Autumn Haul | Clothes, Accessories and Makeup!

The transition from Summer to Autumn happened so quickly. I know Summer in the UK is hardly ever the greatest but we had a good few days where it was warm and we even had that mini heatwave. Despite the fact my wardrobe this Summer was definitely not summery, I still found as soon as Autumn came around my wardrobe needed a good refresh. Dare I say it, it's not completely done and its likely inevitable that I will pick up some more clothes- I think I've picked up some nice pieces that I thought i'd share with you today. There's also a few beauty bits at the end too!

First stop was H&M. I went not looking for anything in particular then found the jumper I was after last Autumn/Winter. I believe these are basics so they're probably in store all year round in different colours but I had my eye on the mustard colour, perfect for Autumn with a berry lip. These are slightly cropped and I didn't want them to be so I picked them up in a large. I'm glad I did as the black and white mixed wool one has slightly shrunk in the wash- so bare that in mind if you're thinking of buying one. Also these are £7.99, perfect for pairing with jeans, skirts or over dresses. I may go back and pick up the olive/khaki one too!

As I've started doing supply work as a Teaching Assistant, I was in need of some comfortable, appropriate clothes for school. Dresses with leggings and boots seem to be a popular choice and I must say, this combo is easy to throw on early morning and super comfortable. I browsed boohoo as they always have great deals, I found both these dresses in the sale- the Chambray Gingham Dress was £8 and the Monochrome Aztec Dress was £6.
I love the Gingham one and i'll definitely get a lot of wear in and out of work, however the Aztec one isn't usually something i'd wear but is perfect for work.

I also popped into town earlier this week with my sister. Of course, I must have a browse in Primark as it's not often that i'm in town. I've been looking for a green flannel shirt for a while and had my eye on one in the men's section but every time I looked, they never had a small! I found this in the women's section which i'm glad about as it will fit better. This was only £8 and I think it looks more expensive, i'll wear this buttoned up and undone- I don't think i'm cool enough to wear it around my waist, haha!
I also picked up this long sleeved ribbed top in a rusty brown colour, this goes perfect with the shirt but looks great thrown on with jeans and boots too!

I was in need of another pair of black high waisted jeans(see first picture) as I bust out of my previous pair while in McDonalds, how embarrassing! They were very worn out though, so that's my excuse. They're only £10 in Primark so much cheaper than Topshop Joni Jeans.

I almost always buy a new pair of boots every Autumn. This year I bought these pointed black boots from Dorothy Perkins which you may have already seen on my blog. They were £25 which is a bargain in itself as they seem quite sturdy, however I had a £10 gift voucher and there was 20% off in store on the day, so I got these for only £10! I'm so chuffed as I've already gotten a lot of wear out of these.

I've not owned a watch in years because i'll let you into a secret, I've never been the greatest at telling the time. I know, i'm 18 and I've only just learnt to properly tell the time on an analogue clock- that's awful! But I make myself feel better as I know a few older than me who still can't tell the time. Anyway, I needed this for work as I obviously can't have my phone on me. I love how simple but pretty this is, it's from ASOS and was only £13.

Last but certainly not least I popped into Boots. I again had a £10 gift voucher so I was determined to spend it this time. I saw that Rimmel had a 2 for £10 offer so I thought i'd check it out and re-jog my memory to see if there was anything I wanted to try. The Kate Moss Lipsticks are much loved in the blogosphere, especially 107 so I picked it up to sport in the Autumn with my mustard jumper. I've been wanting to change my foundation for a while as I got a bit bored with it so I got the Rimmel Match Perfection in the shade Ivory to try. I'm yet to try it but i'm sure i'll let you know my thoughts.

Fleur De Force recently announced her new makeup line which I believe came out on Thursday. I've never really wanted to buy other Youtuber's products, however I was really intrigued by these highly pigmented lip glosses. They're like a mix between liquid lipsticks and lip glosses which I've not seen before so I promptly purchased this gorgeous 'your lips but better' shade in Written In The Stars. So far, I really like it- it smells amazing and will be perfect for everyday wear.

