November Ebay Finds

Today's post is late... Don't hate me haha! I have been searching Ebay for something that I would actually wear over the Christmas period and I've put together a little outfit for you all! I went along the lines of 'Christmas glam' hahaha! I hope you like the items I found!

Sequined check shift dress - £19.99 - Buy here!

Silver choker - £2.99 - Buy here!

Faux fur coat - £19.99 - Buy here!

Low heel chelsea boots - £19.99 - Buy here!

Revlon Superlustrous Lipstick in Love That Red - £6.95 - Buy here!

Thank you for reading!

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This Or That Tag

Today's post is thanks to Emily from Emmi Hearts! Thank you for tagging me! I liked this tag as it was a kind of quick fire round up which, as the name suggests, is quick to do! I really enjoyed reading Emily's responses and you should all go over to her blog and read Emily's post! Annnd don't forget to give her a follow too! I read her blog all the time!

I hope you like my answers and feel free to link below if you have done this tag and I will take a look at it!

Makeup

Blush or Bronzer? Bronzer, the Bourjois chocolate one!

Lip Gloss or Lipstick? Lipstick, my favourite at the moment is from Collection's Gothic Glam range in Revenge.

Eyeliner or Mascara? Mascara, Seventeen Peep Show!

Foundation or Concealer? I'd actually go with concealer, the only thing I dislike about my skin is the redness on my nose! I use the Collection Lasting Perfection!

Neutral or Coloured Eyeshadow? Neutral!! I want the Urban Decay Basic's Palette, but I ordered a Avon palette which has worked out cheaper!

Pressed or Loose Eye shadows? 100% pressed. I will never buy loose shadows, I am too clumsy!

Brushes or Sponges? Brushes! Easier to clean!

Nails

OPI or China Glaze? OPI, I want to get Glints of Glinda

Long or Short? Short

Acrylic or Natural? Natural (cheaper)

Brights or Darks? Brights!

Flower or no Flower? No flower, plain and simple.

Body

Perfume or Body Splash? Perfume, Red Jeans by Versace

Lotion or Body Butter? Body butter, The Righteous Butter by Soap and Glory 

Body Wash or Soap? Body wash, Clean On Me by Soap and Glory 

Lush or other Bath Company? You can probably guess my answer... Soap and Glory!

Fashion

Jeans or Sweat Pants? Jeans

Long Sleeve or Short? Long sleeve

Dresses or Skirts? Dresses

Stripes or Plaid? PLAID

Flip Flops or Sandals? Flip flops.. They £1.50 Primark ones haha

Scarves or Hats? Scarves

Studs or Dangley Earings? Studs

Heels or Flats? Flats

Cowboy Boots or Riding Boots? Riding boots

Jacket or Hoodie? Jacket! Preferably leather

Forever 21 or Charlotte Russe? Forever 21

Abercrombie or Hollister? Hollister

Saks 5th or Nordstrom? I have no idea what these are (UK problems)

Hair

Curly or Straight? Curly

Bun or Ponytail? Bun

Bobby Pins or Butterfly Clips? Bobby pins

Hair Spray or Gel? Hair spray

Long or Short? Long

Light or Dark? Dark

Side Sweep Bangs or Full Bangs? Side sweep

Up or Down? Down

Random

Rain or Shine? Shine

Summer or Winter? Summer

Fall or Spring? Fall

Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate!

Who I Tag!

bonniebeautyxo.com

oddsandsodz.blogspot.co.uk

stylesofsummers.blogspot.co.uk

yellowlacecats.blogspot.com.au

justnicolette.blogspot.com

And anyone who is reading this!!!

I hope you've enjoyed reading this tag!

My Bath/Shower Essentials

What do I use in the bath/shower? This is probably a post for those of us who love to nose around (me) and I thought it would be interesting! I try to have a relaxing bath at least once a week to relieve my stress (I'm an anxious person!) I try not to bath too much because showers are better for the environment and all that jazz. Candles are also a must for bath time!!

PRODUCTS

Avon Sparkling Apple Blossom Bubble Bath - £5 - Buy here!

The Body Shop Lemon Whip Body Lotion - £3 - Buy here in Mango scent!

