DOFE Silver Practice Expedition

I am going on my final Duke of Edinburgh Silver expedition this week which reminded me to create a blog post about the practice (sorry my head is all over the place atm!). Our practice consisted of 3 days and 3 nights (we had to get there a night earlier as the place we were hiking is a couple of hours away). We travelled by coach near to Brighton and started off at a campsite in Small Dole, then hiked all around the area; I can't quite remember where we went but took a very squiggly route so we were out for a minimum of 7 hours each day. Although it was really really hard work, especially as I'm very unfit, I did really enjoy it - it's always good to challenge yourself and do something out of your comfort zone. As a very materialistic person who is actually quite scared of doing something outside my comfort zone I really like doing DOFE. I got horrendous blisters as usual and our bags were ridiculously heavy- what with the tent, cooking equipment, food for 3 days etc but it was a great experience and I'm looking forward to the qualifying expedition! It was super sunny and hot which although it did make it a little harder was a lot better than rain, trying to put away a wet tent and then put it up again the next day is miserable so I'm praying for sun in the New Forest!

Here are some snaps taken on the trip, obviously I don't look great- no shower or change of clothes for 3 days whilst hiking plus no makeup doesn't equal to model like looks but I thought I would share them anyway :)

Having a well earnt rest!

Having a little sweaty hug with my best bud

We didn't get too lost, mainly because I wasn't trusted the whole time with the map!

Us in action!

Getting our pose on... in a field 

This is one of my favourite photos from the trip, we were totally unaware this was being taken and whilst I was extremely sleep deprived, had zillions of painful blisters and was generally exhausted I was happy in that moment having a rest and joking with my friend. You wouldn't think it but I did have many hilarious moments during the trip, having a team consisting of your best friends definitely helps as well as being so tired you choose to laugh rather than cry!

I hope you enjoyed this post and I'll be sure to make another post about our qualifying expedition!

Love, Laura x

A Catch Up

I haven't blogged in nearly a month... woops! In that time I finished my A-level exams and did A LOT of relaxing- I'm loving Pretty Little Liars atm :) I've also been able to meet up with my friends, a few days ago me and my friend Ellen went to London for a makeup masterclass and a wander around Camden. Here are some of the photos we took in the vintage style photobooth:

It was a really lovely day - I filmed it and there were many funny moments, I loved watching it back but I'm waaay too nervous to put it on YT! I go on my Silver DOFE practice expedition on Thursday till Sunday and then start school again on Monday to finish the last term of being in year 12, this year has gone crazy super fast! This school year has been a mixture of good and bad, to be completely honest more bad than good but recently I've been happier - my friends have been my rock, supported me when I've been struggling and enjoyed the happier moments with me. I'm really looking forward to finishing the last few weeks of school, I've got a holiday to Spain with my family 

and picnics with my friends to look forward to! Leave me a comment to what you are looking forward to in the Summer and I'll aim to blog weekly ;)

Love, Laura x

Pressure on Exams

Whilst writing this I have 9 days before my A- level exams are approaching and I think its fair to say I'm panicking. A lot. Generally if people aren't confident they know all the information they need in order to get a good grade for an exam then they revise until they know it. For me I do the opposite - bury my head in the sand. Unlike everyone else I have done little revision, not because I'm confident I'll breeze through the exam but because I feel so overwhelmed I have so much to do. I could have started revising months ago but instead chose not to. WHY. OH GOD WHY. I do this with absolutely everything, leave it to the last minute and then feel sick with panic that I've run out of time.

My GCSE's were a nightmare, I achieved relatively good grades but leading up to the exams I broke out in acne, had panic attacks and did a lot of crying. This was mainly due to the fact I pretended none of it was happening and then realised 'shit I've got a week until my exams'. When I got my results I cried with relief, not happiness but relief, whether or not I went to 6th form with all of my friends was riding on those results so I thank God I got in. After that I promised myself I wouldn't do that to myself again, a year later and I'm in exactly the same position. However although I'm freaking out I'm trying to remain calm. The pressure they piled on us last year for GCSE's was unbelievable, my mindset was if I didn't do well the rest of my future was ruined. I get some people thrive on pressure but other people, such as myself, just completely broke down and couldn't cope.

Therefore although I realise these exams are very important, they aren't everything and I think that's something important to keep in mind. Although its important to work as hard as you can to achieve your full potential you can still achieve other things in life as well as exams. Just because someone gets A*s in all their subjects doesn't mean they are a superior or a better person than someone who gets B's or C's, they might be a complete bitch and because of that not get very far in life. This year has been very draining, I've had a lot of personal stuff going on I've had to deal with and coping with that and the huge amount of school work has been really difficult. Although I will regret not putting in the months of revision some others will have done I'm going to be happy with the results I get. I'm proud of myself for a number of things I've done this year and school in comparison just seems a lot less significant.

Congrats if you read the whole thing, sorry for the lack of photos but this was a very last minute, spur of the moment post. Good luck for anyone doing exams at the moment, just try your best and try to not panic so much - I'll be trying to follow my own advice!

