April Favourites

At first I didn't think I'd had that many favourites this month and that I would be able to combine my beauty and non beauty faves instead of doing two separate posts as usual. Therefore this is going to be a pretty long one, I'm sorry, you might want to pop the kettle on and have a cuppa at the ready before you start. 

As you know if you read my other posts I went on a University fieldtrip to 

Cyprus two weeks ago and so I had to pack some beauty essentials, read: half my case full. Whenever I'm on holiday I barely wear any makeup but since I was going with my friends it was a bit different, I found myself reaching for my Maybelline BB Cream all the time as it gave me just the right amount of coverage, was surprisingly a really good colour match for me and the best part it had an SPF of 15. Therefore hand in hand with this was my 17 concealer with was perfect for covering the odd blemish or two and those dark circles after a late night. 

The entirety of the trip I had my nails painted in the new Barry M Aquarium polish in Mediterranean and considering the work we were doing I was surprised that they didn't even chip once - thats a first and in fact when I came home if I hadn't of taken the nail polish off myself goodness knows how long it would have lasted. Talking about space earlier I decided to cut down a little and brought my sleek face form with me instead of individual bronzers, blushes and highlighter - this little trio is definitely a life saver and I was constantly reaching for it, more so than normal.

As for my lip product of choice I wanted a pop of colour as my base makeup and usually eyes were kept quite neutral and so my trusted and favourite Revlon lip crayon in Unapologetic was constantly in my bag. The last beauty related product that I've been loving is the L'oreal Tangle Teaser for kids, this may be a bit of an odd choice but when I go on holiday the heat destroys my hair and especially after a day in the pool its all ratty and horrible which I hate so I bought this to save my hair and it did just that making my life a heck of a lot easier.   

For non beauty favourites for the month of April I had to include Malteaser bunnies, their my all time favourite Easter treat and I don't even want to think about how many I've consumed this past month, I have a weakness for chocolate and they taste superb. The last favourite is the Amazing Spiderman 2 Movie, I couldn't wait for this to come out as I've always been a Spiderman fan from way back when Toby M'Guire had the role but I love Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone just as much therefore I was an emotional wreck. I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't seen it but the ending killed me, bring tissues with you, just saying. Anyways its super :) 

I hope you enjoyed my monthly faves for April, thanks for reading, Jenny xo  

#NOTD

I love a good hashtag who doesn't and somehow when I'm on Instagram this is one of the hashtags that catches my interest the most. I love scrolling through and seeing the nail art, designs and colours everyones using at the minute and mainly to get some inspiration for my own. 

I'm not big on the whole false nails thing and usually just stick to painting so I'm constantly changing my colour and I'm ashamed to say my nail polish collection has grown a lot in the past year or two as a result. I guess it's a good and a bad thing. The nail polish I have on at the minute, I've just fallen head over heels in love with the colour. Since I'm quite pale at the moment I've been trying to put off the pastels for a tanner day and reach for brighter Spring colours instead and this is just that. 

NYC is a brand stocked in Superdrug which is primarily aimed at younger makeup lovers, is incredibly cheap and up until now I hadn't really paid much attention to their products. This nail polish in the shade 'Lincoln Square Lavender" is a part of their "in a New York colour minute" collection and since I purchased it I think they've changed the packaging around a little. I've had this on for at least 3 days now with absolutely no chipping, the colour was opaque after one coat showing just how good this little bottle is as I can't say that about a lot of nail polish brands but I painted two coasts just as a precaution and I love it. 

For something so cheap, less than £2 I think and for 10ml of polish I'm pleasantly surprised and in this shade I'll definitely be stocking up on a few more to last me the summer. I can see this being on my nails alot. If you've tried anything from the NYC stand let me know, I love getting recommendations :) 

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo

p.s please feel free to follow my blog both on Bloglovin and Google Friend Connect.  

Empties #1

This is a short post for a change and my first time doing an empties or products I've used up post, mainly because I never usually use products fully which is a really bad thing to admit but so true. Instead of waiting for something to run out, I'll just get a replacement and use it instead - a habit I should probably change.  

