52 Weeks Project | Week 34

34/52

Yesterday I got back from a lovely week away with my parents in Norfolk, it was so peaceful and relaxing but I'm glad to be home. I'm planning a few blog posts at the moment and I'm excited to share them with all of you! I also scheduled a few posts for the past week so I still had posts going up whilst I had no wifi or even phone signal!

It's difficult to pick one photo for this weeks post, but I've got a couple of posts coming up with more of my favourite photos from my holiday coming up so look out for those.

How has your week been?

Appreciating The Little Things

I've been reflecting on life a lot recently. I've been appreciating the little things in life that I'd usually look past and I've been appreciating the little things a lot more. I'm in a strange place at the moment and I can't put my finger on it, we'll see what happens.

How To Survive Freshers Nights Out | University Guide

These are a few tips I learnt throughout freshers last year and I thought they may be helpful to those of you hoping to go to university this September, I'm hoping I haven't missed anything out. These tips are based on my experience of surviving a night out during Freshers and remember to have fun! 

1. Before you go out make sure you have the numbers of everyone you're going out with, this way you'll be able to call someone when you're in an unfamiliar club and probably in a new city too.
2. Have a few numbers for local reliable taxis before you leave.
3. Leave a glass of water by your bed for when you come in - okay I say glass but I find sports bottles/plastic water bottles are a safer bet incase you knock it over!
4. Put your keys in a safe place like the zip pocket in your bag so if you do fall over whilst out (it happens to the best of us, especially in freshers!) your keys will still be safe.
5. Never go anywhere alone, we all know girls go to the toilet in pairs anyway, but even to the bar, smoking area, different room in the club make sure you have someone with you!
6. Never leave your drink unattended and don't drink someone else's drink that they've left on the side - both of these seem obvious but trust me, it's important to remember these.
7. Do not leave the club alone if possible and get a taxi if you're going to be on your own, it's much safer! 
8. This one really isn't a tip as such, but if you've lost your friends look in the smoking area, even the non-smokers gravitate there usually for a bit of air!

If anyone has any other tips feel free to leave them below!

Always remember to drink responsibly!

52 Weeks Project | Week 33

33/52

This week I did a little bit of shopping and bought a couple of bits including this adorable cup from the Disney Store. I'll have a haul post up very soon so look out for that. It's been quite a slow week as I've also been working and trying to organise uni related things.

How has your week been?

University Preparation Tips | University Series

I'm really enjoying my University series and I hope you are too! Today's post is about university preparation tips, as always these are just what I've found helpful for me and are based on my own experience and I'll soon be going into my 2nd year!

1. Find a Facebook group for your university and join the freshers one, I'm sure a lot of you have already done this or will do this as soon as your results come out, but it's so helpful to join these groups! A lot of the posts are asking what halls everyone's in, what course everyone is doing and there may even be a separate one for your halls so try finding and joining that too.

2. Find a supplies checklist on your university's website. Some university's advise you not to bring stationery for example as they know you'll be given a lot of freebies at the fresher's fair, so finding out what your uni provides in your halls and rooms is vital so you don't waste money.

3. Talk to your flatmates and get to know them whilst doing this you can also figure out if there's any communal items you can all bring, for example a toaster.

4. Find out which freshers events are best by speaking to older students. They'll be able to tell you which freshers tickets to buy and which are the best nights and which are the clubs to avoid.

5. Don't buy expensive cutlery, okay this seems a little odd but trust me it will go missing! I'd suggest going to Poundland and buy it there, it does the same job.

6. Don't take your entire bedroom with you as tempting as it is, you won't have room. I made this mistake and my room was far too cramped and messy but take what you really need and some decorations and photos from home too.

7. Enjoy yourself and don't panic too much. You'll have the time of your life, embrace it!

Does anyone else have any tips they'd like to share?

Decorate Your Uni Room With Free Photo Prints | University Guide

As you can see I get my photos printed out quite regularly but always forget to put them into photo albums, oops.

A massive congratulations to everyone who got into university this year, I hope you're all really excited! I have a University Guide series I'm doing which I will be posting over the next few weeks so if you have any specific questions or topics you want me to address, just let me know!

