2014 Favourites

Hello.

As it's New Years Eve, I wanted to pick out some things that I've been loving over the whole year. This isn't just beauty favourites, I've also included some films and YouTubers!

Vichy Dermablend Foundation

I got this foundation towards the start of the year, and I honestly don't think I could use anything else again. The coverage is amazing and you don't need much to go a really long way. It's a bit more on the pricey side at £16, but I definitely think it's worth it in comparison to some high end brand foundations.

Real Techniques Brushes

I got my first Real Techniques brushes this year, and have spent the year trying to build up my collection. I'm obsessed with these brushes, and I have no idea what I ever did without them. I think these will continue to be a firm favourite in 2015.

TRXYE by Troye Sivan

If you've read a few of my earlier posts you will know that I have a slight obsession with Troye Sivan. In August this year, he released his debut EP, TRXYE. In a completely non-biased way, this is one of the best albums I've heard this year. Every song could be a single, and I'd recommend everyone to give it a listen.

The Wolf of Wall Street

In 2014, The Wolf of Wall Street has quickly become one of my favourite films. I decided to watch it after my whole family couldn't stop talking about how amazing it was, and now I can see why.

Four by One Direction

I'm a huge One Direction fan, so I already knew I'd love their new album Four, but honestly it's such a good album that anybody could like it. Every song has a different feeling to it and I'm going to be listening to this for another few months at least!

ThatcherJoe on YouTube

2014 was the year in which I started to fully appreciate the angel that is Joe Sugg. He's a British YouTuber and I've always watched him, but this year I really grew to love him. He's probably my second favourite YouTuber now.

MAC

I didn't have many MAC makeup items before this year, but I really wanted to build up my collection, and I'm really happy with everything I have at the moment. The lipsticks & eyeshadows are amazing, and I'm really looking forward to trying some of their face makeup next year!

What have you been loving this year?

Links

Vichy Dermablend Foundation at Boots

Real Techniques Official Website

Troye Sivan's Channel

The Official One Direction Website

Thatcher Joe's Channel

MAC Official Website

Favourite Days of 2014

Hello.

It's almost the end of 2014 (my brain is still in 2011) and I wanted to look back on the year (which has been one of my best), and share with you my top 5 days of this year.

Going to New York (this one is a week, sorry, that's cheating)
My week in New York was the most amazing week of my life. This holiday started my obsession with the city, and I'd do anything to go back there.

My Best Friend's Birthday
In August I planned a little surprise for my bestest buddy Melissa's birthday. We went to Liverpool and after searching for at least an hour, we found the Liverpool Eye. I'd booked tickets to go on it because even though it's nothing special compared to the London Eye, she really wanted to go on it. The views weren't particularly amazing, and afterwards we went for a very overpriced meal, but despite this it was one of my favourite days this year, and I'm dying to do it again next Summer.

Amity Fest
I went to Amity Fest with my friends (you can see a blog post about it here), and it was one of the best experiences of my year because it was so fun to spend the whole day with my friends, and then see all my favourite YouTubers.

London with my Dad
Earlier this year, I had a day off from school, so my Dad decided to surprise me and take me to London on the train to go up The Shard (the tallest building in Europe)(I have an obsession with tall buildings). It was one of the best days of the year because I hadn't really been to London before (a weekend away when I was 9 doesn't count okay) and it was so fascinating to see all the sights.

Liverpool with my Mum
This may seem like a normal day because I live very close to Liverpool, and I often go out with my Mum, but this was the first time in ages that we'd just spent a day together, the two of us. I got some really nice things and we stopped for tea on the way home, and I had a really lovely day with her.

What's your favourite day of this year?

What I Got For Christmas (Beauty Related Presents) // 2014

Hello.

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas! I had a really good day, and was lucky enough to get some nice presents as well! I haven't included all of my presents as only a few were beauty related, and you'd die of boredom if I showed you all my One Direction DVDs and Lindor chocolates. I picked out a few makeup items that I got, and wanted to share them with you!