And that's all I've bought recently for Autumn. As I said earlier, i'm sure there will be more to come! If I pick up enough worth hauling, then I sure will!

Hope you've had a lovely week!

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN BUYING RECENTLY?

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July Goals | Life

Today's post will be short and snappy. I'm going to share with you a few of my goals for the month of July.

1. Finish college and my work placement. 

I believe I've mentioned this before but I have to complete a work placement along side my college course to gain experience working with children. My last day is on the 10th of July and although i'm a little gutted to be leaving as I love it so much, I am very excited to start my summer properly.

2. Get a job interview. 

Recently I've been applying for jobs to start in September, working full-time. However, I've not been very successful in my search but i'm hoping something will crop up that I can attend an interview for or even secure a job. Fingers crossed!

3. Complete a Paediatric First Aid Course. 

I found out that a centre near me will be running a First Aid Course this month and though i'm yet to book- I plan on doing it. Not only will this help me in my job search and when working with children, I also feel this is a very handy skill to have.

4. Spend more time outside.

It is well known that the sun can really help to solve skin problems such as spots or acne. I always try to get my daily dose of Vitamin D but i'll be trying extra hard to step outside and just enjoy being outdoors whether that be in my garden or out and about with friends.

5. Spend more time with family.

You may have seen my previous post: here, where I mentioned I met up with family that I haven't seen in years. I'd like to continue to do this so my plan for this summer, starting now is to visit family on a regular basis.

6. Exercise more.

I feel this occurs in a lot of peoples goals or resolutions but I really mean it. I'd like to loose weight but more importantly become healthier and fitter. Me and my friend have tried to go for a run at least once a week and we've decided to step it up a notch and go every other day or whenever possible.We'll see how that's gone at the end of the month.

7. Choose healthier options.

I'm constantly trying to eat healthier and shift a bit of weight but who can resit a couple of biscuits with their cup of tea!? Instead of just jumping to the junk food, i'm trying to consider and eat healthier options. Goodbye bread, hello crispbread and salad.

8. Give my room a little makeover.

I've never really been completely happy with the area at the end of my bed so I've decided to ditch the bed net, you know those mosquito nets that you see quite often on Tumblr and maybe add some clear fairy lights or just go completely simplistic and have a shelf with a few bits and bobs on.

9. Give myself a little makeover.

Nothing too drastic don't worry, I just mean sorting my hair out. I haven't dyed my hair in about 3/4 years but i'd like to change it up a little. I'm not entirely sure what colour i'd like but I shall have a think and get back to you on that one. If not I may just have a restyle!

10. Blog more.

Last but not least as I soon shall be off for summer, i'll have more time to blog so i'd like to get up at least two posts a week- if not more! I'd really appreciate if you could leave some post suggestions for the summer below in the comments!

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THIS JULY?

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Stepping Out Of My Comfort Zone | Life

Today i'm talking about something a little different here on my blog, something I don't think I've ever talked about on here. But don't worry, I shall be back to my usual posts next week! Basically i'm going to be talking about stepping out of my comfort zone- i'm just going to put it out there, I do not have social anxiety and that is not the basis of this post. I feel that everyone has certain boundaries and choosing to socialise with those outside of my immediate family is one I've crossed.

I'll give you a brief outline of why I was in this situation, of course I won't give the ins and outs. About 8 years ago my mother, her mother(my Nan) and her sisters(my aunties) had a huge argument which caused breakdowns within the family that have never been resolved. This meant that I very rarely got to see anybody outside of my immediate family circle to avoid possibly upsetting my mother or the fear that they don't want to see me or my siblings. I'll just put it out there now, I was just assuming and I was completely wrong.
Anyway, enough about that!

