The Sunday Edit #8 | Appointments, Shopping and Catch Ups!

I didn't have much planned for this week so I was sort of taking every day as it came, I did have a few lazy days but I thought i'd share my week with you anyway!

Monday, not a lot was done as the weather wasn't too great and it looks like Autumn is coming- hence why I wore a chunky scarf and not a lot of colour. I woke up early and booked my doctors appointment. My sisters text me to say that they were coming around my house so I was quite excited as I hadn't seen them both much in a little while. We spent the afternoon nattering away about anything and everything- it was so nice to have a good catch up! My mum then decided to drag me to B&Q with her, yawn! We also popped into Asda to buy some fruit so that I could make some smoothies and juices in the week. I then persuaded my mum to take me to McDonalds which was super naughty! As if we didn't have enough takeaway while we were away.

Tuesday was the day I had been dreading for a little while, I had to go to the doctors to have a Meningitis vaccine. I've had quite a few needles in the past few years but for some reason I was really nervous, it didn't help that the person before me was screaming the place down while having theirs done. The nurse was lovely though and it was over within two minutes. Again I went shopping with my mum and we got a free packet of Disney Princess cards for spending over a certain amount- woo! 

I spent the evening watching Educating Cardiff and if you weren't aware I'm actually from Cardiff myself. It was cringe worthy but it made me miss high school a lot!

On Wednesday, I woke up early well at least it was earlier than I have woke up in a while. I love the summer holidays! To start the day I had a pineapple, apple and carrot juice and got ready for the dentist. I was scared that i'd have to have another filling but no, all went well thankfully! I then popped into the agency I've started working for, for a meeting then went to visit my friend in work. Although I am trying not to spend at the moment, I couldn't resist a browse in town as I had two vouchers for Topshop (and other stores within the same group) and Boots. I was a left a little disappointed when I didn't manage to spend my Boots one, shock horror! I just wasn't really feeling anything. I did however pick up a pair of new pointed boots for Autumn/Winter from Dorothy Perkins and I love them!

MMM!

Not much was done on Thursday, except blogging! Me and my sister decided to pop to IKEA on Friday though, she is a teacher so was in need of a few bits for the classroom but I couldn't resist a trip to IKEA as i'm a lover of all things home ware! I didn't need anything so I didn't get anything, apart from Pick N Mix which I never have so I allowed myself. Last minute me and my friends decided to go out for food, we went to Las Iguanas again which was lovely! It was really nice to have a good catch up too!

I've not got much planned this weekend so i'm going to leave it there, however if something drastic happens i'm sure I will update you! I'm not sure if you'll see a Sunday Edit from me next week as it's Back To School week and i'll be busy sorting out things for work for when I start, however you shall see other things from me! 
Happy Bank Holiday Weekend!

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO THIS WEEK?

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Travel Essentials | Beauty, Fashion and More!

I haven't been abroad in years, the last time I went I was around 6 or 7 so that's over 10 years ago which makes me a little sad. Unfortunately i'm not going abroad this year as much as I would've hoped, I'm hoping to go next year with my friends. However, on Friday i'm lucky enough to be travelling down to South West England and in particular South Devon for the week- which is just a tad exciting as it's always nice to get out of your hometown and explore somewhere else.

As i'm not going abroad this isn't going to be an 'in-flight travel essentials' which seem to be pretty popular, but I just thought i'd share my essentials as a whole for a short break within the UK. Also, just a side note, i'm not going to mention the obvious like a toothbrush so just so you know, I will be packing that but the more obvious ones won't be mentioned.

The Basics

Money- Of course you're going to need money when you get there but you could also on route. There always seems to be somebody who cannot wait to go to the toilet and insists you stop at the services, so that of course means getting out and popping to the shop to pick up a snack for your journey! There is also a possibility of a toll bridge, I know you have to pay to get into Wales so perhaps keep that in mind also!

Tissues- These are always handy, I always carry tissue around whether that's in my bag or jacket pocket. You've spilt something? Here's a tissue. Hayfever? Here's a tissue. And of course, public toilets- better to be safe than sorry!

Painkillers- We all hope not to get sick when travelling, or at anytime for that matter. So again, better to be safe than sorry always carry some form of medicine with you- painkillers are compact and are a huge relief when you've got a headache that wont shift or worse, period pains.