Please remember that I'm not bragging in any way, and I'm really grateful for all the things that I got!

Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub

MAC Lip Pencil in 'Soar'

Naked Basics 2 by Urban Decay

Real Techniques Core Collection Brushes

What was your favourite present?

Favourite Christmas Songs

Hello.

Since it's the 23rd, and only 2 more sleeps to Christmas, I thought I'd share with you my top 5 favourite Christmas songs for anyone needing to get into the last minute Christmas spirit.

Do They Know It's Christmas
Band Aid 30

Merry Christmas Everyone
Shakin Stevens

Merry Christmas Everybody
Slade

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
Michael Buble

All I Want For Christmas Is You
Mariah Carrey

What's your favourite Christmas song?

Favourite Christmas Films

Hello.

Today I wanted to share with you a few (well, 3) of my favourite Christmas films, in order to get you into the festive spirit (if you're not already, considering it's Christmas Eve).

The Polar Express (THIS IS MY FAVOURITE THING IN THE WORLD)

Arthur Christmas

Elf

Sorry it's such a quick post, but it is Christmas Eve, and I didn't want to spend all day writing a blog post.

Have a lovely Christmas xxx

Lipstick Collection

Hello.

Firstly, I'd like to apologise for the lack of blog posts recently, as I had no motivation and completely neglected my 'blog plan'. In order to make up any lost time post-wise, I'm going to be blogging Monday Tuesday, Wednesday, & Sunday this week.

Today I wanted to quickly share with you my lipstick collection, as lipsticks are something that I absolutely love. Some of you may think this is hardly any, and some of you may think this is too much, but I'm really happy with my collection now, and I am excited to get some more with my Christmas money!

MAC - Angel & Please Me

I never used to have any MAC lipsticks until about April, when I picked up 'Angel' on holiday in New York. After a few days of being obsessed with it, I had to go back and get another one. I picked up 'Please Me' and even though on the second photo they look exactly the same, they look very different when they're on my lips. Please Me is a lot more pink, while Angel is a softer nude/pink colour. I'm obsessed with both of them and they've got to be some of my favourite lipsticks.










No 7 - Classic Rose & Coral Dream

 I think my sister gave me these lipsticks quite recently, so I haven't had a chance to properly try them out, but I'm really excited to wear them over Christmas. Classic Rose is a gorgeous dark pink shade, and Coral Dream is a more orange colour that I'm really excited to try as I don't have many orange lipsticks and I'm far too scared to go out wearing bright orange. I feel like this colour is a more safe orange to wear as it's not as bright and in your face.











Revlon - Berry Smoothie




















This is one of my 'go to' lipsticks, as it can be worn with literally anything, and it's such an amazing colour. Most of my lipsticks are pink, but I really like the texture of this one. It's almost like a lip balm but with colour, and it will be a firm favourite of mine for a long time.

Topshop Lip Balm Sticks - Lolly & Swirl

I've had these Topshop lip balms for ages, and I'm still in love with them. They're really useful to apply without a mirror because they don't give off too much colour so there's no risk of smudging it all over yourself. The colours are amazing as well.














Topshop - Macaroon

I've had this lipstick for a long time now, and I absolutely love it. It's a gorgeous colour and the packaging is really nice. The only problem I have is that it doesn't go on your lips as nice as a MAC lipstick would, and sometimes makes them look a bit chapped, but I love this lipstick colour so much that I'm going to smear nivea lip balm all over my lips for a few days and attempt to wear it again.


What's your favourite lipstick?

Favourite Perfumes

Hello.

Everyone that's interested in makeup has a few categories where they go absolutely mad, and one of mine happens to be perfumes. I love perfumes, and thought I'd share with you my top 5 favourites.

Zoella Blissful Mistful
£8
I've been a fan of Zoella since about 2011/2012, so when I heard she was bringing out a beauty range, I immediately started picking out what I wanted. My sister got me the perfume for my birthday, as well as the Let's Glow candle. For such a good price, this is definitely value for money.