Yesterday, was my Nan's birthday. She decided to have a family gathering and in fact invited my mother and all of us(me and my siblings). I knew I wanted to go, to step out of my comfort zone and not to isolate myself anymore from the family. I must admit, it was a big step for me and my sister as we haven't seen them properly in about 5-8 years. So much has changed in those years and I felt completely oblivious to the goings on and I felt my family were constantly recapping us on things we had missed. 

I felt like I was a complete stranger who had joined the family, I felt so awkward.

There was even one point where I told my sister, I wanted to leave and I felt like an outcast.
However, i'm so glad I stayed as I felt that there was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. I'm still kicking myself for not doing it sooner but I no longer feel guilty about not going to see them- i'm not passing the blame but it really wasn't my fault when all of these years, I felt like it was.

When everybody was leaving, I began to become tearful. If i'm honest, my auntie hit the nail right on the head- I was completely overwhelmed by everything. Nobody excluded us, everyone was lovely and so supportive. I was reminded that I can make my own choices in life, chances are my mum wouldn't be bothered by them as at the end of the day, she never once stopped me from seeing the rest of the family.

Me and my sisters have made it our mission to visit everybody this summer on a regular basis and keep it that way. 

I worried about the gathering all week but honestly I had nothing to worry about. I'm so glad I stepped out of my comfort zone as I feel so much better and happier. I don't really know how to end this post but basically, I want to encourage you to step out of your comfort zone- whats the worst that could happen? It's definitely not the end of the world if it goes wrong but it's amazing when it goes right!

I hope this post wasn't too boring as it was very personal, points to you if you made it to the very end!

What have you been up to this week?

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Most Used Face Brushes | Real Techniques and Bare Minerals Dupe!

I tend to talk a lot about makeup here on my blog but I never seem to talk about how I apply the products mentioned. Today I thought i'd run through my most used face brushes, there will also be a post to follow on my most used eye brushes- watch this space.

First of all i'll start with my base. Now I've never really got on with those flat foundation brushes as I felt like I was painting on my makeup and they left streaks, certainly not the look I go for on an everyday basis or ever. Instead I like to use a buffing brush, I started off with the Real Techniques Buffing Brush which I loved for about a year until unfortunately the bristles weren't as soft or the best for applying foundation. When reading Makeup Savvy, I discovered there was a dupe(here) for the Bare Minerals Perfecting Face Brush, you know that buffing brush with the dent in the centre to disperse foundation? Yeah, that one and I couldn't not purchase the dupe and give it a whirl, in a few words- I love it and it was less than £2, steal!

I also love using the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge (This wasn't the most 'photogenic' so see the first picture) on a day-to-day basis as it's so quick to blend out foundation to give a natural finish to the skin. I recommend running this under the tap and squeezing it out so that the sponge doesn't absorb and waste your foundation.

Base complete, I'll go onto the brushes I use to finish my face. Another Real Techniques brush(I promise, this isn't sponsored), I use the Duo-Fibre Contour Brush for as the name suggests- contouring. I'm a newbie to contouring so I needed something to apply the product lightly so that I could progressively build it up. This brush is perfect for just that and is flat and tapered to fit perfectly into the hollows of your cheeks.

Left- Duo-Fibre Contour Brush, used to contour
Right- Contour Brush used to apply blush

Another Real Techniques Contour Brush that I don't use for contouring but blush instead. I find this is the perfect size to apply blush to the apples of my cheeks and the bristles are super soft so they pick up product well. However, sometimes I over-do it on the blush so I advise you use this with a light hand to avoid looking like Coco the Clown.

And last but certainly not least is the Real Techniques Duo-Fibre Face Brush which I've recently started to use for all over powder. I've never really needed to powder before, primers seemed to keep my makeup in place as I wasn't overly oily, though that has recently changed. I'm not sure whether it's to do with the weather and becoming a hot mess during the summer months- who knows. But what I do know this brush has been great for applying powder lightly throughout the day to combat the shine and without making my face look cakey. 