Most of these are just day to day essentials that I've used up over the past month, since it's coming in to the Spring weather and my skin hasn't been acting up I've been reaching for a lighter coverage foundation, that being the Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation in the shade '010' which is surprisingly pale enough for my skin tone. I've already repurchased a new one whilst it was on offer so I'm all stocked up again.   

As well as this I've finally used up my 'the Falsies' Mascara, my all time favourite drugstore mascara to date. This is a product I can always rely on, it gives just the right amount of length and volume that I need without going overboard - perfect for wearing throughout the day. The last makeup empty of the month is my Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer which has been a blogging fave for years creating a well deserved buzz about it. After it disappearing from my local stores for a bit I began to worry as other drugstore concealers just don't do it for me but luckily enough the packaging was only being altered and this is the newly packaged collection concealer that I've used up. I'm still having doubts as to whether its the same formula or not but regardless it still manages to cover all my blemishes perfectly.

Another thing that I've managed to finish is my Batiste Dry Shampoo in 'floral and flirty blush', I'd heard so much praise about the Batiste range throughout the blogging community and this was my first product of theirs I'd tried. As far as a dry shampoo goes it does all the things it needs to do and is definitely a blessing on a bad or lazy hair day, for that reason I'll probably pick up a replacement but maybe in another type, I keep going to say shade silly me lol! Lastly I'm nearly finished, (that still counts right?) my L'oreal Micellar Water something I've been using up over the past few months. Since makeup wipes are so bad and all that I've been trying to make a conscious effort to use this instead and its worked well so far - eye makeup that usually would have been a hassle to get off now wipes off in an instance making my bedtime routine a lot quicker and me a lot happier. I now want to try other Micellar Waters to see which one works the best for me.  

So that's my empties for March/April I guess.... if you enjoyed this type of post be sure to let me know. It was a lovely change to write rather than my usual posts. Feel free to let me know what products you've used up lately. Thanks for reading, Jenny xo 

Cyprus Snaps

I've officially been home a week from Cyprus and I'm suffering from some serious withdrawl symptoms, the rainy weather back at home here just isn't cutting it. Even over the weekend when the sun made an appearance I couldn't help but say its not warm enough when I should have been jumping from the roof tops. Anyways enough of a rant, time to blog....

I'm going to apologise for that first photo right there, its really awkward to find the best lighting and angle to take a picture of your boarding pass and passport when your whole class is sitting beside you and probably giving you the weirdest looks for doing so. Therefore my knees had to serve as a lovely background, the best photo of a bad bunch. It was definitely an early start to the day, we'd been travelling since 4:30am I think and only just boarded at 8am, preparing for a 5 odd hour flight in alphabetical seating, never the popular option.

 It did all pay off however (well slightly) as you can see in the second picture we had a lovely view over the Alps, it looks so picturesque and I'm definitely proud of my photography. A mixture of clouds, snowy mountains and blue skies = perfection. 

The next two are very typical holiday pictures, basically showing the sunny weather that we've missed all year and the lovely green open spaces. The first was actually taken when we walked through the zoo, read more like a farm and a park combined. Everything just looked so nice and we even got to see some oranges growing on the local trees, something you just wouldn't see at home lol! 

The days were long and definitely packed with a lot of exercise and hard work and on one of the first few days we arrived we were taken to Mount Olympus. Obviously when we got to the top we admired the landscape and the breathtaking views but after that was over and done with, what else is there to do but take a couple of selfies. The next two photos were some of my friends and I doing just that, hi there makeup free face, a lot of wind and nice views.

After this we were taken to the conservation garden, I think it was and during lunch I decided to play about with my camera settings as you do and low and behold this close up and quite nice photo if I do say so myself of a native yellow flower was the result. 

The next two were closer to our apartment and show more of the built up tourist area we were staying in rather than a mountain, talk about diverse and it looks a heck of a lot prettier. The two last photos were taken whilst we had some free time and went exploring and again read, there was a lot of wind so we're really bracing the weather for the photo and thats why we look as if we have no hair aha. I also look tiny, stupid camera angle....