Victoria's Secret Bombshell
£15
I got this in a set of 4 on holiday in New York in April, and since then it's been one of my favourites. This is a bit more on the pricey side if you buy the actual perfume (I have the travel size one), but if you get the set of 4, it works out at a really good price.

Our Moment by One Direction
£21 - £39
I'm absolutely obsessed with One Direction, so when I heard about this perfume, I knew I had to have it. It smells amazing, and is one of my favourites.

Victoria's Secret Heavenly
£15
This also came in the set with Bombshell, and it's my second Victoria's Secret fragrance, close behind Bombshell. It smells so sweet and is the perfect perfume for all year round.

Flash by Jimmy Choo
£45 - £61
I got this for my birthday last year, and it's probably my most expensive perfume. I think this one is my favourite, because it smells so fancy and expensive (if expensive is a smell), and I'm still obsessed with it over a year later.

Buy them here

Blissful Mistful

Bombshell

Our Moment

Heavenly

Flash

Urban Decay Naked 3 // Review

Hello.

I've been dying to get a Naked Palette for ages, and planned to get one last Christmas but they were sold out everywhere. A few weeks ago, I went shopping with my Mum, and decided to finally buy one with my birthday money.
I chose Naked 3, because it's got lots of neutral pinks and browns, and I don't like anything too dramatic.
My honest opinion is that it's really good, and I'm so glad I have it, but I think it's a bit expensive for what it does. I'm really happy that I spent my money on it, and already have my eye on one of the Naked Basics Palettes, but to tell the truth, I think I prefer my MAC palette.

The colours are gorgeous, and the packaging is very fancy, but my only problem is that the colours aren't very pigmented, and you need a lot to make it stand out. If you've had your eye on it for ages, I think it's worth spending the money, but if you're only just deciding if you want it or not, I don't think it's as amazing as everyone says.

Buy it here

Vaseline Spray & Go Body Moisturisers // Review

I bought one of the Vaseline Spray & Go Body Moisturisers just before Summer, as I thought it'd be good to have soft skin for my holiday. After completely falling in love with it, I just had to get another one.

There's 3 in the collection, and I got the 'Aloe Fresh' and 'Cocoa Radiant'. If you're looking for a good quality, cheap body moisturiser this is the only thing I'd ever recommend. They do exactly what they say on the can and don't make your body sticky, which is good for inpatient people like me who don't want to wait for their moisturiser to dry before they can get dressed.

They're really easy to apply, as it's like a deodorant bottle so you just spray it on to yourself, which I think is a lot better than dipping your hand into a tub of body butter.

They smell amazing, and your skin stays soft all day. I'd definitely recommend them to everyone because for just £5 in Boots, they're a bargain considering all the amazing things they do for your skin.

Buy it here

Favourite Makeup Items

Hello.

I've been building up my makeup collection for a few years now, and I'm really happy with what I have at the moment. I wanted to share my top 5 makeup items in my collection.

 MAC Lipstick in 'Please Me'
£15.50

I've got 3 MAC lipsticks, and this is by far my favourite. The colour is gorgeous and it lasts all day.

Urban Decay Naked 3
£37

I only got this a few weeks ago, but as soon as I had the money I decided I had to have it because I've wanted it for so long. Everyone and their dog owns some form of Naked Palette in the beauty industry, and after trying it, I can see why. All the colours are gorgeous and stay on all day, and it's definitely worth the money in my opinion.




Vichy Dermablend Foundation

£16

One of my friends recommended this to me so I decided to try it out, and I don't think I'm going to be changing my foundation for a long time after discovering this! It's a bit more on the expensive side but I definitely think it's worth it. The coverage is so good and you hardly need any of it to cover your whole face, which means it lasts for ages.









Rimmel Stay Matte Powder
£4

This was the first makeup product I ever bought, and it's been a firm staple in my everyday makeup ever since. It's one of the cheapest makeup items I own however it's one of the best.

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer
£5.50

I can't even remember the concealer I used before this one as I've been using this one for so long. It gives amazing coverage and stays on all day. It lasts for ages and is really affordable. I'd definitely recommend it to everyone.