Anyway, today I'm talking about one way of decorating your new room. Most universities don't allow you to use blue tack on the walls, but I used white tack last year and had no issues.. If your uni is really strict and won't allow anything on the walls you could always put these photos up on a pin board!

Last year I had photos all over one of my walls and it made my room feel so much more like home, the best part was I got free photo prints. 

I chose to get mine from Photobox which is a company I love. I paid £2.99 for delivery and I had 50 free prints. Also if you refer a friend to join up and they use their free prints you also get 50 free prints for referring them so it's a win win situation for you and your friends!

Snapfish also offer 40 free prints if you sign up and you only pay £1.99 for postage. I've also used Snapfish in the past and they're a good company too.

Jessops Photo is new to me, but if you register you will be sent a voucher code for 100 free photo prints. You read that right 100 free photo prints! You also pay postage which is £2.25. I'm about to place my order using my 100 free prints so when they arrive I'll update you all on how the photos are!

There are a few websites you can get free photo prints from and there's nothing stopping you from signing up to each website and claiming your free prints from all of them!

Soap and Glory Heel Genius | Review

Soap and Glory Heel Genius // £5.50

Nobody really likes talking about feet, but it's important to take good care of them and Heel Genius is a must have product for me. It is a thick gel like formula but it's not greasy and that's the most important part for me. I've tried foot creams in the past that are so greasy and take ages to dry, but that's not the case with this.

It also has a mint-like scent but it's not too overpowering either. I put this on before bed and then when I wake up my feet are a lot smoother and more moisturised. The tube also claims 125ml which will last you a while as you only need a small amount each time. 

Have you tried Heel Genius?

52 Weeks Project | Week 32

32/52

This week I haven't really done anything apart from go to London which I mentioned in my post from this morning here and yesterday afternoon after work I also went for tea and cake in aid of raising money for breast cancer care and that was lovely as well. I re-pierced the third piercing on my lobe and put in some pretty new earrings (from Primark incase you're wondering) and that's pretty much my week summed up!

p.s. how cute is this cupcake from the tea and cake afternoon I went to?!

How has your week been?

Impromptu Trip To London

On Monday I ended up having an impromptu trip to London and I won't go into why as it's personal but I thought I'd make the most of it and share a few of my photos with you. I'm not usually one to spend a lot of time in London despite living close, I just don't like how packed the trains always are and how  busy it is. Anyway, I still got some pretty photos despite only having my phone with me!

The last photo is my favourite and despite me saying I don't really like London, I'd love to go back again soon, maybe just planning it so I avoid busy trains if that's even possible!

Where would you recommend I go in London?

P.s. my 52 weeks post is still being posted today, at 12:30pm!

Drugstore Micellar Water Comparison

Garnier Micellar Water - £4.99 // L'oreal Micellar Water - £4.99 // Boots Botanics Micellar Water - £2.99

I have been organising this post for quite a while now and I'm excited to share it all with you and I hope you find it helpful! I have never tried Bioderma Micellar Water however I have tried the 3 drugstore alternatives shown above.

Garnier Micellar Water - £4.99 - 400ml

This is my favourite micellar water out of the 3. It is almost always on offer and it leaves my skin feeling the nicest and also it only requires a small amount of remove all of my make up. I have back up bottles in my room and it's on offer quite frequently so look out for that. Although it's not travel friendly I've found it's the best at removing all my make up and leaves my skin feeling fresh and soft. This is also the best at removing eye make up as it doesn't leave me with panda eyes like the others did.

L'oreal Micellar Water - £4.99 - 200ml

This was the first drugstore micellar water that I tried and I must say I was very impressed with it, especially considering I had got into the habit of using make up wipes to remove my make up. After using this for a couple of weeks my skin had improved no end and my skin was almost perfectly clear. This micellar water has the least amount of product for your money (200ml)  and although I did like it since using the others I don't think I'd repurchase it.

Boots Botanics Micellar Water - £2.99 - 250ml

This is the micellar water I bought most recently and have been trailing it recently, and it is also the cheapest of the three. This is part of the Boots Botanics All Bright range and I'm glad Boots have brought out their own micellar water. Boots Botanics micellar water did brighten the appearance of my skin, however it wasn't very good at removing eye make up for me. I would still repurchase this micellar water as I do really like it, it's just not my favourite!

