important and you have time for boyfriends later. My boyfriend and I both say now that we wish we would have met in a few years time, we're happy together but if we could chose we actually still wouldn't have met. 

The morning I left for uni above and my graduation below, with my boyfriend

Stressing will not get you anywhere 

Definitely easier said than done, I know! This only really hit me during exam period in my final year. I think I had spent my last oh I don't know, lifetime worrying and stressing about school work, sixth form work and then uni work that I had out worried myself and physically did not have it in me to stress any more. I realised that you just have to get on with it, work hard but understand you're not perfect. When I started to realise this I just got on with revision and essays, it wasn't easy but I did it by believing that I could do it and just not thinking the worst all of the time. During my second year I stressed and panicked so much about the exams that I couldn't sleep and when I did sleep I had crazy nightmares which I never normally had, I suffered from a small amount of hair loss and just general anxiety and sickness feelings all of the time, which obviously is never going to help. A slight proof of this may be that I did a lot better in my final exams than the second year ones. 

Everything you can possibly know about the law
Yeah... that would have been a helpful thing to know before uni. 

Overall, uni is definitely what you make it. As you can see my main regret is not having enough fun and enjoying myself while I was at uni. The majority of my friends who weren't on my course did a lot less demanding degrees and therefore had a lot more spare time and I don't think they ever understood my work load and always thought I was just being useless with them. If you're going to uni next month, my advice is to enjoy it! Take all the opportunities offered to you, make as many good friends as you can, try new things (sports, hobbies... not anything bad)! Obviously be safe, do your work, call your parents but just remember that this time is all about you and it can be the best time of your life. 

You can read my guide to what to pack, how to deal with homesickness and making friends and fresher's week 'here.'

A SUMMERS EVENING WALK | OOTD

One of the benefits of living in the countryside is definitely having a lot more space to walk around, where it's quiet, peaceful and very picturesque. There's something about the way the sun looks in the evenings, as it's just getting ready to set, when it's still bright enough but a lot lower in the sky, that makes me want to get outside and go for a nice evening stroll. In case you forgot I am 21, not 61, but I wouldn't blame you for mistaking the two after that declaration. 

Top: River Island

Shorts: River Island

Shoes: Converse 

Nail Varnish: Barry M Coconut

I really like these River Island shorts as they're not too short that they reveal way too much of certain parts of the body that should never be shown in public, but they're still fitted and pretty flattering. I like the buttons on the back of the top and the colours, it's also very easy to wear and pretty different to anything else I own. I've had my converse for probably around 7 or 8 years and they're still in pretty good condition as I'm not really a trainer kinda gal, but for walking around in fields and playing in the park... which obviously I'm far too grown up to do... they are perfect. 

In case you haven't already met him on this blog, this is my boyfriend, Jamie. I like to drag him along on these walks quite often, luckily he doesn't seem to mind. Although I hate to say it, I already feel like summer is over; The shops got rid of all of their summer clothes before the kids even broke up for their summer holidays and now seem to be denying they ever stocked anything other than dark prints and boots. I'm still trying to hold on to summer as I haven't even been away on my holiday yet and lets face it, it's only August 11th! 

I hope you're all enjoying our on and off summer, in between the torrential rainfalls and hurricane winds. Do you like summer evening walks as much as I do or is it just me? I'm going to have to stop typing now because my boyfriend is currently sitting next to me going through my camera and laughing at my selfies... :( 

JULY FAVOURITES

My best friend text me earlier, saying, "3 months today until you are a bridesmaid for me." That was pretty exciting until I realised that she is getting married in November - how the hell is November only 3 months away!? I can't contemplate that at the moment so lets stick with it being just about the start of August and therefore time for July favourites, which doesn't even seem possible, but a tiny bit better than the thought of November! 

I've always focused more on make up than hair, but this month my friend who is an amazing hairdresser, cut my hair and completely changed the way I look at it. I've never been loyal to a hairdresser and therefore, not really been a regular, so I was very glad when she offered! I never know what will actually work for my hair and the hairdressers never really seem to do that great of a job. As it was my friend cutting my hair, I trusted her opinions and she actually offered so much in put as to what would work best. She was telling me that I should use a mousse as it helps fine hair have more body and also controls any fly aways. The Vo5 mousse does just that, yet doesn't hold down my hair or make it feel sticky or hard at all. Once I've blow dried my hair and styled it, I use the L'oreal volume supersizing spray to add some extra body and texture. It smells so good and really seems to help lift my hair.

I've owned the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette since last December, however, I haven't paid it much attention at all until now. The black is amazing, the browns are great for the crease area and the lighter shades make great highlights or lid colours. I've also been using Faint and a tiny amount of Crave for my brows, which seem to be working great! 

Another Urban Decay product, is their new Perversion mascara. I currently only have a sample size but will definitely be buying the full sized version. It's probably the best mascara that I've tried; it applies so easily, so quick, it's so black, gives great length and volume and doesn't clump or flake off at all. 

On to Bare Minerals. My skin was doing very well, until it had a random break out recently, I applied the Blemish Remedy and by the next morning the spots had considerably gone down, after a couple more uses they were completely gone. If you've read my 'skincare saviours' post, you'll already know that this is one of my go to products as it is just amazing! 

Finally, I've been really enjoying wearing bright coral lipsticks this month and one of my favourites and easiest to wear is the Bare Minerals lipstick in Go the Distance, with the lip liner in Energized. The lip liner can be worn alone or under the lipstick to prolong the wear, which is already amazing! The colour of the lipstick isn't too bright so it's great for when you want a great summer colour but you're not feeling brave enough for such a bright shade. It's also more day time appropriate if you ever feel conscious about wearing a bright lip. 

So, that's all of my favourite products from the month of July. I hope you've all had a great July and that August is also kind to you, especially if you're an A - level student awaiting results!