Here's to 2015

With every single year that flashes past my eyes I always think that it cannot get better than the last. At this time of year I'm always sat reflecting on how happy and grateful I am for having such a lucky life. I am surrounded by friends and family I adore, and I'm healthy and happy and also had the most amazing memories. I couldn't ask for more.

It genuinely terrifies me every single year on what's going to happen next but now I'm not so scared. Last year it was the worries of exams and college but now I have achieved those goals I have experienced how much I am in control of my life however obvious that may sound to you. Life is easy if you don't complicate it. If you want good grades you go out there and revise. If you want closer friendship bonds you go out and make the effort. I understand it's not always as easy as that. Problems get in the way sometimes and we have all had more than our fair share. But that's life.

If you eliminate the bad things you can make your 2015 a year to remember and it's all in your control.

My 2014 new years resolution was to not drink Coca Cola for a year which I actually managed to achieve *round of applause*. This year I want to set a  few realistic goals:
♡  Firstly I want to at least write 2 blog posts a month (I feel super bad for the lack of posts recently) because I do really enjoy it but finding the time can sometimes be difficult.
♡ Another being closing my friendships because I realise how lucky I am to have such amazing people in my life and I don't want to take anything for granted.
♡ Thirdly I want to try and get healthier... I know what you're probably thinking "wow Sarah that's going to last long" but this year I really want to try and achieve this. It's not to do with wanting to lose weight as that's not what I necessarily think being healthy is about, I just want to feel energised and not so sluggish all of the time and when I do work out I always feel a difference.

I wish you all a healthy and happy 2015!

I will speak to you all soon,
Sarah x

What I Got For Christmas 2014

Firstly I am of course am going to put the disclaimer forward that this post is not me bragging what so ever! I feel so lucky to have been gifted these things and they are my favourite thing to read posts or watch videos about so I thought maybe some of you guys would want to see what I was given for Christmas this year. I'm just going to feature presents given to me by my family but my friends also got me so really lovely gifts but I was silly and forgot to take photos of them before I started using them but I am super grateful for those too. Secondly I'm sorry for being a bit a-wall from this blog at the minuet, I've been super busy but I'm planning to start posting here frequently again :). 

Yet again I want to mention how grateful I feel and I hope you all had the best Christmas ever!

I will speak to you all soon,

Sarah x

Brighton Home/ Clothing/ Beauty Haul

For my friends birthday it has become a tradition that we all make a little trip to Brighton as we have now gone 3 years in a row now on and around Halloween (yes this post is 2 weeks delayed I'm very sorry haha but everything should still be in stock). We all love shopping there because of the variety of quirky/ vintage shops that you don't get in our area and it's so nice even if you are just browsing. We also went on the pier in the evening and sat on the deck chairs and honestly it's one of my favourite places in the world.

Probably my favourite shops in Brighton is 'Snoopers Paradise' which is full of so many old nick naks from vinyl's and jewellery to dolls and cutlery. There are 2 levels to the shop and I went upstairs to 'Snoopers Attic' and found a selection of little fake flowers that were too good to leave as they were only £2 in total. There is also an amazing photo booth that we all love to go in and take goofy pictures in which we did this time but I haven't included a photo of them in this haul.

Whenever I go to Brighton, even when it's not on the birthday trip, It has become a tradition that I go into the most adorable shop called Sass & Belle and pick up one of they their decorations for my bedroom. I just think they are so cute and give such nice finishing features to a bedroom/ anywhere else in your house.

I have been after a raglan/ baseball t-shirt for at least 2 years now so when we popped into Dirty Harry's and when I saw this I was all over it. I especially like this one as it's not super tight like most of this style and is a little baggy. It also has long sleeves instead of three quarter length ones which I love and it was a bit of a steal for £12. Such a staple item for winter.

I don't have a stand alone mac store near me, I always have to go into somewhere like John Lewis but in Brighton there is a really nice one so I always make the effort to have a bit of a nosy around. As you may have seen on my Autumn/ Winter Wishlist I have been after the Cranberry eye shadow for a while as it is a 'bright' colour but it is still reasonable subtle and not too in your face.