Beauty

SPF- Yes, even in the UK. You should wear some form of SPF all year round whether that's in your makeup or apply it separately. As it's going to be warmer during the summer months, it's likely you'll have your arms or even your legs out and when the sun decides to make an appearance you don't want to be caught short, burn and cause damage your skin.

Mini Deodorant-  I always carry some form of deodorant/body spray/perfume around with me as you never know when you're going to break a sweat and I can't think of anything worse than smelling of B.O. (there probably are worse things but still).

Minis- I love the aisle of Boots where all the dinky sized products are, they're so cute but obviously are designed for travelling. I usually go and buy the basic essentials in mini sizes such as shampoo and conditioner, body wash, deodorant and toothpaste but to save money I also like to decant products into the small travel size refillable bottles/pots, especially my skincare and some makeup bits.

Clothing

T-Shirt Dress- I love T-Shirt dresses as they're super comfortable and casual worn with leggings and Converse or skater shoes but they can also be dressed up a little with tights and flats or if you fancy, heels.

Sunglasses- Again, yes even in the UK. Not only do they protect your eyes from the rays but are also great for putting on when you've got little or no makeup on and look half asleep, woo!

Scarf- Perfect for the evenings when it gets a little chilly, there's nothing worse than being cold and having to suffer while shivering. They also make a good blanket too, which could be ideal on a plane or just to get comfy in the car while travelling. I love a good blanket scarf!

Rain Jacket- You'll probably need this in the UK when the weather is having mood swings, raining one minute, sunny the next. This can be kept in your bag as they're so light but I know you can also get macs in a bag which are super compact so there's no excuse to moan when it rains and you don't have a jacket.

Entertainment

Tablet- I tend to download games on to here for when I don't have WiFi but when I do, I shall be catching up on my bloglovin feed and Instagram. This can also be used like a Kindle, though I don't read a lot but if you do this could be your best friend while travelling.

Chargers- There's nothing worse than forgetting the chargers for your devices. I forgot my phone charger once but thankfully I could use my brothers as it was the same as mine. Pop your wires in a little pouch so they don't get too tangled in your bag and hopefully having a cute pouch while help you not to forget them!

Earphones- Definitely need these to listen to your own music rather than music your Dad has chosen. My family have completely different music tastes so it'd be a little painful to forget them while travelling!

A magazine- Or multiple! I rarely read magazines unless it's the Boots one. FYI they're free with your advantage card or £1, if you didn't know! Long journeys in the car are a perfect excuse for me to pick up a few magazines, these can also be reading material when you're just hanging out at your accommodation or better still, at the poolside! 

And that's a run through of my travel essentials! As I said i'm going away on Friday but I've scheduled posts for next week so I shall update you on Instagram when they're live, so make sure you're following me: @xtracesofmythoughts to keep up to date.

You can also follow me on bloglovin to be notified when I post, you can click the button to the right of my blog which will take you straight to it!

What are your travel essentials?

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Summer Clothing Wish List | Topshop, ASOS, New Look and More!

You know a week or so ago the UK were experiencing a heatwave? Well the warmer weather got me browsing online for summer clothes as I don't own many pieces suitable for the warmer weather. Today I thought i'd share with you ten pieces I've got my eye on ranging from denim basics to tasseled accessories. Apparently I like a lot of blue and tan at the moment also!

1. Button Front Denim A-Line Skirt- Topshop £28.00
These skirts are everywhere at the minute and I can understand why. They're classic, casual and will suit a range of body shapes. I love this colour denim too!

2. Camel Felt Floppy Hat- Topshop £28.00

These are also very in at the moment. I love how floppy hats can make an outfit look well put together but also can be very handy for shading your face from the sun and preventing you from overheating. I think this camel colour could take you right through to the Autumn also so you'll get your moneys worth.

3. Mid Blue Ripped Jeans- Topshop £42.00

Another Topshop Denim piece but how nice are these jeans!? I've not owned ripped jeans before and i'm not sure I could pull them off but I love these, especially the colour! I've heard the Jamie jeans are supposed to be really comfortable and keep their shape also.