Dove Roll On Anti-Perspirant - £2.30 - Buy here!

Yankee Candle in French Lavender (Large Jar) - £19.99 - Buy here!

Advanced Techniques 360 Nourishment Hair Mask - £5.50 - Buy here!

Clearskin Blackhead Clearing Face Mask - Discontinued

Head and Shoulders Shampoo - £4.99 - Buy here!

Gillette Satin Care with Touch of Olay - £3.49 - Buy here!

Soap and Glory Mini Scrub of Your Life - £2.50 - Buy here!

Skin So Soft Silky Moisture Creamy Body Wash - £3 - Buy here!

No.7 Exfoliator for Normal/Dry Skin - £8 - Buy here!

No.7 Melting Gel Cleanser for Normal/Dry Skin - £9 - Buy here!

Thanks for reading! Follow my blog on Bloglovin!

Beauty Haul (including reviews)

I've noticed recently that Boots and Superdrug have been having really good deals lately and I went a bit wild (for me). This haul is from three different purchases and I have no regrets (even though I'm a skint student!) 

PRODUCTS

Revlon Photoready Makeup in 003 Shell - Boots - £12.99 - Buy here!

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair 1- Superdrug - £4.19 - Buy here!

Maybelline The Rocket Mascara in Very Black - Superdrug - £7.99 - Buy here!

Collection Bronze Glow in Sunkissed - Superdrug - £4.19 - Buy here!

Natural Collection Pressed Powder in Neutral - Boots - £1.99 - Buy here!

Avon Supershock Gel Eyeliner Pencil in Black - Avon - £6 - Buy here!

Seventeen Phwoarr Paint - Boots - £5.49 - Buy here!

I was looking for a heavy duty concealer and was thinking of getting the Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer (Buy here!) out of my Boots advantage cards points of course.. But then I saw this and thought maybe it would be alright? It is really thick and creamy and does blend in really well! However, under the eyes it does crease so I highly recommend a setting powder! I have redness in my skin and tried using this as it is heavy duty, however it dried out my skin on my nose/cheeks. I would recommend for an affordable under eye concealer though!

Even comes with a handy mirror for on the go application! (Excuse fingerprints in product haha.)

I've been using the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder for a while now and it's good but I am now on a tight budget! I know that this powder is equally as good as I have used it before and it's under £2.. Can't go wrong really!

My Benefit They're Real Mascara is drying up and isn't worth a £19.50 repurchase so I went for this! So far I like it!! It applied easily but the formula is quite wet and I wouldn't apply too many coats as it can look clumpy! Not bad though!

Okay so this is my favourite eyeliner ever in the history of eyeliners. Easy to apply. Smooth. Glides on. Highly pigmented. Stays on all night. 5* rating. I love. I didn't pay the £6 for it though!! Had it for £3! If you regularly have an Avon book sent to you always check for this to be on offer, it is well worth it!

This bronzer was bought on a whim. Didn't plan on getting it, just needed something for my 3 for 2 deal! I thought I'd go for a shimmery bronzer as they are better for people with dry skin! This can also be used on the face and body! Perfect! (It's also massive!!)

Obvious purchase here. Repurchased so many times. It is so good and affordable. I got it in a shade lighter this time as it's Winter now and my so called "tan" had disappeared. If you haven't tried this, GO BUY IT!

I've been using Revlon ColourStay Foundation but I have decided it's too thick for me and I much prefer the PhotoReady! I had a £3 off Revlon makeup voucher for Boots so I only paid £9.99 for this. BARGAIN. People with dry skin should definitely give this a go!

Hope you enjoyed my beauty haul! Upcoming posts include: Wish List: Alternative, and Urban Decay Naked Palette Review! Don't forget to follow my blog on Bloglovin!

Thanks for reading!