That's a wrap on my most-used face brushes, I know there's a lot of Real Techniques brushes but they just seem to work for me and they're not overly expensive which my purse is thankful for.

Have you got any makeup brush recommendations? 

Please leave them below, I'd love to know!

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Essie Parka Perfect | Mani Monday

I love a fresh set of painted nails and this week I opted for an Essie Nail Polish in Parka Perfect. This isn't something i'd usually go for as it's probably more appropriate for winter/early spring but I just fancied it.

As you can see below this is a lovely green/grey colour with very subtle flecks of shimmer which doesn't show up in photos, instead it makes them look super glossy which I am totally ok with. In order to achieve opacity only two coats were needed which is the same as a lot of polishes.

In terms of longevity i'd say around 3-4 days before it starts to chip, which isn't awful but it isn't great either seeing as I've had longer lasting polishes that were more affordable too.

These are £7.99 in Boots but I believe if you shop around online you can get them cheaper. These aren't the most affordable of polishes but I wouldn't write them off completely as lots of people rave about Essie, they also do some gorgeous colours that are too pretty to miss out on!

Whats your favourite nail polish for Spring/Summer?

Please leave me some suggestions in the comments!

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America Haul | Beauty, Fashion and Homeware

 I mentioned in my last post that today's blog post would be America and shopping related, did you guess it? Of course i'm doing a mini America haul. Unfortunately, I didn't go to America- my sister did. She asked if there was anything i'd like so of course I wasn't going to pass up on this opportunity to try American drugstore brands! I compiled a list of mainly things I couldn't pick up here in the UK or things I knew where cheaper in the US. Although I didn't get as much as i'd of hoped, as she could only find one thing on my list, she did however surprise me with some other gifts instead which I am so grateful for- thanks sis!

Focus on the swatch, not the rest of my hand pls

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Yogurt

Now, I know you can actually get these in the UK but I believe they're a little cheaper in America and i'm all for saving pennies. The Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk has been raved about, however I didn't really feel that I needed a white cream eye shadow so I decided to ask for Yogurt which as you can see is this gorgeous slightly pink toned bronze that will be amazing as a base! I haven't yet tested this but if I do like it, I shall be picking some more up. 

Crystal Point Pendant Necklace

This is something I usually wouldn't pick up for myself but I love it! I'm so pleased my sister picked this up for me as the green is gorgeous and will look amazing with simple monochrome outfits. I'm not too sure where my sister bought this but i'm sure if you search crystal point pendant then you'll be able to find similar!

Bath and Body Works Mini Candles

I knew I couldn't get these anywhere in the UK so I asked if she saw a Bath and Body Works store could she pop in and pick up a couple of their mini candles just so I could try them. I didn't request any particular scents as I couldn't smell them so I asked if she could get ones she thought i'd like and she did very well!

Island Tiare Flower- I definitely can't describe scents but I can tell you this smells very similar to the Yankee Candle in Pink Sands which is my favourite!

Coconut Vanilla- Does this really need explaining? I love the scent of coconuts and vanilla so this is perfect!

Pomelo Paradise- Again this one smells similar to Pink Sands by Yankee Candle but is slightly different from the first but I like it so i'm not complaining!

And last but definitely not least,

Las Vegas Mug

I don't think I've yet mentioned where she went but she visited Las Vegas and San Francisco. She knows how much i'd love to go to Las Vegas or pretty much anywhere in America so this was perfect for me as she also knows that I love a cup of tea. This is huge so I only tend to fill it half way but come winter time, I know this will be the perfect cup to warm me up after a long day at work!

I'm so grateful for her searching high and low for the products I ask for, although they were sold out unfortunately. I'm sure there will be another time i'll be able to ask someone to pick them up for me or they'll be more accessible in the UK. And of course i'm ever so thankful of her being so thoughtful and bringing other things back for me.

Have you been to America?

It's definitely near the top of my bucket list to go!

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