Anyways thats all the photos talked through, hope you enjoyed them. I probably rambled far too much but hey when do I not. The holiday was superb and I'd definitely consider going back again at some point.

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo 

Mac Mini Haul;

Before I went on holiday I decided to make a cheeky purchase at MAC, no one can resist! In fact I'm pretty sure I bought the items just because it was free shipping aka an excuse to buy something. Since joining the blogging world everybody and their cat owns a MAC palette or is in the process of creating one and as I didn't think I would have patience for a 15 pan palette I decided I'd give a 4 pan palette a whirl instead - just to get me started :)

This haul literally is 'mini', I only bought three items, one lipstick, the x4 palette and an eyeshadow to start off my collection. As all MAC products are drool worthy I found it hard to restrain myself and narrow down my selection to just a few things, in the end I picked up 'Nylon', a beautiful colour well known for being an inner eye highlight. My eyes never look too awake in the morning (neither do anyone's really) and so I'm hoping this'll change that, no more zombie eyes for me. If I'm honest I'm just really excited to start filling up my palette - this was my first MAC eyeshadow and I'm pretty sure it won't be the last. 

Lastly on a whim I picked up a lipstick from MAC, again something that previously hasn't been in my collection - its just so hard to justify so much money on one lipstick when I rarely stick to one and end up buying so many others to alternate with. The shade I picked up was 'Hot Tahiti', not an overly popular shade but not one that no ones heard of - a lovely in between. The colour itself is unlike any in my collection and I really can't wait to wear it soon.... lets be serious I'll probably have a review up in no time ;) Anyway that was my mini haul, sorry I'm only getting round to posting it now :) I hope you all enjoyed it!

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo
p.s if there are any MAC lipsticks/eyeshadows you think I should try, be sure to let me know :) 

Very Inspiring Blogger Award

This is my first post since I've landed back home from Cyprus, technically I came back home Thursday night and was planning to upload yesterday but my body clock has been seriously messed up and its only just sorted itself out now.... I was literally a walking zombie for a few days lol (no one wants that). Anyways as there was no wifi in our hotel so I immediately checked my blog as soon I was home and saw that I was nominated by the lovely Abigail for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award. 

Now with all these types of awards and prizes in the blogging world, I'll be honest I never know what half of them are - after only blogging 3 months, I'll blame it on that. I therefore found out by going on to the lovely Abigails blog after seeing her comment on one of my posts. I wasn't expecting it at all so it was a really nice surprise to come home to. Her blog is also amazing so be sure to check it out :) 

The rules are as follows: 

1. Link the lovely person that nominated you
2. List the rules and display the award.
3. Share 7 facts about yourself
4. Nominate 15 other blogs and comment to let them know you've nominated them
5. (Optional) Display the award logo anywhere on your blog e.g the side bar. 

7 Facts About Me:

1. I love reading, usually anything possible, as nerdy as that is. 

2. I'm turning 20 soon and its so upsetting because I don't want to say goodbye to my teenage years.
3. I'm pretty sure my wardrobes going to explode soon, its so full of clothes. I clearly have a problem.

4. Unlike most, I didn't actually enjoy living away from home for University.
5. I really have the urge to see new things and travel all of a sudden, whether it be close or far away. 

6. I have a thing for American t.v shows e.g pretty little liars, gossip girl, 90210, one tree hill, teen wolf and the walking dead - they're always so much better.  

7. I neglect most of my shoes, I only end up wearing the same until they're absolutely done, something which I should probably change lol!. 

As for my nominations instead of tagging 15 blogs, I've decided to nominate anyone who is reading this post. It's a heck of a lot fun and it helps everyone get to know you that little bit better. If you do do this award/tag be sure to leave me a comment with the link, I love reading everyone elses replys just as much. Again thanks Abigail for the nomination :) 

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo

Primark Haul ft H&M;

This is an unusual post for me, I love scrolling through clothing hauls and getting inspiration for outfits but I always thought it a bit difficult to take photos of clothes, does that make sense? Anyways I thought I'd give it a go just this once to see what you think. 