Love, Laura x

Natural Makeup

As a less than subtle person I usually wear quite a lot of makeup, my mindset is that if I'm going to bother doing my makeup I might as well go the whole hog! However I have really been liking this 'natural makeup' more recently.

Foundation, tiny bit of concealer, blusher and mascara

 For starters it's a lot quicker and as someone constantly in a rush this means I'm not as late as I would be. Additionally, sometimes having really dramatic, heavy eyes can be too much and just doesn't look quite right. I change my makeup around frequently but I am really enjoying the simple, 'less is more' makeup at the minute and going more dramatic for evenings out. It also makes taking my makeup off in the evenings a lot easier as there is less product to remove! Furthermore with Summer fast approaching, I find I tend to wear less makeup as having full makeup combined with hot weather just makes me a sweaty, hot mess- no one wants eyeliner on their cheeks so therefore this makeup look is perfect!

Leave me a comment what makeup you're liking at the minute :)

Love, Laura x

Small Beauty Haul

With A- Level exams approaching and the usual accompaniment of stress and panic, I thought it was only fair to treat myself to a few beauty items in preparation for the huge amount of revision I need to do (leaving it last minute as usual). Considering I didn't buy a huge number of items the bill was relatively pricey considering my teenage budget - over £40! However I do earn my own money so it's okay :)

 I never tend to wear anything on my lips and instead focus the attention on my eyes, but as I'm trying to make more of an effort to challenge myself and wear more lip products I bought both the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in 'Crush Beguin' and the L'oreal Liquid Lipstick. The L'oreal lipstick is a beautiful rose colour whilst the Revlon balm is more dramatic berry colour, perfect for a night out! I had heard really good things about the L'oreal Lumi Magique Primer and I have to say, it does live up to its hype of leaving a radiant finish upon the skin. The Biore Pore Strips weren't as impressive - I feel like they didn't leave a huge difference in my skin and are overpriced, I'm glad I tried them but I wouldn't buy them again. Last but not least I re-purchased my beloved Match Perfection Foundation in 'Light Porcelain'- my favourite foundation! 

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation - Light Porcelain

L'oreal Lumi Magique Primer 

Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips
Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains
L'oreal Liquid Lipstick

Hope you enjoyed having a sneak peek into my shopping basket and hope if you're going through the dreaded exam period you're okay- roll on the long holiday after! 

Love, Laura x

Instagram

I love this app. I don't like the web version that much, I find it really hard to search for people but I love the Ipod/phone/pad version of it and is definitely one of my most used apps.

Taken from: http://www.debaird.net/.a/6a00d8341c007953ef0192abdff760970d-popup

From the people who take beautiful amazing landscapes to the people who just take selfies, Instagram is just a place for all the pretty pictures to come together. I definitely fall into the 'amateur selfie' category which I know quite a lot of photography enthusiasts hate but I don't really understand why. I understand the frustration of people labelling their photos as 'photography' simply because they've applied a black and white filter to it; I am fully aware the photos I post couldn't be classed as 'photography', but it's my profile, if people don't like it then they don't HAVE to look at it. I just love there's a place which I can document my life through photos and preserve my memories :) Here are some of my recent snaps.

Champagne, nibbles and presents to celebrate my parents
20th wedding anniversary!

My attempt at a 'Milkmaid Braid'!

Leave me a comment what your opinion is on Instagram and whether you love it, hate it or don't care either way! You can also check out my profile here

Love, Laura x

Soft 'Romantic' Makeup

This is one of my favourite makeup looks, I think it works well with my complexion and is something different to the classic 'smokey eye, nude lip'. In general I tend to focus the attention on my eyes

to accentuate them and go natural on my lips. However in this look whilst the eyes are still the main focus, the lipstick finishes off the makeup and in my opinion brings it all together. 

I kept the rest of my makeup quite simple, no highlighter, soft contouring and just making sure my base was as flawless as it could be with a dewy finish. A little black eyeliner and lots of mascara made my eyes really pop with the eyeshadows. The blush I used is one of my favourites at the minute, it gives a gorgeous, subtle flush to your cheeks and lasts well throughout the day!

The stand out products are the MUA Pink Sorbet trio eyeshadows and the No7 Blush lipstick as these are crucial in creating the 'soft romantic' makeup. I absolutely love the trio eyeshadows, they are well pigmented, shimmery and a beautiful colour. 

Maybelline -Rocket Mascara

Rimmel - Scandaleyes Liquid Eyeliner

Rimmel - Powder Blush in 'Pink Rose'

Max Factor - Whipped Creme Foundation in 'Light Ivory'

No7 -Moisture Drench Lipstick in 'Blush'

Maybelline- Dream Touch Lumi Concealer in 'Ivory'

MUA- Trio Eyeshadow in 'Pink Sorbet'

Soap and Glory- Solar Powder Bronzer

I hope you enjoyed this post, leave me a comment if you liked this makeup look or if you have of the products yourself!