1st place - Garnier Micellar Water

2nd place - Boots Botanics Micellar Water

3rd place - L'oreal Micellar Water

Have you tried any drugstore micellar waters? What did you try and what did you think?

Friday Make Up Buys | Boots Haul

Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs - £9.99 // Revlon Colorstay Foundation - £12.49 // 

Seventeen Stay Time Concealer - £4.49 // Collection Lengthening Mascara - £2.99

I popped into Boots after work today with my Mum and picked up a couple of make up bits and thought I'd share them with you, I also have an exciting post coming up tomorrow morning so look out for that!

Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs (Light Glow)

My Mum bought this for me as I was getting really down about hating my legs, so I'm very grateful for that! I put it on as soon as I got home and so far I love it. I'm so glad it's water resistant too as no one likes their fake tan running off on a night out due to rain or spilt drinks.

Revlon Colorstay Foundation Normal/Dry Skin (Ivory)

I've heard this foundation raved about hundreds of times so I thought it was about time I tried it out for myself and my beloved L'oreal True Match foundation has run out so this is perfect timing. I know it's a full coverage and it's summer but I was still keen to pick it up!

Seventeen Staytime Concealer (Extra Fair)

This is a repurchase for me and you can read my review on it here. As you can tell I love it and I've lost my previous one so this was a must have for me.

Collection Lengthening Mascara (Ultra Black)

I've never tried this mascara either but the bright green packaging caught my eye and for £2.99 I couldn't really turn it down!

Have you tried any of these products? Let me know in the comments what you think of them!

Back To University Stationery Basics | Haul - University Series

Oxford A4 Notebook £2 // Oxford A4 Refill Pad £1.50 

Bic Cristal Biros £1.50 // Tesco Biros 30p // Record Cards 80p per pack

I absolutely love buying stationery and I've spent most of my day watching back to school stationery hauls on Youtube so I thought I'd share with you the few rings I picked up in Tesco yesterday. I only bought the basics as I was in a rush and I still have some supplies left out from last years stationery haul and I've bought plenty throughout the year so I may do a whole post on everything I'm taking back with me. 

The Oxford notebooks and refill pads were on offer which is why I bought them now as the paper quality is amazing and I'm really quite fussy when it comes to paper. I just bought some basic biros as I always use black ink and having new pens is always nice. Finally I bought some record cards for only 80p per back, absolute bargain. When I was coming up to exam season last semester I couldn't find cheap record cards anywhere and ended up spending almost £10 on 3 packs so I'm stocking up now!

Do you love back to school/uni stationery or is it just me?!

Soap and Glory Clean On Me Shower Gel | Review

Soap and Glory Clean On Me Shower Gel // £6

This is my second bottle of this shower gel so that's already given you an idea that I love this shower gel (I thought I'd picture the one where the packaging is still in tact and not worn off from being in the shower!). Starting off with the packaging which is similar to all other Soap and Glory products, beautiful. The pump is also super handy as it means you don't end up wasting a lot of product each time you use it.

This is one of my favourite shower gels I've used and although it is quite pricey for a shower gel, it's definitely worth it. It's so creamy and luxurious feeling compared to some other shower gels I've tried and it lathers up so well. Another thing I love about this is that the scent lingers after you've got dressed after having a shower and that makes me love it even more.

I also find a little goes a long way so one pump is by far enough for my whole body which means this 500ml bottle lasts a lifetime (not literally obviously) so in the grand scheme of things it isn't too expensive as I find I use less product than normal. 

I don't think I can fault anything about this shower gel and I'm so glad I have it!

What's your favourite Soap and Glory bath/body product? Would anyone be interested in seeing a post on Soap and Glory collection?

52 Weeks Project | Week 31

31/52

This week was a lot better than last week and part of that was due to the excitement I had when I finally found a coke bottle with my name on it! I know it's a little thing, and I know everyone else has posted a photo like this on some type of social media before but I still enjoyed it! I also found a pair of jeans that almost fit, and for me that's impressive! I struggle with jeans due to having large thighs/bum and a much smaller waist but I'll find a pair one day! If anyone has any suggests on where to buy jeans for pear shaped girls like me please let me know!

