FOWI: Finding the right balance

FOWI - Focusing on what's important

Term time is about to begin and for many, including me, this means that I have to juggle much more on my plate. Throughout the summer, I have been waking up late and haven't had the most productive days; this has been great but reality is now knocking on the door and I know this can't happen anymore. I enjoy doing many things and like to have all of these hobbies, however, I need to find the right balance between everything or I will soon be swimming in all of it! 

Blogging, I discovered years ago but only had the courage to start this year and since then I have enjoyed every minute of it. To start, I didn't have a schedule, I just uploaded whenever but after a while, I found that posting every Wednesday and Sunday worked out well for me. This continued until exam season crept up on me and it all got too much - blogging had to be my second priority. I wrote a post around that time explaining my choices and everyone seemed to be very understanding. Then, summer came along and I was in my blogging element - for a while, I uploaded every other day!! I feel that I had so much more time to blog in the summer, although the summer isn't quite technically over, and it was great! Now, I am going to go back to my Wednesday and Sunday schedule - I hope that's alright for everyone! I would just rather upload posts that I'm proud of than lots of make-do ones! This, for me, is a good balance because I plan to write posts on Saturday and keep them as a draft until a post is due up. 

Aside from blogging, I have some other hobbies. I regularly play badminton and I dance on the weekends. For the moment, I really want to keep these up because it gives me a chance to exercise often and it gets my mind away from the stress of everyday life. If I can't afford to go to these clubs because of other commitments, I'm going to have to bite the bullet and stop going until everything settles down! 

Something that I know has to stop is my obsessive Netfilx and Youtube bingeing! I can spend hours on end watching both of them whilst procrastinating  what I should be doing! When I get home from my day, I need to complete everything that I need to do before relaxing. 

This year, I will have to make some big decisions about prioritising my time to find the best balance I can. If you are in a similar situation to me, what are your tips on finding the right balance?  

xox

Trying Hershey's chocolate

I have never tried Hershey's chocolate before - this is my first impression of it! This is just my personal opinion. Here goes:

Hershey's Cookie 'n' Creme

This is a white chocolate bar filled with cookies pieces. When you initially take a bite, you can tell that this is quite a creamy chocolate but it is still crunchy. I actually really like the taste of this; I've heard many people say that it isn't very nice but I love it! It is quite sickly, however, so I couldn't eat the whole bar in one sitting. I can imagine there being a lot of added sugar in it but if you eat the chocolate in moderation, it would be fine. I'm not a massive fan of milk but this isn't as milky as you may expect it to be. 

Overall rating - 9/10

Hershey's Creamy Milk Chocolate 

First of all, not that this has any relation to the chocolate itself, the bar was put in upside and I somehow find that very stressful. That aside, this is a really tasty bar of chocolate and I would repurchase this at a later stage. The only negative in my eyes, which is to do with personal preference, is that it tastes a lot darker than I'm used to. I don't really like dark chocolate and I find that this is on the bridge between milk and dark for me. What I have found with both chocolates, is that the pieces come off with a distinctive snap - it makes a definite sound whereas chocolates that I am used to don't. This is neither a good or a bad thing, just an observation. 

Overall rating - 8/10

Have you tried Hershey's before? Should I do more sweet tasting posts?

xox

Taking another shot at a proper facial routine

I uploaded my skincare routine  a few months back and if I'm honest with you, throughout the summer it has been slipping. When it's evening, I haven't been bothered to do my facial routine and have just been using facial wipes before bed *all beauty bloggers gasp*. However this lack of properly washing and moisturising my face, has had negative effects on my skin meaning that I am breaking out more often. This then has a negative effect on my confidence so I have decided that I need to start using all my products again and try out some new ones.

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you will recognise some of these products. I have reviews of the micellar water and Origins face mask up individually and the La Roche-Posay products were featured in my skincare routine. The new products I am trying out, I bought recently, and they are part of the visibly clear range from Neutrogena. Since using these, I have noticed a gradual reduce in the amount of acne I have on my face - I think that these mainly claim it down. 

I hope that keeping this routine up makes a difference over time. So far, these products work really well together. I only use the face mask twice a week but everything else I use on a daily basis. 

What products are in your daily skincare routine?

xox

High-end beauty wishlist

Naked Smokey palette - Urban Decay 

Eyeshadow primer potion - Urban Decay

Watts Up - Benefit

Hoola Bronzer - Benefit

I haven't done a wishlist for a while and when I did my usual (daily) scroll through Feel Unique, I decided that I would put the products I have been wanting into a post. I have been lusting over these products (except the eyeshadow palette) for a long time but I knew I didn't need them so I have held off. I think, as they are expensive, that I will purchase them individually over time or perhaps put them on my birthday wishlist.

What products have you been wanting to try out lately?

xox 

My first MAC lipstick!

So I finally caved into the craze of MAC lipsticks! Since buying this one a few weeks ago, I have recently purchased another because I liked my first so much! As I said this is my first MAC lipstick, so I decided to chose a shade which I knew was popular and I had read lots of positive reviews about, the shade being 'Velvet Teddy'. In my collection, I didn't own a nude shade so I felt like there was room for one - this is me trying to justify buying it! As everyone had said, this is an amazing lipstick and it certainly gives the whole Kylie Jenner nude lip look! 

This is a matte formulation (another type of lipstick I hadn't owned before) and although, some say these types of formulations dry out your lips, I didn't find it with this. Another thing I was impressed with was the staying power, it lasted most of the day even after eating/drinking! I have also had many compliments whilst wearing it which is a really nice feeling. This, for me, will definitely be an everyday lipstick throughout the year. 

I know some people have had some trouble finding this particular shade. When I purchased it in London St Pancras, there were many of the same. So if you are looking for it, I recommend popping into that shop and hopefully they will still have some. 

What are your favourite MAC lipsticks? Have you tried out this one before?

xox

'Life with a Sprinkle of Glitter' | review

This is my third Youtuber book after Tanya's and Alfie's. I wanted to purchase this one because of its intricate design - every page is different - and some of the chapters sounded really interesting. 

If I'm honest with you, the book had a very similar feel to it as Tanya's did - this doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy reading it. It is one of those books that would look lovely on a coffee table as the design is just so pretty! I also like the fact that it was full of Louise's bubbly personality and wasn't monosyllabic at all. Some chapter's really came from her heart and that was made the book very moving to me. The reason why I said it was relatively similar to Tanya's was because of the makeup and skincare sections, however towards the end of the books they are a lot different. I like how Louise had the setting up home section and the online safety part - topics that aren't mentioned in any other books that I have which are similar. Of course, my favourite part is the 'Anti-baking' chapter as some of you may know that I am a dreadful cook! 

There are 4 sections in this book: Glitz, Create, Need to Knows and All About Love. Having these parts, means that you can break up the reading of it nicely and come back to bits. It is a real feel good book, something that I enjoy to read after a long day. Also, something a bit random but I like the size of it - it's small enough that you can fit it in your bag if you wanted to take it out. Generally, I thoroughly enjoy reading this book and I think that Louise did an awesome job!

If you have any blog post recommendations, feel free to let me know!

xox

Battle of the foundations

I bought these two foundations at the same time last year because I had been recommended them both by a friend. As the pale person I am, I have them both in the lightest shades. The Rimmel 'Wake Me Up' retails at £8.99 and the Boujois 'Healthy Mix Serum' retails at £10.99. Although the Boujois product is labelled as a 'Serum', it does in fact say that it is a gel foundation on the bottle. 

So onto the actual products themselves! Both of these claim to add radiance to your complexion and they do but the 'Wake Me Up', I found, gave a lot more radiance as it has tiny shimmers in it. Also if you see my swatches above, the 'Wake Me Up' has more of an orangey tint to it even though, they are both the lightest shades in the collections. In addition, I found that the 'Wake Me Up' foundation gave me a lot more coverage. However as this is quite orangey toned, it is more of an effort to blend it out than the 'Healthy Mix' which matches my skin better.

In terms of lasting ability, my 'Healthy Mix' stayed in place for longer and, as I have oily skin didn't look as shiny on my face after a while. But, the 'Wake Me Up' is meant to be quite dewey so I can't blame the product. If you have dry/normal skin, this product would probably suit your skin type better. One thing that 'Wake Me Up' has and the Boujois foundation doesn't, is an added SPF.  This, I think, makes it a great product to wear in the summer because of it's radiance and sun protection.  

My final verdict:

Out of the two, I prefer the Boujois foundation as it suits my skin tone really well and blends out nicely. However, both are good products and, admittedly, I sometimes wear them together and that creates a lovely base. 

What is your favourite drugstore foundation?

xox

Thoughts on the PLL mid-season finale

Warning: contains spoilers!!

Image source 

Wow. Okay! I'm not sure how to feel after watching this! However, I am glad that Sara was part of the A team because that was basically my theory after discussing it with a friend. It makes sense because she 'disappeared' when Ali did but what was her incentive to mess with the girls? Maybe A payed her to do so? Sara's friend did tell Emily that she wasn't a nice person before she left! Also, back in season 6 when A sent a video threatening Sara - she must of been in on that! Sara being 'red coat' explains why she didn't have a tracker in her neck as well. 

On to the main person that we wanted a face to the name - after all this time, it was Cece Drake! However, Cece Drake was in actual fact Charlotte (Charles). All this time, we thought that Mrs D was buying extra clothes for Bethany but it was for Charlotte. When Charlotte (Charles) was young, she liked wearing dresses but her father couldn't accept who she really was and used the bathtub incident to sent her off to Radley - what an awful thing to do! 

Charlotte just wanted to see her family this whole time. There was never the intention to properly hurt the girls. The whole episode is mainly answers from Charlotte, how it was Bethany that killed Toby's mother, not a suicide. From her explanations, it seems that Bethany was the evil one in all of this, even though Charlotte shouldn't have done some of the things she did. 

I think Cece Drake being A does make sense, it ties lots of ends together! Personally, I think there are some things that don't quite add up but they may be answered at another point. Aside from the big A revel, I have questions about other aspects of the PLL plot:

Where does Leslie stand in all of this?

Who killed Mrs D?

Are the mums stuck in the basement for 5 years or...? This bit isn't explained. 

In true Pretty Little Liars fashion, the ending leaves you confused and wanting to watch more - I mean, who is after Ali 5 years on?! I am looking forward to watching the next bits but I'm annoyed I have to wait until next year to find out more! 

Have you seen this episode? What are your thoughts?

xox

CTGT: My London trip + haul!

Yesterday, I went into London with my friend and we had an amazing time! This trip had been on the table for a long time so we both were saving our pennies up to go. Before we went shopping, we visited the National Portrait Gallery to see an Audrey Hepburn exhibition. As we both appreciate photography, this was really interesting and if you are looking to see an exhibition, I would definitely recommend seeing this. After that, we went to Covent Garden for a while and ended up in Jamie Oliver's for lunch which was delicious. Then, it was time to do some shopping; we took the tube to Oxford Street and spent most of our afternoon in and out of shops! 

My London haul! 

I love Topshop in London - it's so big and they have so many different items! Due to the fact that I had spent the vast majority of my money at this point, I could only afford the sale section. However, I found this top which I really liked in my budget so I decided to go for it. I have a party coming up and I am going to wear it to that. 

In the summer, I get so lazy with regular exercising. Although I have been on a few jogs, I know I should do more so I went into Niketown in search of some workout gear. My logic is that if I have nice sportswear, I will have more motivation to exercise - not very logical at all! But aside from that, I did actually need a new top for my regular badminton sessions. 

I only had one item that I definitely wanted to buy whilst I was there and it was these shorts from Brandy Melville. They are so comfy and I love the colour of them! When I'm back in London, I may be popping back in store to check out the different colours of these shorts! 

We went into Victoria Secret and there was a Pink downstairs so we headed  there. Initially, I couldn't find anything I liked but towards the end this caught my eye. It is in fact a nighty but I will probably be wearing it as a lounge item with leggings or something. I mainly liked it because of what it says on the front; I'm always that person wishing it was friday so I thought that I'd pick it up. The material is also really comfy and I can see myself wearing this a lot. 

This is my second Mac lipstick and it's in the shade 'Brave red'. The colour pay off is really good and I love the way it looks on my lips. I haven't got a proper red in my lips collection so this will be a good addition!

I had a lovely time in London and it was so special to go with a friend. 

xox

Ted vs Ted 2

      Image source 

Ever since watching Ted, I wanted a sequel to come out because I thought the original was so funny. Last week, I went to the cinema with my friend to watch Ted 2 and after the film we spent our Lunch discussing our thoughts and comparing it to the first. We both agreed that Ted 2 wasn't as rude in the jokes as the first but there certainly more drug references. There were also more current trend references as in posting photos on social media and the last scene which I won't ruin for those wanting to watch it. 

In terms of the actors/actresses, I was sad that Mila Kunis wasn't in it but Amanda Seyfried took her place and I love her too. Most of the time, I was admiring her Michael Kors bag! I thought the storyline was well developed too, my favourite scene being when they were abusing people who exercise - I thought that was brilliant. 

I think that Ted 2 lead on well from Ted as the start of the film is Ted's marriage which it was developing up to in the first film. The relationship between John and Ted is still as strong as ever - mainly showed by the last section of the film! Also, there is still that creepy guy after Ted which brings together the two films nicely. 

To say which one I preferred is hard as I thought both were very funny and entertaining. However, if you are worried that the second film won't live up to the first, don't be worried! I'm secretly hoping that there will now be a Ted 3 - I have my fingers crossed!!! 

xox

Tips for Disneyland Paris

Arrive early for the parade 

When I went to Disneyland a few weeks ago, there was a parade on (I think they happen very regularly) and it was absolutely heaving. Although we didn't watch it, you could see right away that it was difficult to get a good spot. I've seen it before when I was a lot younger. I can remember grabbing an early tea and finding a bench, with a good view, to sit and eat it on. This worked out well for us. However if you don't want to watch the parade, this time is great to go on any family rides as the queues are a lot shorter. 

Book a table in advance 

We were struggling at lunchtime because we didn't book a table at any restaurants and they were all full up. In the end, we grabbed a sandwich from a shop on the Main Street and although it was nice, we really wanted to eat at a restaurant. On the way out, we found out that you could book a table in the Town Hall and said that next time we would do that. 

Maximise the use of a Fastpass

It was the first time that we have heard of these. Basically, when you go to a ride there is a section were you can use your fast pass to book a seat on the ride. There are times which the fast pass rides run so at that time you can get on the ride almost immediately. The only problem with the system is that you can only book one at a time, for example, if you booked to go on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at 4pm, you can't fast pass anything beforehand. However, if you do it tactically you can end up going on lot's really quickly. When we were there, we didn't fast pass anything but then wished that we had after waiting for so long in the queues. 

Go anti-clockwise around

This is a bit of a strange tip but on the map the 'Lands' curve round and instead of starting on the left of the park, which most do, walk around in an anti-clockwise direction. By doing this, you don't have to wait as long in the queues  but obviously at some point you meet in the middle. If you aren't a ride person this may not be the most useful tip; it is less busy though! 

Most importantly: Have fun! 

xox

'Ps Love' false nails

Wearing false nails is a new experience for me. Although I have worn them before, it has been about 2 years since the last time. I was in Primark a few days ago and thought that I'd just try them out to see if I like them or not. I've only tried this packet but I did buy another one in a dusty pink colour. With these, you can tell that they are fake because the design is very complicated. So that's why it's nice to have a range of designs and colours so that you can buy more subtle ones. 

First off, there are 24 nails in the pack. Initially, I thought that it was a strange number - why don't you just have 20? However, this gives you more options on the size of the nail. They are a lot longer than my nails so it does make life a little tricker during everyday activities. In terms of staying power, during the time that I have worn them, I have had two that have fallen off but I just glued them on again.

In my opinion, it's interesting the way you take these off. You have to soak them in nail polish remover and they disintegrate - a clever concept. In contrast, some may argue that you can't use them again after this; true, but for £1 it's not expensive to repurchase and in some cases, you could just wait for them to fall off and reuse. 

Overall, I really like these false nails and I think that they are a good value for money. Personally, I won't be wearing these on a day-to-day basis throughout the year but I will wear them for special occasions or in the summer time. 

Do you wear false nails? What is your opinion on them? 

xox