Amidst all my coursework I had to make some time to go shopping as this Wednesday (by the time this goes up, tomorrow) I'll be flying off to Cyprus as part of my fieldtrip which I'm super excited about, I just need some sunshine. As I live somewhere where its sometimes constantly raining and miserable I was in need of some summery additions to my wardrobe and decided to hit a few shops in town, mainly Primark and H&M. I'm going to apologise in advance for the photographs, the lighting in my room is dire and I can't hang clothes on mirrored wardrobes so I'd to borrow my brothers instead lol!

A must for any holiday is a comfortable pair of shorts and I found just that, I picked them up on my way to the changing rooms on a whim but they are so comfortable. I always have trouble finding shorts that fit properly, that gap at the back where it just doesn't want to go in anymore is not attractive. They're quite plain but figure hugging and I imagine they'll go with practically any top.

Also you may think I'm nuts going out and buying long sleeved tops for a holiday, I didn't want to trust me but our lecturers have insisted we do so :( Both the blue and white top (pictured under the kimono) are the exact same - a loose material, long sleeved and are a few sizes too big so they won't be restricting - something I hate especially in the warm weather. They can be jazzed up with a jacket or some bright jewellery and actually I'm not too fussed about covering up now, apart from the whole no sun tan for me thing.

As you might have guessed this season I'm loving kimonos, they're so versatile, they act as a cover up yet don't feel too heavy at the same time. The prints are beautiful and although black (I need to stop buying black) the floral patterns are perfect for spring and summer. I can't wait to wear them with vest tops underneath and either maxi skirts or shorts, we just need some sunny weather now, fingers crossed. The first kimono I'd been admiring on the H&M website for quite a while but everytime I popped into my local they didn't seem to have it in therefore when I saw it on the weekend I had to buy it! The second kimono I found whilst walking through the New Look kids section, yes I said kids section, well 'teenagers' section and it practically jumped out at me. I never even thought about going to that department but from now on I'm going to have to, I think it goes up to size 15-16 years, who knew being petite could be such an advantage? 

Anyways, it might not be a lot to some but that's my little haul. Hope you enjoyed it :) Be sure to let me know whether you liked this kind of post?

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo 

Weekly Ramble #3

Okay so I know these posts are mainly a Sunday night thing in the blogging world but university deadlines were calling and now I have a life again (aka a blogging life) so its only just being posted, hope you don't mind :) 

 Last day teaching at College / A wild hair day / A lot of chocolate cake and fatty foods were consumed this week with my fair share of meals with friends and family. 

The first picture is of the college my friend and I have been teaching Year 9 students in, at first when I thought of teaching or going to a school I had no idea about I was so scared and found the idea extremely daunting. However when we arrived the staff were as friendly and welcoming as could be, and the students were an absolute dream. On our last day we had a mini party, gave out prizes and took photos, it was nice to have a slightly more relaxed atmosphere around the children and to banter with them whilst still managing to get them to do work. It hasn't really sunk in yet that I won't be returning to school again and although it was a heck of a lot of work (teaching is not for me) I would definitely recommend the experience to everyone. I've grown in confidence as I'm able to present to large classes now, have managed to improve my organisation and time keeping and all round enjoyed myself. 

The second picture was a selfie I don't particularly like but it was taken after coming in from the wind and after dinner showing just how crazy the weather really is here. My hair looks a tiny bit windswept to say the least and my makeup was definitely on the neutral side. The rest of the pictures are pretty self explanatory, over the course of the week in between all my deadlines and long nights, I managed to go for dinner not once but twice. Now considering I've a holiday on Wednesday I should probably be 'watching my figure' but a 3 course meal definitely counts as that right? I have a serious weakness for chocolate cake as you may be able to tell and when I was eating out with my friends we ended up in Pizza Hut, somewhere I haven't been to in goodness knows how many years but that pizza was absolutely amazing and it was lovely to catch up with friends who I hadn't seen in a few months due to conflicting schedules.  

So a busy week indeed and this week coming is surely to be eventful as I'm off to Cyprus for my University Fieldtrip, honestly it'll be nice to just get away and have some sunshine. How's everyone elses week been? 