Amity Fest // Concert

Hello.

This might be a very short post as I'm writing this on my birthday and don't want to do too much writing, but on Monday I went to Amity Fest in Liverpool, and couldn't wait to share my experience of the show.

If you don't know, Amity Fest was a 3 show tour by the YouTubers Zoella, Niomi Smart, Tanya Burr, Sprinkle of Glitter, Jim Chapman, Pointless Blog, Marcus Butler, Caspar Lee & Thatcher Joe. They did shows in Birmingham, Liverpool and Brighton, and I went to the Liverpool show as I live really close to Liverpool.

The show was definitely worth the 7 hour wait, as everyone on stage was full of energy, and made the show so exciting. They competed in challenges against each other, did Q&As, interviews and just messed around on stage, always keeping the audience involved. Unfortunately I didn't get to meet them but just seeing how they acted on stage showed how grateful they are for everything their subscribers do for them, and I really enjoyed the show.

If they tour again, would you like to go?

A Week in New York City

Hello.

I visited NYC for a week in April, and since then I've been completely obsessed with it. I thought today I'd go through my favourite parts of the amazing city, and hopefully inspire a few of you to add it to your bucket list.

Things To Do

The Staten Island Ferry (with a view of The Statue of Liberty)
The first thing we did was get on the Staten Island ferry from Manhattan to (believe it or not) Staten Island. It was amazing to see the view of the famous skyline as the boat drove away from the island, and the main highlight was seeing the Statue of Liberty, something we weren't prepared to go to its separate island to see as there was nothing else on there.

Times Square (at night)

Times Square is absolutely amazing, especially in the evening when the lights light up the whole area. It's hard to fully take in the beauty of it because of how busy everything is, but if one place had to sum up New York City, it'd definitely be Times Square.

Empire State Building  (at night)

The highlight of my trip was definitely watching the sun set from the top of the Empire State Building. Although it's not the tallest building in NYC, the view from the top of the ESB is incredible, and we even saw Barack Obama's car drive through the city, followed by about 10 security cars (I was excited, I love Barack).

Top of the Rock (in the day)
The view from the Rockefeller Centre was absolutely amazing, since you could see lots of the famous landmarks, including the Empire State Building & Central Park. I'd recommend doing this in the day, though, so you can see the view of Central Park.

9/11 Memorial
The 9/11 Memorial is surprisingly quiet considering it's in the middle of Lower Manhattan, and this all adds to the moving atmosphere. I'm very lucky to have been here, and it's a beautiful memorial to everyone who lost their lives in the World Trade Centre. It really opens your eyes to the size of the buildings, and the thousands of lives lost.

Central Park
Only when you visit Central Park do you realise how huge it actually is. There's so many different parts of it, and in our 3 hour tour we only saw about 1 third of the park. I'd definitely recommend a tour of Central Park because you'd probably get lost otherwise. We booked a tour with http://www.cityroverwalks.com and were given a tour by Max (and a Landmark Buildings tour with Rodney), and I'd recommend them to anyone visiting New York.

Places To Eat

Wendy's
To American people, this would be the equivalent of recommending McDonalds, but since I'm English, I was really excited to try a Wendy's. Even though it's hardly restaurant standard, for anyone who's not American, Wendy's is a must.

Grimaldi's
Located at the other side of the Brooklyn Bridge, Grimaldi's Pizzeria is one of the most famous pizzerias in New York. I expected it to be that fancy pizza that I don't really like, but it was honestly really good. Although we had to queue for about half an hour to get in. Booking a table would be quite a good idea.

Pershing Square
We went here for breakfast before our Landmark Building tour (the one with Rodney), and it was so nice. It's opposite Grand Central Station, and all the food was lovely (well all the food I tried).

Dunkin' Donuts
Dunkin' Donuts is hardly a meal, but I absolutely loved the donuts here.


I hope you enjoyed this post, as I've been planning it for quite a while and was really excited to finally post it.