4. Tassel Fringe Saddle Cross Body Bag- Boohoo £14.00

This bag looks perfect for festivals. I'm not going to one this year unfortunately but if I was, i'd definitely be taking this one. Tassels and fringing just remind me of summer festivals and I think this would be perfect with the sandals I mentioned previously.

5. Cold Shoulder Frill Vest- George @ Asda £14.00

I saw this vest in store when doing the food shop with my mum, I know- i'm cool right? It was such a lovely blue colour and I regret not picking it up now. I think i'll have to go back for this as I think it'll be ideal to just throw on with jeans and sandals and then you're ready to go. This actually comes with a long statement necklace which is nice but I believe it can be removed also.

6. Rust Suedette Cami- New Look £9.99

Suede is really in at the minute and I think it will be this Autumn too. I love how easy these camis are to throw on with jeans, although they can also be tucked into skirts and shorts this summer. This is a little different to your typical chiffon cami and I think it would be good for layering in the Autumn. 

7. Round Tortoiseshell Sunglasses- Anthropologie £24.95

I love tortoiseshell. I have a similar pair of sunglasses to these, they're just a little thicker and black and I love wearing them. You can never have too many sunglasses, well you probably could but two pairs wouldn't hurt eh? I'd really like these but i'm sure i'll be able to find a pair very similar in Primark for under a fiver.

8. Scallop Hem Button Through Skirt- ASOS £22.00

This is so pretty, similar to the denim one I mentioned previously but I think this would be more appropriate for work and occasions where you have to be a little more dressy. Don't get me wrong this would be lovely worn casually also! I love the scallop hem as it's something a little different. 

9. Suede Fringed Sandals- ASOS £25.00

I love these. I actually had some similar from H&M a few years ago and I've worn them to death. I need a pair of tan suede fringed sandals back in my life so these would be perfect. These look super comfortable too!

10. Leather Fringed Trim Loafers- New Look £29.99

I love how smart/casual loafers can be. I especially like these pointed cream ones from New Look and I think they'd look great with the majority of items I've mentioned previously. Ooh these would be very pretty office attire too!

And that's my summer wish list! I'm sure lots of this I wont be getting but that's why it's a wish list. I can dream, haha!

What's on your current wish list?

Let me know in the comments below!

♥   ♥   ♥

What I've Accomplished this Summer | Summer Bucket List

Hello!
As I said in my previous 'Summer Bucket List' here, that I would do an updated post on what I've accomplished this Summer so here it is!

1. To spend as much time outside and make the most of warmer weather and just being outdoors in general.   Done! I've definitely spent more time outdoors in the sun, especially when I went away with my family- most of the day we were outdoors and enjoying the weather!

2. Catch up with old school friends, of course! I really have not seen them enough through the academic year so I will definitely get my planning head on and get organising! Hopefully some day trips including London or Bristol-shopping, visiting the beach(I stress visiting, not actually going onto the beach as I hate sand!) and just spending more time together!  Another one to check off my list! I haven't spent as much time as i'd like with them over the summer, mainly due to holidays and working but we've been out together a few times and i'm sure the next time will be not too far away!

3. Continue working hard and stop procrastinating! I've heard that Pisces are hard workers but even harder procrastinators and I truly live up to that trait! I have work to do over the summer for the biggest assignment of my course, so I need to get that done and out of the way but I've kept putting it off!  I completed the work I had to do over summer. I also got my exam result back, I finished my first college year with an overall A, yay!

Here.

4. To start Pen-palling! I've wanted to do this for a while now and bringing my parents around to the idea is proving harder than I expected! 
-I've still not done this but I completely respect my parents views, in the mean time I've been enjoying making friends and generally conversing with others on social media!

Dawlish Warren- please note this is not my photo, you can find it here(credit to the photographer Gary Reggae)

5. Mentioning my parents there, I'd also like to spend more time with my family! Especially appreciating my sisters as the eldest is moving out this summer, and I don't see much of my other sister as she's either at her boyfriends house or will be working! I'm also warming to the idea of visiting England and Plymouth area in particular to spend a week or two away with family and in general investigate the area as this is somewhere I'd like to go to Uni! I've definitely spent a lot of time with my family over the summer, especially my sisters who have now both moved out! We generally catch up via whatsapp and go shopping together, my favourite!
I've also been to South England with my family, it was so nice to get away from Wales and I really enjoyed spending each day with them. I also visited Plymouth the area that I wanted to go to Uni, i'm not too keen on it but neither am I to the whole idea of uni now!