Along with the cranberry theme, in Urban Outfitters I picked up this little beauty of a nail varnish as I think it is such a traditional winter colour and for some reason I didn't own anything similar to this before so I picked it up and I have actually tried it out and I love it! It dries super fast also which is a must for me. It is in the shade 'Raspberry Beret'.

Finally we went into one of my all time favourite stores called 'Evolution' which I think has a few other stores around the UK as I know there is one in Reading. It sells really unique home peices and I smelt this candle and was in haven. It was only £3.50 which I think is really cheap and it kicks off so much sent and burns for I believe 40 hours, so overall a very good buy!

I'll speak to you all soon,

Sarah x

Autumn OOTD/ FOTD

The other day I went to a little gathering at my friends house for her birthday so I thought I would show you what clothes/ make-up I wore. I also think this look is totally wearable in the day time too as the dress isn't too fancy and can be made to be really casual.

Outfit:

♡ Dress - Topshop

♡ Belt - New Look

♡ Tights - Marks & Spencer's (essential as it's starting to get a little chilly)

Makeup:

♡  Foundation - Revolon PhotoReady

♡  Concealer - Collection Lasting Perfection for blemishes and Seventeen Stay Time for under eye circles.

♡  Powder - Rimmel London Stay Matte

♡  Bronzer - Bourjois Delice de Poudre (also known as the chocolate bronzer)
Blush - Benefit Coralista

♡  Eyebrows - Rimmel London Eyebrow Pencil in Hazel
♡ Lips - I didn't wear anything on my lips but now looking back I think a gorgeous dark red would go so nicely with this look.
♡ Individual eyelashes (I know how fancy of me but I love them!) - Eylure
♡ Eye shadow - Buck from the naked pallet in the crease
♡ Mascara - L'Oreal Waterproof Volume Million

I'll speak to you soon,
Sarah x

Little New Look Haul

So today I popped into town with my nan (she's the best lady in the entire world) and picked up a few things I have wanted for a while now. Also can we just talk about for a second how much nicer autumn clothes are compared to summer!!

♡ Pink cropped jumper

♡ Body-con burgundy patterned skirt

♡ Chelsea Boots

I'll speak to you all soon,

Sarah x

Sunday Night Pamper Routine!

I don't know about you guys but Sundays are my favourite day to have a bit of a pamper evening. After a long week at college and homework from the weekend there is personally nothing I love more than this.

Chai Latte's are my all time favourite hot drink and when I found out you could get little at home sachets I was all over that business and this is how I like to start my evening as I find the taste so comforting.

Fairy lights and candles are also so essential as they make the room so cosy and the smell from this particular candle is insanely nice and brings back so many nice memories.

Skin care is an essential to me (I also used a face mask to bring pampering to the next level...) it makes me feel so refreshed and I strangely love doing it.

Who doesn't love a good old relaxing bubble bath?! I absolutely love baths as it such a good way just to sit, think and have a bit of a break. People always say it's like bathing in your own dirt which I do not think, especially considering you are that 'dirty' before you get in the bath. Regardless, this is always a Sunday essential for me. Whilst I'm in the bath I often put a hair mask on the ends of my hair for an extra treatment and rinse it out at the end.

Whilst I'm 'pampering' myself, there isn't anything better to me than listening to a vinyl. I love the process of setting it up and I feel like music just always sounds better on a record player. The vinyl I listened to on this occasion was Lewis Watson's new album 'The Morning' which is so beautiful and I did a review of one of his gigs here.

Sunday, for me, is the perfect time to paint my nails! You can get prepared for the rest of the week and not be in a rush so don't need to worry about drying time! Today I decided to paint my nail's in Sally Hansen 'Arm Candy' which is the polish I wore to prom. 

One last thing I always do on a Sunday is to give my make-up brushes a deep clean because of all the product that has been used on them within the week. I occasionally do this multiple times within the week too for face brushes as they can hold bacteria the personally breaks my skin out.

I'll speak to you all soon,

Sarah x

Gig review/ not really a review: Lewis Watson

I apologise for the awful quality of these pictures, phone camera's aren't the greatest at gigs...