Skincare Routine

As the Summer months have finally left, I thought it would be a good idea to write a post on my skincare routine. In the Winter I think it's so important to look after your skin because (as a person with dry skin) your skin gets dry! The key thing to do is of course, moisturise. But which do I get? What ones work well for your skin type? I had no idea a year ago! But then I thought, I can no longer be the girl with strange flaky skin. This must come to a stop. So I took a trip to Boots and with my No.7 vouchers I took a plunge into high end skincare. Would you call No.7 high end? From where I'm from, we do! I'm definitely more likely to spend more money on skincare than makeup because your skin is the base of your makeup and if your skin isn't looked after well, then your makeup will not sit well and look cakey and all sorts! 

So I spoke to the No.7 women and they recommended the the Beautiful Skin range in normal/dry skin. They persuaded me to buy two products initially; a gel cleanser and a day moisturiser. They also handed me a sample of the exfoliator of the range (which I fell in love with!) 

Once those products ran out, I went back to using £1 moisturisers from Boots, which 'did the job' you know? But my skin was lacking radiance. So I thought about it and it must have been the skincare products I was using!! So in August I took the plunge again and bought the cleanser, moisturiser and exfoliator! My skin has never looked so good!

PRODUCT LIST (from left):

No.7 Beautiful Skin Melting Gel Cleanser for Normal/Dry skin - £9 - Buy here!

Avon Clearskin Blackhead Eliminating Deep Treatment Mask - £3.50 (On sale NOW for £2!!) - Buy here!

No.7 Beautiful Skin Radiance Exfoliator for Normal/Dry skin - £8 - Buy here!
La Roche Posay Rosaliac AR Anti-Redness Skin Perfecting Daily Moisturiser - £15.50 - Buy here!

No.7 Beautiful Skin Day Cream for Normal/Dry skin - £12.50 - Buy here!

My skin is pretty cool toned, in fact, when I didn't used to wear makeup, people used to call me Rudolf because my nose used to be so red! It still is pretty red which is so annoying. I use a moisturiser for the effected areas and this is meant to reduce redness and the visibility of broken blood vessels (eeeeeewwwww!) But I guess it works! It's a green moisturiser too so it all makes sense haha! I don't think I'll be buying it again though!

For face masks, I tend to go for ones aimed for blackheads. They're so annoying and we all have them!!! (I hope it's not just me.) They are the bane of my life and I just can't seem to get rid of them properly. Ever! I use pore strips too but I don't have any here at the moment because I used them all. I usually go for the 99p pack of five from Bodycare! They do the trick and it's surprising how much stuff comes off onto the strip! I use this mask for about 10-15 minutes and wash it off. If I have any problem areas I will sometimes put a little bit on the blackhead/spot and wash it off in the morning!

So there it is, my skincare routine! I hope you enjoyed this post! I will be doing a 2 posts a week from now on hopefully! Remember to follow me on Bloglovin by just clicking below (it will take you to my profile and you can find my blog from there!) 

Thanks for reading!

First week of university

So the first week is officially over and done with. Wow. That was... Scary. I met new people, from all over the UK and even further around the world. I met my lecturers, I chose my modules, I drove to university and survived (not the best driver!) I have actually shocked myself at how well I coped and I just want to share my advice and what my first week was about!

Firstly I'd like to say, talk to strangers! I know, when you were younger your parents would tell you not to. But let's face it, you are on your own and you have no idea where you are supposed to be for your lectures, or even who's on your course?! So talk to people! Ask them if they're here for the same welcome talk as you. Ask them what they're studying. Ask them where they're from. Ask them where they're staying! Lastly, take their numbers/facebook/twitter!! You can meet up with them during freshers and find out more about them!

My first week consisted of three days. Three days of welcome talks, money talks, library talks, course structure talks... All pretty boring. However I attended all of the lectures. I thought I should because I'm living at home during university so I need to get socialising as much as possible with my classmates! 

I found out my timetable (5 days a week) *sigh* but at least this means I will be committed to my studies... Right? 

I worked out my budget. I will do a money management post next week and show you just how my money is being spent and my advice for loans, grants and bursaries. 

Yeah so this was just a quickie. I hope you enjoyed reading. I like keeping you all up to date with my university adventures! 

Thanks for reading!

Outfit of the night

Freshers time.

I went for these shorts to make it easy for me to move about in. I paired the shorts with a black cami to smarten the look up. I didn't go for anything tight fitting because it was one of those bloated days haha!