6. Talking about Uni, aye smooth transitions! I'd like to attend at least 1 Uni open day, as other colleges seem to have done so much more to do with Uni and my college have done nothing! 
-I could sort of check this off but i'm not going to as technically I haven't done that this summer. Although I have booked to go to one open day at the end of this month in Bath at Norlands College(a nanny college). I'd love to go there but realistically, it won't be affordable as it is private! I'm not too sure whether i'm going to go to uni anymore, I don't know what i'd like to do after I've finished my course.

7. I'd like to do something to my hair, it's been the same boring growing out colour for about 2 years. It's also changed to a mix of light brown, coppers and blondes! I'm not enjoying it and would like to go a lighter ashy blonde colour!
-Oops this is another thing I haven't completed, to be quite honest I totally forgot about it. I still have an unopened Ombre kit, who knows I may do that soon!

Here.

8. To always consider healthier options. Now i'm not exactly over the moon with my weight, i'd like to loose a little and just get fitter and healthier in general. Summer is fab for that as I love salads in the warmer weather!  I haven't lost weight, although I've done a lot of salad eating this summer and a lot of walking! I can't exactly check this off my list because I've had a few snacks that are considered bad. Although the only reason i'm crossing this off as I've decided to get myself into gear and start to walk to college again when it's not raining too much!

9. To change something in my life, whether this be just saying 'Yes' to more, getting a new job, or even changing my room around to start-a-fresh. 
-I've not got a new job or changed my room around, I can't believe I thought changing my room around counted as saying 'Yes', maybe it does because I can be lazy, oops! Although I've said yes to a lot more things, by experimenting with new styles, clothes and makeup and stepping out of my comfort zone when I think I cannot do something, for example I played a round of golf for the first time, and went for a rather long walk in the country side to clear my head!

10. Last but certainly not least, to re-vamp my blog! I've had a little play around to see how I can make my blog more appealing for the time being but i'd really like to change the layout and 'theme' of how it looks, considering the colours etc!
I feel like i've been a lot more experimental with my blog posts, including more lifestyle and fashion posts rather than my typical beauty related post! I've also been experimenting and made a new header for my blog, I wasn't sure on it at first but I love it now!

Let me know what you'd like to see here on my blog!

Until next time...

Amy X

6 things | August Favourites

Hello!

As you may or not know about me, I like to do things in 6's. Apparently 6 is my lucky number, I have no idea why as it's never been remotely lucky to me or unlucky for that matter. Coincidentally when I was racking my brain for favourites of August, I had 6 firm favourites and that was me done and sorted. Without further ado, I'll get straight into them.

Each of these will be in groups of 2, first up is beauty or rather skincare favourites if you must. 

1. The Body Shop Vitamin E Moisture Cream, here. 

A moisturiser that's been in my beauty stash for a while but I was very close to running out so I abandoned it to avoid it, logical eh? I thought I'd give it a whirl again as I hadn't used it in a while and I wish I hadn't stopped. This is such a lightweight daily moisturiser that is gentle and hydrating on the skin, by that I mean you can feel that it's working as it soaks into the skin. It also smells pretty good so I'll definitely be re-purchasing this when I sadly run out! 

2. Boots Botanics All Bright Purifying Face Scrub, here.

I can't remember exactly where but I had heard good things about this, after I ran out of a Clean and Clear scrub that I wasn't overly impressed by, I saw this on offer and picked it straight up! This is again a more gentle scrub without being to abrasive but definitely does the job to remove excess dead skin cells and leaves my skin feeling super soft and plump! I love the smell of this as it is natural, sourced from the Royal Botanical Gardens, it can only be doing good for my skin! 

The sun went in and the lighting went funny, excuse the quality of this and some other photos.

3. Hamsa hand necklace.
You may have seen this in my recent clothing haul, I saw an instagram account I had bought from previously selling them so I purchased one and i'm more than happy with it. I love pairing this with a basic plain outfit as it makes it looks more well put together!