On the 21st of September I made my way down to my second Lewis Watson gig (the first was in march last year) - this is a big deal because normally I'm quite content with seeing a performance just once but honestly you cannot beat his voice. It was in such an intimate venue of maybe about 200(?!) people which honestly I love because you get more of a connection and can share jokes an it's just my favourite thing. His group of friends were also there that night which meant the jokes between the audience and him kept going. There is nothing worse than going to see someone live and them not talking to you/ the audience at all but lewis does so amazingly in this department.

He has 2 support acts that night. One being Andreas Moe (second to left in the photographs) who was so amazing. Personally I would compare his voice to Passenger/ similar to Lewis in the earlier days but it is still very unique and I will definitely be buying his music in the future. I was also lucky enough to meet him after the show and he was so down to earth and friendly. The second support were Amber Run (second to right photograph) who are a 5 piece band which I would describe to play indie/ slightly rock music(?) Either way they too were incredible.

When Lewis came on stage his first song was 'stones around the sun' which is one of my favourites as if you really listen to the lyrics they are so meaningful so that instantly put me in a good mood. I honestly don't know what else to say. He was so amazing and I would 110% recommend you going to a gig of his if you have the chance, you wont regret it. There are still a few dates left on his UK tour and he is touring some parts of the rest of the world too so for dates go here: http://lewiswatsonmusic.com/gigs/

I'll speak to you all soon,
Sarah x

FOTD: Every Day Smokey Eye With A Peach Lip

I'm sorry about how annoying those stands of hair are by my neck, they annoy me greatly too I promise...

My favourite thing when I'm doing my make up is eye shadow. You can experiment so much and can make such different looks with the same few colours. One of my favourite looks being the classic smoky eye and with this I usually add a nude peachy lip as that is my all time favourite lip colour and all together my favourite every day look which I have gone for today so I will just list what I am wearing and where it's from in my first ever 'face of the day'!

♡  Foundation: I'm wearing Revolon PhotoReady. This honestly makes my skin look flawless in photographs. Believe it or not but I wasn't having a very good skin day when these photos were taken and I cant see one trace of a spot! I'm in love.

♡  Concealer: As per usual I am using my staple concealers which are the Collection Lasting Perfection for blemishes and Seventeen Stay Time for under eye circles.

♡  Powder: I feel like I need to change this up but I'm currently using the Rimmel London Stay Matte but to be honest I'm not loving it that much any more. It does the job amazingly but personally for oily skin at least this has awful staying power. If you have any recommendations please let me know!

♡  Bronzer: In this photo I am using my hugely loved Bourjois Delice de Poudre (also known as the chocolate bronzer because of the packaging) It so amazing for making you look a little tan and as I'm pale it's hard to find natural bronzer but this fits the bill.

♡  Blush: As the smoky eye is quite strong I wanted a natural blush so opted for my new Sleek blush in 'Rose Gold' which is apparently and exact dupe for Nars's 'Orgasm'

♡  Eyebrows: Recently I have been trying out slightly stronger eyebrow looks as I have been hiding behind my comfort blanket of an eyshadow for too long so I have gone for my Rimmel London Eyebrow Pencil in Hazel which is such a perfect match. 

♡  Eye shadow: I have used my Urban Decay 'Naked' Pallet in this which is the mother pallet for creating a variety of smoky eyes and I have used 'Virgin' on the inner corner, 'Smog' all over the lid and 'Dark Horse' in the crease and blending everything out with a mac 275.
♡ Mascara - I am using my all time favourite L'Oreal Waterproof Volume Million and it gives both volume and length and I just love it.

♡  Lips: I used my favourite colour lipstick ever for this look which is a matte Revlon lipstick in 'Smoky Peach' annoyingly enough though it leaves such a bad look on the lips but to solve that I just put a clear lip gloss over the top and all my problems were solved.