I wore my studded chelsea boots which I adore! They so stylish and comfortable to walk in!

I searched on Ebay and found an almost identical pair for £9.99! Buy them here!!

This outfit was literally the comfiest I have worn in a while!!!! Loved it. Especially the shorts. OMG so much love for the shorts!! (From Asda)

Thanks for reading!

My first day of university

The day arrived. I didn't think it would, but it did. The night before I was so nervous. Shakingly nervous. So nervous I started thinking I had made the wrong decision to go to university! 

But anyway, the morning came of my first day at university and it was a chilly start! I wore jeans, a peplum top and my leather jacket and got into my car. It was odd. I wasn't nervous. As soon as I got into my car all the scary feelings and mixed emotions disappeared. I suddenly thought, woah, this is it. A new start. This is where I am going to become me! 

I paid £2.50 for all day parking about 3 minutes away from the university so that was great! I walked in and went to my first meeting point to collect my welcome pack and meet the staff and students. Remember, I am living at home, so I knew no one. No one!! I looked around the crowd and thought to myself, I can't stand here alone for much longer! So I approached two girls. They turned out to be really lovely and told me how, 'brave,' I was for saying hello. 

I then had to go to another lecture theatre for the welcome talks from the Geography department. This talk was quite interesting and laid out the structure of the course and what modules were available! I made another friend who I sat next to in this talk! The first day seemed awkward, but funny when you think back at it!


Module selection 

All degrees have different ways of going about this. I was told that single honours first years have to choose a further 20 credits (usually two topics) to study on top of 100 compulsory credits. As I am doing joint honours, 110 of my 120 credits were already compulsory so I only had to pick one more module! The modules I am studying are:

• Introduction to Social Policy: Social Problems and Welfare Institutions (20)
• Concepts, Ideas and Ideologies in Social Policy: an Introduction (10)
• Introduction to Social Policy: The Modern Era (20)
• Sustainability in a fragile world (10)
• Global environmental change: The human impact (10)
• People Place and Nation (10)
• Global Shifts: Towards a New World Order? (10)
• Geographical skills (20)
• Mobility and Migration (10) 

 I chose to take Mobility and Migration because that is the topic I'm really interested in at the moment and I do think it will be suitable for my future career. 


Student finance

Today is the date where I am supposed to get my first installment of my grant. Also people I know with loans get paid today as well. But I am still patiently waiting for the money to pop into my account. I feel as if I'm channelling my sensible side and I will be putting the money straight into a savings account so I don't spend it all at once!

Induction week

I was in university today 10am to 4pm, tomorrow 10am to 3.30pm, and then Wednesday 10am to 12pm. Not a bad first week! I will keep you updated on my university experience next Monday!

Thanks for reading!

Benefit They're Real Mascara Review

I read so many reviews of this mascara and watched so many Youtube videos about this product. They all were so praising, I thought why not indulge myself! I was on the plane home from Spain and this roughly came to £16.50... Not a huge discount, I know! 

First Impressions

This first time I applied this mascara it was amazing! I could build up so many layers and my eyelashes actually looked false. They were spidery looking, but I didn't mind this look. The mascara was easy to apply and the wand really intrigued me with the bristles being all over the applicator even on the end. This is supposed to make it easy to coat even the trickiest lashes with this mascara! I was impressed and glad I bought it!

Extended Review

This mascara was the first 'high end' mascara I had purchased and I was happy with it for around 2-3 weeks! However as the formula got drier, the mascara really didn't appeal to me anymore! I continued using it because.. Well it was £16.50! Whereas the mascara I was using before I bought on a wim and must say, I prefer that one! Seventeen Peep Show Mascara coated my lashes well and lengthened and volumised them just the way I wanted them! For the record, this mascara retails for £6.29 in Boots, and Benefit They're Real retails for £19.50 in Boots. 

I don't think I will buy a high end mascara ever again to be honest. I think it's a waste of money.. Especially being like me, a student. You can find cheap mascaras on the high street for much less money and they'll last longer as the formula doesn't dry up so quickly and completely change the look and feel of the mascara.

Hope you've enjoyed reading my review!