Apologies- this is obviously not my photo, it's from the website. Photos wouldn't do these jeans justice.

4. New Look Mom Jeans, here.
I love the look of Mom jeans, I saw these in the New Look sale reduced from £24.99 to £10(not sure why online it previously say's they were £12) so of course I got them. I love how they look on and I think pretty much any shape or size could get away with wearing these jeans, I think they're so flattering! I've had these on multiple times since I purchased them about 3 weeks ago, so of course they had to be a favourite!

5. Yankee Candle Pink Sands wax tart, here.
One I've had for a while but loved so much I couldn't bring myself to melt it, although one day I was definitely feeling it after cleaning my room. I love this smell, it's quite strong yet so feminine and I've found it perfect for the warmer months, although i'll definitely continue to melt this through Autumn/Winter too as I love the scent so much, probably my favourite Yankee Candle scent!

6. Store Twenty One White Storage.
I fell in love with this shop when I found it in Exeter, I just wish they had one closer to me as their home ware was great and so were the prices! This was reduced from £10 down to £7 and i'm using it as makeup storage. I love how this looks on my dressing table as apposed to the clear muji storage and it's definitely more unique! Unfortunately this is not on the website so I could not link it!

And that's it for my favourites this month, I hope you preferred this to my usual more lengthy beauty favourites. I feel like I've brought a more wider range to this post, so hopefully you've enjoyed that!

Let me know below in the comments and also comment what you'd like to see next!

Amy X

Where I've Been | South Devon

Hello! 
You may have worked out from my previous posts that I've been away and my last 2 posts were scheduled. Here i'm going to tell you a little of what I got up to, i'll try to be short and sweet but we know I like to babble. Last Saturday I set off to where I thought we were staying in Plymouth, but actually we stayed near in Dawlish which was absolutely lovely and I'm so glad we did.

The first day was spent in Dawlish itself where we had breakfast, then visited the small independent shops and walked the beach, it was lovely and so was the weather- I was in my element! Sun, shopping and being near the beach.

Comfy travel outfit, with the pebbles beneath my feet.

Selfie with my mother who indeed doesn't look too impressed and sporting my double or rather triple chin.

Cute little boats.

The sea, glistening.

On the Sunday we decided to visit the town called Torquay, it was gorgeous but looked like such an expensive place to stay or live! We spent the day shopping, of course I spotted the Primark! I picked up a couple of items that I'll show in a future haul i'm sure. Next we set off to play pitch and putt, and i'll hold my hand up and admit it, I am definitely not a budding golfer.

Clearly displaying I know not a thing about golf.

Monday was more of a animal packed day, it would be an understatement to say I was excited as we were to be visiting Plymouth, the place where i'm thinking about going to Uni. We went to the National Aquarium, apparently the best within the UK, so that's a reason to get pretty excited right? Then followed by walking around the harbor side town and treating ourselves to the ice cream van, a typical British thing right?

A pretty fancy backdrop for a photo right?

Of course, I had to take a photo of the Nemo's!

A rather 'hipster' looking ice lolly.

We next traveled to Dartmoor Zoo which we in fact have visited before, the Zoo was fantastic the first time we went as we hadn't seen the animals before but this time was rather short as we had seen it all before, I did however manage to see the bear this time which was hiding last time!

Next was another day of my family being typical tourist's in Exeter. I fell in love with Exeter town, it had such amazing independent sellers as well as larger more national stores. Again I found the Primark, and other stores that I already have in my town but I couldn't resist not having a browse! We were getting a little peckish and found the coolest, oh gosh I do not sound cool saying that. But we found a Cafe that appealed to me a lot, vintage! I believe it was called 'The Real McCoy' but I can't be for sure, it was a cafe combined vintage store. I found the sofa and the fashion book to accompany my milkshake!

Ideal short break, music, chocolate milkshake(probably the best I've had) and a fashion book that I may have to purchase myself!

Wednesday was purely for my mothers love, donkeys! We traveled a little further than we usually would to see a load of Donkeys, I have to admit I didn't mind at all! They were so lovely, I even came away with my own(not a real one, I wish!) but a teddy and an adopted one! My father gifted my mum with a donkey, how sweet! It was a Poitou Donkey, with large ears a shaggy coat who likes to be cuddled called Aramis, adorable. 