I'll speak to you soon,
Sarah x

Liz Earle: Cleanse & Polish Review/ How To

Recently, after a long time of deliberating I finally cracked and purchase the 'Liz Earle: Cleanse and Polish' (I opted for the starter kit which is about £1 more expensive and you get 2 muslin cloths and and little bag which is so useful for keeping everything together). In total it was around £14 which I think is actually pretty reasonable for a piece of 'high end' skincare. Also as a disclaimer I have oily/ combination skin and this is suitable for all skin types - this has worked for me but isn't 100% going to work on you. The lady at the counter explained how to use this to me at the counter but I know if she didn't I would have no idea where to start so here's a mini step-by-step guide then I shall get on with the review.

Firstly let your muslin cloth soak in hand hot/ room temperature water. It's a myth that your pores open and close depending on what temperature of water you use - In fact doing that is more lightly to upset your skin and cause flare ups.

Next of course get one pump (you don't need more of this as each pump has been measured to be the right amount) of the cleanser on your hand and rub it in-between your fingers a little just to warm it up.

Rub the cleanser in circle motions onto a dry face to dissolve your make-up of just for general cleansing (You can even use this on your eyelashes/ lids so don't be scared to do so - I take my make-up off with a micellar water prier to this as I feel like it's easier to do it that way as you get the majority off first, I don't use just this alone to get rid of make up.

Finally, rescue your muslin cloth out of the water and in circular motions rub it gently all round your face until it feels squeaky clean (not actually make your skin squeak though, that could end badly).

Tmi? Definitely tmi... But I'm uploading this last photo anyway to show you how amazing this product is. You think (or I did anyway) that you get all your make-up off with the micellar water/ general make-up remover/ facial wipes but unfortunately we were mistaken! This shows how effective the exfoliating muslin cloth is and you can tell it gets deep into those pours! At the moment my skin is having a few hormonal breakouts but that bit's that aren't covered in nasties look so flawless/ pour-less! Honestly this cleanser does miracle and I wish I started using it before. Also the actual cleanser itself feels so cooling and nice on the skin! 10/10 would recommend to a friend.

I'll speak to you all soon,

Sarah x

Collective Haul

I have recently started college (which also means putting up posts is becoming a little difficult so sorry for the slow updates - It's hard to even find time for myself at the minuet) so over the summer I have visited the shops a fair bit to try and pick up some clothing items that would be suitable to wear then and also a few beauty products as I just couldn't resist!

Primark:

You can never go wrong with Primark shoes. They don't break the bank, their comfy, and also for the most part look lovely! I've been on the hunt for some little brown ankle boots for a while but I didn't want to spend a lot of money on one pair. I adore these and think they would look great all year round as they go with dresses, skirts, jeans, leggings, literately everything! 

Lately I've been trying to organise my wardrobe as it's getting a little hectic and needed a little clearing out. I decided to get some new hangers as the free plastic ones from the shop just weren't cutting it for me any more. These ones from Primark allow so much more space to be created in your wardrobe as they are so skinny and their also non slip unlike the plastic ones! defiantly get these if you are becoming tight of space in your wardrobe.

As you may have seen in my 'Autumn/ Winter Wish List' I have been after a boyfriend style coat and I saw this and fell in love. I adore the monochrome colours as that means that it will go with everything also I love the fact that it has a slight twist where it doesn't have the collar round the neck which I quite like as it will position scarf's nicer in the winter and also it's quite flattering and doesn't swallow me up. These  are going super fast so if you're looking for one go ASAP I also recommend sizing down! 

I was in need for a new bag for college that would go with everything and have a lot of space and this fit the bill! Despite being 'cheap from Primark' it is still really good quality so think this last me a while. I love how many sections and roomy this bag is so it will be super easy (hopefully) to keep all my things organised.

Ok, how could anyone walk past this beauty of a bag?! It's a lovely embossed print on fake burgundy leather and looks so chic and expensive (even though it was around the £10 mark!) This makes a lovely everyday/ evening bag and I'm also tempted to tuck the strap in and use it as a large clutch bag.

Urban Outfitters:

I love Urban Outfitters hunting through the Urban Outfitters sale (because let's be honest their full priced stuff is so expensive) and I came across this beautiful monochrome 3/4 length sleeve floral top with a low back - but not too low that you can see your bra strap cause that's not a fab look. It's so flattering and I fell in love. It goes with so many things and I've worn it a fair few times already.