Love, Laura x

Beauty Blogger Tag

My friend Cassie tagged me in the 'Beauty Blogger Tag' and I liked the questions so let's jump in!
WARNING: a relatively lengthy post!

1) Name a beauty routine you barely do

I can't really think of one. I'm pretty good at keeping a strict (ish) beauty regime as I don't want to cause unnecessary breakouts and want my skin looking the best it can. One thing I hate doing is plucking my eyebrows though. They aren't the most unruly of eyebrows but could definitely be neatened up, however I am both lazy and not fond of pain so I tend not to do that.

2) Is washing your brushes something you regularly do?

I do wash my brushes, but not as much as I should. Due to the fact they take ages to properly clean and then a long while to dry it's an annoying chore that I need to plan. Basically I'm just lazy and as that's a chore that requires effort I'm reluctant to do it!

3) How long do you last with chipped nail polish?

Not long at all! It really annoys me if their chipped or have tiny air bubbles so I have to take it all off and either start again or not bother. I haven't worn nail varnish in a while as the I become too impatient to let it dry properly so it smudges and makes a mess, plus with the load of work (that I don't do) I don't have time to make my nails look like a beautiful sparkly claw.

4) How often do you put off buying/replacing a beauty product even if you need it?

I don't put it off at all. If I need something replacing, (eg my foundation) as soon as I think its close to running out I'll buy a new one. Similarly if I see a new product that looks interesting or I want to try I usually give in to temptation and buy it straight away, this is why I have NO MONEY!

5) What's your worst beauty habit?

Biting my nails probably. I know, I know, I'm a terrible person, if my nails are painted then I don't its just without I tend to bite my nails if I'm bored, worried, basically all the time. This can be the motivation for actually making the effort and painting my nails!

6) Name something beauty related that you put off all the time

SCHOOL WORK. Oh god, the amount of procrastination I do is actually ridiculous, whilst writing this I have about 3 essays, all due in tomorrow. I leave everything to the last minute which ends up me getting really stressed out or running out of time to do everything! Not advised!

7) When going out do you leave getting ready to the last minute or not?

I like to have a long time to get ready, that way if something goes wrong I have enough time to rectify it or start over. However I tend to get distracted talking to people or watching videos so I don't leave myself enough time so end up rushing and usually being late! My friends must hate me xD

8) Can you commit to spending bans?

Not really. I give in to temptation very easily, its very bad!

9) How organised is your makeup and nail varnish collection?

Very organised! My room is a complete mess but as I asked for storage for Christmas my makeup and nail collection is beautiful displayed, I love it! I was thinking of doing a post on my makeup storage, so look forward to that :)

10). What's the longest time you've gone without writing a post?

As I've only just started my blog I can't really say, I'll let you know!

Sorry for the lack of photos but I didn't see the point inserting useless pictures but I really hope you enjoyed reading my answers. Also well done if you managed to get to the end, it is a very long post so congrats! If you fancy doing this tag make sure to tag me and I'll make sure to check it out :)

Love, Laura x

Behind the Mask

As someone obsessed with makeup I rarely go days without makeup. I'm not saying that's a good thing - the opposite, but with sixth form, work, socialising etc my skin doesn't get much of a break. For me makeup makes me feel a lot more confident and I feel like it makes me look more attractive by enhancing my natural features. As a teenager my skin isn't the best, I have a good skincare routine and whilst I'm lucky to not suffer with acne (apart from in times of stress) I still get a fair amount of spots and have scarring. I also feel like without mascara my eyes look a lot smaller and due to my eyelashes being a pale colour they are a lot harder to see!

Natural unedited photo

The point of this blog post though is, although makeup is a wonderful thing and I won't be falling out of love with it anytime soon; I need to get more used to not wearing makeup. I don't view myself as a 'goddess' with makeup but I certainly feel a lot more comfortable and more attractive. Everyone strives for this 'perfect' image and yet in reality, I don't actually think there is a 'perfect image'. Every single person has imperfections or is insecure about something, whether its physical or psychological. Therefore I'm going to really try and make an effort to be more comfortable of my imperfections (lord knows there are enough) and not feel the urge to hide behind a 'makeup mask'. If you have a similar mindset then do the same, we can encourage each other when we're having a bad day. I'm not saying I'm going to be chucking away all my makeup, no way, BUT for days when I'm just catching up and chatting with friends I'm going to go sans makeup and let my skin have a breather. 

Love, Laura x

An Introduction

It seems only fitting that I introduce myself and what this blog is about before I jump right in. My name is Laura, I'm 17 (while writing this anyway) and love YouTube, comedy and anything beauty related. I'm not to sure what this blog will actually end up being, packed with beauty reviews and photos of pretty products or just snippets of my life with the background theme of beauty. But I hope you enjoy it nevertheless and come with me on this magnificent journey!

Always helpful to put a name to a face

Love, Laura x