I hope you've all had a brilliant week, I'm about to go for breakfast with my friend! I hope you all enjoy your Sunday.

Skincare Wish List | Drugstore Edition

1. Simple Illuminating Radiance Cream - £7.99

2. Simple Protecting Moisture Cream SPF30 - £3.99

3. No7 Beautiful Skin Purifying Mask - £12.50

4. Soap & Glory Dr Spot - £8

5. Soap & Glory Drama Clean 5-in-1 Micellar Water - £6

In the past few months my skin regime has improved and I've really noticed the difference, my skin has improved no end. I've been eyeing up a few products in Boots that I want to try out and here are a few of them! Being a student means I can't really afford to splash out on luxury skincare and I find my skin reacts quite well to drugstore skincare anyway which is a bonus for me. 

Have you tried any of these products or have any drugstore skincare recommendations? If you have please let me know!

Seventeen Instant Glow Shimmer Brick | Review

Seventeen Instant Glow Shimmer Brick (Pink Bronze) // £4.99

I bought this shimmer brick last year but I wasn't blown away by it and it got put to the back of my collection but this summer I've been using it almost everyday. I absolutely love it as a highlighter and as eyeshadow too. It obviously looks similar to the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick, however it's a lot cheaper! I can't compare the two as I don't own the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick, but I'm sure someone else has!

Anyway, I love using the top two shades as my highlight as it gives a subtle highlight that can be built up for a more intense look and I use the bottom two shades as eyeshadows. I find these last all day on both my cheek bones and my eyelids which makes this an even better product for my make up bag as it has multiple uses! As you can see in the photo below the shimmer brick is extremely pigmented as well. 

What's your favourite highlighter at the moment?

Products I've Hit Pan On | 001

Fashionista Brow Kit // Sleek Contour Kit // Soap and Glory Lid stuff

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder // ELF Tone Correcting Concealer

When I went to uni last September one of the biggest challenges about packing for me was choosing what make up take with me as I knew I'd only have a limited amount of space. This meant that instead of changing up my products daily there were a lot of products I used almost everyday for 6 months or more and I knew which products I really did love or dislike.   Inevitably I've hit pan on more products than usual this past year due to this so here's a little run down on what I've hit pan on!

Fashionista Brow Kit 

I can't find this online anymore so maybe I've just been on the loop and Fashionista have been discontinued?! If anyone knows, please let me know! Anyway, I love this brow kit as I prefer powders to brow pencils and this is the perfect size for chucking in your bag.

Sleek Contour Kit (Light)

I've loved this contour kit for years but it was pushed to the back of my make up drawer but I've been using it everyday and I've fallen in love with it again. The contour has a very slight shimmer but you can't notice it once you've applied it and the highlighter is beautiful too.

Soap and Glory Lid Stuff (What's Nude)

This has become my go to daily palette as it has mainly matte shades which I prefer, and it has 1 shimmery shade which I sometimes line my bottom lashes with. I have also done a review on this palette here if you want to have a read. 

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder

I bought this powder a couple of years ago and really wanted to love it as everyone says its a dupe for MAC's MSF Natural however it broke my out but I've tried it again and it's now my go to powder. It's a bargain at only £3.99 as well.

ELF Tone Correcting Concealer

This is yet another product I'd forgotten about until recently, but it works wonders for under my eyes. Next time I make an ELF order I'm going to buy a couple of these as they really do help hide my under eye bags which are getting worse by the day!

I would most definitely repurchase all of these products again.

What are your go to products?

52 Weeks Project | Week 30

30/52

Firstly I apologise for not blogging much this past week, it's mainly been down to having 'one of those weeks' and hormones which meant I didn't feel like doing much but I've planned my posts for next week so look out for those!

Like I said this week has been one of those weeks but that's okay because everything can't be great all the time right?! Anyway, I still had a lovely week nonetheless and it was beautiful weather again (yet as I'm typing this the rain is unbeliveable).

How has your week been?