H&M

Recently I went on a little shopping trip to Reading with my oldest friend Charlotte (she isn't old but I have known her since I was born kinda thing) and it was a bit of a reunion as we hadn't seen each other in a while. We know each others style so well so when she picked this off the rail for me I fell in love! This is right up my ally and I have been looking for something like this! I adore the flower print on the back and collar area and the cute little buttons are probably my favourite bit. The only thing I slightly dislike is that it is a little bit too cropped but I just pair it with high wasted things.  

 Boots

I have wanted this sleek blush in  the colour 'rose gold' for a long time now as apparently it's an exact dupe to Nars's 'orgasm' (yes that is in fact a real blusher name). It's such a beautiful pink colour with subtle gold shimmers that make you look radiant and I think would suit all skin tones. 

You may have also seen in my 'Autumn/ Winter Wish List' that I have wanted to repurchase the Toni & Guy salt spray which i love so much and it is at such a reasonable price. I only got the miniature one because it lasts so long as you don't need much and I didn't feel the need to get the larger one. I already know I love this and would recommend 110%.

Despite being an enthusiast in good eyebrows I have never branched out far enough to use an eyebrow pencil as I have been so worried I would look silly and draw them on wrong so I always returned to my comfort blanket of eye-shadow through the brows. It wasn't till recently when one of my friends asked me to fill theirs in for them, and baring in mind I had never used one before I fell in love with the results on her, and was determined to try one out on myself ever since. This one was super cheap as it was my first time trying one but to be honest I don't think I will ever switch as it's so amazing and precise. Just remember to be soft with it and not hard because they come out with 2 very different looks...

For a long time now I have been looking to try out this Kabuki brush to use for things like mineral foundation, powder and for normal foundation blending too and this really appealed to me as it's retractable which is so convenient for travelling and such. plus the packaging is just beautiful and the brand have really good morals which is a bonus.

John Lewis

Ever since I first started reading Blogs/ watching YouTube this has been a product that has been so raved about and I'm questioning why it took me so long to buy. I will defiantly do and update of how i find this Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish and shall report back if it's worth the hype which i really hope it is. Also just take a moment to appreciate this packaging too...

I'll speak to you all soon,

Sarah x

My Summer In Instagrams

Of course as many of you may know because it's all I seem to be talking about recently and I do apologise but I have just finished a stupidly long summer of 80 days.

In those days I decided upon taking a photo of something I did in each one so I would always have memories of the entire thing. These are just a few of my favourites and not all 80 of course. If you want to have a gander at them, head on over to my instagram page and you can have a little browse if you wish!

I'll speak to you all soon,

Sarah x

Summer Time Sadness

So it's the start of September which means Summer has been snatched out of our hands within a blink of an eye and the chilly months are fast approaching! This brings a great deal of sadness to me as it means my outrageously long summer of almost 3 months is basically over with which means no more; Sunny beach days out, reading books in the garden, lighter evenings, camp-fires, daisy chain making and the list goes on.

To lift everyone else's spirit instead of just mine I thought I'd make a list of everything exciting that Autumn and Winter bring to us.

♡ Hot chocolate/ an excuse to drink hot beverages all the time

♡ Layering clothes

♡ Cosing up with lots of blankets and having movie nights

♡ Onesies

♡ Winter coats - for me this is a big deal as I have an emotional attachment to my parker...

♡ Cold mornings where you get excited about seeing your breath and in my case pretending to be a dragon

♡ Walking on grass that has been frosted over

♡ Autumn leaf piles and running through them - about as far as my sporting life goes

♡ CHRISTMAS

♡ Huge cosy scarves

♡ Smokey eyes/ dark lips

♡  Boots

♡ Walks in the woods

♡ Snowball fights/ building snowmen

I hope this has made you feel a little less saddened by the sunny weather leaving us although Autumn and Winter are my favourite seasons.

I'll speak to you all soon,

Sarah x