Again we visited the beach, this was in Sidmouth and I found my favourite coloured beach huts!

I didn't take any photos on Thursday which i'm kind of gutted about as I loved this town so much too! Teignmouth! Teignmouth has amazing independent shops with such gorgeous furniture, every time I've been I've had to come away not purchasing any as it wouldn't fit in the car, weeping! Although I did get my palm read on an arcade machine which shoots cards out at random but I as always, I couldn't resist. 

The last day was Friday as we traveled back on the Saturday, I have holiday blues even though I wasn't abroad but just love Dawlish so much! Spontaneously we went for a little drive, we found a nature reserve which I was not too impressed by, although we walked for about 10 minutes with me complaining as we were surrounded by fields and cows, I regret it. We came out to such a lovely canal and little pub, we had a drink and noticed there was a boat we could catch to another town, on we hopped and spent about an hour or 2 in Topsham, although there was very little there it was a beautiful area to spend the last day!

Orangina in the sun! 

How very nautical for a boat ride.

The Exe Estuary boat trip to Topsham.

So there's the quickest round up possible for me to let you know where I've been and what I got up to, I loved Dawlish as always and definitely wouldn't hesitate to visit again although I do hope my next get away will be abroad! 
Look out for my next posts that'll be back to school related, or rather back to college related as i'm going into my final year at college!

See you next time,

Amy X

The August Agenda

Hello!
I thought my next post would be a small update on what I plan to do this August, even though we're already 10 days into the month, oops! I've not got a hell of a lot planned this month in terms of events but there are a few things I do plan to get done. This is not a wish/bucket list as I've already done one for this summer, here on my blog, but here's what I plan to do in August..

Source:  Google- here.

• Spend time with family

Next Saturday to be exact me and my family are off down south to South Devon. We've been close to Plymouth before but if you didn't already know Plymouth is one of my uni options(although i'm still debating whether I want to go at all), so i'd like to see the uni and the area itself in general. Of course that's not all we're doing and why we're going, we're heading away for a short break and also plan to visit the zoo and beach! I must rephrase that, visit the beach to walk along- me and my families are definitely not beach bums and I don't expect the weather to be so great! Also I hate sand anyway.

• Catch up with friends

This is a must! Although I've just realised this is sounding a lot like my Summer Bucket List but i'm going to be more particular. My friend is away on holiday at the moment and has been for a short while, and me and other close friend don't get to spend much time together due to our work shifts. But this August i'd definitely like to spend time with them even it means just going for food or to see the Inbetweeners 2- how have I not caved and seen it already on my own? Haha, I joke that would be pretty sad.

• Cram(oops) last minute college work in..

I felt like I had done the work I had to do over Summer, but it turns out I've been emailed a list of what I need to do before I go back on the 5th September, eek so soon I may cry! So once i'm back from my travels I must crack on with that and just prepare to go back to college anyway. This means I sort out my life, aka my sleeping patterns, waking up early and do not wake up on the first day back and scurry around to find a pen in the morning! This means stationary shopping: note to self- do not leave this to the last minute(the day before you go back)

• Blog, blog blog. Oh and do an outfit/fashion post.

Obviously with being off college I've had a lot more time to blog, during term time my studies are my main priority(of course). I can already feel that this last year is going to be hectic with so much to do even before Christmas so I won't have much time to blog, not only that- I'll be tired! So as Summers coming to an end, this August I plan to write as many as I can to schedule for those times when i'm busy. 

Also this blog is supposed to be 'Beauty, Fashion and Lifestyle', although i'm getting better with the Lifestyle sides of things, the fashion posts are lacking! I will be posting a clothing haul and i'm quite happy with some of my purchases so who knows, hopefully i'll get a fashion post up! Maybe an OOTD.

So there you have it, as I said this post wasn't going to be me listing events as I've just not planned that far in advance yet but in my head I have. I've got 21 days to complete each one of these things, hopefully things go to plan! Apologies if this post was a bit boring but this was sort of an update post to keep you guys informed!

See you next with my clothing haul!