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo 

Music I'm Loving #1

So this may be a little different to my usual posts but I'm nosy and love reading more personal posts on blogs, I feel like you get to know the author ten times better. As you might be able to tell from the picture or title, either one, this post is basically telling you all about my favourite songs at the moment - who knows I might even make it a regular thing if people actually enjoy it. 

As you might be able to tell  from the picture, I have a thing for One Direction, I have done since I watched them audition solo on xfactor and my obsession love for them has only grown. Their most recent album is always on repeat but since the release of the video for Midnight Memories its been played about a billion times, not going to lie. The majority of the music I've been loving this month is predominately chart music but I do listen to a variety of genres I swear :) As for keeping in with the boyband theme I haven't been able to get either 5sos' song 'she looks so perfect' and The Vamps 'last night' out of my head - both are unbelievably catchy and I can't help but hum and sing along when I hear them.

I've also been loving Ellie Gouldings song 'Goodness Gracious' as its so upbeat and just has an all round summer vibe to it, in fact all of the songs I'm listing are upbeat - must just be a happy music period. Little Mix were doing their bit for Sport Relief and released 'Word Up', another great song, again I love these girls and I'm actually so excited that I'm seeing them again in a month or two on their tour. The last but not least song I've been enjoying is definitely a love or hate song, its #selfie by The Chainsmokers, at first I couldn't stand it but its grown on me due to my housemate overplaying it, its also hilarious being out at night and it coming on in the club resulting in everyone drunkenly taking selfies and looking absolutely ridiculous.

You've most likely heard all of these on the radio but if you haven't open up Youtube and give them a listen, I'm sure you'll love them. If anyone has any songs/bands they think I should check out be sure to let me know? I love discovering new artists :)

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo

March Favourites;

Every month I tell myself that I'll have my favourites post up before the new month but let's be serious, its very unlikely. The past two weeks have been absolutely nuts with university deadlines and I haven't had a life at all, let alone time for eating and sleeping, I'm like a walking zombie therefore I apologise for the lack of posting. The lack of sleep does look as if its paying off though so far as I'm extremely proud of the marks I've been getting back in my assignments. Again totally off topic and a bunch of rambling before my post (note to self: stop doing this) but alas heres my favourites for March.  

For this month I didn't purchase too many new things but rather rekindled my love for old makeup items in my collection. Usually I would do a beauty favourites and non beauty favourites but this month as I said I haven't had time to do anything which is really annoying. The only non beauty item included in this is my necklace, I picked this up a few weeks ago in Primark (Primark are seriously doing it for me for S/S 2014) I saw it and automatically knew I had to have it, its girly but not too girly and the pastel flowers mean that I can jazz up a plain pastel tshirt or wear it with a dress if I'm going out. Multi-tasker or what! 

As for skincare I've been loving the Soap and Glory Flake Away Body Scrub, it is amazing! It leaves my skin feeling fresh and slightly scented with the original soap and glory smell - what more could you want. I also repurchased my Maybelline The Falsies Mascara, its a bit confusing having about 4 different variations nowadays so I just picked up the original formula as usual but if anyone does know the difference could they please let me know? 

Lipsticks are a serious weakness of mine, I can't go out of the house without applying a lip balm, stick or crayon with gloss being a no go. For class I opt for a nude lip, with a my lips but better look going on and this month I've been loving both the Kate Moss Matte Lipstick in shade 101 which unfortunately had gotten lost for a period of time in my room and one of the new Revlon Colourburst Matte Balms in Sultry. Both are so easy to wear, apply like a dream, are super pigmented and last forever! The smell is also an added bonus for the two of them, Revlon has a slighty minty smell and Rimmel I'm not too sure what it smells like, but nice nonetheless. They're easy to chuck into my handbag and I can see them definitely getting their use in the next couple of months.   

So thats my favourites for March over and done with, if anyone else had some products they just loved be sure to let me know? I love getting product recommendations whether it be skincare, makeup, haircare or beauty related. Also feel free to leave a comment or say hi, I don't bite :)

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo