Christmas 2013!

So it's that time of year again! I thought I would answer some questions to do with Christmas that I've found on various tags around the internet. As I'm finally off uni and have no work to be doing, I am EXTREMELY bored and trying to find ways of filling my time. I hope this helps.

1) Favourite Christmas movie

 

I think everyone loves a bit of Elf! I am a massive Zooey Deschanel fan as well so this film has to come out this time of year! 
Slightly embarrassingly, Nativity is such a brilliant British Christmas film! I'm surprised not more people have heard of it because it's absolutely hilarious, a great family film with really catchy songs in.

2) Where do you usually spend Christmas?
My mum's side of the family have a really lovely big house in the countryside in Cambridgeshire so we spend Christmas there with my Grandparents, Auntie + Uncle, Cousins as well as my parents and sister. It's fab!

3) What's your favourite Christmas song?
This is a difficult question. I love all the popular songs, especially anything by Michael Buble. However, Silent Night or Stille Nacht has quite a significant meaning for me personally, as I am part German. I love all the meanings behind it from the first world war, and to me it really symbolises peace and family.

4) Do you open any presents on Christmas Eve?Absolutely not! This is forbidden.

5) What Christmas traditions are you most looking forward to this year?
I love sitting round a massive table with the whole family eating Christmas dinner and just chatting. I love enjoying eachothers company without technology and work distracting or stressing us out. 

6) Is your Christmas tree real or fake?Fake unfortunately. I think our house would feel way more Christmassy with a real one, but for some reason we just never have :(

7) What is your favourite Christmas food?
A full-on roast dinner is fine by me. Although, my sister bakes an amazing chocolate log.

8) What's the best Christmas gift you've ever received?
This is a difficult one to answer but I do remember being given this really old (but huge) doll's house which has been passed down my family for a few generations. I can't remember if this was a Christmas or birthday gift, but I remember being absolutely thrilled when I received it!

9) What would be your dream place to visit during the Christmas holidays?
I think it would be wrong to be anywhere other than home! 

10) When did you find out that Father Christmas wasn't real?
I actually have no idea! I guess I must have just worked it out for myself. But as I have a younger sister I carried on pretending he was real for a long time!

11) What makes Christmas special to you?Just being with family and not having to worry about university or money or work. It's like for just one day a year all the stresses disappear and you can have a fantastic day, no matter what's going on in your life. 

Let me know your answers to these questions... I love hearing about other people's family traditions!
I hope everyone has a fabulous Christmas! 

My winter playlist

Now I know that a lot of these songs are incredibly old, I am very bad with keeping up with what's popular in music - I blame that on essay writing! 

First of all, Katy Perry's new album Prism is incredible! I am slightly biased in that I will love anything that Katy sings. But even so, this new music is so beautiful and different from her usual stuff - so I recommend people to listen even if you're not a fan of her usual "candy pop". Spiritual was co-written by John Mayer and it's such a stunning song, very Lana-esque. And Choose your Battles is also one of my favourites on the album - both of these are very solemn and wintery. I love!

I'm so excited for Catching Fire to come out, and Atlas has that magic Coldplay touch. Similarly, Strong has been around for ages but I love the lead singer in London Grammar, her voice is stunning. Again, these are relaxing songs; I think the lack of excitement in my life is rubbing off on my music tastes.

Royals is another one that has been around for a while and my Australian friend has been going on about her for ages! It's such a different song, which I love having at the top of the charts, it's good to see a change. 

I was a bit apprehensive about Bonfire Heart because I thought James Blunt had well and truly had his time. But it's a lovely song and I really like it; it makes me feel all cosy and warm.

I've been a big fan of Vampire Weekend and Kings of Leon for a long time now and I find myself always playing Unbelievers and Supersoaker; they're just feel-good, catchy songs.

I am completely ashamed to say I love R U Crazy. I love how it starts off all jazzy and then it goes to Conor's usual RnB. It's completely not my sort of music that I actually enjoy it.

Again, I've been a fan of Two door cinema club for years and Imagine Dragons for about a year, and I keep finding myself turn back to these songs, they just don't get old. 

And finally, this years John Lewis advert song! A few weeks ago I was playing one of the really old Singstar games for a laugh with my housemates. Somewhere only we know came on and I remembered how much I loved Keane and it was fabulous because we all knew all the words. So I downloaded the song straight away and have been listening to it all month. Then when I watched the Christmas John Lewis advert and realised Lily Allen had covered it, I fell in love with it even more! I am so keen for Keane!

So yes, I'm absolutely loving this little selection of songs this winter. What are your favourites?

Becky

Spotless Skin - Foundation!

In the light of my horrendously bad skin, I have decided to write a new "skin series" every week, to update you on my journey to spotless skin!

I thought I would start with liquid foundation, as this is where I usually start in my task to cover up my acne. 

Throughout the summer I have been loving the Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation - which has been raved about absolutely everyone! However, as someone with oily skin and now the weather is getting colder, the glowy complexion Wake Me Up gives me just doesn't look right. I also got a rather dark tan this summer; remember that beautiful weather we had in the UK? So that meant that my current bottle of Wake Me Up is way too dark and I'm having to slap on many layers in order for it to look like my own skin. I have a feeling this could be one of the (many) reasons my acne has got so bad recently. 

So I went back to an old favourite, Bourjois Healthy Mix! 

Like Wake Me Up, Healthy Mix does give you the dewy, radiant look that I love! But, I feel it's not quite as shiny and thick on the skin. I know that slapping on foundation can't be good for your skin. But I do think that the moisture this foundation gives me has had a positive effect on my skin (I have been using the oxy pads which has made my skin so dry - more on this in another blog post!). 

I love that Healthy Mix covers up all the flaws, but feels really light on my skin at the same time! I am loving the natural look at the moment so not having to pile on foundation to stop the spots showing through is always good!

So, that's that, I think I have found myself a new favourite foundation! Although I know in the spring I'll go back to Wake Me Up. 

What are your favourites?

Becky

Autumn/Winter wishlist

So Autumn has definitely arrived. It is absolutely freezing at the moment... I'm currently typing this whilst still wearing my coat because I cannot bear taking it off! Yes, we refuse to turn the heating on... typical students.

Here are some items on my current wishlist, hurry up payday!

1) Embroidered Jumper - £34 - Topshop. I just love the floral design on this!

2) Tartan skirt - £14.99 - New Look. Tartan is everywhere at the moment and I think wearing this skirt high-waisted with a white/black shirt is easy to pull off!

3) Mac with black "leather" sleeves - £50 - Miss Selfridge. I love the contrast of the two materials and I think it's a beautiful coat.

4) Oversized smock dress - £15 - Boohoo.com. I own a couple of these dresses from Boohoo already and they are so flattering! I want all the colours.

5) Black heeled boots with gold details - £40 - Boohoo.com. I also have plenty of black boots but these are just too gorgeous!

Becky

Spots, spots, spots!

My skin is bad at the moment and I have no idea why.

I haven't had any particular change in diet or skincare routine so I'm not sure why I've suddenly been breaking out so much recently (I'm putting it down to stress).

So given that my skin is so bad and oily at the moment, I thought I would try some new products to see if it makes any difference and I will be posting reviews of any gems I find on here!

Gone will be the days of my usual "Simple" Cleanse, tone and moisturise routine!

If anyone can recommend me any products then that would be fab!

Becky

(Re)Fresher's week!

For those of you at university, you will know that fresher's week is one of the highlights of the year! A year ago when I first started at Royal Holloway, University of London; I was far too shy and didn't make the most of meeting new people during freshers week. 

So, this summer I decided that I would go all out on these first couple of weeks, so I thought I'd let you all know about my hectic 14 days!

My housemate Sophie and me. 

The first few days were spent drinking (a lot) with my housemates and close friends. There were a lot of events purely for first years on campus so we went to our local pub for a good old catch-up. Some people I hadn't seen since May so it was lovely! Unfortunately after a summer of detoxing from alcohol, my limits had decreased a lot more than expected. I therefore experienced my first two day hangover and it was horrendous. 

 

Pre-drinks with housemates

Pre-drinks for the Rhul Students Union night resumed after a summer off. I loved the make-up and outfit I wore on this night but I didn't get a good enough photo! I wore this gorgeous jungle-pattern (Katy Perry Roar style) peplum top with disco pants and high-heeled Chelsea boots. For my makeup I pushed the boat out a bit and went with a strong eyebrow and plum coloured lipstick!

I also worked. I worked a lot during freshers week. My part-time job at the uni slopping food on people's plates in the canteen needed me to do extra shifts as it was so busy! I ended up working about 50 hours in the two weeks which is just too much when you have lectures to attend and nights out to socialise! (I don't have any photos of myself in my work uniform, and even if I did I wouldn't be posting them on the internet.)

Geogsoc Pub Crawl

I also pub-crawled! The geography society organises brilliant events all year round but the fresher's pub crawl is always so good for socialising and meeting all the newbies! I curled my hair for the first time in years and I really liked it! After trawling round the local pubs, we all ended up going to Liquid Nightclub in Windsor which is always a fabulous night. It has to be said I was very worse for wear the next day!

Hugo, Me, Poppy, Sam and Lucia toga-ing it up!

I also went to a surprise toga party for my friend's 21st! As he's from Italy we thought the Roman theme would be well suited and we hid in his living room to surprise him after he came back from a meal out! He was so shocked but it was a brilliant (sober) night (who'd have thought you could have so much fun without drinking?!?)

As well as all this I worked at the uni open day on Saturday. This involved waking up at 6am to greet early bird visitors arriving at 7.30am. I spent the rest of the day in the geography department answering questions to potential applicants and it was a lot of fun! Thought I'd include a shameless plug... the next Royal Holloway open day will be on Saturday 26th October so come along if you're interested! 

So, all of that along with lectures has meant I've been very behind on blogging recently SORRY! I do hope I'll be able to find a couple of hours every week to keep up-to-date. 

Becky

The Great British Bake Off

I cannot be the only one who is obsessed with this show.

It combines everything that a brilliant TV series should have; hilarious presenters, expert judges, a complete array of contestants, food, Britishness and of course the innuendos. 

I realised how invested I was in this programme last week whilst sobbing to Howard's emotional goodbye to Ali. 

It has become tradition in my university household to have a "Bake off party" every Tuesday evening. It involves a growing number of guests (who are all becoming as obsessed as I am) and everyone must bring a baked good of sorts. We all get so involved and criticise the bakers on a number of things (mainly who wears the best knitwear rather than their baking technique... Ruby wins hands down - although nobody will ever top James from season 3). 

I cannot be the only one who is pleased to see a series that brings so much joy into people's lives (I mean, who doesn't love cake?) take over the TV. I'm so bored of shows such as the X factor who lead people to believe that the only way you can be successful in life is to win a singing competition (which is untrue as I can't remember the name of any previous winner). But GBBO provides light-hearted family entertainment in which you don't have to be young, good-looking or have a sob-story to succeed. It brings people together and has indeed created a baking revolution in Great Britain! I love it!

Anyway, I was thinking of writing a weekly installment of sorts on my thoughts of the programme just shown (as I have a lot of thoughts). But seeing as we have already had four episodes I thought I would give my opinions on the bakers so far...

Ali - I was absolutely gutted when he left last week, although lets be honest his pies weren't great. But he was this years obligatory hot hipster guy (for GBBO newbies; there is always one). He's also a charity worker and seems really kind (I admit I have been stalking his twitter) and who could forget his emotional farewell between Howard and Christine. 

Beca - I'm not sure what to think of her yet. She is this years mumsy baker who created those perfect baby macaroons. Apart from that she hasn't done anything to stand out thus far so she could be a dark horse...

Christine - The Mary Berry wannabe. Again, I'm not entirely sure what I think of her yet. She has won star baker once and her prayers to the "God of Crisp" were answered as she had no soggy bottom; Christine could go far.

Deborah - Oh Debs. She stole Howard's (delicious) custard and he was left with her, quite frankly, horrid custard. One of the greatest - yet controversial - moments in GBBO history. Fabulous.

Frances - In my household she is known as "Bitch-face". None of us like her, for some reason, which is actually quite harsh seeing as she hasn't done anything wrong. She does always go way over the top on the creative side to impress Paul and Mary, though her flavours tend to lack so I don't think she'll last until the end. 

Glenn - when he bakes, he bakes big - a man after my own heart. I think he could go far in this competition, or at least I hope he does because I enjoy watching him crouched next to his oven watching his goods bake. 

Howard - the star of this series so far. He may not be the best baker, but he puts his heart and soul into his cooking (and some incredible artwork). I will also never forget the shot of him in episode one of "When Howard is not baking, he is a keen jogger." in his tiny white shorts. 

Kimberly - I love her. She is so cheerful and does well in every challenge. I think she could be this years' front runner.

Lucy - I remember she was really good in the first episode but completely failed in the second. Remember that bread loaf with the tomato plonked on the top?! 

Mark - I didn't really have any opinions of him as he kind of faded into the background. Probably a good thing he got eliminated then.

Rob - a mushroom foraging fanatic. He was one of the less memorable bakers the first few weeks, however, I am looking forward to his dalek bake tonight which was shown on the episode preview. 

Ruby - another one of this series' stars. I hated her the first episode because she came across like a grumpy teenager. But since she has really grown on me and is probably one of my favourites. She owns fabulous knitwear and my friends and I were convinced her and Ali were flirting!

Toby - Oh Toby. The first victim of Paul and Mary. I really liked him (mainly because he comes from Reading and has a lovely beard). However, he did put salt in his angel food cake instead of sugar which is a schoolboy error. Shame. 

So that is all of this years contestants and my thoughts of them. I was going to write about Paul, Mary, Mel and Sue but they are all Gods and Goddesses and don't need an introduction. 

Anyone else as obsessed as I am?

Becky

Wrecking Ball - Miley Cyrus

Right, so this video has been floating around the internet for the last couple of days (I'm sure you've all seen it, unless you've been living under a rock) and I thought I would share my opinion of it. 

As much as we all hate it, artists such as Miley Cyrus need to gain attention in order for more people to watch their videos and buy the albums etc. Unfortunately, sex sells. And it just so happens that a week after THAT performance with Robin Thicke at the VMAs, she releases a new video in which a majority of it she is swinging naked on a wrecking ball. And despite how disgusting I and many others find this; in just three days the video has over 60million hits! 

So this whole using sex to sell business has - and will always be - a problem in the music industry. I mean who could forget this...

and this...

(I am a massive Katy Perry fan, for those of you who don't know)

We've seen it with Katy, Lady Gaga, Rihanna and plenty others. And it just so happens that these girls are some of the biggest selling artists in the world. 

But in my opinion, Miley has over-stepped the mark. I feel like she's trying too hard to act "sexy" (I have no idea why licking a sledgehammer is sexy but each to their own) and move on from her disney days. 

But all of this is to get a reaction. And that's what she has been given. In fact, I'm giving it to her now by writing a blog post about it. 

But as a whole, I think there is something wrong with women in the music industry. WHY does it have to be that getting naked and using sexual innuendos in videos gets more hits? Now I appreciate the music behind Wrecking Ball, and the meaning behind it (in fact it's quite a good song). But if instead she was wearing a flowing dress whilst swinging on a wrecking ball I can only imagine it would have half the number of youtube hits and NOBODY would be talking about it. 

So it's a tricky situation. As much as I personally hate it, it is here to stay and I find that really sad.

Does anyone else share the same opinion as me that all this sex in the media is just wrong? Especially thinking that kids can easily watch this soft porn on daytime TV. 

  

Can we all just appreciate music for the actual melody and lyrics?

Becky

My all-time favourite lipstick

During the day I don't particularly like wearing lipstick (mainly because I work full-time in a kitchen) so I tend to stick with my trusty Rimmel Apocalips neutrals!

But when I go on a night out, I do have one favourite that I've been repurchasing for years.

So the lipstick is No7's  Moisture Drench in Plum Beautiful (£9.50). 

I absolutely love the formula of these lipsticks - they are SO moisturising, but don't feel sticky at all. This colour in particular I find compliments the dark tones in my skin and hair perfectly (I find it very hard to wear light pinks so I prefer darker plum colours).

The only downside is the price. But I feel that if you find a lipstick that you know you'll continue wearing for years, it's worth spending the money. 

Let me know your favourite lipsticks... or if you love any others from No7's collection for me to try!

Becky

Barry M Gelly

I have made no secret of my love of Barry M. In my opinion it's the best, most affordable nail polish brand in the UK. 

Everyone has been raving about the new Gelly collection and I've been wanting to get my hands on some for a long time (but I've had no money and have been working non-stop for the last month). 

Finally I've got some and I love every single one...

329 - Passion Fruit

323 - Blackberry

325 - Pomegranate

Although I'm more of a pastel girl, these brights certainly stood out to me. This is just one coat of the three colours and they come on so thick and shiny! I can imagine myself wearing Passion Fruit and Pomegranate a lot this August, but maybe Blackberry more in the winter as it is quite dark. These are also lovely toenail colours!!!

317 - Dragon

328 - Blueberry

328 - Greenberry

326 - Prickly Pear

My camera is awful, so I apologise about how bad this photo has come out. But I hope you can see how beautiful these four colours are. Although I own these four in the normal Barry M range, you can definitely see that the Gellies are thicker, shinier and yet again this is just one coat! I've also noticed that this range stays on a lot longer than the the non-gellies. It's weird seeing my nails with no chips!

Does anyone recommend any other colours? I would love to expand my collection!

You can pick each of these up for £3.99 in Boots.

Becky

Minimal effort summer look!

So it's hot here in the UK. I REPEAT. IT'S HOT HERE IN THE UK.

And when it's really humid, makeup literally slides off my face. Therefore, the less... the better!

No 7 lipstick in "Plum Beautiful"

Sleek eyebrow kit in "818 Dark"

Rimmel "Wake me up" concealer

Seventeen "Maximum volume" mascara

Rimmel waterproof gel eyeliner in "001 Black"

Yep, that is right. NO FOUNDATION. I've literally just been wearing concealer under my eyes and not caring about the rest. And the lack of cakeyness on my skin as well as the sun seems to have done some good! On my eyes, I've gone back to my classic year 9 look of a thin line of black on my lashline and lots of mascara. I've started making my eyebrows stronger as I've decided to grow out my fringe and I think it looks a lot better than my natural sparse hairs. Finally, I've gone back to my all-time favourite lip colour (Plum beautiful by No7). Yes, this lipstick has been around for years and I remember my mum always wearing it. My complexion suits dark pink colours a lot better than bright reds so this is the perfect colour for me (even though it's not exactly summery). 

Excuse the bad photo, but this dress has been my favourite purchase this summer. Again, it's not the most summery item of clothing but I fell in love with it when I saw it in the River Island sale (yes, it was only £5). The material is so thin and gorgeous and I love the paisley pattern and Mediterranean colours. It also doesn't really have a shape to it meaning it's perfect for someone like me who has no sort of figure!

So yes, I've been wearing this look a lot over the last few weeks. 

Long may this weather last!!!

Becky

Things to do in... Barcelona!

I recently came back from a relaxing holiday in Spain, and as a geography geek I thought I would share some experiences of one of the cities we visited during our two-week stay: Barcelona. 

I went with my parents and younger sister, so we thought the easiest way of getting around this mammoth city would be by one of those cheesy, open-top site-seeing buses. There were plenty of companies to choose from but we went with the highly-reviewed "Barcelona Bus Turistic".

Although pretty expensive (around 100 Euros for 4 of us), it was a really great experiences as it allowed you to "hop on and hop off" as many times as you liked at the various destinations along the routes. They had headphones which you could wear and a commentator in your language would tell you facts about the surrounding views and I actually learnt quite a lot.

Some of the highlights of the bus tour included...

The Sagrada Familia. 

Possibly one of the most famous Barcelona landmarks, the famously un-finished gothic church designed by Gaudi. He started work on it in 1883 and despite dying in 1926, work is still being completed to have it finished by 2026 - 100 years after Gaudi's death. It is staggeringly beautiful and the photos I've seen before of it simply don't match up to what it looks like in real life. The entrance fee also goes towards funding to complete the building which I really hope I get to visit once it is finished (although somehow the cranes add to the uniqueness of the church. 

Park Guell

This is a public garden (again designed by Gaudi) situated on the top of a hill, displaying beautiful views of the Barcelona skyline. I love the mosaic, fantasy-like designs and it's just a stunning place to sit and relax outside of the bustling city. 

Montjuic

This was one of the highlights of the tour for me. Montjuic is a steep hill located next to Barcelona harbour and is close to the 1992 Olympic site. To get to the castle at the top you can either walk (no thanks, not in the Spanish heat) or take a trip on the cable car. This was honestly breathtaking, the views were incredible and I highly recommend everyone to do it. 

So there, these are my top things to do in Barcelona. Of course there are plenty of other things for all tastes and I wish we had spent more than just a day there.

Have you been to Barcelona? What did you think of this magnificent city?

Becky

Is university worth it?

This is a question I've been asking myself for years now and after finishing my first year at uni, I still haven't come any closer to answering it. 

Bad things

1. University is extremely expensive. Do I need to say more? Before I started, I didn't really have a clue about the daily things you have to pay for. Despite having saved up a lot of money before I started, by the end of each term I was having to borrow money from my parents to eat. 
2. It's a lot of work. If you think A levels are hard, you've got a long 3 years ahead if you want to go to uni. I take geography which is arguably a subject with the least amount of work. But, I still had an essay to write every week, weekly tutorial assignments, lots of long pieces of coursework and four 2 hour exams in May. 
3. Debt. Is university really worth the £27000+ debt I'm going to be in after three years? I know it's going to take until I'm in my 40s to pay it back, so is it really worth it? I have one friend who has got a fantastic job after getting two A levels. She's been able to afford a brand new car and has moved out of her family home to a lovely rented house with friends. I know that it's going to take me years to reach what she has got in her life, and it's quite likely that as she doesn't have to pay off the high levels of uni debt, she will be in a much better position in 20 years time compared to myself. 

Good things

1. The social experience of university is incredible. I have met people who I am sure I'll be friends with for the rest of my life in halls as well as on my course. Because everyone is in the same boat, you make friends so quickly and you go through the experience of growing up together which I love. My university especially (Royal Holloway) is relatively small and a campus uni, meaning you always see the same faces around and at the SU (student nightclub on campus). I was also lucky enough to go to Spain with my geography course which helped so much with bonding. You undoubtedly make friends when you're thrown in a river to measure sediment discharge in the sun ( I love geography).
2. I have come out of my shell. Since I was eleven I've suffered from severe anxiety and panic attacks and I remember how terrified I was the weeks leading up to leaving home. But honestly, being thrown in the deep end and having to cope with living alone and with strangers helped my confidence so much. I feel like a completely new person. Although I still struggle with speaking to new people, I look at the friends I've managed to make on my own and that fills me with confidence that I can do it. 
3. You get to increase your knowledge in something you're interested in. Before going to uni, I never really thought about this. But you get taught by some of the most expert people in that particular field. You get to learn about the research they have taken part in and the difference this has made in our knowledge in that particular subject. I think that as long as I come out of this degree with a wider knowledge of geography then I'll be happy because of my interest in it. 

So overall, I've weighed up for and against going to uni and I think (for me) it is worth it. But it really depends on the person. I see some friends who haven't gone to university and they don't regret that decision at all. 

I thought I would finish off this post with a bit about my university if you were wondering (because it is the best uni in the world in my opinion).

• I go to Royal Holloway, University of London. It is located in Surrey sort of on the outskirts of London, very near to Heathrow airport (which can get loud).
• It is a campus university, dominated by the magnificent Founder's Building. I was lucky enough to stay in the halls in the "palace" during the first year and I loved it. It is also the cheapest out of all the accommodation because it is an old building. 
• I study BA geography which is a mixture of both Human and Physical geography in the first year but in the second year I'm concentrating more on Human. The course at RoHo is fantastic, the lecturers and staff are so helpful and get involved with the students as much as possible. We get to go on incredible trips for example, in the first year we were lucky enough to go to Andalusia, Spain for free (well, included in our fees)!!! In the second year there are options to go to trips to New York, Malawi, Paris and Ireland as well as many short trips to London and  other places in the UK.
  
  
  
  Basically, if you're thinking of studying geography I would highly recommend Royal Holloway, it is fantastic!
  
  
  I hope my rants/excitement over university helped in some way for people thinking about uni in the future. 
  What are your thoughts?
  Becky

May favourites!

Is it just me or has this month gone ridiculously quickly?!?!

But, May has been a month of (some) sunny weather, exams and stress - meaning my skin has suffered - dry and spotty is not welcome!

So here are my beauty, skincare and other favourites this month... I hope you enjoy!

 Rimmel "Wake Me Up" foundation and concealer (Boots - £8.99 and £5.49)

So we all know how great this foundation is, it's raved about everywhere and this month I've been wearing it almost every day due to the glowing finish it gives my skin. The concealer however, has not had the best reviews. It's perfect for hiding bags under your eyes but not the best for spots because it is so glowy it tends to highlight instead of cover!!
But, these two paired are perfect in sunny weather (the foundation has SPF 15 after all) and it really does what it says on the tin (bottle) - it wakes you up!

Seventeen "Maximum Volume" Mascara (Boots - £4.69)

This has to be the most underrated mascara of all time. It is fantastic. I love how Seventeen have re-branded and I love the packaging of all their products so at the beginning of the month I thought I would try their mascara (mainly due to the price). I would say it's just as good as all the Maybellines and practically half the price! Highly recommend.

Sleek i Divine palette in Au Naturel (£7.99 - 

Sleek online website)

I'd firstly like to apologise for the awful quality of all these photos.
It really doesn't show the incredible quality and pigmentation of these eyeshadows, however if you look on the website you'll get a better idea. As a uni student, I like to go out a lot. So this palette is perfect for me. It has my day-to-day matte eyeshadows as well as my evening shimmers. I have been wearing this all the time throughout May.

 

Re-Gen Cream (price varies online but around £8ish)

Right, so I suffered from really bad acne throughout my teenage years and it has left some pretty bad scarring especially on my forehead (which is why I cover it over with a fringe). 

I've heard this stuff is really great on dry and scarred skin so I gave it a go throughout May. I can honestly say that after a week, I noticed a difference. 

I shall continue using the cream and maybe do a blog post on the before and after (if it actually works well!)

Tan T Bar Cut-out Cork Platforms - New Look, £24.99

I have a lot of events coming up over the summer period. I needed some cute heels that would basically go with any sort of dress and would be comfortable at the same time. 

I think these are perfect!

So there we are, my very late May favourites!

Again, I'd like to apologise for my lack of blogging recently, but there has been a lot of stuff going on in my life and FINALLY I have some time to blog more frequently!

Becky

I am so happy right now

After weeks of panicking about running out of money and budgeting like crazy, I finally may have a summer job lined up... and it's at the university!!

If I get this job it means I'll be able to afford the Malawi trip next year. I genuinely thought I wouldn't be able to go because Student Finance England is ridiculous, and I was so upset because it's what I want to do as a job and not going on the trip would seriously impact my future. 

I'm also happy because I'm just enjoying spending my final week here...

When I'm stressed, I suffer from panic attacks and after all the anxiety regarding my financial situation, I was not in a good place (hence my lack of blogging).

But as I've come to the end of my first year at university, I've had time to reflect on the year and how great it has been as a whole. 

I have met some of the most incredible friends in the entire world (sounds cheesy, I know). I have come out of my shell enormously thanks to my wonderful housemates and geography pals. 

I was lucky enough to visit Spain and broaden my geographical horizons (and get drunk a lot). 

But seriously, if anyone is wondering whether university is a good idea or not I can honestly say YES it is (a blog post to follow on this). 

I now have the whole summer to look forward to. On Sunday I'm going on a family holiday to Spain - which will be so lovely as since I've been at uni, I've really missed spending quality time with my parents and sister. 

Then, on 1st July I will be moving into my very first house with three friends. 

I cannot believe this.

Our own proper house. 

So yes, I have plenty of things to look forward to and I am feeling so content with life at the moment.

I wonder how long this will last?

Becky

Favourite summer polish!

Barry M - 300 Acid Yellow

You must all know by now I absolutely love Barry M. This colour "acid yellow" is incredible. It's ridiculously bright and in some lights looks yellow and in others it looks slightly green. 

It also surprisingly goes with a lot of outfits - especially for me as I mainly wear just black and white so a pop of colour on my nails is welcome!

Let me know your favourite summer nail polish (I'm always looking to expand my collection!)

Becky

Where have I been?

I'd just like to begin by saying, I am SO sorry for not blogging for absolutely ages! 

I've had all my exams and I'm FINALLY finished!!!!!!!

Anyway, I have the next three months off uni now so I have plenty of time for blogging and have lots of posts lined up!

Becky

I love Soap and Glory!

So Soap and Glory is going from strength to strength. It's starting to become hard to browse through Boots without buying anything.I thought I would share with you my favourite Soap and Glory products... as well as the ones on my wish list!

Hand Food - Large 250ml pump bottle (£7, Boots)

Okay, so I'm pretty sure most of you will have tried this stuff at some point. I've got through a few of the smaller bottles of this until I realised it came in a bigger pump bottle! If you haven't tried Hand Food, I just can't even begin to tell you how incredible it smells. It's not fruity at all, more creamy and indulgent. Not only does it smell good, it is also incredibly moisturising for your skin and great if you get dry, hard or chapped skin on your hands.

 Wash Your Hands Of It liquid soap - Large 250ml pump bottle (£5, Boots)

I cannot compare any other hand wash to this. It just doesn't feel right if I don't have one on my bathroom sink. Again, it smells beautiful and fresh - a similar scent to the Hand Food. But, it also properly cleans your hands (it's managed to even get marker pen off)! I would definitely recommend spending the extra few pounds on this gorgeous, long-lasting hand wash in place of a boring and cheap supermarket product.

Sugar Crush fresh & foamy Body Wash - 500ml pump bottle (£6.50, Boots)

Now I know this is raved about a lot, but it deserves all the hype. I have honestly never smelt anything as delicious as this in all my life, they seriously need to make this scent into a perfume or something. The best way I can describe it is a lime cheesecake - it's so creamy yet citrus-y at the same time. Another great thing about this product is the price. I know it may seem pricey for an ordinary body wash; but this is for a huge bottle with which you literally only need the smallest of pumps to cover yourself. I've had this bottle since February and I haven't even used up a quarter (and I do use it every day!)

So these three are my favourites out of all the products I've tried from Soap and Glory (and do remember that Boots do 3 for 2 on their products so it's really inexpensive). 

However, there are products I've been eyeing up and am desperate to purchase now my student loan is in (oops). Here they are...

 

Peaches and Clean cleansing milk (£7 for 200ml in Boots)

Well, I think it's the name that most attracted me to this. You can just tell by looking at it that it's going to smell incredible. The cleanser I use at the moment is just bog-standard by Simple which I think when I've used up, I will splash out on this more expensive product. From the online reviews, it looks as if it's great for removing makeup and prevents oily skin - perfect for me!

Lid Stuff in What's Nude? (£10, Boots)

Again, I have heard amazing reviews about this quad of eyeshadows. They do come in two other collections of colours, however I think the What's Nude looks the most wearable and every-day. Online reviews suggest this product is just as good as high-end eyeshadows and are extremely well pigmented and easy to blend. I think I'm going to have to get myself this asap.

The Fab Pore facial peel ( £8 for 50ml, Boots)

I've been um-ing and ah-ing about this product for a long time now. It seems really expensive for such a small pot. But then again, I've heard people say they have had miraculous results and visibly clearer skin after using this stuff. I think eventually I will cave in and buy it and tell you guys what I think.

So have any of you tried my wish-list products? Do you think they're worth the hype?

Becky