Amy X

July Favourites

Hello!
I honestly cannot believe how fast July has gone by, I feel like I say this each month but July has come by and gone in a flash! I didn't even get around to doing my June monthly favourites, but here I am back with with things I've been loving this July, as the title states!

The Body Shop Vitamin E Cream Cleanser- £8.50 here.

First up is The Body Shop Vitamin E Cream Cleanser(hoping this hasn't been mentioned in a favourites before). I purchased the smaller sized bottle of this to try it out before I spent £8.50 on the larger bottle and then find out I don't actually like it. I'm glad I did although after a few uses I realised I loved it, it's so gentle and makes my skin feel so clean and soft! I've also experienced less breakouts as a result of using just 2 cleansers, one in the morning and this in the night after removing my makeup! I've also tried the moisturiser from the same range and really like that too, so I think i'm definitely going to try more!

L'Oreal True Match and Rimmel Lasting Finish- here and here.

I had a Rimmel foundation sitting in my makeup storage that I haven't used in a while as I'm not too keen on the foundation on it's own- it's the shade up from what i'd usually get too. I thought rather than not waste it i'd mix a little with my current L'Oreal True Match foundation for the summer, believe it or not I do get a little colour on my face rather than being the palest of pales. The L'Oreal True Match offers a satin to matte finish but mixed with the Rimmel 25 hour foundation offers a dewy finish which I love in the summer, without looking oily! I love the colour and finish it gives on my skin so will definitely continue to use this combination throughout the summer!

Tea Tree Water (Toner Water)- £3.95 for 100ml here.

Eu Natural!

The last beauty related item i've been loving this month is the Lush Tea Tree Toner Water, again I purchased this in the smaller bottle to see if I liked it, i'm so pleased as the bottle isn't even that small- I think it's the perfect size to use within the use-by-date. I bought this as my skin can be quite oily so I thought i'd give this ago to combat the oils and keep my skin clean throughout the day and after cleansing. Tea Tree has anti-bacterial properties so is perfect to keep your skin at it's cleanest and prevent spots, i'd definitely give this a go if you have oily skin- it's also super refreshing in the warmer months!

The sandals I've been wearing, they're well worn in from H&M about 2 years ago.

Mentioning the warmer months there, Wales is actually experiencing 'Summer'. This is rare as normally we get the odd few days then the weathers back to its usual self, grey and dreary! The weather has been so nice recently, it's actually warm enough to go without a jacket and wear sandals..although that's not a favourite of mine, people with their feet out- not the prettiest sight! I've loved being out in the garden in the Sun to get my daily dose of Vitamin D, like we all should be! I hope the weather sticks around especially when I'm off on my travels to the South of England.

You may of seen me mention a few times that my sisters moving out, and that she has now! Although that's not what I've been enjoying but I have been enjoying shopping with her. We've been quite often recently and although I do like shopping on my own, I don't mind accompanying her when she wants to do some shopping. After all, who would say no to shopping? Not me! Keep an eye out, you'll see a haul here very soon!

Lemon Ice Tea in the sun.

Last but not least, I've been loving drinking Lemon Ice Tea- so refreshing in the summer! I only actually tried it a month or 2 ago but I actually love it! I'm so glad I ventured out to try something new as I don't do that often. I do enjoy the Lipton Ice Tea(only the lemon flavour) when i'm out and about, but my Mum also buys a big bottle from I think it's Lidl as she spotted it in there when buying our fruit!

That's it for this months favourites, what have you been enjoying this month? Let me know!

Amy X

The Sunday Edit #5

Hello!
Here I am again, continuing with The Sunday Edit, like I said I would be! In all honesty I haven't been up to a lot this week, and this week I mean it I feel like I've done nothing so I wont be going through this Sunday Edit daily- just giving you a short low-down on what I've been doing and where I've been. 

Please excuse the use of language- haha! I couldn't believe how accurate this was so had to share it!

If i'm quite honest I cant even remember what I got up to at the beginning of the week, must of been super exciting eh? Usually i'd start the week of with doing some blogging but I haven't this week as I've been feeling really uninspired and just not really in the blogging mood, although I did manage to get a scheduled post up on what i'm doing to protect myself from the sun so please give that a look!
I think the reason for me not blogging is the fact I was feeling a little nervy and anxious as my exam results came back this week on Wednesday, thank the lord I passed with a C grade that averaged out to an A with my assignments, the highest I could of gotten- eek!
If you don't know already but i'm in such a knot with whether I want to go straight into work after my Childcare course and earn little or whether to improve my opportunities for work by going to uni. I was toying between visiting a few uni's over the summer to see how I feel after, but after seeing a program on Thursday, my decision was made! It was called 'Britain's Poshest Nannies' and they studied at a college called Norland in Bath, everything about the course appealed to me apart from the hefty cost which may hold me back- but needless to say I was sold, I ordered a prospectus soon after and booked a place at the Open Day in September, yay!

The weathers been pretty nice towards the end of the week, although I haven't been out in it as its been so warm- throughout the nights especially it has been so warm! I don't really have appropriate clothes for the weather at the moment and it was Pay Day on Friday so I started to order more summer appropriate clothes- a lovely kimono from MissPap.co.uk so i'm sure you'll see that very soon as I've made and will be making a few more orders!

Again my weekend has been finished off with lie ins and working evenings which is the typical weekend for me at the moment, until I change jobs hopefully soon!
That's all for now as I haven't been doing a hell of a lot like I mentioned, so until next time..

Amy X

Protecting myself from the sun!

Hello!
So here in the UK we do not have the greatest of weather in the Summer, but throughout June there have been more than a few days where its actually been really warm and bright, I was aware that I had to protect myself from the sun but not as aware as I now am after seeing velvetgh0st's skin scan here. I was so shocked at what I saw and couldn't help me think about how bad my skin would look. I'm not one to go out and grill in the sun, I tend to pot about without sun cream as I didn't think I'd need it and usually end up with a burnt nose, not a good look.

Primark sunglasses and Garnier Moisture Match.

I knew I needed to do something about it, even if the damage done wasn't visible. So I did a little research into what I would need to keep protected even if I was just going to be staying in the UK all Summer as the sun can get pretty strong, especially between 11am and 3pm.

Garnier Moisture Match in Protect and Glow- here.

I decided what I needed to protect my face, a moisturiser with SPF in it. I think this is the place that tends to get left when protecting the rest of your body with sun cream, as you don't want that heavy layer of sun cream under your make up and most likely do not want to go out with out makeup to keep topping up your sun cream. I was unsure which moisturiser to purchase as I was really enjoying the one I was using that unfortunately didn't contain SPF, but I do know now a lot of moisturisers and even foundations contain SPF, so that's a good start!

The moisturiser I was using was the Garnier Moisture Match in Shine Be Gone, I noticed that the range had one to protect containing SPF 15 so I was sold as I loved the one I already had.
By being able to apply a moisturiser as part of my usual daily routine that had protection in it was great, as it meant I won't forget to apply sun protection and it isn't too far from what I am already doing.

Primark Sunglasses- £2

I knew I also needed to get a decent pair of sunglasses in my life, I had a pair that were a few years old that were scratched even though I didn't wear them as they were too far out of my comfort zone and they were probably not UV protecting. I heard that Primark were doing 100% UV protecting sunglasses with different grades of protection, this is perfect for me as it means they are affordable so I can try out a few pairs to see which style I like best. Here are the pair I picked pictured below, I actually really like them and have been wearing them quite often since and best of all they were only priced at £2- bargain! I'm definitely going to go back and try a few more pairs.

As I mentioned previously, I learnt the sun is at it's strongest between 11am-3pm so it's best to try and stay out of it and in the shade at this time. As I said i'm not one for grilling in the sun as I really don't enjoy it as I get bored and have experienced a little bit of sun stroke before and it made me feel so rubbish, which is not what I want during the summer. This has made me realise that if I do actually want to go out between those times I need to wear sun cream and cover up to protect my skin, also that I should opt towards sitting in the shade more often. I will definitely keep this in mind and stay true to my word when the warmer days arise again this summer!

Now i'm obviously not an expert, this is just what I have learnt myself and I thought i'd share it with you guys. I'm not telling you what you should and shouldn't do but I'm just hoping it will make others more aware and have a think, until next time..

Amy X